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<p>Amen to that!</p>
<p>I have become skeptical of routine extraction in the absence of any medical reason. This wikipedia entry contains an overview of the treatment controversy: [Wisdom</a> tooth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_tooth]Wisdom”>Wisdom tooth - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>D1 had all 4 extracted at age 18 - it was like she had had major surgery - her face was swollen and painful for an entire week, during which she barely left the couch.</p>
<p>I had the top 2 removed in adolescence, but not the bottom. Over the course of 30+ years, every single dentist I have visited (probably 8 or so) gave me dire warnings about how I must have those 2 removed. Well I didn’t do it, and I have never had any problems with those teeth so far. (knock wood)</p>
<p>I had mine out, two at a time. Two were in an oral surgeon’s office. They were supposed to do all four but only got to two. It apparently took much longer to do than expected. I had the other two done in the hospital because the first two were so hard to do. My teeth are still incredibly crowded, even with the wisdom teeth gone. The modern practice is to remove additional teeth to avoid overcrowding.</p>
<p>My son had his done when he complained about pain. His were a piece of cake. 30 minutes per pair and no trauma or recovery time. I think that the technology of removing them is a lot better today.</p>
<p>I had mine taken out by an oral surgeon the day after thanksgiving during senior year of high school. Went back to school that monday (or tuesday, whenever it was) and was eating pizza. Mine were under the gums and coming in crooked - about to knock out of whack the work that my braces had done. I didn’t take any paid medication at all.</p>
<p>Mine all were allowed to come and they did so and were straight (though I had had 4 bicuspids pulled per braces)</p>
<p>Within a year or so I developed cluster headaches (similar to migraines) TEN years after that I had my wisdom teeth removed, they were not infected nor were they decayed, but they had very long roots that had been causing nerve irritation and damage, too. I will always have this neuralgia 
Wish I had had them pulled as a teen or 20 something instead.</p>
<p>When the headaches first began it was tooth and jaw pain, but nothing was clinically wrong, my dentist checked everything, later a neurologist and others checked things too.</p>
<p>My husband is British and wisdom teeth were not removed as a routine when he was a teen. He’s had all sorts of trouble with his two bottom wisdom teeth. Both were removed when he was in his mid-30’s. The oral surgeon actually took pictures and wrote my husband up as a case study because it was so unsual for him to have such an “old” patient for this type of procedure. The surgeon explained that the roots of the teeth grow over time so in my poor husband’s case, the surgeon needed to break the teeth into bits and cut them out, leaving very deep holes requiring quite a number of stitches. To compound matters, one of the teeth was impacted so badly a cyst formed in my husband’s jaw which had to be drained after the tooth was removed. The dentist said if it hadn’t been done, the cyst could have caused an infection in the jaw bone.</p>
<p>My daughter had all 4 out this past summer. She suffered quited a lot afterward for about 3-4 days but now its done. I had all of mine out the summer after I graduated and went to work 2 days later. I remember it as a non-event.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago I posted on a CC thread about an oral surgeon who seemed over eager to pull out my son’s wisdom teeth (describing it as “urgent” and not being very specific about why that was the case). I think that is the unusual case - if my son’s regular dentist had advised he needed the teeth taken out based on xrays, I would have trusted him and had it done. Years ago I had impacted wisdom teeth and had all 4 taken out, and this is clearly the route many end up having to go, but I also think if there is room for the teeth it would be preferable not to extract them, and my son’s dentist has the same philosophy. I agree with some above that it all comes down to trusting your dentist. I do trust my son’s regular dentist, and I know he is keeping an eye on my son’s case.</p>
<p>All of my kids had braces and it was their orthodontist that recommended their wisdom teeth be extracted. After seeking recommendations from our regular dentist and a few other dentists I know, we took them each in for a consult with an oral surgeon when they were between ages 15-17 and he explained the situation/options very thoroughly and showed us the full jaw x-rays. Each ended up needing all 4 of them removed…it wasn’t worth messing up years of work and the surgeon did a very good job, imo. All had fairly minimal pain/swelling/bruising which disappeared in a day or two (probably thanks to the continual icing in the first 24 hours) and only my youngest required repeated visits for dry sockets. None of them felt the experience was particularly unpleasant and they all really liked the oral surgeon, so it was definitely worth seeking those recommendations from others.</p>
<p>I had mine out too. I didn’t have any room for more teeth. My husband had his out - same reason. My daughter is now being watched by the dentist to determine when hers should come out. My sister kept hers though - she had four teeth removed for braces and then ended up with room for the wisdom teeth, she hasn’t had any problems with them that I know of.</p>
<p>Since my daughter is on the watchful waiting side of it - what exactly does “impacted” mean?</p>
<p>I only had the two top ones (lucky genetics)…and I was the lucky child with perfectly straight teeth.
I finally, at about 30, had one pulled because it kept getting cavities and was a pain for the dentist to fill–and obviously a pain for me to floss.
Then when is was my DD’s turn (after $7000 of ortho for a perfect smile) I went for it and had the other one removed to show my support for her 17 year old dental right of passage! She also only had 2–lucky her. But it was no problem.
People hundreds of years ago also probably had very crooked teeth and died young of all kinds of infections. So I say go for it—especially if you have made a large $ investment in getting the teeth straightened with braces.</p>
<p>Impacted just means the teeth are still up inside of the gums and have not come down and broken through the surface. I think they try and get them while they are up inside before they can cause any problems–but this does require an oral surgeon. My “old” Wisdom teeth had been down for years and they just numbed me up and pulled them out.</p>
<p>Thirty some years ago, a hygenist was cleaning my teeth and told me that I should have my wisdom teeth pulled. She asked the dentist to take a look. That dentist was an older gentleman and never recommend to do anything that is not necessary. He took a quick look and told me that pulling out my wisdom teeth is not necessary. I still have my to this old age and still doing fine.</p>
<p>I had 8, yes 8, and when the first set of the top 2 (each one had a pair) they were crowding my mouth so I had all of them removed at once - I was in my early 20s and they weren’t sure they could get all 8 (they were concerned the 2nd set were far back) but fortunately they got them all with no problems, and recovery was easy.</p>
<p>My oldest is 18 and the dentist is watching hers but said it isn’t a priority yet. My 15 year old, with all her orthodontic work, will be the one I have watched more carefully because I don’t want them to mess up her mouth but for my oldest and youngest, who didn’t have braces, we’ll see what the recommendations are. </p>
<p>I still have about 4 extra teeth below my lower teeth (was born with a double set of teeth) but I leave all my extra teeth alone until/if they break through and cause chaos. Had to get 3 extra ones removed about 5 years ago since they broke through and started crowding everything.</p>
<p>I truly appreciate dentists, but am so not a fan :)</p>
<p>Both my kids had braces. Both got their wisdom teeth removed. S2 only had one wisdom tooth. It was through the gum and not bothering him but the dentist said it would impact his orthodontic work later in life. The dentist was able to pull it so no big cost for oral surgeon. S1 had to go the oral surgeon route. </p>
<p>A co-worker was having terrible jaw pain last year. It was determined that the pain was a result of her wisdom teeth gradually shifting over the years. She had them removed and had no more pain.</p>
<p>Both kids had wisdom teeth out by oral surgeon in the summer of their jr. year in HS. I think part of the procedure (anesthesia?) was billed to our medical insurance.</p>
<p>I have always been told by 3 different dentists I have seen over my lifetime that removing wisdom teeth is elective unless they are causing problems. No one in my immediate family (parents, grandparents, siblings) ever had their wisdom teeth removed. Mine came in without difficulty. I finally had them removed in my early 40s because I had serious cavities (a common problem because of the difficulty of reaching them). I had all 4 removed at the same time because the problem ones were upper right and lower left. </p>
<p>I am a horrible patient and cry even when I get my teeth cleaned. I went to a specialist recommended by my dentist because I wanted to be knocked out. I believe they gave me sodium pentathol. I was out for maybe 15 mn. I assume I had stitches, although they must have been dissolving ones. No big holes, bruising, or anything untoward. I ate dinner afterward because I wasn’t supposed to eat before. </p>
<p>I took pain pills for 3-4 days but never really experienced serious pain. </p>
<p>Both Ss still have their wisdom teeth, but S who is 28 is planning to have them removed because of cavities. DH still has his.</p>
<p>I have 3 wisdom teeth that never erupted. The fourth never formed. No one ever recommended that they be extracted.</p>
<p>My freshman S was referred to an oral surgeon by his dentist for a consult over Christmas break. We couldn’t get him in before he went back, so I am hoping to put off any procedure they may recommend until next Christmas break. I am hesitant about the whole thing, it sounds like a nasty procedure, and they’ll have to convince us that it’s really necessary.</p>
<p>Both kids have had them removed. both had braces and both were advised to do it. they advise do it when they havent grown into the bone so easier to remove. Recovery was a few days, some bruising. it depends on your skin type. red heads swell more etc… glad it is done.</p>
<p>My D had them removed last week. Was embarrassed about “chipmunk cheeks”. third day after surgery was peak of swelling and is back to normal a week after surgery. Xrays showed them coming in sideways, same as other posters, we decided to do it now while we had time rather than an emergency procedure down the line.</p>
<p>All three of my kids had braces. The dentist recommended S1 have his removed and his teeth stayed perfectly straight. S2, the dentist recommended pulling all 4 but they came in with no problems and his teeth are still straight. S3 absolutely needs them removed, the are coming in and his teeth are starting to crowd. He is scheduled for the surgery at the end of the month. After dental insurance it will cost be a touch over $1,000. I can “see” that his need to come out. I prefer the case by case basis. I find it interesting that the dentists recommended it for all 3. This is NOT relevant to kids who have wisdom teeth coming in sideways, or who have impacted wisdom teeth and cases were it is clear hat the wisdom teeth need to be removed. But I don’t see the point of removing them if there is room and it is not impacting the other teeth in the mouth.</p>