<p>This is only slightly related to college, but I was hoping to get opinions on how to handle this. I’ve heard that many “impacted” Wisdom tooth removals are unnecessary and are a real cash-cow for dentists. I also like my dentist, but I don’t think he’s adverse to making a buck either. He’s recommended that my daughter get her wisdom teeth (all 4) removed at once, and recommended an oral surgeon so she can be put under during the procedure. I never had my wisdom teeth removed, and I’m fine. So, I’m wondering what I can do to “trust, but verify” that the procedure is necessary. Can I ask him to show me the x-rays? I’ve done some research, and have seen “full mouth” x-rays showing what a wisdom tooth looks like coming in crooked, but at the same time, recommending all 4 be removed when my daughter is complaining because one of her wisdom teeth is beginning to break through doesn’t seem right to me.</p>
<p>Don’t all wisdom teeth start out impacted (i.e below the gumline), and in most cases come in just fine? Somewhere on the internet I read it’s akin to preemptively removing the appendix to prevent the possibility of appendicitis, which only happens in 12% of people.</p>
<p>Any advice would be appreciated. Oh, the connection to CC is that I like you guys, and 2-3K is killing me with the additional 30K I’m paying for my son at U of I.</p>
<p>First, if your thread really doesn’t have anything to do with colleges, you should just post in the Parent Cafe. I’m guessing a mod will move it there soon.</p>
<p>Wisdom teeth wisdom, my thought is to have it done while it’s covered on your insurance. We found out too late on our insurance plan that some things like braces and wisdom teeth are only covered up to a certain age. Also, our insurance will only cover general anesthesia if there are more then 2 teeth taken and I know I would NOT want to be awake during any extraction. Our daughter chose not to have her slightly impacted wisdom teeth taken out at 18 but had to have them done in her early twenties at her (partial - she had insurance too) expense and after her other teeth had been affected by being squished for years.</p>
<p>My D is getting all four wisdom teeth removed. Two are impacted and crowding. I can see them affecting other teeth. They will show you the x-ray. You can ask questions. In my D’s case, I can’t wait to get them out.</p>
<p>I am in my 50’s and still waiting for one wisdom tooth to come in! It has sat up in my jaw and didn’t move until the last few years and now is close to the root of the next tooth. It doesn’t bother me at all. My dentist said I should get it out but it will be hard to do because it is full size now and the roots are close to my sinuses but I am waiting to see if it come down further. I don’t see why I should get it out if it just sets there. It’s not bad or decaying. It just moved enough to get caught on a big x-ray of my mouth. </p>
<p>I can see getting wisdom teeth out if they are coming down crooked or don’t come through all the way.</p>
<p>I remember when I was debating having my wisdom teeth out. I asked the dentist why he was recommending it, he showed me the x-rays, and they were coming in at roughly a 45° angle! This was towards the end of summer, so we scheduled my operation for Thanksgiving break. Well, I couldn’t have been happier we had it set up, since by the second week of November I could feel my teeth aching and it was beginning to hurt to eat some foods.</p>
<p>I imagine the reason for having all four removed at once is that it’s almost as difficult to do one as four if it’s going to involve being put under and having oral surgery.</p>
<p>D was advised to have all four wisdom teeth removed (before they had erupted at all). Visited the oral surgeon, made an appointment, even bought the antibiotics. Then she got sick, and between school and other obligations, never had a block of time where she could have it done and have time to recuperate in case of dry sockets or other complications. Finally re-visited the oral surgeon during this past winter break, about a year after the initial appointment. He said all her wisdom teeth were coming through just fine and sent her home. I, too, am very skeptical about the prevalence of wisdom tooth extractions. Wasn’t there a study recently that said many preventative extractions (i.e, before the wisdom teeth were causing any actual discomfort) were unnecessary?</p>
<p>You may certainly ask to see the xrays and also plan to have a consultation with the oral surgeon before scheduling the procedure. Our dentist recommended that my younger daughter have her wisdom teeth out and we kept putting it off. Until one day she called me while away on a trip in excrusiating pain. I made her get in the car and drive home to meet me at the dentist, and he sent her directly to the oral surgeon for an emergency extraction. You don’t want to have to go through that if you can help it.</p>
<p>Three kids: One had all four out at once during the summer before college, no problem. Xrays showed them about to erupt. Oral surgeon extracted them. </p>
<p>The second kid did not have them out. His are buried way, way down, and the extraction would be much more involved. Our dentist doesn’t think they’ll ever erupt, or become an issue. We revisit them (Well, hello there, wisdom teeth!) when he has routine xrays.</p>
<p>The third child isn’t old enough for them to be an issue yet.</p>
<p>Most kids around here have them extracted during their senior year or the summer before college. They usually have all of them out at once, and all have it done by an oral surgeon.</p>
<p>Happydad has all four of his wisdom teeth, and so does his sister - great big jaws with lots of room, magnificent straight teeth. Happykid may or may not have room for her wisdom teeth, and one may or may not be coming in quite straight. Dentist is watching the situation, and checks every six months. Our insurance policy treats this as a medical procedure, and pays for an oral surgeon so the coverage is much better than through the dental plan.</p>
<p>I had all four taken out in two separate twilight-sedation surgeries - they were coming in sideways and required bone to be cut away… thank goodness for modern anesthesia because I don’t remember a thing! :)</p>
<p>I would say that if your dentist thinks it’s necessary… I would get it done.</p>
<p>I still have all my wisdom teeth. 40 years ago, when they came in, the dentist said that there was plenty of room for them. They came in without any problems and have never caused any problems. </p>
<p>I think that many people just don’t have room for 4 more molars. If you are not sure, why don’t you get a second opinion?</p>
<p>okay,here’s some free advice from a cc parent who’s also a dentist. Third molars,or wisdom teeth, should be removed when there’s evidence of pathology i.e. a cyst growing around it, it has an unfavorable eruption path i.e. growing crooked and/or growing beneath the crown of the second molar causing decay. Some third molars may partially erupt but may not have enough room to come in and result in pericoronitis–persistently inflamed gum tissue over the crown of the tooth. The above are all indications for removal. Simply having unerupted third molars is not an indication for removal immediately,but may need to eventually if any of the above scenario should present. And,if one is removed,it’s generally agreed all should be removed because of bite disharmony/supraeruption of opposing molar. Also,if sedation is used for one,it’s cheaper to get the others removed simultaneously. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>I have all of my wisdom teeth and wanted to wait to get oddest dd out. She started getting her wisdom teeth in at 16 but only two of them were partially out of the gums. They would not budge past a certain point. The other two would not come in because of their positon under bone. She was in some pain with them. We took a full x-ray and decided to see a surgeon. We waited too long and it made one of her teeth crooked. </p>
<p>She was offered different types of sedation. She went with novacaine and was in and out of the chair in under 30 minutes. She had no problems with recovery; none what so ever. She took it easy for two days and went back to work. Glad we took care of it before college by having it done the summer before she left.</p>
<p>Maybe DotingDad can confirm, my oral surgeon said the roots keep growing, so the longer you wait, the more complicated the extraction, and the closer the root gets to the nerve that runs through your jaw. </p>
<p>Anecdata - DH had his out in his 20’s after he woke up screaming in pain because of an abscess. Insurance didn’t cover much of it. I had mine out at 50 because a cyst grew around one of them (none had erupted, all were sideways.) Very complex procedure, painful recovery. And it takes longer to recover, and the stretched skin from the swelling doesn’t go back in shape nearly as well at 50 as at 18. Result is that DD and DS had theirs out before turning 20. Neither could be bothered with the pain pills, fast recovery for both.</p>
<p>My daughter’s dentist recommended she have her wisdom teeth removed prior to going to college. I thought this was absurd. At 53 years old I just had a wisdom tooth removed a few months ago. Why would I even think about unnecessary surgery “just in case she has a problem while at college” (as the dentist suggested). The dentist told me she had to have wisdom teeth removed during finals and then was unable to make up the finals and she wound up failing the class because of it. If my daughter was having any problems that might warrant the surgery I would consider it but otherwise I refuse to sedate her to remove teeth that are not an issue (knock wood).</p>
<p>^MomofJandL: The third molars begin developing when the child is 7 years old at which time the roots are undeveloped. It’s true that the third molar’s roots will be fully developed by 18 years old and may present a problem in extraction due to the proximity to the mandibular nerve canal (on the bottom) or the sinus (on the top). Nonetheless, nobody really knows how the teeth will develop until they’ve actually matured. And as we know, when surgical procedures are done at a younger age, we convalesce quicker and with fewer complications. Wisdom teeth are, generally, not that important since they usually are difficult to clean, get cavities easily, come in crooked and can cause bite problems. Having them removed is generally the suggested treatment if they may be problematic in any way.</p>
<p>Please do not make her go through the surgery a potential four times. If your dentist wanted to make maximum money off your daughter, that’s what he’d recommend. But because it is easier and cheaper to do them all at once, then that’s what most people do. </p>
<p>I had two of my wisdom teeth removed and then ten years later had to have the other two taken out. I cannot properly describe how much more difficult the second surgery was; far more painful, longer recovery and, of course, more expensive. I so wish I’d had all four taken out as a teenager. </p>
<p>If you have doubt, get a second opinion. I think you’ll find that what your dentist is recommending is the standard of treatment.</p>
<p>This was in the headlines today. Obviously a complication like this girl suffered is rare but anesthesia is dangerous if not administered properly or when a person has an underlying medical condition.</p>
<p>My D had all 4 of hers out at once, just prior to having her braces put on. </p>
<p>Honestly I feel the same about braces as the OP feels about the necessity of wisdom teeth removal. When I was growing up only the ‘rich’ kids got braces, now it seems every child is being told they “need” them. My D DID need them, otherwise I would have passed on that horrific expense.</p>
<p>D1 and S2 had their wisdom teeth removed and the dentist and orthodontist recommend it for S3. The logic being that we spent so much on orthodontia, the wisdom teeth could ruin it. I did have a friend who that happened to her daughter.</p>