Foo - Wisdom teeth

Hi , my wisdom teeth are growing out and from what i know of , it is up to me whether to keep them or not. Do you keep yours?

it's up to you if they grow in w/o problems.

don't know many folk who do keep theirs.

i had all of mine taken out in one go when i was in college.

fwiw - i'm neither a dentist or an oral surgeon.

Does your dentist have an opinion?

I got all 4 of mine removed. I was in and out of the building in just under an hour, and 15 minutes of that time was spent in the waiting room. I'm glad it's out and not a bother any more.

The reason they usually get pulled is because they usually don't grow in right. They often come in at an angle and impact the molars. This can lead to infection if not just a sore mouth.

The only way to really know is to go see someone, get some x-ray's. You don't just get them pulled because you "feel like it"...

Oh, and i'm not a dentist, but i know a few dental students...and slept in a Holiday inn last night

I had mine out. my bottom ones were growing sideways, so the surgeon really
had to dig around in my lower jaw to get them out.

I knew a guy who milled his teeth out with a long shank carbide end mill.

I think if you do have to get them out, it's good to get all 4 at once. The unpleasantness is less drawn out that way, and the out of pocket costs are usually less.

And I'm here to say they look real snazzy on you, X. Only problem was that the waitress at the Cup & Saucer was griping about what you did to the flatware when I went in there not long after our brunch. You've got to be more careful about things like that.

Three of mine are gone so far, over the course of almost ten years. The two upper ones came out first, and that took very little time. Just under a minute of prying with what looked like a bent screwdriver. The third one was a lower one and had to be taken out using a bit more surgery. The dentist had to cut open the gums surrounding it, and then drill the tooth into smaller bits and carve them all out using some metal gadget. After he'd sewn the gum back together, I was done. Took about 20 minutes, plus another ten minutes before that for the pain blocker to work.

Got 'em all. I gotta big mouth. Also, I take professional advice with a bit of skepticism. My current dentist thinks they're just fine, no real crowding issues.

When I'm 95, they'll probably be the last teeth in my head. Seriously, why undergo any unnecessary procedure? If they are coming in straight and you have the room, leave them.

I think I have a new insight to x's avatar.

I am 48 and still have my wisdom teeth - perhaps that is why I can be such a wiseguy at times? :lol:

I have had every dentist tell me "You should have those out someday" - my response "What is wrong with them?" They say, "Nothing, but someday you might", my response, "What's wrong, behind in your payments on your Cadillac?"

Tends to shut them up.

There is a potential side effect (rare), a friend of mine had his done and lost all feeling in his tongue, including the ability to taste. :eek:

Mine were growing in quite impacted. I saw the X-rays, and had headaches and earaches to back it up. It was a complete relief to have them out. I got an IV of "twilight sleep" (valium and demerol). That was great fun. :D

You have a big mouth, Krink? I'd have never believed it... :p ;)

I still have all of mine too. :) My mom is the same way. I wouldn't keep them if I did need them removed though. Teeth tend to look quite gross when they are out of your mouth.

Mine are in my mom's jewelry box along with all my baby teeth that went to the Tooth Fairy. :)

Mine were growing in quite impacted. I saw the X-rays, and had headaches and earaches to back it up. It was a complete relief to have them out. I got an IV of "twilight sleep" (valium and demerol). That was great fun. :D

You have a big mouth, Krink? I'd have never believed it... :p ;)

:D



Yeah, mother's little helpers. Not enough to make me want to take my teeth out. I once had a (legitimate) prescription to oxycontin, though, and if that stuff was on the menu...no, still no.

Thanks for the reply guys , i woke up today in pain because one of my wisdom tooth is impacted. I am defintely going to get it extracted tommorow. Quite afraid because it is my first surgery.:(:eek:

Chrystal meth took mine out.

GET THE PULLED.

Let me tell you my story. Neither me or my parents knew they were "supposed" to be pulled at a young age. I never had mine pulled. Every year they'd try to come in a bit and it would hurt for a few days, then they would recede and pain would go away.

Finally one day, about 5 years ago (in my early 30s by this point), the pain came in and was bad enough I *HAD* to go see a dentist who promptly sent me to an oral surgeon. It was only one tooth that was really bothering me at the time, and I was lucky that the particular bothersome tooth was the only 'easy' (e.g. no complications) one to pull.

Other three:
1) Wrapped around nerve in jaw, 50/50 whether they would snap nerve and I'd lose feeling in my face in that area for rest of my life.
2) Fused into my jaw bone, they would have to break my jaw to get the tooth out.
3) Grown upward through the roof of my mouth and into my sinus cavity. I would not be "allowed" to sneeze or cough for about 4-6 weeks for the wound there to heal or suffer bad consequences.

Final suggestion from oral surgeon was to keep the 3 complicated ones and not deal with them until/unless they bother me as its likely they can't really get any worse.

None of these complications would have occurred if I'd had them out when I was younger (and didn't know I needed to). GET THEM OUT.

The bottom line is that they tend to grow in weird places the older you get. They can be done "easily" when you are young, chances are they may have serious complications if you wait until you are older.

I think if you do have to get them out, it's good to get all 4 at once. The unpleasantness is less drawn out that way, and the out of pocket costs are usually less.

+10000 to this as well.

It's hard to brush and floss well way back behind the wisdom teeth. You end up getting pockets and eventually bad stuff back there. I had all mine out in one go. For me, they had already come in, so as soon as the local anesthetic took affect, the oral surgeon extracted all four in about 15 seconds.

edit: I didn't know they could get as bad as KT described... I was lucky mine didn't get to that point.

Thinking about this subject this morning, its starting to seem really bizarre to me. Why do so many people need these teeth removed? Is this some sort of evolutionary flaw?

I don't have lower ones, thank goodness. My uppers didn't grow down but seemed to get stuck and the roots grew upwards into my sinus cavity. For weeks after they were removed I could "feel" minty things like toothpaste and mouthwash in my nose.

Thinking about this subject this morning, its starting to seem really bizarre to me. Why do so many people need these teeth removed? Is this some sort of evolutionary flaw?
Not really a flaw, just another vestigial part of our bodies. The way it was explained to me is that wisdom teeth are a problem now because we have better dental health. By the time they arrive, we still have a mouth full of teeth. Instead of filling in gaps where teeth were lost, they end up crowding them all. At least that's what the orthodontist told me 10 years ago when I had all mine removed.

Had one problematic one extracted last year; still have other 3 which are staying until/unless they, too, exhibit problems. I tend to agree with crtreedude, re: current conventional wisdom (pun intended) of yanking 'em all in teens as prophylactic measure. I suspect this benefits dental practitioners' incomes more overall than the patients' health. It just strikes me like advocating that everyone have their appendix removed by age 18 because a few people eventually will develop appendicitis.

Besides, if you've neglected an infected one long enough, it comes out surprisingly easily. :)

Thinking about this subject this morning, its starting to seem really bizarre to me. Why do so many people need these teeth removed? Is this some sort of evolutionary flaw?

Maybe its something left over from when our faces were shaped differently.

I know from experience that even if they aren't bothering you "NOW", it's not a bad idea to get them removed when you are young and BEFORE they can cause extreme complications.

KT, were you having regular xrays during these years? I'm wondering if your story means get'em out, or watch'em if you got'em.

Another reason to have them out might be that one has insurance now (say, under mom and pop's plan) but may not have it later.

I wonder how this surgery compares to tonsillectomy, which has gone from being considered almost necessary in the sixties to far less common today.

I still have all 4
Never had a cavity other then them (now near 30)
One of which is 1/2 gone.
I have been putting it off for years! Probably 8 to 10 years
My latest excuse to my dentist is time (new born)
I just got a check up notice in the mail for a cleaning - it reminded me of the horror that I need to face.

I hate it when people put there hands in my mouth!

KT, were you having regular xrays during these years? I'm wondering if your story means get'em out, or watch'em if you got'em.

Another reason to have them out might be that one has insurance now (say, under mom and pop's plan) but may not have it later.

I wonder how this surgery compares to tonsillectomy, which has gone from being considered almost necessary in the sixties to far less common today.

No, I did not have regular x-rays. It was all a shock to me at the time. But I try to warn young people every chance I get now to get it done now while they are still easy and complication free because you don't know how they will grow in the future. It's by far the lessor of two evils IMO. It's probably about the only time I'd suggest a surgical procedure that isn't technically necessary (at that moment).

IMO, it means GET THEM OUT.

Just got one of them pulled in July.

I'm 50.

In times of stress, that one WT really ached. Finals time, really behind at work. Yeah. I just put up with it for years. I knew it would eventually go away.

I went on a week canoe trip down the Colorado River in May. That tooth ached the whole time. It was all I could do to eat.

First order of business when I got home? Yank it!

Thinking about this subject this morning, its starting to seem really bizarre to me. Why do so many people need these teeth removed? Is this some sort of evolutionary flaw?

I think it really is because they're hard to keep clean for most people and end up being a problem when plaque builds up behind them and cause gingivitis. I'm no dentist though.

I still have my wisdom teeth and my tonsils

Maybe its something left over from when our faces were shaped differently.

I know from experience that even if they aren't bothering you "NOW", it's not a bad idea to get them removed when you are young and BEFORE they can cause extreme complications.

I really doubt that I will need mine taken out. My mom has never had her's taken out and her teeth are very healthy. I think I inherited that from her. :)

If modern dental medicine is really the cause of the mass expenditure of wisdom teeth, it makes me wonder how other such advancements in science and technology are affecting us.

I really doubt that I will need mine taken out. My mom has never had her's taken out and her teeth are very healthy. I think I inherited that from her. :)

If modern dental medicine is really the cause of the mass expenditure of wisdom teeth, it makes me wonder how other such advancements in science and technology are affecting us.I think I like your mom better than mine. (just joking mom). I inherited an extra nerve in my molars, yes three instead of two. I found this out when the anesthesia started to wear off after a root canal. OUCH! Mom has this too but I didn't know until afterward. Wednesday I'm going to have surgery to remove an "extra bone" in my right foot. Guess what, mom has that too! The surgeon says that since she doesn't run or ride it never bothered her but my chosen hobby makes mine a problem. Thanks mom.

Ouchers! Sorry bout that SoonerBent!