Wisdom teeth and dentists

[웃 910]

By the way, my brother had his taken out by the dentist one by one, without being put to sleep.

Just a nummy and then the dentist takes a wrench and rips them out one by one.

I didn't hear 1 complaint/peep from him.

Just sayin'....

[William33 110]

Obviously the OP was born without wisdom.......................................................................tee

th!

Easy now Marc, he did get advice from a certified dentist. Give that some credit......

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Easy now Marc, he did get advice from a certified dentist. Give that some credit......

Certified? By who?

[christeen 966]

Had mine removed when I was in the military... The military ALWAYS wants to pull them out... They were not bothering me but I could see from the x-ray that they were coming in at an angle and would have to do it anyway... So I figured "OK, let them do it before I have to pay for my own dental"... They knocked me out for it and did all 4 at once... It was not a big issue and I was back at my duty station after one day... Mouth was a bit sore and I ate soft foods for a day or so, but I followed their recommendations as I saw the pain that dry socket causes....

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The military ALWAYS wants to pull them out...

Why?

[William33 110]

Certified? By who?

A Doctor? Go back to the political threads....Or offer some topic specific advice??????

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

A Doctor? Go back to the political threads....Or offer some topic specific advice??????

Your doctor is also a dentist?

[lostinblue 1,989]

Please stay on-topic.

You gave me what I asked for. Thanks.

The OP asked if he should have his wisdom teeth pulled. Stem cells in the future from wisdom teeth could be used to grow new teeth. We hope. But not if your wisdom teeth have been discarded. The decision made today could mean the difference of a full set of real teeth or false teeth 20 years down the road for the OP.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The OP asked if he should have his wisdom teeth pulled. Stem cells in the future from wisdom teeth could be used to grow new teeth. We hope. But not if your wisdom teeth have been discarded. The decision made today could mean the difference of a full set of real teeth or false teeth 20 years down the road for the OP.

Understood thanks.

[mawilson 2,133]

Given that my wisdom teeth don't hurt at all, does it make sense to get them removed? I am under the assumption that the oral surgeon will recommend removal - after all, that is what they do.

Not really. I have all four wisdom teeth (yes, I am wise beyond my years) and never had any problems.

[MrsCat 6]

Not really. I have all four wisdom teeth (yes, I am wise beyond my years) and never had any problems.

Are they the only 4 you have left? Good for chewing just not smiling.

[William33 110]

Are they the only 4 you have left? Good for chewing just not smiling.

[mawilson 2,133]

Hey, at least I have four teeth - your smileys have no teeth at all!

[William33 110]

Good? Cukup?

Edited January 24, 2010 by William33

[Nasturtium 500]

Hey there AJ. This is my professional and serious advice (as opposed to my mostly non-serious and unprofessional threads). From the dental anthropology prospective:

teeth need to be in basic allignment of some kind in order to really function well. This does not mean straight. You should be able to clench your teeth and find that they fit together. What the dentist on the third page said I am in partial agreement with-- in that if they do not errupt all the way or press too tightly to the back molars, you can have cleaning issues... but... if you are able to keep that in mind and always be careful you may not have problems. Carries are caused by more than just food issues-- everyone has multiple factors of enamel strength and coverage (for example some people have more exposed buccal pits in their molars like I do, a wonderful British-inherited trait-- although it is found world-wide), saliva pH (the biggie most people don't ever consider), etc. Also, your top wisdom teeth, if they are coming in, should errupt until they either reach their limit or hit something on the bottom. This is why you end up with hyper-erruption when there is no corresponding lower set. This may not cause you any issues or it could be that the slight misallignment may cause you to bite your cheeks a bit. I wouldn't be concerned since you said they are not bothering you.

So my major factors of concern would be this: can you floss between the teeth? Are they causing any kind of discomfort top or bottom? Are you prone to carries now, or have you been relatively carries-free as an adult? (most people switch their pH to be relatively carries-free as adults, but some people go the other direction.) Can you basically take care of them with brushing or is the space too tight?

Dentists and oral surgeons usually do go for removal in the same way doctors 50 years ago wanted everyone to take out their tonsils and appendix. People will say you don't use the wisdom teeth or that they are outdates evolutionary hold-overs, etc. They are a variable trait, but they are actually your thrid set of molars and have a purpose-- the issue is not the teeth, it's US and our DIETS. Without dietary stress to create the corresponding biomechanical alvaeolar bone growth in the mandible and maxilla, we do not have that extra millimeter/2 millimeters we need in order to have perfectly straight teeth and room for wisdom teeth is all. You need to stress from ages 3-8/9 in order to do this. That's why past populations have nice, straight teeth and nice wisdom teeth.

If you go for removal, I would recommend all 4 at once and being awake if possible. When you are awake, they are forced to consider the actual limits of your musculoture (in other words, not pry your mouth open farther than it really goes-- this is what actually results in over 50% of the injury to most people during the process and a lot of that swelling). If you stagger, stagger by only a couple of weeks so you get it over with. It's just better to get it over with IMO so you don't have to deal with seperate incidences of pain-- but that is purely subjective and opinion. If you choose to remove, ask around the office and have your wife ask around and ask your friends.. and find out who had great experiences and who they saw. Then, go there, even if you have to pay a bit more. It's worth it to avoid pain and damage... although every procedure and individual are unique.