Wisdom Teeth?

Question

I have all four of my wisdom teeth and they have never given me a problem even when they were growing in. A friend of mine told me that their dentist recommended that he have his wisdom teeth pulled even though they have never given him a problem either. Why would the dentist recommend this?

Answer 1

some dentists think all wisdom teeth should come out because it will change the shape of our jaw or put pressure on bones and cause TMJ. they think we evolved to not have wisdom teeth. but, a good dentist will leave them alone if there is no crowding of teeth or excrutiating pain. there is no reason to pull them unless there is a problem.

Answer 2

I had mine taken out just over a year ago when I was 15. My teeth weren't giving me pain at all or anything, but the dentist said if I didn't have them out, they would grow in and crowd my teeth. And since I had had braces already, my wisdom teeth might have caused my teeth to shift annnnnnnd that would be bad, since my mom paid lotttttsss of money to make them straight hah.

But it really wasn't bad having them taken out. I didn't feel any pain because I was doped up on pain killers the entire time. The worst part was that my face was roughly 12 times the size it normally is.

Answer 3

As Rick O points out, there are potential problems associated with MOST wisdom teeth because they are difficult or impossible to clean effectively.
As dentists, we don't suggest taking them out because we like it. It's not something that endears patients to us in the short term. But when I see people come in eventually with infections, decay, destruction of the tooth in front, ... then it's going to be a very difficult day for everyone, particularly the patient. Unforseen wisdom teeth emergencies can mean a lot of pain, expense, and time off work.
Don't wait for a potential problem to trap you. Think ahead and have them removed (if suggested) at a time that you control, not where the tooth controls you. You'll have a much less traumatic extraction, and you'll have much less post-op problems.
Look at it this way - do you service your car regularly, or do you wait for the engine to seize up? Which would you prefer?

Answer 4

when i got mine taken out i was told by my dentist that my mouth didn't have enough room for the wisdom teeth, so if they grew out they'd grow in crooked which could present problems. they could become infected by food particles getting trapped in the back of your mouth i guess. here's an excerpt from the wikipedia article on wisdom teeth.

"A wisdom tooth is extracted to correct an actual problem or to prevent problems that may come up in the future. Wisdom teeth are extracted for two general reasons: either the wisdom teeth have already become impacted, or the wisdom teeth could potentially become problematic if not extracted. Potential problems caused by the presence of properly grown-in wisdom teeth include infections caused by food particles easily trapped in the jaw area behind the wisdom teeth where regular brushing and flossing is difficult and not effective. Such infections may be frequent, and cause considerable pain and medical danger. Also, it is a wise choice to have them removed if undergoing extensive orthodontic work because once the teeth have come in they could inflict some damage on expensive straightening."

Answer 5

The dentist may have recommended this because his mouth was too small or he saw other problems related to the wisdom teeth.

Answer 6

Once again, thumbs up Rick. I thought mine weren't causing any problems for years. Then the upper ones started falling apart, due to not being able to brush the backs of them where they were up against my jaw. So, I had to have both of them pulled. My bottom ones are impacted, and I recently started having severe pains in my jaw....I went to the dentist and had X-rays done, and guess what? The impacted ones had moved a bit and are touching the roots of my molars, so now I have to go have THEM removed. I am 29, and I really wish I had all this done when I was 17, when my dentist told me to.

Answer 7

Not sure, to make more money maybe. But, if your wisdom teeth are not bothering you, don't worry about it and let them be. Some people don't have problems with them. My family has a problem with narrow lower jaws, just genetics. So we all needed to have our wisdom teeth pulled because of crowding and the wisdom teeth not wanting to come in.

Answer 8

I'm 30 now and have never had single problem with mine. Sure they are deeper than the rest of my teeth but my back is behind me and I still manage to keep that clean too.
Never had mine pulled.

Answer 9

mine never gave me a problem either,the only reason my dentist wanted me to get rid of mine was because he said that since they were so far back in my mouth,that they would be very hard to keep clean. It would be next to impossible to floss and stuff like that.