Should I get my wisdom teeth removed?

[y4m]

They are all in and not impacted. Not causing me any issues. My dentist hates them because they are hard to clean, but there's nothing wrong with them. On the other hand, I probably won't ever be healthier than now as far as recovery.

Should I just do it? Or say screw it for now and wait for a problem?

[nightandday]

If they're not causing any problems, I would just leave them. I have a huge fear of the dentist, so that's likely coloring my opinion.

[FastHands]

What does "hard to clean" mean in this case? Does he hust not like cleaning them at your appointment, or is he saying you aren't able to clean them sufficiently at home and that is causing detectable deterioration?

[y4m]

Mar 25, 2016 19:16:30 GMT -5 FastHands said:

What does "hard to clean" mean in this case? Does he hust not like cleaning them at your appointment, or is he saying you aren't able to clean them sufficiently at home and that is causing detectable deterioration?

I think it's more of a "they are far back and it's hard to do well at home" thing. Mine show a little deterioration, but nothing urgent.

The guy I was referred to was like "yeah dentists hate those". But he also said it will never be easier than now. He seemed generally torn about it.

[sparty04]

I had mine out under local anesthesia. I'm glad I did it and glad I didn't shell out the $ to be put out. It feels nice not having as many teeth, haha

[messykitchen]

I had mine all pulled a few months ago under twilight sedation. They were all impacted though.

It was no big deal for me and recovery only took a few days.

Plus, I haven't a migraine since!

[StephaniePlum]

I'm in my mid-40's and never had them removed and had no issues. I did have them sealed, whatever that means, to help combat cavities. Good luck!

[Deleted]

Mine had all come in at 18 when I had them taken out. Recovery was really easy.

Of course I was also 18. So. Not helpful I guess.

[cville]

I waited until they'd started to compromise my back molars, and did all 4 at once (3 were impacted). Boom, with general anesthesia. Then my molars were SO EFFING SENSITIVE FOREVER. Like a year. They're okay now, but the oral surgeon said they'd have healed faster if I'd gotten the wisdom teeth out sooner.

[rbp]

I have wisdom teeth and have never been pressured by my dentist to have them removed.

[Shreddingbetty]

Mine were all impacted and I had all 4 of them taken out at once. It was no big deal and I was at the bar eating ice cream and drinking cocktails that evening during a blizzard from hell. I never needed pain meds and I was back to eating normal foods after 2-3 days. So much for my goals to not eat much for a couple of weeks and lose weight... I was 25 at the time and had an oral surgeon do it.
As far as yours are concerned I guess I'm not sure what I would do. If they really think they are going to be a problem before too long I might consider if especially if you have good dental insurance that will cover it. Otherwise I would probably just watch it for a while still and see how things go. I would imagine that if they are not impacted at all it wouldn't be a huge deal to get them out anyway.

[scottyderp]

Nope.

[Deleted]

Will insurance cover it if they aren't causing actual problems? That would be my first question. Mine were all impacted. I had them out in the 3 week span between prom and HS graduation. My dad didn't have his out until he was 50 or so, because they didn't cause issues until then. I was the lucky one that had to drive him. He could barely walk out of the office but thought he could drive. ()

[Deleted]

Doesn't seem like you should remove them. 

[wowhead]

I wouldn't until there was a medical reason. I had mine removed almost 2 weeks ago because I had decay in all four. They are too hard to clean hasn't been a good enough reason for me for the last 25 years.

[pandora]

If they wouldn't create an issue in the future keeping them then I see no reason to have them removed. As they are, they are keeping a place for your teeth and I'm thinking your teeth may shift if they are removed? But, if there is a chance that the wisdom teeth could be a problem in the future, I'd have them removed.

I preventatively had mine removed while I had the insurance to do so in college. When they removed them, they mentioned that I would have had problems down the road (with shifting) because of they way they came in (impacted) so I was glad that I was being proactive. I never needed braces and likely would have had I left them, no thanks!

[gibbinator]

I had other molars removed just with local anaesthetic and it's not too bad. Recovery is quick when the teeth aren't impacted.
That said, I wish I hadn't had my wisdom teeth removed because I had to have 2 permanent molars removed later, and now I have a big gap on either side that could have been partly filled by moving my wisdom teeth forward using braces.

[poprocks]

All 4 of mine were impacted but weren't giving me any issues, and none of my dentists had really pushed to get them taken out. I finally did get them out a few years ago when my new-at-the-time dentist suggested it, and I wish I hadn't, to be honest. My teeth shifted pretty badly after taking them out, and now I'm hoping to be able to afford Invisalign soon.

[sweetbrier]

I wouldn't. I think it's pushed a lot harder than it should be.