Wisdom teeth question-why now?
Discussion
I live in France and have just registered with a dentist. During the examination he said that I should have my wisdom teeth taken out, all 4, and he would write me a prescription for me to take to the surgeon (I can choose any I want to, he did recommend one).
My question is why does he want them out? I am 53, they have been there years and caused no issues, ever. When I asked, he said it would help keep my mouth cleaner. But surgery for all 4 under a general aesthetic seems a bit extreme just to keep my mouth cleaner?
Any advise?
Thanks
My question is why does he want them out? I am 53, they have been there years and caused no issues, ever. When I asked, he said it would help keep my mouth cleaner. But surgery for all 4 under a general aesthetic seems a bit extreme just to keep my mouth cleaner?
Any advise?
Thanks
Steviesam said:
I live in France and have just registered with a dentist. During the examination he said that I should have my wisdom teeth taken out, all 4, and he would write me a prescription for me to take to the surgeon (I can choose any I want to, he did recommend one).
My question is why does he want them out? I am 53, they have been there years and caused no issues, ever. When I asked, he said it would help keep my mouth cleaner. But surgery for all 4 under a general aesthetic seems a bit extreme just to keep my mouth cleaner?
Any advise?
Thanks
If you have made it this far and the only reason is " cleaner " I'd be tempted to leave alone assuming there really is no other reason from him ?My question is why does he want them out? I am 53, they have been there years and caused no issues, ever. When I asked, he said it would help keep my mouth cleaner. But surgery for all 4 under a general aesthetic seems a bit extreme just to keep my mouth cleaner?
Any advise?
Thanks
I had mine removed ( and they hadn't been fully through then ) when I was about 12 given my mouth was " too small " and had already had a number of other teeth removed.
From memory I always thought that the best time to get them removed was by your late twenties anyway.
As you say a GA is never to be taken lightly and I would assume that the recovery time etc might also be a bit of a pain -literally.
Retired dentist here.
The U.K. guidance is to only remove 3rd molars if they’re causing problems as the possible complications post surgery are potentially quite severe.
There are 2 main problems caused by them.
1) Pericoronitis, if the tooth is partly erupted, a bit of food works it’s way under the overlying flap of gum, sets off an infection which causes the flap to swell and gets chomped on by the upper teeth which causes more swelling. It needs antibiotics and washing out under the flap. Symptoms are pain and difficulty in opening the jaw. My rule of thumb was if it happens more than a couple of times then get the teeth out.
2) Rarely, if the 3rd molar is tilted forward, the mechanism that lets a tooth erupt by munching through the bone and gums goes a bit wonky and starts eating away the back of the 2nd molar where it’s resting against. Then the wisdom tooth needs gone asap and possibly the second molar too.
Cleaning between second and third molars can be tricky if the third molar is really tight up against the second but that’s not an indication to remove the wisdom tooth in itself.
The U.K. guidance is to only remove 3rd molars if they’re causing problems as the possible complications post surgery are potentially quite severe.
There are 2 main problems caused by them.
1) Pericoronitis, if the tooth is partly erupted, a bit of food works it’s way under the overlying flap of gum, sets off an infection which causes the flap to swell and gets chomped on by the upper teeth which causes more swelling. It needs antibiotics and washing out under the flap. Symptoms are pain and difficulty in opening the jaw. My rule of thumb was if it happens more than a couple of times then get the teeth out.
2) Rarely, if the 3rd molar is tilted forward, the mechanism that lets a tooth erupt by munching through the bone and gums goes a bit wonky and starts eating away the back of the 2nd molar where it’s resting against. Then the wisdom tooth needs gone asap and possibly the second molar too.
Cleaning between second and third molars can be tricky if the third molar is really tight up against the second but that’s not an indication to remove the wisdom tooth in itself.
Another retired dentist here. Agree with everything posted by GordonL.
Referring you for extraction of all four symptomless wisdom teeth under GA is not just a 'bit extreme', it's way outside the norm for UK dental practice and would immediately be rejected by a hospital (which btw is the only place in UK where GAs can be given as they have to have a certain level of critical care facilities, ie crash team etc).
It would be viewed as unnecessary treatment unless there was clear evidence of pathology, eg tooth decay, long term infection, root resorption, cyst formation etc in the involved teeth. Your dentist should be able to show you on the X-rays he must have taken to come to his diagnosis.
Just saying 'it would help your keep your mouth cleaner' may be true but so would having all your teeth out!
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Referring you for extraction of all four symptomless wisdom teeth under GA is not just a 'bit extreme', it's way outside the norm for UK dental practice and would immediately be rejected by a hospital (which btw is the only place in UK where GAs can be given as they have to have a certain level of critical care facilities, ie crash team etc).
It would be viewed as unnecessary treatment unless there was clear evidence of pathology, eg tooth decay, long term infection, root resorption, cyst formation etc in the involved teeth. Your dentist should be able to show you on the X-rays he must have taken to come to his diagnosis.
Just saying 'it would help your keep your mouth cleaner' may be true but so would having all your teeth out!
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff