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.
GordonL said:
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.
I had the second scenario come to a head earlier this year. I'd changed dentists a few years ago and talked to her about having my wisdom teeth out because I kept biting the inside of my cheeks which caused swelling. Ultimately I decided not to when I read how involved the extraction was (I had plenty of teeth out as a teenager and it sounded much more of a faff than getting those out). 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.
Oh, how I wish I had done it then. I got a new dentist earlier this year. He advised me that my bottom wisdom teeth were causing decay on the backs of the molars in front of them because my lower wisdom teeth are angled forward and fully erupted. He was reluctant to attempt the removal himself and referred me to the local dental hospital. Unfortunately, due to the position of the tooth there was nothing I could really do to clean in the pocket the wisdom tooth was creating which was causing the decay. It would just have to come out so the damaged tooth could be repaired.
Fast forward several months on the waiting list and in late July, just before I was due to go on holiday I was struck down with toothache. I've never had toothache before but this was absolutely agony. The left side of my face felt like it had exploded and the nerve endings were being scraped with a file. The pulsing ache in my lower left teeth was inescapable. Codeine did nothing for it and I spent three days wracked with pain before I could get back to my dentist for an emergency root canal. That was a huge relief and some antibiotics ensured that the swelling in my face went and I could get my mouth open again.
I finally had that troublesome wisdom tooth out on Tuesday. Three days later, I still can't eat properly or open my mouth wide without discomfort. The extraction left me with a sore neck from bracing against the twisting force of the doctor and her pliers but I'm glad it's out, good riddance. I've the lower right one still to go but that one is not causing so much trouble and the extraction should be easier. I won't put it off though, because the pain of the infection I suffered in July was the worst thing I've ever felt.
Of the four I never really had problems with them until my 50s. One upper got decay and was removed. The other upper was used to support a bridge (after it failed on the second molar) which has now been removed to make way for an implant for a new bridge.
One lower is still intact but can be difficult to floss around. The other lower one I had removed when I was on holiday in Spain about 4yrs ago. I got toothache and thought it was coming from a second molar however the Spanish practice I went to had the 180 degree X-ray machine and not the w
ky x-ray machine you get over the chair in the UK. They discovered that the root of the wisdom tooth was irritating the main nerve that runs through the lower jaw and removed it under a local. It seemed to come out really easy and not really much pain whilst the socket healed over the next few days. Cost of removal was €130. I got the impression they'd rather take wisdom teeth out than leave them in.
I don't recall the other ones being a problem when they were removed.
One lower is still intact but can be difficult to floss around. The other lower one I had removed when I was on holiday in Spain about 4yrs ago. I got toothache and thought it was coming from a second molar however the Spanish practice I went to had the 180 degree X-ray machine and not the w
ky x-ray machine you get over the chair in the UK. They discovered that the root of the wisdom tooth was irritating the main nerve that runs through the lower jaw and removed it under a local. It seemed to come out really easy and not really much pain whilst the socket healed over the next few days. Cost of removal was €130. I got the impression they'd rather take wisdom teeth out than leave them in.I don't recall the other ones being a problem when they were removed.
zetec said:
LightweightLouisDanvers said:
Had all 4 out in hospital in my early 20s under general anesthetic. Apparently they were compacted?
Same, but I think i was in my 30's and they were impacted.Remember it vividly for various reasons (the post op pain was something else!) plus it was my first ever hospital visit, and the nurse kindly remind me I had put the gown on back to front (I wore it like a normal dressing gown)....
Edited by chip* on Monday 8th September 09:24
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