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Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / November 2006Need advice about wisdom tooth removal
I'm booked in to have my upper wisdom teeth removed in a few days time, on the advice of my Canadian dentist. I am 33 years old. My upper wisdom teeth came through in my early 20s, and have never given me so much as a moment's bother. However, I have no lower wisdom teeth. Because of this, my uppers have grown longer than my other molars, and have turned outwards. My dentist wants me to have them removed to prevent future problems. He says they will continue to grow even further down because there are no lower wisdom teeth to hold them in place. I agreed to have the work done. However, in the last day or so I have done some reading online, hoping to be fully prepared for the procedure. It seems that removal of asymptomatic wisdom teeth is a sticky subject. I am now wondering if I have made the right decision. I used to live in the UK, and my dentist there gave no indication that my wisdom teeth had to be removed. It is only since moving to Canada that the subject has been raised. I have been very lucky, because all of my teeth have grown in perfectly straight with no crowding. Even my wisdom teeth can be easily cleaned and flossed. If I leave them in, they might cause pain and discomfort at some point in the future. If I take them out, they will *definitely* cause me pain and discomfort for the next few days. I do not have a dental phobia as such, but I am absolutely terrified by the thought of having these teeth out. I know it will be over quickly, and will be done under IV sedation which makes it painless, but it's still something I would rather do only if absolutely necessary. Any advice one way or the other? Is my dentist over-reacting, or should I just suck it up and get it over and done with? > I'm booked in to have my upper wisdom teeth removed in a few days time, on > the advice of my Canadian dentist. [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Any advice one way or the other? Is my dentist over-reacting, or should I > just suck it up and get it over and done with? Upper wisdom teeth are usually pretty easy to take out, and complications uncommon. If they continue to supererupt, they will eventually reach the lower jaw and need to come out. Even before then, supererupted teeth are a risk of decay for themselves and in your case the second molars directly in front of them. I think you should have them out. Steve > Upper wisdom teeth are usually pretty easy to take out, and complications > uncommon. If they continue to supererupt, they will eventually reach the > lower jaw and need to come out. Even before then, supererupted teeth are > a risk of decay for themselves and in your case the second molars directly > in front of them. > I think you should have them out. Thanks for the advice. I know that it's probably best in the long run, even if it causes pain in the short term, but I've never had anything more complicated than small fillings, so I'm very nervous about the whole extraction process. > Upper wisdom teeth are usually pretty easy to take out, and complications > uncommon. If they continue to supererupt, they will eventually reach the > lower jaw and need to come out. Even before then, supererupted teeth are > a risk of decay for themselves and in your case the second molars directly > in front of them. I forgot to ask, does supereruption make the extraction process easier for the dentist, since there is more tooth for him to grab on to? >> Upper wisdom teeth are usually pretty easy to take out, and complications >> uncommon. If they continue to supererupt, they will eventually reach the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I forgot to ask, does supereruption make the extraction process easier for > the dentist, since there is more tooth for him to grab on to? Interesting question. No, it usually doesn't expose more tooth, since the erupting tooth usually carries the gum and bone with it. But given the fact that it sticks up (or down, in this case) past the plane of chewing, it may make it somewhat easier to get forceps around. Unless the roots are really hooked, it's really no biggie. Even a sissy like me had one extracted (by my brother no less) with no difficulty, and little soreness afterward. Steve > Interesting question. No, it usually doesn't expose more tooth, since the > erupting tooth usually carries the gum and bone with it. But given the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > like me had one extracted (by my brother no less) with no difficulty, and > little soreness afterward. I had both teeth removed on Thursday afternoon, and so far it has been very smooth sailing. The most painful part of the whole process was having the line for the IV sedation inserted. The anaesthetist had to give me more than normal - he was sort of annoyed that I was still talking and not ga-ga after the first dose. I remember having the locals injected in the roof of my mouth, and I also came round at one point during the procedure. I wasn't in any pain, or even remotely aware of what was going on, so it wasn't traumatic or anything. They told me later they had to put me completely under for the rest of the operation. All I remember after that is waking up in recovery with a completely numb mouth. The gauze stuffed at the back was hugely uncomfortable. I couldn't wait to get that out. The bleeding had stopped by the time I got home, and the wounds now seem to be healing very nicely. The only pain I have had is a slightly stiff jaw, but it's a feeling I usually get after having a local injected into the back of my mouth, so it might not even be from the tooth removal. My neck is also quite stiff, but that's apparently from the sedation. I've been able to eat mushed foods, and brushed my teeth this morning. All in all, much less hassle and pain than I was expecting. The only bummer is not being able to eat hard or crunchy foods. There's only so much mashed potato and banana I can cope with :-) >>Interesting question. No, it usually doesn't expose more tooth, since the >>erupting tooth usually carries the gum and bone with it. But given the [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > is not being able to eat hard or crunchy foods. There's only so much mashed > potato and banana I can cope with :-) Thanks for the update--glad it went well! Steve  SignatureMark & Steven Bornfeld DDS http://www.dentaltwins.com Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001 |
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