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I'm starting to wonder if dentists strongly advising the removal of wisdom teeth isnt just a clever little money making scam, My 19yr old daughter just got told she should have her wisdom teeth removed At $1500 i got to thinking me my wife and our other daughter have all had our wisdom teeth extracted,even though there was no problems with our teeth. talking to my brother and sister they and all their children have had the procedure, talking to a few friends same story.. Is extracting wisdom that necessary?particularly when in all cases the teeth never showed signs of decay or any other problems and seemed totally healthy,
I'm starting to wonder if dentists strongly advising the removal of wisdom teeth isnt just a clever little money making scam, My 19yr old daughter just got told she should have her wisdom teeth removed At $1500 i got to thinking me my wife and our other daughter have all had our wisdom teeth extracted,even though there was no problems with our teeth. talking to my brother and sister they and all their children have had the procedure, talking to a few friends same story.. Is extracting wisdom that necessary?particularly when in all cases the teeth never showed signs of decay or any other problems and seemed totally healthy,
I've read articles about that; it seems like a lot of people are pushing back on wisdom tooth removal, and rightly so. If there's no reason to take them out, why do it????
Yep, totally not necessary. I am 36, have never had mine removed. The dentist years ago told me that they are impacted, but are not crowding my other teeth so they are causing no harm at all, it would be more harmful to me to go in and dig them out than to leave them alone. The only reason they said I may ever have to have them out is if one of them ever becomes infected.
You might not live long enough to need them removed. I had my bottom ones impacted and removed at age 70 and 74, and the top ones are still there an not causing any problems.
It is probably easier to have them removed at a younger age, with fewer potential complications.
If one ever has dental insurance at any point in their life, might as well do it then.
For cost comparison, my oral surgeon (who was very, very good) charged $450 for the extraction, which was unusually complicated, took 25 minutes, and he strongly recommended general sedation, which cost another $300. The first one I had done, was just with local anesthetic, which is fine in a great majority of cases..
When I was younger every dentist said get them out. I ignored them all. Happy I did. I still have them and they are in great shape. Never caused a problem.
The only time mine became a concern was when I got cavities in them. Neither were impacted, they weren't crowding my other teeth, they were fully exposed. It was just hard to brush back there, and so it was more prone to cavities than the other teeth. The dentist said I could get it filled and possibly have to get other cavities filled on the tooth, or he could just pull it out. He told me it was up to me, he had no recommendation either way because the decision wouldn't affect any other dental issue I had. Both were covered by insurance. I had him yank it. Same thing happened with the other wisdom tooth around 8 years later. Except that one was somewhat loose due to a very mild case of bone degeneration. For that, I would've had to have a root canal to keep the tooth from loosening more and creating problems - or get it yanked. So I had it yanked.
Since wisdom teeth aren't necessary, I think the choice should be "what's the most convenient and least likely to cause harm to the mouth?" If the answer is to leave them alone, then leave them alone. If it's to yank just one, and leave the others, then do that. If it's to pull them all, then pull them all.
As for the costs - bear in mind that the cost to fix your mouth, if you do -not- have wisdom teeth removed, and the wisdom teeth crowd your other teeth badly enough that you have malocclusion or talk with a lisp or can't chew properly or endure headaches and jaw pain.. is a LOT more expensive than pulling the wisdom teeth. If your wisdom teeth are threatening to create these problems, then it might be more cost-efficient for you to get them pulled.
So you have to weigh the risks that apply to you personally. Not everyone's mouth is built exactly the same, and some people can do just fine with wisdom teeth - while others will suffer consequences if they keep them.
In thinking about it, I don't know anyone, ever, that has had multiple wisdom teeth removed by their dentist. It's always been at the recommendation of the dentist but they go to an oral surgeon for the procedure. I don't see where the financial incentive would be if the patient is choosing the oral surgeon.
My son's dentist wants him to get his wisdom teeth removed ASAP. Son is only 16 but they are coming in early and the dentist says, from the x-rays, that the bottom ones will be problematic. It's too early to tell about the top ones but he thinks it's likely and says it will be easier on my son to just get them all done at once under sedation. Since he is referring son out for the procedure and he himself is retiring in just a few weeks, I am confident that he is strictly concerned with my son's health and there is not financial incentive for him to recommend this.
My son's dentist wants him to get his wisdom teeth removed ASAP. Son is only 16 but they are coming in early and the dentist says, from the x-rays, that the bottom ones will be problematic. It's too early to tell about the top ones but he thinks it's likely and says it will be easier on my son to just get them all done at once under sedation. Since he is referring son out for the procedure and he himself is retiring in just a few weeks, I am confident that he is strictly concerned with my son's health and there is not financial incentive for him to recommend this.
If the lower ones have to be removed, then the upper ones haven't a lower tooth to strike against while chewing. This can cause gum problems. So get them all done at once if you can.
A dentist is always going to advise you to remove them regardless of the situation. I was told I had to remove mine. I never did. Never had a problem.
Why did a dentist tell you that you had to remove your wisdom teeth? Were you there to see about another tooth, or what?
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