Wisdom teeth extraction for teenager - What to expect?

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Tomboy-

Wisdom teeth of all types are more prone to decay so they have to be checked by dentists regularly if you didnt remove them.

They are only more prone to decay because of where they are - it's harder to keep them clean than other teeth.

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I agree, the idea that they aren't as good as other teeth is a 50-year-old concept that most dentists don't agree with. I had a molar pulled when I was 21 or so (my husband was in the military and they only paid for extractions for dependents) They pulled the molar and when he got out and had employer paid dental insurance I had a bridge put in, the dentist said if I had the adjacent wisdom tooth pulled they wouldn't have had an anchor for a bridge.

Yup. If there's nothing wrong with a wisdom tooth, then there's no need to remove it. If the tooth is impacted, or it's blocking the molar and is in the wrong place and braces can't correct it, or is jutting out against your cheek or back against your upper palate making it too difficult to keep clean, or it's cracked or otherwise damaged - well sure. Yank it out. The wisdom tooth that I did have, was fine. Healthy, placed well, supportive and supported, but basically had no function since its match on the lower jaw never grew in. We left it where it was until it got a cavity. I was around 40 years old at that point and it'd been there since I was a teenager.

[Fedupwiththis]

I had the 2 on the left done, and the other 2 on the right at a later date. Made it easier to chew food on the other side.

I had mine removed because they caused crowding and shifted my teeth, and I was showing signs that cavities might develop on them. Figure just pull them rather than worry about fillings or worse down the road. Wish I had them pulled sooner.