Wisdom teeth? Ortho says no and dentist says yes. Confused!

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#1 Post by **Echeatha** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:49 pm

Hello,
who would have thought there was so much worry after braces. Well, I have been wearing my retainter 24/7, and the gaps seem to have closed ( though I have to take my retainer out for a longer period of time to be sure). I have a question. should I get my wisdom teeth out? Ortho said no and that they are fine since they have not caused any problems for me now (I'm 20), dentists ( 2) said that I sould get them extracted. i am confused as to what I can do. Also, my ortho messed up on my first retainer and when he was fitting me the next day, he decided to make a new one for me b/c the firsty one didn't fit. Is that right? I mean I feel a little angry because I payed for the first day retention and I got my second day retention instead. Braces have turned into a nightmare.

#2 Post by **Tasha0313** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 7:35 pm

I had my wisdom teeth pulled in August of last year. Even though they weren't bothering me in any way, I knew that if by chance they did come in, they could possibly mess up my new smile.

My orthodontist also said the same thing that yours did, my dentist told me that I should have them out asap and I just didn't want to take the chance. So I went ahead and had them extracted.

Some people never have problems with their wisdom teeth, while others have lots of problems. I was 22 when I had it done and it wasn't bad at all. I actually had 5 wisdom teeth, most people have 4.

Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:39 pm

My dentist and ortho both said my wisdom teeth are fine now(am in late 20's and have all 4 wisdom teeth). The dentist said that they should come out before age 35 because "If there's a problem after 35, they're too hard to take out." I'd be curious to know what others have heard, I think its just another scare tactic to get me to have an expensive procedure done.

#4 Post by **bunnyfluff** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 2:49 pm

My orthodontist also said that I don't need them out since they won't interfere with what he's done with my teeth. My (new, since my old one was a..well..he wasn't very good) dentist said as long as I keep them clean it's fine.

However, the last time I went to the orthodontist the assistant wanted to hook me up with an oral surgeon, but she never said that it was necessary to have them out.

The entire procedure scares me so i'm going to hold onto mine unless they cause problems

#5 Post by **Echeatha** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:29 am

Yeah, I tend to get cavities and I don't need anymore. So, I am thinking that I will get them out this summer. Anyway, when you get them out, does it cause any shifting in your teeth? My boyfriend got them out, didn't wear his retainer in a week, and now it does not fit and his teeth have shifted.

#6 Post by **jeni** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:48 pm

After I got my wisdom teeth out in late 2005, it did cause my teeth to shift. Maybe it will help my crowding problems if I leave it alone long enough

. I noticed within about 6 months that I had a lot easier fit with floss back there. Flossing back there is getting easier by the day now.

#7 Post by **Julie08** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:25 pm

If there's any chance they could cause problems, it would be easier to have them taken out when you are young. I'm 44 - I had been told and believed for years that I had no wisdom teeth - not true, - at 43, upper wisdom teeth finally appeared on x-rays - but they were so far up in the jaw, that no one had caught them on an x-ray before. Because they were so abnormally far up, the oral surgeon said he wouldn't remove them since they weren't hurting -- they'd likely been there for at least 20 years and if they hadn't descended by now, they probably wouldn't. BUT, if they did ever start to descend and cause problems - it would not be a simple extraction, I would have to be hospitalized and it would be fairly serious surgery. If they had been spotted when I was young, they could have been removed then and there would, of course, be zero chance of problems later.(I never did get any wisdom teeth on the bottom). Not everyone needs theirs removed, but if you think there's a chance (because of where they are located, family history, etc.) that they could cause problems, I'd get rid of them while you are so young. (just my opinion)

#8 Post by **mytch** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:34 pm

I had mine out last month. I had 4 severely impacted wisdom teeth and was worried about the operation. Well, the day came, I was in hospital from 1pm-5pm then went home. My face was really swollen, I was on pain killers and it was heaps less than what I made it out to be. I can't believe I worried so much.

My point is that you don't feel any pain. Sure you can't eat solids for 3-4 days but that's not too big of a deal.