Does everyone have to get their wisdom teeth removed?!
Question:
Does everyone have to get their wisdom teeth removed?
My dentist said that my wisdom teeth are impacted and may never develop. And I'm not feeling any pain at all. Do I still need to get them removed?
Answers:
No, not everyone.(It's just that our jaws don't develop the way they did a very long time ago.) The usual problem is not enough space in your mouth for them, so they come in crooked;sideways, etc., or like yours (and mine, darn it!) they can't cut through all the way. They are crowded, and very hard to clean, so they decay. Yours don't hurt now; they may never hurt. (Mine used to try to come in; then the gum got sore around them. Then the teeth would give up, and receed, and -voila!, no more pain for awhile, 'til the next push). But they will decay. And if it's as crowded inside your mouth as it was in mine, they will eventually push your other teeth out of line. Your dentist, in all probability, is right! Sorry, I don't love going to the dentist, or the cost, either! Um, the "impacted" actually means they are still under the gum. There isn't always an issue of pain/illness...your dentist will probably put you to sleep, but mine didn't, just deadened my gums. (Two of mine were partially out, though, so he could grasp them, or at least part of them.) Your dentist will cut the gum to extract them, you may need a couple of TINY stitches, really not a big deal. Be brave! He/she will explain the plan in detail to you. If all four of yours are under the gum, and "he" plans to remove all four at once, you may be ill for a couple of days, or so-again; there will be a detailed explaination. You don't want to wait on this if your dentist says you don't. My husband waited 'til he was in the Air Force, had all four pulled in the same operation, and was really not too well, for about 10 days, poor baby! So it all depends (as always), on the individual. Probably your dentist will do this in two proceedures, if you prefer. I wish you good luck, and a speedy recovery! Just don't wait until the teeth have a chance to be a real problem.