Concern over wisdom tooth edict by oral surgeon

[MidoriBird]

About two and a half weeks ago, going on three, I had my secondary molars on my upper jaws (one on each side, obviously) removed. My dentist insisted all my wisdom teeth needed to come out as well. I'm 34. Due to insurance issues a lot of dental work was never an option in my life before now.

For this, he took a full mouth X-ray and sent it, along with my referral, to an oral surgeon I saw two days ago, with a request to remove all of my third molars.

At my consultation the other day, examining the X-ray and looking into my mouth, the surgeon gave the following verdict: Only one needed removed; the one on my lower left side that was erupted and partially grown out into my mouth. He said that one was an abscess waiting to happen.

He feels the other three don't need removed because they have been in that same position since my teens. I'm all and happy to go along with his wishes except for one: my lower right one is horizontal.

This bothers me slightly. I thought wisdom teeth tipped that way HAD to come out regardless. He said that this is not the case, and that due to my age, and the risk posed by the horizontal tooth and possible nerve damage from removal, that it wasn't necessary. If my regular dentists insists, he will not consider it before this fall, when I reach a new level of benefits with regards to my insurance. He feels I just don't need to.

I don't have the x-ray anymore nor could I scan it in even if I wanted to, so I cannot post it. Is it possible to go one's life without having problems from a horizontal wisdom tooth? I never even knew one was tipped like that. I guess it doesn't seem to be posing a current threat to my secondary molar.

I don't even want to go back to him in a month for the removal of the one necessary wisdom tooth because he made me very uneasy. While not rude or unfriendly, he was very stone-faced, spoke so low I could barely understand him, and he made me very uneasy....very nervous. It took my regular dentist, a very friendly guy, to break through my terrific dental fear to begin with these last few months, and this guy's monotone voice and inflexible features just...well, I don't know. If I don't see him, the only other dentist in-network is clear across the state, so seeing someone else isn't an option.

 

[Angeldove]

There are a lot of x-rays doing a Google image search of horizontal wisdom tooth that might be helpful for you to see if you remember what yours looked like.

I don't have wisdom teeth in my jaw, but I have two upper wisdom teeth. Because there's no tooth below them, they have grown out sideways - not horizontal, but more like straight down, just 45* pointing towards my cheeks if that makes sense. Doctor says I need to have them out eventually (they're like the last thing I need to do right now in my mouth) - which I'm agreeing to simply because they hurt the gums on my jaw and I think may be causing me some jaw joint pain too.

So while I don't have any recommendations, I would personally either trust the specialist since they have more training and see more patients about these things than a regular dentist or I would get a second opinion.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[MidoriBird]

There are a lot of x-rays doing a Google image search of horizontal wisdom tooth that might be helpful for you to see if you remember what yours looked like.

I don't have wisdom teeth in my jaw, but I have two upper wisdom teeth. Because there's no tooth below them, they have grown out sideways - not horizontal, but more like straight down, just 45* pointing towards my cheeks if that makes sense. Doctor says I need to have them out eventually (they're like the last thing I need to do right now in my mouth) - which I'm agreeing to simply because they hurt the gums on my jaw and I think may be causing me some jaw joint pain too.

So while I don't have any recommendations, I would personally either trust the specialist since they have more training and see more patients about these things than a regular dentist or I would get a second opinion.

Let us know how it goes!

It looked rather like the one on this web page, the tooth in the lower corner that is completely tipped on its side at a 90 degree angle.

All my others are pretty vertical, if impacted.

I don't know. I should also mention that my first molars on each side bottom are also no longer there, but that was a very different issue stemming from much longer ago in my early twenties. (No missing teeth can be seen in my smile. Thank goodness.) I have some dental drift on my left side as a result, and some very mild drift on my right. All my other teeth are fairly straight. It could be that the horizontal one is less of an immediate concern due to said drift, but I don't know for sure. The drifting on my left side led the other tooth to stay upright and erupt, although it hasn't grown out all the way, and that is the one the oral surgeon says is an abscess waiting to happen, and the one he plans to remove next month.