Should you save a wisdom tooth with a cavity by getting it filled instead of extracting?

[WorriedWanda]

If you have a wisdom tooth with a cavity that is not a small one near the gums. The dentist says it can be extracted or filled, but most people just have it extracted as it is not functional and may cause problems later on. The dentist says it's an option to try to keep the tooth if one can commit to being very careful with oral hygiene in the future.

People seem to say that one may as well have such a wisdom tooth removed as it is not functional, may get further decay in the future if a cavity already arose, and may be more difficult to remove is one is older and problems from that tooth arise.

However, I heard of people who asked the dentist to try to keep the tooth, and a filling lasted for decades and worked fine.

How does one decide whether to fill or extract the wisdom tooth in this case? Is it really straightforward that one should extract the tooth if the dentist has already given the option to extract it because a cavity already developed? Is it not advisable to think about keeping the tooth if it is a wisdom tooth?

 

[letsconnect]

It sounds as if your dentist is saying that either option would work. Some people may be very attached to their wisdom teeth and don't want to let go, others might be happy to get rid of them, so to some extent, it's a matter of personal preference.

If you're finding it difficult to make a decision, a good question to ask your dentist is what they would do if it was their own tooth ?