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Wisdom Tooth Removal

G

Guest

Former Member
Hello,

I have been looking at your website for quite some time now and it helped me make my first visit to a dentist since I was a child when I had an abcess last month. I am currently 46 years old. Thank you so much for this site.

I have since been to this dentist 6 times and have had one extraction of root remnant and full deep cleaning as well as xrays all in the last month. I was doing very with all of this until I was told yesterday that I need to see an oral surgeon for extraction of at least 3 wisdom teeth as well as 2 other root remnants and a parital tooth. Needless to say I was devastated as I've just become comfortable with their environment. I am told that after the extractions I will only need one filling which is not urgent and will then need to look into filling the gaps caused by the extraction, so all else is not too bad.

The problem is that I'm not sure that I'm willing to have the wisdom teeth out as my understanding is that it can be complicated at my age. Even if I do have them out I don't want this work all done at one time and would prefer to see only one dentist who can take care of all of my needs in a way that I'm comfortable with over time.

Can you please provide information or a link with information on wisdom tooth extraction. Is it always necessary to have them all out at once? Could we not do one quadrant at a time for example as they did with the cleaning? What about complications at my age?

Thanks LJS
 
You obviously like and trust your dentist. Have you asked him/her about this?

General dentists don't get much practice at removing awkward wisdom teeth and refer to more experienced surgeons to do it. Most people would prefer to have everything done at once, so your dentist is assuming that you would too.

There's nothing about your age that would make extracting wisdom teeth any more difficult. Heck, you're the same age as me ;D so clearly just a young person...
 
Thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly. I did let them know that I was not comfortable with their suggestion that I see the oral surgeon and have it all done. I was told that there was nothing else they would do for me until all of the extractions are done. They will not even consider starting at their office with doing the easier extractions. They did one extraction almost one month ago and it was fine.

I have been in touch with another dentists office in the area who does wisdom tooth extractions and everything else that I might need to have done. I will likely go to them and stay with them as I get the feeling that they will be more willing and equipped to work with me.

I'll keep you posted.
 
Hi,

I now have been told by another dentist who routinely does wisdom tooth removal that my case is very complicated and that he cannot do it. He tells me that the upper ones should not be a problem but the lower are more difficult. I have seen the xray and one is sideways and the other is on an angle and seems to have pushed on the tooth next to it which has a curve in the root. That tooth also needs to come out as it has broken and can not be fixed. I can understand that both of those really do need to be removed and really should not wait too long as the broken tooth could flare up anytime. The dentist I spoke with this AM who was very nice suggested again that I have everything done at once. I find this much too overwhelming at this stage in dealing with all things dental. My other problem is that have a serious problem with any kind of IV sedation. I simply won't have it done if IV sedation is required. Are there any other ways? Also, I'm told that if I don't have this done I'll get infections. I'm 46 and have obviously had these wisdom teeth for many years with no problems or infections. Why would one expect them to become infected now? All of the information I've read also says that removal is wisdom teeth at my age would be much more difficult that if I were in my early 20's this is a concern to me. I have an appointment with an oral surgeon on May 3rd for a consultation, are there any specific questions I should ask?

To be very honest at this point I feel like just not having any of it done. It's just too much for me to deal with all at once. I was doing just fine taking things slowly one step at a time and wish there was some way to get through it all more gradually.

Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hello,

Just to add on to my previous message, my appointment is now for Monday April 18th instead of May the 3rd. They were able to get me in sooner due to a cancellation. I also have noticed that one of my wisdom teeth is fully errupted and is straight and even with the tooth next to it and seems to be just fine. I never realized it was my wisdom tooth I just thought it was another molar. Why would they want to extract it? I really don't want any wisdom teeth removed unless absolutely necessary at this time. Please also see previous message as I have other questions.

Thanks in advance.
 
I am limited in the amount of information I can give you without seeing x-rays.

As a rule of thumb, it's normally good practice to extract the upper wisdom teeth when you remove the lowers, this is because the upper tooth will tend to extrude from the socket to "find" something to bite against. If there's no tooth there it will find the gum on the bottom instead leading to obvious problems.

I'm not aware of any research indicating that there are bigger problems in extracting teeth in patients in their mid 40s relative to mid 20s. Where did you hear this? In general the bone density is similar but the 40 year old will be more likely to have lost some bone support due to periodontal disease so the likelihood is that the extractions will be easier.

I don't know why they are so desperate to operate on both sides at once, unless they are planning on doing the procedure under general anaesthesia. If they are using GA then it makes perfect sense. What explanation is given when you ask them?

Sorry this is a bit terse, I need to go to work :)
 
Re:wisdom tooth extraction after mid 20's

Everything I've read online indicates a higher risk of complications and more difficult extraction after mid 20's. I would imagine that the others who have the same concern have likely read the same studies and articles. Even "gdentalfear" recommended a site that cleary indicated the same thing. I much prefer your view on this but find it difficult to ignore what I'm reading. Is it possible that these sites are saying this to encourage younger people to have them done sooner?

I see the oral surgeon on Monday afternoon. They seem quite nice and my husband was kind enough to chat with them and let them know about my fears. We're told that the Dr. will work we me to get things done in a way that I can deal with. Now all I need to do is get myself in the door and hear what the Dr. has to say.

LJS
 
The actual research on the topic is totally inconclusive - some studies have found *less* complications with wisdom teeth removal in older people... go figure :rolleyes:
 

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