Over Spring Break during my senior year in college, I had all four of my wisdom teeth surgically extracted like just about everyone else I knew my age. Needless to say, I spent most of my vacation on the living room couch with my mouth loaded with gauze!
Prior to surgery, were my wisdom teeth infected or painful in any way?
No.
Were they causing any sort of problems for me whatsoever?
No.
Then why in the world did I have them out you might ask?
Good question!
As it turns out, over two-thirds of cases of wisdom tooth extractions are completely unnecessary says Dr. Jay Friedman DDS in a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Of the approximately 5 million people who endure wisdom tooth extraction each year, 11,000 suffer what’s called “permanent paresthesia” which is a fancy name for numbness of the lip, tongue, and cheek resulting from nerve damage during the surgery.
The problem is, wisdom tooth extraction is quite the little oil well of profit for dentists with the costs of such surgeries topping 3 billion US$ each and every year.
Sounds like the standard practice of extracting wisdom teeth is a bit like “finding and filling” cavities that don’t exist, doesn’t it?
Ah, yes. There’s the rub.
According to Dr. Friedman:
Third-molar surgery is a multibillion-dollar industry that generates significant income for the dental profession, particularly oral and maxillofacial surgeons. It is driven by misinformation and myths that have been exposed before but that continue to be promulgated by the profession.
Dr. Friedman goes on to dismantle in very compelling fashion the 5 myths of wisdom tooth extraction.
Myth #1: Most Wisdom Teeth Cause Problems
The truth is that only 12% of wisdom teeth actually cause an acute issue somewhere down the road that requires the attention of a dentist to resolve. This is about the same rate as appendicitis, but people do not routinely and preventively have their appendix removed like what happens with wisdom teeth!
Myth #2: Early Removal of Wisdom Teeth is Less Traumatic
The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons recommends extraction of all 4 wisdom teeth by early adulthood before the roots are fully formed to minimize any chance of infection and pain.
The truth is that this early removal of wisdom teeth is actually much more traumatic than a wait and see approach which leaves asymptomatic wisdom teeth in place and only removes them if pathology develops in the future.
Further, complications from wisdom tooth extraction which include dry socket, secondary infection, and paresthesia (numbness of the lip, tongue and cheek) are less likely to occur in an older patient than an adolescent.
Myth #3: Erupting Wisdom Teeth Crowd Anterior Teeth
Dr. Friedman writes that it is simply not possible for wisdom teeth to crowd 14 other teeth with firm vertical roots. There is simply not enough force to do so and multiple studies support this fact.
Myth #4: The Risk of Problems with Wisdom Teeth Increases With Age
A study of 1756 people who kept their wisdom teeth for an average of 27 years found that less than 1% experienced any cyst formation. There is zero evidence to support the unsubstantiated claim by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons which states that problems with impacted wisdom teeth increase with age.
Myth #5: The Risk of Harm in Removing Wisdom Teeth is Small
The list of potential complications from wisdom tooth extraction is long:
Even in cases where there are absolutely no complications whatsoever, wisdom tooth extraction requires 3 days of discomfort and disability while the patient recovers from surgery.
Given that no more than 12% of wisdom teeth ever cause any problems whatsoever at any point down the road, the risk of removal seems great in comparison.
Skip That Surgery!
So, if your dentist tells you or your child that it’s time for those wisdom teeth to come out when they aren’t causing any trouble at all, just politely smile, say “uh, no thanks”, and go home.
You just saved yourself a rather large chunk of change my friend.
Cha-Ching!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Source: American Journal of Public Health, The Prophylactic Extraction of Third Molars: A Public Health Hazard, Jay Friedman DDS
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{ 112 comments… read them below or add one }
Skip That Surgery: Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Unnecessary http://t.co/JJTBR3Zk
I had my out my senior year in high school. My jaw is narrow and all 4 of my wisdom teeth were impacted (i.e. coming in crooked – we’re talking at a 45 degree angle to my existing teeth). Two were already broken through while two were still under the gum. I clearly saw on the x-rays that they were coming in crooked. I had them all taken out (I do remember the gauze – I tried to change my own and fainted!!) and (fortunately) have not had any problems.
I wonder if I had been on WAPF diet back then and did some FCLO/BO if they would have straightened out… not sure. Both my kids have beautifully spaced teeth so I’ll be on the lookout to see if their dentist says anything when their wisdom teeth come in.. thanks for the warning!
Magda\’s last post: So very sorry…
Hi Magda, even if wisdom teeth come in crooked or are impacted, they are rarely a problem requiring removal.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Skip That Surgery: Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Unnecessary
Er… Methinks you aren’t in the best position to offer that sort of conclusion. I believe that sort of statement would be best left to the actual dental professionals to make. In the future, you might want to also consider linking to any respondent criticisms when you post scholarly information. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2376974/ There — fixed it for ya.
Eh, J. Reece, basically that respondent criticism admits that most extractions are done out of connivence.
I have a problem with the whole conventional medical model, from the biased research to texts with pharmaceutical indoctrination from cover to cover. This is pseudo-science. There are too many monied influences in conventional medicine. The studies you recommend using as reference points are antithetical to traditional wisdom. It is rare that recommendations, such as wisdom tooth extraction, aren’t influenced by some bias. I do consider modern medical research, but I also consider the extreme bias inherent in the research. Follow the money.
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But how can you be sure they would not impact other teeth? If there is no more room in the jaw and it’s narrow, where would they go?? I do believe you should check into this procedure (I mean it’s an actual surgery so definitely not be made light of) but in my case I was okay with having them out. Having had tons of dental issues, including an overbite, I was not ready to deal with having my entire tooth line messed up. JMO.
Magda\’s last post: So very sorry…
I had two that were impacted. I waited and waited until they started causing me problems…there was no room for them to come out and they were pushing up against my other teeth. It was also causing me some pain. Sometimes it’s necessary to get hem removed.
Now this is weird – we were JUST talking about this this morning. My daughter has a friend who just got her wisdom teeth taken out and she asked why people have to get that done and I had mine out when I was young, but I really could not remember why and wondered if there was indeed a good enough reason or if this is something else that is overdone and perhaps not healthy, like root canals. I wanted to research it, so thank you. How timely!
Nickole
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I have been telling people for twenty years that pulling wisdom teeth is a scam. At 40 years old I still get flack from the dentist about removing them. Now he wants them out because they are only partially emerged and difficult to keep clean. They don’t have any cavities, just lots of plaque.
I’m 26, and I have a wisdom tooth coming in on one side, no sign on the other. They cause me no discomfort at all, and every dentist I have been to has always just said, if they don’t bother you don’t worry about it. Only one of my friends that I know of has ever had hers out. I wonder if it is becoming less prevalent, or if it’s because two years ago I moved to the UK, where dentistry is much cheaper and so probably less of an “industry”.
Very interesting observation Gwen. You could be onto something there.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Skip That Surgery: Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Unnecessary
I only have two wisdom teeth, the other two don’t exist. At 36 I had one come in, I know why babies are so cranky when they get teeth! At 46 I had it pulled, I had a lot of trouble with it and my mouth was constantly sore as there was no tooth opposing it so it continued to grow and make my bottom gum very sore. The other that Is still in my mouth has never erupted, unless it bothers me it will stay right where it is!
My husband still has all 4 of his, and they have never been a problem.
I say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Great! This confirms what we’ve believed as well.
I only had 3 wisdom teeth to contend with- one was missing. Around 22, one came in and caused issues so I did have to have it removed (with no problems, thankfully). They wanted to do all of them at that time and I said no thanks. Even though one seems to be crooked, the oral surgeon did say there was a possibility it would never even come in. He was really nice and did not pressure me to choose one way or the other, but presented both sides. I would have saved money (assuming I’d have to have the surgery eventually) and I would have only had to go under anesthesia once (a bonus to the liver) but it would have been more traumatic on my body and with 3 removals instead of just 1, that’s a lot more chance for something to go wrong! I am happy with my decision and here we are 8 years later with no further wisdom teeth issues.
Matt still has all four- he was constantly told to get them out, but it just didn’t set right with us and he’s never had any issues. It was our holistic dentist that did the amalgam removal who finally told him not to bother unless they caused problems, which would be unlikely. YAY for holistic dentists!!
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Damn I wish I knew this before I got mine out:/ http://t.co/RhE3bEkF
Perfect timing!! I have been debating on what to do with my new tooth that has arrived during my mid-40′s.
Thank you for another wonderful post!
With love and gratitude,
Sheen
I had a feeling this was the case. I’ve had more than one dentist want to yank my wisdom teeth that are not bothering me in the least. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Wow. This couldn’t have come at a better time. My husband is 35 and the new dentist we saw noticed that he still had his wisdom teeth buds and recommended we remove them before they got infected. We were strongly considering doing it but it did seem odd that no one ever seemed to think they were a problem before. I had my wisdom teeth out at 17 and it was awful. I got dry socket and was on all sorts of pain meds and antibiotics for weeks. I actually feel a lot of space back there and I always wonder if I actually had the space for them and was hoodwinked. On a different note, CLO and butter oil plus minerals seem to be getting rid of my hubbies tooth pain. The dentist was also recommending some drilling and we may not have to do it afterall.
When I was a young teen, I had much pain due to my wisdom teeth – my lower two were extracted via oral surgery and a specialist. I was told that I’d have to have oral surgery for the top two as well. Over a decade later, I’d been having recurring issues with my upper teeth and (then married) worried about paying for surgery. I have a fabulous dentist and he assured me that he could remove them without surgery – he did several years ago. It was the best choice that I could have made – the teeth were malformed and it was no wonder that I had such pain! I’m blessed with a dentist that I trust. After having seen many dentists over the years, he was hard to find.
My wisdom teeth would be an oral surgeon’s dream come true. They’re not coming in straight..one is actually upside down! Over the space of a year, I feel maybe two weeks of discomfort. It’s not enough to really bother me and doesn’t last. No infection, no crowding or other issues, so I’ve chosen to just leave them be. I’m 34 and have yet to feel that the discomfort is bad enough to warrant extraction.
I still have my wisdom teeth and I love them so:)
This was the funniest statement I’ve read in a long while. Thank you, Samantha, for making me laugh!
I personally waited until it was necessary. They were causing me jaw and headaches and crowding out my other teeth. I am a prime example of a poor, modern, American diet growing up affecting my teeth. Thankfully, so far, my children seem to have a good basis for good dental health and growth.
Agreed. My dentist was surprised to see I still have my wisdom teeth, an unfortunate rare occurance.
We just had this discussion with our dentist last year! By the end of our discussion, we had determined that wisdom teeth are taken out on the outside chance they cause problems down the road. It took 45 minutes for him to admit that, however. He was pretty frustrated, although he tried to hide it. When we asked how to avoid cavaties, he told us brush well and eat a healthy diet. We further asked him what is a healthy diet (we are tired of “professionals” telling us to eat healthy, how vague!) Of course, he told us the food pyramid – and that is all he knew. We were not trying to be rude, but rather informed. Apparently they are not taught reasons of why they do the things they do. I don’t really “blame” him. He is just saying what he learned (or rather did not learn) at school. Kind of reminded me about my first OB/Gyn who knew little about nursing babies and the good they do for mothers.
Great post! This is precisely why at 35 years of age, I still have all 4 wisdom teeth! My (former) dentist tried to persuade me to get them out my senior year in college. His rationale (“you don’t want to have to get them out before finals…blah blah blah”). My answer? They are not causing a problem, they do not hurt, I’ve never had a cavity, my mouth is fine, I’m keeping my wisdom teeth. I plan to keep them forever! Thanks for bringing light to this issue. I didn’t realize there are so many complications with removing them.
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Mine were all removed when I was 23, they were impacted & showing signs of decay. What I find interesting is that even 7 years after, the scar tissue in my gums will get irratated & feel just like the tooth is still there!
Mine is compacted, and the dentist told me he was worried it might cause decay in the tooth next to it… I don’t want to have any teeth pulled though. I have gaps because I had baby teeth that never came out, and my jaw was big enough for my adult teeth to come in, next to them. So once I had the baby teeth pulled at 27, I was left with gaps.. I still have all my teeth, but if I get a tooth removed, I worry it will make the gaps bigger and I don’t want that!
Hmmm…from personal experience, I can say that my husband and I both really needed our wisdom teeth removed. The dentist told my mom that I needed mine removed in high school, but my mom declined because of money issues. Later, my lower teeth became crowded and crooked (not terribly, but still noticeable and I never needed braces). Then, around 23, my upper and lower jaw began aching. I had my wisdom teeth removed (no anesthesia, only laughing gas) and the pain disappeared. My husbands teeth are terribly crowded (not just from wisdom teeth) and at 30, he developed severe pains from the teeth somehow rubbing the gums. He had them out and the pain disappeared. So, that really makes me wonder if it’s only 12%.
Mine are fine, though the dentist freaks out when he sees me. I guess it’s really rare to see a full set of teeth anymore? lol
I do think they’re not all necessary but I think this is where asking good questions and doing research is essential. Mine were all sideways. I had to have 5 baby teeth and 8 permanent teeth removed (includes wisdom teeth) for my teeth to all fit in my mouth. Either that or break my jaw and stretch. We opted for the wisdom teeth extraction.
I know our orthodontists has told my daughter she will need to have hers removed…not quite sure why? I am assuming “no room” but we will see….I have 3 of mine…I had to have one removed from decay…if I had only known then what I know now….
Take your children to a functional dentist to ward off teeth crowding in the first place. I didn’t and I’ve had to have my wisdom teeth taken out, an ALF appliance, braces and crowns due to grinding and clenching my teeth. http://mcleandentist.tripod.com/id40.htm
After you’ve had braces, it is recommended you have your wisdom teeth out so that when they come in, it doesn’t shift your straight teeth. In fact, they won’t remove your bottom retainer until you have had them out. I wonder how necessary this is? I had mine removed as a teenager but they had already started coming in and weren’t as far down as they could have been. No digging down to get them and I hardly swelled. I only had laughing gas also. My daughter now has braces and I would love to avoid having her wisdom teeth removed but wonder what I’ll be up against.
Just so you know I had braces and I still have all four wisdom teeth. I never had a problem with them making my teeth crooked again. I actually went back to my Orthodontist (my mother worked for him) and had x-rays when my wisdom teeth started pushing up. He could tell by the x-rays that I had plenty of room for them and recommended I not get them removed. I have been surrounded by horror stories with having them removed. That’s why I didn’t do it. I had a friend lose feeling on one side of her face for almost a year. My husband ended up having to have 4 molars removed because of the damage that was caused my the dentist removing his. And my brother has holes on the bottom on both side from where his where. He actually has to clean out the food that gets stuck when he eats.
I was told repeatedly by my dentist that I needed my wisdom teeth out in my early twenties. I refused (mainly because I watched what my sister went through and I have an aversion to pain) and I’ve never had a problem. I only have my two bottom wisdom teeth. They both came in fine. No pain, no crowding, no problems.
I am 29, and have an appointment in 1 week to have all 4 removed. I REALLY don’t want to, but 28 years of eating SAD has left at least 2 of them pretty decayed. Right now they aren’t causing pain but we’re hoping to get pregnant again soon and I don’t want to have to deal with them (should they further decay and start causing pain) while pregnant. Sigh.
I had mine pulled at my own instigation. I have never met anyone who had the same problem I have, so I’d love to hear if anyone else here did! Every month with my cycle one of my wisdom teeth would get inflamed and swollen and very painful. Just one, but one each month, sometimes so painful I couldn’t chew food! Of course I wonder now if I had tried a WAPF style diet that would have gone away. Still I’m not particularly sorry I had it done, but then I had no complications and got rid of a very painful condition! Anyone else ever heard of anyone with this odd problem?
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This is timely for me as well. My dad has crooked lower front teeth, which happened as his wisdom teeth came in (I’m told). The dentist told me, when I was in my teens, that I needed to have them out because my teeth were already going crooked on the bottom and my wisdom teeth would make it worse when they came in. So now, I have six kids and assumed that they would need them out. I don’t want to chance the crooked lower teeth. My oldest has straight teeth right now. I would love to skip all these surgeries! ???? Now, to figure out what to do with the canines that are sticking out the the boys. They play basketball and get injuries often because of these teeth! Any words of wisdom for me?
I kept my wisdom teeth, and it made my previously some teeth on the lower part crooked.
I had super straight teeth there before. But I told myself, I’m not a movie star, so who will care……?!!
Let me try this again:
All my teeth were straight. I decided not to get my wisdom teeth pulled. Eventually some of the teeth on the bottom DID become a bit crooked. But, since I wasn’t a movie star, I told myself, well – who is going to care?!
Anyway, it’s the kind of crooked that’s barely noticable, too…..
Thanks for sharing your article and all the research links!
When I was 17 I had a wisdom tooth that had erupted and was causing me trouble so I went in to have it pulled. When I sat down they began to numb all four corners of my mouth – when I asked why, they said they were going to pull all four! I was confused. “But only one is causing me trouble!” (My teeth were in no way crowded. My other wisdom teeth were normal – not impacted, etc.) The response was, “If we pull one, we just pull them all at the same time. It’s a matter of course.”
I assumed that sooner or later I’d have to have them all out anyway, so I submitted compliantly.
In the future, I wonder how these traditions will be changed? For instance, we don’t all have our tonsils out automatically any more. Amazingly, “further research” has uncovered an important role the tonsils play in our health! I have come to the conclusion that the body is fearfully and wonderfully made, and the Creator knew what He was doing when he assembled us!
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Hi Sarah!
I am the conference coordinator for Indianapolis Chapter of Weston Price. We are having a conference on September 15, 2012. Our first conference was in 2007 and we sold out at over 200 people which is the max that the facility could handle. We have a max of 450 for this years one day conference. Are you interested in participating as a speaker?
The conference will be held in downtown Indy at a trendy urban art center called the Harrison Center. The Harrison shares space with a Presbyterian church that was built in 1902. Both the church and the Harrison work to revitalize and re-inhabit the downtown area. There is a significant following of “foodies” who would attend a conference such as this. We are having our next planning meeting on February 15. I can send you a roster of other speakers we are investigating but our basic theme for this year is Food Heals. I was wondering if you might give demonstration on sourdough, keifer and yogurt, and soaking grains? We have others demonstrating fermented vegetables. Just wondered if you had interest. You are a clear speaker and organized teacher and you would be an asset to our Indianapolis following. This year is an important year as we might begin a campaign to legalize raw milk in Indiana.
Our Chapter leader is Leslie Gray
http://www.indywapf.org/pdffiles/2012-01-22.pdf
Thank you!
My name is Karen Horn , 317-846-3521 home phone
Your timing is superb. I only have 2 wisdom teeth. One came in when I was about 18 and has never been a problem, except for it’s a little crowded to brush it. The other one never erupted. Now, however, I have gingivitis and the periodontist wants to pull the unerupted tooth and surgerize (my word) all four quadrants. I am looking around for alternatives and if any of you have ideas I am open to them!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist busts 5 myths on wisdom tooth extractions. http://t.co/uCNYgkCG
Thank you Sarah for shedding some light on this issue. Dental health/truth feels like an area where there is just not enough information out there. My son, age 11 has a baby tooth that has not come down yet. His teeth are slightly crowded and right now it doesn’t have enough room to come down. The dentist wanted to have him undergo surgery to have it removed even though it is not causing him any problems. When I asked 2 oral surgeouns what would happen if we just waited till all his baby teeth came out to see what would happen, niether of them could answer my question. Of course they both wanted to remove it anyway but could not find any reason why we should not wait. I’m waiting and givng him plenty of CLO, butter and raw kefir int he meantime!
I waited until I couldn’t handle the pain anymore. Mine were taken out in emergency the day after Christmas.
I needed one tooth out because it locked my jaw. The good part was that I lost weight when I couldn’t eat much. LOL
And I like that my dentist told me that I don’t need the rest out unless I have pain or my jaw locks. He said to leave them alone and there is no point in taking them out right now.
Thanks for the article!
It’s funny but I’ve thought a lot about this lately. I had wisdom teeth removed in high school (back then my parents and I never thought to question the wisdom of our medical practitioners). We were told they would crowd my mouth. Guess what? Now I’m 37 and my teeth are SPREADING. I had a huge gap between two teeth because I have too much room. Teeth naturally “float” a little bit anyway, and now they have fewer teeth to anchor them in. I will NOT have my daughter’s teeth pulled while a teenager. She can make that decision for herself as an adult.
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I never had them. Not even the nubs that turn into them. JD still has his. They don’t bother him at all.
Mine didn’t get a chance to bother me, the Army forced me to remove them….. I’ll never know! I know a few people who had theirs come in and cause all sorts of problems and pain….
great – thanks for this! i was to have mine removed (apparently all 4 are impacted) so i went, signed up and all. then, when he was going over the Side Effects he mentioned what you did above, the numbness for life and yadda yadda. Left the office and never looked back. And never a shred of pain from it either. Dr.’s, wadda they know !
good for you!
I am 34, and I think when I was about 18 my dentist wanted to take my wisdom teeth out. There was nothing wrong with them (they never even came in), they just told me that later in life the root could grow around my nerve and cause numbness. I went home and told my Dad and he said worry about it when it happens if there is nothing wrong now leave them in. So I did just that. I had a tooth that had to be pulled (second one in from the back) and I thought I would have to pay thousands of dollars to have a false too put there. I was pregnant at the time so there was nothing I could do for about a year, but in that year my last tooth in the back moved to the missing tooth spot and that wisdom tooth on that side has started to come in. Once the wisdom tooth is all the way in it will be like I never lost a tooth! I couldn’t believe I am 34 with a tooth coming in, but I will take it! My Dad saved me from suffering a lot of pain not to have my wisdom teeth taken out, which then led to me saving $$$ on not having to buy a fake tooth b/c that tooth was there when I needed it! Great article I am living proof save your wisdom teeth!!
palate widening can make room for all the teeth, right?
I know an 80 yr old that has all his. I had mine out years ago because food was getting trapped under the gums in the area, the skin was growing over the teeth and making the area swell. Im sure if they dont bother people,though they should be left alone.
Since when I was a kid I did not take care of my teeth like I do now and had my molars removed when I was in my teens and now use my wisdom teeth to chew with.
I had my wisdom teeth removed on three differet occastions since I was too poor to get them out all at once. The second time was an emergency extraction while living in Japan. The tooth broke skin, was shredding the back of my mouth and got infected. It was horrible to have this happen while living abroad, but the actual surgery was quick and easy and I was back to my normal life within 48 hours. It also only cost me $100. The other two times brought on misery that words can never explain as well a great deal of financial hardship. I wonder if those bottom teeth would be minding their own business in my jaw bone now instead of getting dug and drilled out.
My husband now has great insurance and if I needed any kind of dental work it would only cost us $10. I wish I would have waited (except for that infected one, that was horrible and I am glad it is gone)
I still have mine and I am 45. One is sideways and the other two all the way in. I have one that never came to to gum. I take extra care with them and they give me no trouble. If they do, I will go from there.
Well, I was one of the 12%. My 3 wisdom teeth were impacted or growing horizontally, and growing towards my other teeth sideways instead of growing up. It was a horrible experience! The doctor came in and said it was time to do the surgery…. in behind him came 3 bouncing, giggling nurses saying “We want to help you put her under!!” AAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG! Scary!
Over-crowding has been a life-long issue for me. Not only did I have all 4 wisdom teeth out, but also 2 upper and 2 lower adult cuspids to create room. I have a recessed lower jaw and a laundry list of dental issues. I’ve worn braces 4 times….(yes, I said 4.) Once as a teen and 3 times as an adult. Even without the 4 removed teeth, the remaining teeth STILL crowded and shifted continually to the point of needing braces again and again.
Now, I have upper and lower permanent retainers and I ALSO wear a removeable upper and lower retainer every other night. I have more fillings and root canals than I can shake a stick at. Without a doubt, I have been cursed with poor dental genetics. I wonder just how much my situation would have been different with a better diet. I have no doubt that I am the 12% and although things might have been different with a better diet, I am convinced the genetics would still have won out over diet in the end.
With palate expanders and braces going on kids at a younger and younger age, they all seem to come out of it with that beautiful wide and white hollywood smile. (the one I can only get via caps, crowns, and cosmetic dentistry).
I am so glad you wrote about this. I still have my wisdom teeth but my husband had his removed and now I will be very mindful about our children’s teeth. I really enjoy your blog, thank you!
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I used to have problems with my wisdom teeth every 3-4 months or so when I got popcorn stuck in my gums. The problems went away once I adopted a Primal diet. Haven’t had an infection in over a year. My dentist is a good guy too, he said to only get them removed if they get infected often (once a month or more).
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That dentist is a keeper
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Skip That Surgery: Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Unnecessary
Skip That Surgery: Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Unnecessary — The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/qFqjuIWP
I only have 2 wisdom teeth, and dentists told me I would have to consider having them removed…but when I asked why, because there was no pain, no reason, they just said it could push other teeth together causing more dental issues…at the time I was not as informed as I am now, so I was like, “oh, ok.”…and never did anything about it. Now I know! Great article.
Just another reason why I am so relieved to find an holistic dentist in out area for my kids – one who doesn’t use fluoride & doesn’t advocate unnecessary procedures! However, I’ve had out 2 sets of wisdom teeth – if you can believe it??? I was in extreme agony from the first set that we’re all impacted & causing plenty of pain, when they did an X-ray they discovered another set pushing up from underneath!!! Apparently it’s very rare but my second set caused a few painful issues as well and had another 2 removed. Anyway, I am assuming that this was all true, however, I was a teenager, so, who really knows if it was right for it to be done??? Thankfully, I’ve not had any problems or pain since.
I still have my wisdom teeth, they are a little hard to clean sometimes by that’s the only problem I have
I’m in my early 20s and I have a partly erupted wisdom tooth on one side but not the other. It’s not causing me any problems so thats why I don’t want to go to a conventional dentist (because I know what they will say). Though it can be difficult to brush back there.
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Thank you so much, Sarah. I feel so alone when it comes to dental ideals. I haven’t let my dentist remove my wisdom teeth simply because it feels wrong to me. I’m glad to have some sense behind my emotions! Thank you for this article!
I personally did have impacted painful wisdom teeth, but my brother did not. So mine are gone, his are still there – good call Mom! Even back then, I think I was 20, I recognized that my situation was very rare and that ALL of my peers were having surgeries (and very lengthy recoveries) for absolutely no reason at all. I have wondered why perfectly healthy young people should have surgery on perfectly healthy teeth that are, after all, totally normal! It’s considered a rite of passage than no one thinks twice about. I think there’s something else going on here too. So many folks here are commenting on having crowded, impacted and problematic teeth…Do I even need to bring up Dr. Price’s research here? I think we’re veered so far from nutritious food, our bodies are unable to form proper, wide enough jaws to hold all the teeth we need.
kristin konvolinka\’s last post: Dangerous Milk?
where i come from (Uganda) i had never heard of people pulling their wisdom teeth until i came here in the US and the dentist was telling me take mine out i told him they aren’t bothering me (they only hurt when they were popping out and seeing i am 30 and still growing my third..lols..hubby says me and the baby are both still growing) anyway all my teeth are well aligned and i kinda prefer to leave it that way..oh the hygienist who suggested said they were so far back they couldn’t reach them with the tools!!! but they have no cavities/decay…time will tell for now they are doing a good job for my steak…sweeet
I’ve had all four removed, the bottom 2 surgically as they were growing towards my teeth rather than up and out. I had had braces and 4 other molars removed as well as I have a small mouth. I’m not sure anymore why the top 2 were removed as there seems to be room there, but since they’ve been out I’ve had sinus infections constantly. I had never had one before. They were removed when I was about 21. The root of one of the bottom ones was right next to my nerve so I was sent to a specialist. Seeing how common nerve damage can be I’m sure thankful! I did have a LOT of pain with the healing of the bottom ones. They got infected and I kept squeezing out a waxy substance. It took a long time to heal.
This makes sense. I had all 4 wisdom teeth out when I was 16 (20 years ago). I don’t know why – the dentist told my parents to get it done and we didn’t question it. (!?) I had a terrible time after surgery with pain and dry sockets. The frustrating thing is that now, I have 4 spots of “gum” where the teeth are supposed to be. When I eat crunchy or hard items, it hurts and inflames the gums. Duh, there are supposed to be teeth there! So frustrating.
Wish I would of known some of these things a lot sooner! I’m thankful that I was blessed with a easy surgery and recovery, but still why go through all of it when it unnecessary?! I find myself questioning anything that mainstream says is common or “normal.”
Megan@WifeMommaHomemaker\’s last post: Morning Smoothie Recipe
I also had my wizdom teeth removed while in university years ago! I looked like a chipmunk for days, but have not had any problems since.
Off topic – one funny thing is, my husband, who is in his thirties, has 1 baby tooth left. The dentists can’t understand why
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We agree that for the most part, keeping wisdom teeth in the mouth is wise!
The only issue around keeping wisdom teeth is to keep the area clean. Given that the bad bugs that are implicated with gum disease get their best foothold around the molars, having more molars just adds to the attention required to maintain great oral health. That said, we think it’s much better to keep body parts attached to the body!
Routine removal of wisdom teeth is a 3 billion dollar per year industry! Again, the basic rule to any mystery novel applies… Cui bono? Who benefits? Watch the money trail and the ‘controversy’ becomes much clearer.
To your health!
If the wisdom teeth are in good shape and not causing any trouble, then they can be left alone, and usually nothing will come of it. We make the patient aware that they have the option to take them out when they are young though, because they are much more easily removed. They don’t have complete roots out, and usually just roll out. The surgery is much more difficult in an older person, the bone around it has become more dense and compact. Sometimes we see wisdom teeth in very awkward angles (in x-ray) or erupting completely malpositioned and causing patient inflammation, and pain, sometimes affecting even the opposing arch. That’s a situation where offering extraction is reasonable. In my own case, I only had two upper wisdom teeth, and had those removed in dental school because I couldn’t clean well back there, and was developing deep periodontal pockets around those teeth. I had local anesthesia, had the surgery done by a friend in about 20 min, and was back in clinical rotations afterwards. So, I agree with what Sarah says in that wisdom teeth don’t have to be removed just because they are wisdom teeth. The patient has to have indications justifying the surgery. One of the courses in my dental conference last year explained precisely this point. I think the lecturer was from California. About it being profitable, hmmmmm, I guess it depends in how easy it was remove. Sometimes you come across a hard one, sweat for an hour, and get paid a fraction of what you get paid for something like prosthodontics (crowns).
Thanks for chiming in Harmony
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Skip That Surgery: Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Unnecessary
I got my lower wisdom teeth out because they were crowding other teeth and hurting but I didn’t see any reason to get my uppers out. Of course, they were concerned that they would grown too long without my lowers in place. Ridiculous! My uppers aren’t even lined up over my lowers and besides, I’m almost thirty and they’ve haven’t grown yet. I did end up getting them out I guess because I had a cavity in one and they weren’t going to fix it because they just wanted to pull the teeth. And I worried. Oh well.
So many of the surgeries done are for the purpose of making money, not helping the patient.
Routinely removing the wisdom teeth is a huge source of dental income, and usually does more harm than good. Every part of our body is there for a purpose, often multiple purposes, and removing anything is a mistake, unless absolutely necessary.
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: 7 Grassfed Foods that Can Really Improve Your Natural Functions
Hi Kristina, not always ridiculous. It is called supraeruption. When back teeth occlude (bite together) and one is missing, either the upper or the lower, the one that is not missing will continue to erupt and grow out with its root, because the opposing tooth is not there to stop it. But I think you what you are trying to say is that your upper wisdom teeth didn’t occlude with your lower. You made the right decision about extracting a wisdom tooth with a cavity instead of trying to fill it. A filling would have been expensive, and the outcome very guarded, because it is difficult to place a good strong filling so far back, and because those teeth are so hard to take care of back there. Of course, you could have also tried to remineralize, but I don’t know how far or infected that tooth was.
We waited for my middle son to remove his wisdom teeth. Unfortunately, his lower teeth shifted awfully! That was after braces. Ugh! Turns out the wisdom teeth on the lower jaw were actually facing the sides of the roots of the teeth in front of them and shoving them forward in the mouth. I hope this is not the case with my other children.
I’m 23 and I’ve still got all my wisdom teeth. Three of the four are in, although not completely. Thankfully they fit quite nicely in my mouth, after one or two of my other teeth shifted a little (but my teeth are still nice and straight).
ALL of my children (so far 3 of the 6) have had their wisdom teeth come in sideways and started to misalign teeth that had been corrected previously with braces. I don’t see any way to avoid having them out. Two years on a strict WAPF diet hasn’t changed the condition of the jaw or teeth at all.
My husband went the other route. His parents couldn’t afford braces for him, and the horrible overlapping and misalignment worsened after his wisdom teeth erupted. He was left with massive cavities, infections and problems. He has had four permanent teeth removed, three root canals and needs much more work.
I will absolutely take my children on a case-by-case basis, but I will not hesitate to remove wisdom teeth that threaten their dental health as much as my husband’s have been a problem for him.
Peggy\’s last post: Eating a “waxed” apple?
Peggy’s experience gets at precisely the issue I was wondering about as I read these comments: Have people following the Weston Price approach experienced any amelioration in their children’s dental bridge width?
One of Price’s key points in his researches was that people living in traditional societies on traditional diets had wide bridges and all of their wisdom teeth had room to come in normally. It would be interesting, and certainly provide compelling evidence, if modern day followers of Price were experiencing improved dental bridge width and complete integration of wisdom teeth among their children.
If people are not experiencing that improvement among their children, it will also be interesting to know why not? Is there a kind of Pottenger’s Cat problem among those of us who come from families that followed bad diets for many generations, whereby it cannot even be fixed in one generation?
–
As for my own experience, an impacted wisdom tooth was causing chronic inflammation from a periodontal pocket that I couldn’t clean. The surgeon actually removed just the portion of that one wisdom tooth that was causing the problem (not the whole tooth), thereby not disturbing the root and avoiding the danger of damaging the nerve that the wisdom tooth was almost pushing up against.
It was a very thoughtful and tailored approach that also solved the problem. Neither my dentist nor the surgeon suggested doing anything else with my other three wisdom teeth. So, my own experience gave me a lot of respect for the professionalism and judgment of the dentists I dealt with, and I would tend to think their are many others out there like them.
Daniel,
Yes, there are families being impacted in this way, with the children benefiting from the parents’ awakening to the importance of real foods. I will never forget an article from one of the Wise Traditions journals a few years back describing one family’s transition to traditional food and how they budget their food dollars. The older children raised on a typical SAD diet had crooked teeth, and the younger trad food kids did not. There was a picture in the original article and you could see their broad, beaming smiles!
Here’s a quote regarding facial structure from that article::
“As a follower of Dr. Price, I have been interested to see the difference in the development of facial structures between my two older children who were raised on typical American diets for their first eight years and my two younger children, especially my youngest who was nourished primarily with a nutrient-dense diet. Both the older children have had orthodontic care and showed the typical crowding of teeth. Neither of the younger children may need it. If we do not have to provide orthodontic care for the younger children, we will be saving enough money to buy grass-fed meat for many years!”
I highly recommend the rest of the article for anyone trying to navigate a transition to real food while maintaining a budget. It’s called Healthy Eating Shouldn’t Cost an Arm and a Leg, by Anne M. A. Sergeant, PhD
http://www.westonaprice.org/making-it-practical/healthy-eating
Thanks! That’s great.
It is my understanding that even if you follow the WAPF diet, you won’t fix tooth misalignment that has already occurred.
The only way the diet could prevent such problems would be if you were following it prior to the conception of your children.
It seems that following the recommendations of Weston Price can save teeth with cavities, but it can’t change your basic dental structure once it’s already in place.
I was fortunate to be born without wisdom teeth so I never had a problem but my husband’s wisdom teeth were all lying flat and pushing his other teeth forward. He had them taken out this last year and he suffered first dry socket, then an infection after that and 7 months of sinus infections. He is infection free at this point but he lost so much weight in the process, and hasn’t been able to gain it back, that it’s disturbing.
I had eight (yes, 8!) wisdom teeth removed when I was about 18. Four removed on the left one week then four on the right the next week, none of them erupted. It was the most physically painful experience I have ever had. Local anesthetic (I was fully conscious) and not enough laughing gas. Each visit was about 2 hours in the chair. And they gave no real good reason other than “preventative”. I later learned that in my state, dentist (DDS) often cannot legally prescribe “the shot” to put you out, but oral surgeons can. If I had to have my wisdom teeth removed again, I’d go to an oral surgeon. As for the “preventative crowding” issue, I have large spaces in my gums where the wisdom teeth would be should I still have them.
Our kids will certainly not be getting them removed, unless of course they really need it.
Err 8? Did you actually grow 4 extra teeth! I haven’t heard of that happening before.
I recently got mine in after getting pregnant. I’m guessing all of those growth hormones made them start coming in at 30. They are only partially emerged on the bottom. No sign of entry on the top. If anything I do feel some crowding, but other than the pain from them coming in no problems to be had.
Peggy, all your points seem valid to me. Don’t be discouraged because the WAPF diet didn’t fix the alignment problems in your children’s teeth. It would have probably helped more if you had followed the diet even before conception, during pregnancy, etc. But take heart that it has probably prevented your children from serious decay, or any decay in their teeth.
There is more to extractions of (wisdom) teeth than meets the eye.
Listen to my radio interview with Hal Huggins DDS, he explains in detail the danger of not correctly executed extractions.
On http://www.desireerover.nl/radio-shows/ go to February 6, 2011
While you are at it, you also may want to listen to dr. Thomas Levy on vitamin C.
Both subjects are clearly interrelated.
You are welcome Sarah! I think your blog is awesome.
Skip That Surgery: Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Unnecessary — The Healthy Home Economist
http://t.co/PdcovenD
“@GetBetterDiet: over two-thirds of cases of wisdom tooth extractions are completely unnecessary http://t.co/ue9M0WQR” Too late 4 my 3 kids
Interesting! I also had my wisdom teeth extracted when I was younger. I think it was 5 days before my 23rd birthday, so needless to say my birthday was still somewhat miserable, as I couldn’t eat solid food for two weeks!!
I now wonder whether I should have had it done. On the positive side, it was covered under my parents’ health insurance at the time (I had it done in hospital under general anesthetic), but on the other side… they hadn’t caused me any problems.
My dentist had decided to give me an X Ray to look at them (none had actually sprouted up through the gums yet) and they were all impacted (agreed, they were sitting at a funny angle) BUT as they hadn’t actually tried to erupt, they’d caused no problems. So in retrospect, I wonder whether I should just have left them? Maybe they would have caused problems years down the track, I don’t know (I do know my father’s became problematic when he was in his 40s or 50s).
I have all 4 of my wisdom teeth that came in when I was 16. I never had any problems, even when they came in. All the dentists and hygienists are SOOO impressed that I have them and no one has told me to take them out.
However, when my husband joined the army, he had to have his taken out. Apparently they do this no matter what. He didn’t have any problems and went swimming that afternoon.
My brother was sick forever after having to have his pulled out under anesthesia.
My daughters wisdom teeth are ready to pop and the orthodontist keeps telling us to take them out or it will ruin her teeth. That ain’t happening.
My son has crowded teeth and probably should have braces, but we can’t afford it. Any ideas?
Have you all read Rami Nagel’s bookCure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition, 2nd Edition?
Thank you Sarah! I had two of mine taken out when I was 18 as they were comin in. Recently I was surprised when my dentist suggested that I have the other 2 removed. These teeth aren’t bothering me at all and I haven’t had any inclination to remove them, especially when I am the primary caregiver to two very young children!
WOW! I can’t believe that 99% of you had their wisdom teeth pulled out. Why? I’ve never understood that and I still don’t. I was born and raised in Israel, and I’ve never heard of people pulling their wisdom teeth until I came to the USA …Also growing up in Israel as a child I’ve never seen anyone with braces until I moved to the USA(I remember asking someone “what’s that metal thing on ppls teeth) everyone had perfectly straight teeth.
my sister and my dad both have wisdom teeth that never came out and never bothered them.. unfortunately, I had mine come out and they hurt and they made my teeth really crooked. My dad and sister where lucky I think… They also h ave naturally straight teeth. Oh well.
After 3 years of braces, they X-rayed me and found that my wisdom teeth were impacted and I was sent to the surgeon to have all 4 removed. I was a teenager and the decision was made for me. I was left with permanent paresthesia (right half of tongue is numb) and a feeling of constant inflammation in the sockets where the teeth were.
When I asked them (out of curiosity) to show me my teeth afterward, they said I couldn’t see them because they were crushed into little bits. Apparently, they crush the teeth while they’re still inside and remove the pieces. Is it any wonder that so many patients suffer permanent damage?
It’s been 20 years. This makes me so angry.
Fortunately (?), I am so used to my numb tongue that I don’t think about it much any more, but I do wonder if I should do something about the feeling of inflammation, and if so, what would I do?
Hi Sarah
I spotted an article about pink eye on your site, but never got a chance to read it. Now that I am looking for it, I can not find it. Let me know which category it is listed under.
thanks
So true….from an X dental assistant !!! and Grandmother of 8. Been telling people this for years.
Robyn Kershner\’s last post: Real Meaning of Christmas
This is a very interesting post. I have been delaying having my wisdom teeth removed for a while. My top two are growing in an outward direction (towards my cheek) and my bottom two are growing towards their neighboring molars. I have had one bad infection (resulting in trismus) on the upper left side, which was seemingly due to the fact that it was impossible to properly clean in the microscopic gap between the exposed tooth and the split gum covering it. Since then I have had a couple of mild episodes of inflammation and soreness which have resolved themselves. I am very keen to avoid surgery if possible (I’ve never had an operation in my life!). Do you have any advice on the matter? Do you think I should just wait it out? Or am I one of the few who probably does need them out? Thanks for making me think twice with this post!
Mali Korsten (The Korsten Chronicle)\’s last post: Womanhood and the Kingdom of God
Just me, but mild inflammation on occasion that resolves itself does not warrant surgery to have them out.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Mussels and Sausage in White Wine, Garlic and Parsley
Hey, quick question… my post-braces 16 year old daughter is having some wisdom tooth pain and of course, her dentist wants to pull them. I want to wait and see, but in the mean time, does anyone have any natural/homeopathic pain relieving suggestions that worked for you? I would appreciate it. She is not miserable, just uncomfortable. So timely Sarah! Thanks!
I tend to believe that also braces are often unnecessary. 6 years ago my dentist suggested I should visit an orthodontist for health reasons (mainly for the future possibility of gingivitis due to my teeth placement).
I also had 2 of my wisdom teeth following his suggestion.
I believe that maybe I could have avoided both (braces lasted for about 2 years and costed significantly)
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