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MstrssScarlet -> RE: Should I have my wisdom teeth taken out? (3/29/2008 9:22:08 PM)
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I worked as a dental tech for the Air Force for 3 years, then as a civilian for about 10 years. I see a lot of misconceptions being posted here.
You probably didn't need many instructions after the removal of what was left of your second molars. As you said, they were almost completely gone already, so all they were doing was taking out the small fragments of the original tooth that hadn't rotted away.
Whether to leave the wisdom teeth depends on what kind of angle they're erupting in. If they're horizontal (sideways), it's extremely doubtful that they will ever straighten up and will therefor be useless. I have seen wisdom teeth pulled into place with braces when the second molar is missing, but it doesn't sound like you have that kind of money in your pocket at the moment. They shouldn't be causing any headaches unless they've erupted past the rest of your jawline (usually due to the lack of an opposing tooth) and are hitting something else. As someone else mentioned, improper alignment is usually the cause of grinding, or bruxism. Promises to fix TMJ problems is far more of a gimic than taking out wisdom teeth. I've gone through all the routes and watched many others as well and have yet to see a "cure". I'm including adjusting the bite, wearing bite planes 24/7 for weeks on end to allow the jaw to fall into it's natural position and then readjusting the bite again, wearing night guards, etc. About the only thing you can do is wear a guard to cushion the teeth so they don't wear away from the constant grinding, break, or fracture. Stress will often cause tooth grinding as well, especially if you're doing it in your sleep.
If the wisdom teeth are partially erupted, food and bacteria will tend to collect under the flap of tissue still covering part of the tooth. If someone has heart problems, bacteria entering the blood stream from an infection could aggravate an existing problem. If they don't seem to be coming in, it's best to have them removed or you'll be making frequent trips to the dentist to have that area flushed to remove debris.
Often a tooth (wisdom or otherwise) is cut into pieces to make it easier to remove. Often the roots curve in different directions, so the tooth cannot be taken out in one piece. Once it's split up, each section is removed separately. It's no more tramatic to the body than if the tooth was taken out as a whole.
Teeth actually move forward as you age, which is why many people who had straight teeth when they were young begin to get a 'crowded' appearance to their teeth as they age. Sometimes they will even overlap slightly. This was used by many dentists for years as a reason to remove the wisdom teeth.
The enamel on your third molars is the same as the rest of your teeth if they finish developing, whether they have erupted or not.
Many dentists can handle the removal of a third molar (or 4 of them) if it's not a complicated case. It all depends on what he sees on the x-ray. He'll probably be glad to show them to you if you ask.
And finally, jaws are not broken to remove a tooth. Sometimes part of the bone around a tooth has to be removed in order to get the tooth out. It's also possible that because the extraction was so difficult, the jaw was cracked or fractured. However, they do NOT break jaws in order to remove a tooth.
One of the first posters was absolutely correct about aftercare. No smoking, no drinking through a straw, no rinsing, and soft foods (or at least fluids such as soup) until the healing begins. The mouth heals extremely fast.
Mistress Scarlet
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