Do wisdom teeth really need to come out, or is my dentist trying to hustle me?
As a kid, lots of cavities, no talk of braces or molars out. Then as a young adult, a new dentist said my molars would have to come out. When I asked if it was because of [uninformed guess as to what the reason might be that I’ve since forgotten], he said no, for another reason, but didn’t tell me what the reason was. Since then (and it’s been well over a decade) no dentist has ever brought them up again. So it’s possible you don’t need them done, but if my story above ended in “and my next dentist mentioned it, too, and gave me the same reason” then I’d be pushing you to do it, so go get that second opinion.
Get a second opinion. One of my wisdom teeth erupted correctly, the other three are all at a right angle(ish). In two cases, the second molar was removed, so that the wisdom tooth could erupt in its place. This seems to have worked well. In the remaining case, it’s somewhat dormant and the dentist is very much “wait and see.” When it comes to dentistry, there are nearly always other options. Unless there’s infection, a good chance of infection, or structural damage being caused by poorly aligned wisdom teeth then, from what I’ve read over the years, there’s no reason to just have them out without reason.
First: You would be surprised what you can have done without more than a mild local if you can convince the person doing it that you will sit still. Yes, you should get a second opinion but there’s no reason to think that you don’t need dental care. I have this thing with people who say “no pain/problems” or “I never get sick.” You aren’t like this, I’m sure, but my darling friends tend to forget the time they would not STFU and made us drive 4 miles-an-hour from Oakland to LA because they had such an awful headache and then two days later went right back to crowing about how they “never get sick.” That’s all I’m saying. And even without that, it’s routine maintenance. Go to the dentist. If you have a car, check the tire pressure. Clean the coils on your fridge. It’s just what you should do. If you are bound and determined not to have teeth pulled, let’s hope you don’t have hyperdontia – some people grow a few teeth here and there way past the cavity prone years.
Seems to me like this is a decision that should be made on an individual basis and upon the advice of a medical professional. My dentist wanted me to have mine taken out when I was 25 because I had one that was so decayed that she said I was in danger of an abscess. She thought that I might as well have the other three yanked at the same time. I am very cavity-prone, so I agreed. She, meanwhile, was a woman in her fifties and had one taken out on her lunch break one day before she worked on me. There are hustler dentist’s out there, so get a second opinion. But do drop the “I don’t need to go to a dentist” attitude and see a dentist you trust at least once a year. Good dental care is one of the plusses of the modern age. Take full advantage of it and you’ll be glad you did later in life.
