Wisdom Teeth

[Maaglin]

Do you absolutely have to get your wisdom teeth removed? Mine grew in and haven't really bothered me outside of having to spend more time brushing out any hidden food. I think the last time I saw a dentist, they said they grew inmpacted or something.

No you don't have to get them removed. Wisdom teeth are considered vestigial organs (a vestige is a degenerative or imperfectly formed organ or structure having little or no utility, but in the earlier stage of development of a species performed a useful function). But there are risks associated with leaving them in, as I noted above.

Don't let discomfort be your guide however. Just because they don't bother you doesn't mean that damage isn't being done or will be in the future.

You should consult with your dentist about what are the more specific pros/cons in your case.

[Selamis]

I had my wisdom teeth all pulled out at the beginning of May, all four at once. Doctor gave me nitrious oxide and novacane for sedation and then just pulled them out, took little over an hour. I bled and had to change out the gauze for about 3 hours after the surgery and then had to wait for the novacane to wear off to be able to swallow and get a pill down.

I pretty much ate pudding, yogurt, ramen, and ice cream for half a week (had the pulled on a friday and ate that food diet till wednesday) before getting tired of eating those and trying real food. Trying to crew without using your molars is a little tough lol, but doable. I went for a follow up appointment one week after having the teeth pulled and they gave me a water syringe to flush out the pockets after eating. Doctor told me I can eat whatever I want, just flush out after eating until they holes closed up.

Pain wise, I was just using 2 500mg Advils and alternating that with 1 vicodin, and by tuesday after my surgery the pain was pretyt much to the point where I didn't need pills, but you could still feel it slightly. By wednesday it was gone fully.

[Cow_k]

Yeah, not everyone has to get their wisdom teeth out. It all depends on how much room you have for them in your mouth. Some people can live with wisdom teeth their whole life and have no problem at all, other people can have overcrowding issues (as already stated) which can lead to major tooth problems such as losing them all. For me, I already have slight overcrowding due to having large teeth, so keeping my wisdom teeth really would have risked a lot.

Basically, if you have wisdom teeth and you haven't talked to a dentist about it, you're basically rolling the dice.

Maaglin already stated it, but at the very least, cavities and crowding can lead to gum disease and that shit can kill you if you don't take care of it. Bad bacteria can get introduced to the blood stream through infected gums and if it travels somewhere like your liver, you're over.

Another lesson for the kiddies: Brush your teeth and floss.

[Aleth]

The appendix isn't needed and can cause death if it gets infected...

Doesn't mean everyone should have it out as a precaution though.

Frankly unnecessary surgical procedures are exceptionally risky. Do you know the average MRSA rate for procedures in your country? I wouldn't let people make you think surgical removal of ANY of your body parts is strictly necessary unless you have some medical non-profit motivated case-specific advice.

It it surprisingly normal for wisdom teeth to remain in your mouth for a lifetime doing what good teeth should do.

Though I guess it's true that dentists have been affecting evolution of humankind by allowing people who would otherwise die from genes that led to bad tooth arrangement to survive and breed! With medical care comes a double-edged sword. We may end up a species incapable of surviving any amount of time at all without our medical technology.

[Cow_k]

Don't forget that a majority of people who get their wisdom teeth removed don't have to go through surgery, just a simple pulling.

That said, yes, going through unnecessary surgery is always a bad idea (possibilities of infection, anesthesia putting you into a coma or killing you etc.), but I think the majority of people, such as myself, who actually go through dental surgery do it because they had to or face complications down the road.

And the alternative of dying so that evolution can work it's magic isn't exactly a great idea. I don't feel so noble that I feel the need to die so that millions of years down the road humans may not suffer from something as easily taken care of as wisdom teeth. Not to mention that 99% of the people who are going to have wisdom teeth problems will procreate before it does them in anyway.

[Aleth]

There goes my utopian future!

For some reason my family only breeds when they're very very old... horribly old...

Like 4 generations back to 1800.

Like tortoises. My grandparents were victorians.

[Sirenia]

I had all 4 taken out at the same time too...hurt forever.

[alt]

I swear having your wisdom teeth removed is one of the weirdest things. People react totally different to it. Some get all 4 taken out, and go out that night and are fine.

While people like me end up being swollen for like a week after and in really bad pain for almost 2 weeks.

[Iono]

Don't remember too much of my experience off the top of my head. I can't help ya with all the care and shit. My common sense would be to use listerine a lot, but that shit about the salt water sounded right.

Had the painkiller stuff during the operation. Only one was up, pulled it out fine. I remember he drilled the shit out of the rest, and yanked em out in pieces. I knew he was yanking em, but didn't feel any pain. After that went out got a tattoo, and went drinking.

[Vandole]

my wisdom teeth were a fucking PAIN.
They had to cut them out, which actually took only 15 minutes(i was knocked out and walked out of the building)

Woke up from the anesthesia crying in pain (never done that before.)
my pain pills weren't strong enough
didn't sleep for 2 days
lost 10 pounds that week.

[wyrmtung]

I got my wisdom teeth taken out as a teen. My teeth are so crowded (even w/o my wisdom teeth) that it's very hard to floss.

A couple weeks ago however I decided to take the plunge and be a grown-ass man with braces. This required the extraction of four bicuspids. Not a fun experience. I have some big teeth with big roots. My dentist underestimated how difficult my teeth would be. It was some labor to get them out.

Eating regularly with your wisdom teeth is a lot easier to do than with your bicuspids out. I ate soft foods for a long ass time. Even today, it's still hard to take a bite of something while avoiding the holes in the middle of my row of teeth.

I go in for the braces in a couple of days. Not looking forward to having braces for the next two years. Hopefully I can move to Invisaline after the first year or so. I got a high school reunion to go to next summer. I don't wanna look like some geek after all these years.

Side note: I ate a Chipotle burrito for the first time in a couple of weeks. (Oh, how i missed thee!) After struggling to eat it, I looked in the mirror and saw two rice kernels were in the holes of my bottom jaw. It looked like two little teeth. haha

[SephYuyX]

Im almost 25 and my dentist has been wanting me to take them out for the past few years, I forget the reasons exactlly, but more or less along the lines of 'everyone does it, it might cause problems in the future' deal.

Ive been thinking about doing it this augaust, but really, why should I? Ive never had any issues with them.

[pixiehawk]

If they aren't bothering you, why bother with a medical procedure? Now, if there was some actual problem with them I'd say yank them, but if not?

My top ones came in fine, but the bottom set couldn't grow in - they weren't impacted yet, but they were stuck. The top two were actually chewing on my lower gums every time I ate - my gums were bleeding from it which is why I went in to the dentist. They put me under to pull them, and took all four so the bottom two wouldn't become impacted, which they would have.

The doctor called me and made sure I was taking the pain pills he had prescribed me, but I don't think I needed them, as I was never in any real pain. I was working retail then and the first day back I was a little sore from talking all day after not talking much for 3 days after the surgery.

I remember a lot of soup, and those chocolate drinks that have all your daily vitamins for the first couple weeks after, then back to my normal diet.