QBeth

I had mine out in my teens because my mouth, a surprise to some :-) , wasn't big enough.

Certainly, I'm not an expert, but isn't there some inherent risk in removing teeth such as nerve damage? Having had a cavity in almost every tooth, despite good dental hygiene, I know the mouth can be a tricky place when it comes to doing dental repairs.

As everyone has said, "if it ain't broken, don't fix it!"

EskapetheNorm

Well, mine were of the impacted variety and came out when I was 16. My mother is 68 and just had to have them removed and she had a terrible time with the surgery. So, I would probably get a second opinion from another dentist ... it might very well be better to have them done while he is younger, healthier and able to bounce back from the extraction faster.

LucyInTheSky

That's my feeling too! Since we pay $300/tooth, and I know the insurance pays a lot more. I think when my mom worked for the oral surgeon, it was $1000/tooth. So, yeah, $4K into the dentist's pocket (well, not quite, but still! )

No underlying factor, as far as I can tell. Dentist just says they will be a problem someday (but has no justification for it... whereas when mine were coming in sideways, they would be a problem because they would push the other teeth - okay that makes sense), but just this vague "someday....." argument

LucyInTheSky

Right, and we're watching out for those. DH does his best to brush and floss those teeth properly. He says he has a little bit of trouble getting behind them, but not where he can't reach them. And if it gets to the point where he can't brush them, then we're planning to have them go.

redkimba

My wisdom teeth were taken out because they impacted.

My dad told me the dentist wanted to put braces on my teeth. He (dentist) did admit that there was nothing wrong with my "bite" so my dad refused to allow braces.

if there's nothing with the "wizzies", leave them alone. Tell Dr. Doogie to settle down & get some more experience first.

OHSue

The same dentist who told my mom that I had to have all four of my wisdom teeth out at 18 even thought they weren't bothering me also pulled two of my teeth at 14 because my parents didn't want to spend money on fillings. You can guess that they wouldn't spend money on that either. They never bothered me so I left them. I eventually got a filling in one of them. The space left by the extracted teeth was eventually closed by the wisdom teeth, so they actually did me some good. I still have three of them at 56, the one with the cavity eventually had to go.

CloverPatch

I still have mine, and get lectured every 6 months for a cleaning to have them out. They don't bother me. They are impacted, but they arn't causing any problems. I just don't see the point in putting my self in unneccesary pain. I just keep getting told they "need" to come out. Why?

nycquilter

maybe the dentist needs extra money for an exotic vacation?

glassnquilts

I am 48 and still have mine. My dentist told me they should come out because they were too hard to clean. I told him my toothbrush has a long handle and I have no problem with them. I will keep them as long as they don't bother me.

NCquilter

Mine were growing in straight too. I still have the x-rays, but he kept telling me that they have to be taken out. I did, now I have sensitive teeth and the dental surgeon said that wasn't his fault. I was so mad because my teeth were never sensitive before the surgery!