Losing my wisdom (teeth)

This is really a problem with the recent inovation of Dental Insurance, and the gaping holes in dental care. Because I have employer offered insurance, my children will never know any gap in dental care until 1) the day they turn 25 and in college; 2) the day they turn 19 and not a full time student; 3) I lose my insurance. Twice yearly dental exams & cleaning are excellent preventative measures.

I still have all my widom teeth. The gap in my parent's coverage (father was career Navy) wasn't really a gap – it was either because of a lack of millitary insurance (this was before Champus) or purely mercy on my parents' part to keep me away from the kid-unfriendly millitary dentists of the times.

I thank my parents for the care they were hard-pressed to affort. But the fear I had of dentists as a child is something my children will never know.

I got all 4 of mine pulled 2 years ago – granted, I am in my mid-twenties, but I'm like you in that I was paranoid and did every Google search in the book. The horror stories frightened me. But it was completely fine. If you have a good surgeon, your age may not make that much of a difference. I found recovery to be quite easy. The worst part was that your jaw doesn't move much for a couple weeks, so it aches when you start talking more and eating foods that require more chewing. I was actually fearful I'd never be able to put my mouth around a hamburger again, but I did.

You will be fine! Frozen peas work wonders. I never even filled the pain med prescription. Advil every 4 hours. Mashed potatoes and soup. In less than a week you'll feel back to normal.

I am 55 years of age and still have my wisdom teeth. I visit my denist on a regular basis and he has never mentioned removing them.

I didn't have mine out until I was 33 because when I was 22 my roommate at the time got dry sockets from his and that left me terrorfied to do it for over a decade. after several years of hearing from my dentist that I needed to do it I finally caved and it actually wasn't a big deal. I think the trick is to RELIGIOUSLY follow the post-op instructions which I did out of fear of reliving what happened to David a decade earlier. honestly, coming from a person who's had appendicitis (w/open, not endoscopic removal), a kidney stone, a broken wrist, a broken collarbone & sinus surgery having the wisom teeth out is definitely at the bottom of that list pain-wise – worse than normal dental work but hardly traumatic...

follow your post-op instructions to the letter and you'll be fine (which is good advice for any procedure that you shouldn't have to be reminded)...

Dear Saundra Young,
You are somewhat of an anomaly, but don’t worry, there are still plenty of people with wisdom teeth who are nightmares for dental hygienists and dentists. I am one such hygienist, and I have to say it can be pure torture for me and for my "wisdomed" patients to have those teeth maintained and cleaned properly.
For whatever reason (there are many speculations, but no definite proof) our jaws are getting smaller and smaller and there is no longer any use for wisdom teeth. That’s why nowadays it has become almost like a rite of passage for young adults to have their wisdom teeth extracted. The roots are not fully formed yet, they tolerate pain better (ahh, so wonderful to be young…), and most don’t have too many responsibilities yet, so taking a few days to rest and recuperate is not a problem.
I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed at 29. I decided to do all 4 at the same time, because after hearing all the stories, I wanted to have it done once, and suffer only once. I don’t know if it was the fact that I have a high tolerance for dental procedures (since I’m in the field myself) or I just fallowed all the do’s and don’ts after surgery, but considering the fact that two of my lower wisdom teeth needed to be excavated from the bone because they were deeply impacted and never came out, my recovery was pretty easy. Yes, there was swelling, and Yes, there was soreness and pain, but those are things I was expecting and therefore did not think much of it. 3 days went by and all was fine.
All I remember was being extremely happy to finally be one of the “normal” people with 28 teeth.
I’m glad you had yours removed. I’m sure your hygienist and dentist are very happy as well.

I just turned fifty five along with my Wisdom teeth. I experienced teething pains in my mid twenties after which the back yard neighbors settled in with the rest of the crowd.

all in all your'e doing just fine, i think. I just had mine removed a few months back – i am in early 30's.
Everyone told me of how scarily painful it would be,etc. i opted to have ALL of them 4 removed (up/down up/down) .One lower tooth was impacted and doctor had pretty much warned me it might get messy to remove- i decided to be knocked out (30 min in all) but i also didn't like the thought having two done and have to come back to face the same stress again- onceand for-all.
The ice helped and the big swelling didnt really happen for me,just alittle. My pills were good for the pain too though i could feel it from a distance-was always there waiting for the opportunity.
The proverbial dry socket never showed up thanks heavens-

Saundra,
I loved your story. I'm in the same boat. No dentist ever suggested I get mine removed. Now one is erupted and another maybe impacted and my dentist highly recommended I get them out before I get a painful infection. I have never had any surgery, so I am hesistant but I'm going to do it! When I told my coworkers and boss that I need to get them removed, they said: wait, you STILL have them in?!

I was 15 when I had all 4 removed at one visit.I'd had braces removed and it was recommened that they be removed so it wouldn't effect my other teeth (crowding I guess).I'd previously had 6 regular teeth pulled before the braces were put on.I had no troubles at all.All were facing up.None impacted.I arrived home and that afternoon was running around on the tennis court (ah,to be young again).My brother questioned that maybe I should be "taking it easy"–but I felt great.No pain, and I don't even remember any swelling.After my brothres comment I figured hmm–maybe best that I heed his advise...didn't want to be suffering the next day.So off I headed to bed with a big glass of Haiwian Punch!That was almost 35 years ago now.I'm now married and my husband is in his early 50's.He still has all 4.It had been suugested years ago that he think about having them removed.Now I feel the need to bring up the subject to him.

I had 2 of them removed in college after they errupted. I hadn't gone through all of the pain of orthodontia to risk having everything pushed out of alignment. Several years later my dentist I had an impacted wisdom tooth, and referred me to an oral surgeon, "just in case" it was more difficult to extract. Fortunately I had it done with just a local, it came out in 2 pieces and I rode my bike home afterwards. I did make sure to have it done on a Friday so I'd have the weekend to recover, and yes, I ate a lot of mashed potatoes.

I'm 38 and I had all 4 removed almost 2 years ago. Due to how the left bottom tooth was impacted, the doctor had no choice but to mess with a nerve, and until now, I don't have feeling on the left bottom side of my lip and gum. Has anybody experienced this?

The surgeon should have taken them out all at once. Thats what my surgeon did. I had mine taken out last year at age 26. I still have a bit of tingliness on my left side of my lower lip but other than that Im so glad I got them taken out.

When I was about 50 my bottom left wisdom tooth let me know in no uncertain terms that it was ready to leave the restrictive confines of my lower jaw. My dentist pulled it out, piece by piece, with great difficulty. That evening I boarded a plane bound from Edmonton to Arizona where I presented a talk at a conference. The procedure did not affect my activities at all. A short while after my return to Edmonton the top left wisdom tooth was pulled in a very smooth process.

I am now 65 and my remaining two wisdom teeth are still in my mouth, and do not (yet) pose any problems.

I'm in my 20's, and have three of my wisdom teeth, with no plans to have any removed. All three have grown in straight, and I'm one of those weird people with enough gum room for them. Keeping them clean doesn't present an issue, according to my hygienist.

The fourth was removed when I was 19, as it came in at a weird angle, and I didn't want to have it corrected. It was allowed to surface, which made the extraction a lot like extracting normal teeth. In fact, having an ingrown toenail removed was a lot worse.

I just had my wisdom teeth extracted a few months ago (I am 38). They only began showing up on my dental xrays after I turned 30 (an orthodontist told my mother that I may not even get any when I was about 12). Luckily for me, I only had 2 upper ones but they were both severely impacted. (And trust me, when I would tell people that I only had 2 wisdom teeth, they looked at me like I was a freak!) I have a tiny mouth and so even having cavities filled in my upper back teeth was an ordeal. Like you I heard all the scary stories and so put off having them extracted, literally, for years until well after they had begun erupting.
Finally, what drove me to have them extracted was hearing that the oral surgeon (whom I only heard positive stories about) was leaving my dental practice. So I took the plunge and made the appointment. Even though the oral surgeon said I would be fine with novocaine, I insisted on having laughing gas and was so nervous I was trembling. I also told the oral surgeon "to numb me up good". Well, he did... and the process was a total anti-climax – both teeth literally just popped out within a few minutes of each other! I overheard him tell his assistant I was very lucky as the roots were still fused or something like that... whatever, I'm just glad it was over very quickly. I didn't need (and wasn't given prescription painkiller) as I didn't have much pain afterwards, and agree with fellow bloggers that it is important to follow the post-extraction instructions to the letter.
I have since heard even worse stories from my own sister who didn't get enough novocaine and felt everything they did, my friend who woke up in the middle of her surgery, plus even my own father who also had his wisdom teeth extracted in his mid-thirties... the latter saying it was one of the worst experiences he has ever had!
So, I feel extremely fortunate.. and glad it's just a memory.

I'll be 38 in a couple of months and my first wisdom tooth is just now pushing through the surface of my gum. I talked to my dentist about having them all removed when I was in my late 20s because they are at an odd angle and pushing against my other teeth. He said that they didn't need to be removed "at my age" unless I was in pain. So far there's no pain, thank goodness, but I do think I should probably have them removed.

I am 54 and still have one wisdow tooth on the bottom. I got 2 extracted at 19 with no problems. An impacted one was extracted shortly after. The worst pain I ever had aside from childbirth. The tooth that remains does not bother me and after the impacted tooth experience I refused to get it taken out.

I just got mine out at 39!

I had my wisdon teeth removed when I was 25 , the two top ones were partially in and the bottom ones weren't showing. What I do regret now that I'm 49 is that the oral surgeon suggested that I have orthodontic work then because my teeth would move because of the space it caused, I laughed at him, because I could not afford it. Turns out he was right, about 2 years ago my two front teelth started to seperate and now one of them is very crooked and is starting to overlap another. In hindsight , I think maybe I should have left the top ones that had already partially came in and maybe I wouldn't have this problem today, looks like I'd better dig up some dough now to try to correct it!

I'm 22. I have three wisdom teeth but the fourth hasn't even broken the surface yet.I can feel it through my gums and it doesn't seem to be on a weird angle or anything. I havn't been to the dentist in awhile, but when I started getting them at 18 he said I had enough room and shouldn't have any problems with it. Do you think the tooth is impacted? I'm starting to worry because I've been having pain in my ear and my throat on that side and I can't afford to go to the dentist right now,

I don't think you're alone. I am 23 and my dentist doesn't even think I HAVE wisdom teeth. My mom didn't get hers in until she was about 35 – fortunately she didn't need them removed. I have been told however, that if mine ever decide to appear, I will have to have them pulled. Something I am not looking forward to. I have already decided I want numbing shots AND gas.

I'm 53 and have all my wisdom teeth. Everybody is different. I don't have one single wrinkle on my face. My 12 year old son has a number of baby teeth still. "Late blooming" runs in my family. Thanks Marta

I had the left side wisdom teeth removed when I was 17. And the right side wisdom teeth removed six months later. the left side hurt terribly, swelled up, bruised, etc. the right side never hurt, never swelled and never bruised.

I have TMJ and it is the left side that seems to go out of whack when I chew (hence the popping when I eat). I have actually had my jaw stick in the open bite position for a few minutes. None of this is great fun.

But those wisdom teeth are not much fun, either way. My wisdom teeth were coming in facing forward toward my face. They would have pushed all of my teeth out of alignment coming in. Ick.

I was 14 when I got my FIVE wisdom teeth removed. I was one of the unfortunate ones who got dry sockets. The funny thing was that my mom didn't believe me, and she kept telling me to stop whining. Oh boy did she feel bad when she found out that I actually did have dry sockets.

I am 22 and recently i realize my upper wisdom teeth are not growing straight but more towards the jaw. Resulting in my jaw being bite on by my wisdom teeth somtimes. The lower bottom ones are still not yet out. Which for years now, they hurt sometimes and swell. But always go away. I didnt expect the upper ones to pop before the lower. Thats what happen. They came out with little pain and swelling but it was bearable. Now to the far back where the lower and upper jaw meets becomes painful with a blister. I now am getting worried. Any suggestion anyone ?

I am 45. My dentist last year and this year, recomended that I have my wisdom teeth taken out, oddly enough, my body produced only 3 wisdom teeth... I was sent to an oral surgeon who basically talked me out of getting the bottom two that are fully impacted, removed. He was surprised that my dentist sent me there to have them removed (inasmuch as I was not having any problems with the bottom two). The one on the top rights had emerged somewhat sideways – growing into my cheek.. and was difficult to keep clean and tidy.... So, I was to have all 3 removed, but walked out of the office having only one removed. The surgeon did mention at my age, I could loose feeling in my face and lower lip due to the nerve which was sitting there.. Now I'm home and wondering what was the best thing to do? Should I have said take the bottom two out as well? I have gotton so many mixed messages... still uncertain.

I am 39 and just got my 2 right taken out on Saturday. It was not a fun experience. The dentist recommended extracting all 4 at the same time. The bottom one was impacted and infected and had to come out quickly. I chose to have the right side done first and come back for the left. I can't afford to stay home that long at one time. In all, I was pretty fortunate. The bottom didn't want to come out so he had to twist and yank his heart out. I had about 12 lidocaine injections to numb me due to the infection, but the swelling went down the next day. The pain has subsided over the last couple of days, and not being able to open my mouth fully is the most annoying part of it all.

Now, to muster up enough strength to do it all over again!