Question:
I'm a 22-year-old male and went to visit my dentist on Friday and she said I
need my right-hand lower wisdom tooth removed. I have a large cheek-facing
hole in the tooth and it's been causing me a lot of pain in the past few
months. My wisdom teeth have been coming through for the past few years but
she said they are fully through now. All my other teeth are in place and
generally in good condition - I have no fillings, a couple of very minor
holes/chips and a little bit of tartar.
Anyway, she said that I probably *could* get a filling but she thinks I
should get the wisdom tooth out. So I've got an appointment booked for a
week today.
I've got a few questions:
1) I've heard a couple of horror stories about wisdom tooth extraction...
what's the chance of some bother?
2) Am I better getting a filling - the tooth seems to be fairly complete
except from the large hole?
3) How long will the extraction take if I go ahead with it?
4) I've heard that it's better getting a wisdom tooth removed when it's just
new rather than in later life as the root is deeper.... is this true?
Answer:
I got mine taken out when I was 18, they put me to sleep. By the end of the
day, I was at the mall hanging out with friends. I had some minor pain. I
would say my doctor was highly skilled. Results may vary, everyone has a
different body and different reactions.
I know my root canal was much more painful than that.
I think most people have them removed because they just cause more problems.
Also, you should read about heart disease links to teeth. According to many
people, you get rid of the ones that are useless and prone to decay. My wife
just had two wisdom teeth extracted that were not impacted like mine. She
had soreness, but no big deal.
If it is not impacted (submerged) the wisdom tooth removal is as easy
as any other molar, sometimes easier due to malformed roots.
This is a side benefit as many people who have no friends at all get
the tooth out, go to the mall, and find they NOW do have friends.
