Has anyone had their teenager's wisdom teeth removed? If so, did you have all four done at the same time. Oral surgeon is recommending that all four be removed in one surgery. HOwever only one wisdom tooth seems problematic. Any advice on this??
I had my wisdom teeth taken out when I was 19. Same scenario as your mentioned. One set was giving me trouble. I opted to have all of them removed at one time.
I am SO glad I did them all at once because it was done and over with. I didnt have to worry about them anymore.
I would say, just go for it and have them all out.
I had all 4 removed at age 19. They did it under general anesthesia in the hospital. I was home the very same day. I had 2 that were impacted. No adverse reactions.
I personally had all my wisdom teeth removed at once when I was in college and had no problems with the surgery. I ate soft foods for a few days and used painkillers. The teeth are usually not useful and may become impacted later, so it makes sense to me to get it over with!
Hi Delano
I chose to have the one that was bothering me out as a young mom. Why? because only one was bothering, and I couldn't image having my whole mouth sore at once. I have never had any more removed. I have been married nearly 39 years, so I don't see that the problem should have been cared for. In fact, the two wisdom teeth that erupted I am thankful I have because they have moved forward because I had to have other teeth out. One has never erupted. That's the one that made me not have them all done. Oral surgeon said he would go looking for it, but he could not see it on x-ray.
God bless your decisions
Karen -- SAHM --- adult children 38,33,and 19yo twins
hmmmm i was always told one side at a time. cant chew on the back for a while, and for the first few days no smoking, no drinking with a straw. no hot liquids, no carbonated drinks, nothing that will dissolve or pull out the clot or you will have a dry socket and they are painful beyond belief. they are worse than a tooth ache. Personally, one side at a time. just having one out at a time was bad enough. Even the military would not do top and bottom muchless both sides at one time.
good luck
I too had all 4 out at once with no problems. General anesthesia in the oral surgeon's office. It was the day before thanksgiving and I remember being able to eat mashed potatoes, stuffing and the filling of the pumpkin pie the next day. was a little sore for about a week.
I had 2 sons, plus myself in your situation. We had them all removed. Advantages - no more future problems.
Regarding your son. At some point, he won't be on your insurance anymore and if he has a problem, he may not have insurance to cover it.
That's what happened to one of my sons. He had a minor problem with a wisdom tooth, and was only going to be covered for one more month under our insurance. So we went for it. He ended up having 7 wisdom teeth removed. Yes, 7! and Yes we had to pay for each tooth through insurance, but it was worth it. He doesn't have to worry about any future health costs for that.
Recovery for both boys was fine. I'd say the day they came home, they were out of it and in less than a week, they were back to normal.
For me, it was so long ago, I don't really remember, so it wasn't remarkable either.
Good luck!
Take them all out now. I am 30 years old and never had mine removed except for one a few years ago, now they rest are becoming a problem. Thank God I have dental insurance but would be screwed otherwise!
Good luck,
Lynsey
They have to remove them in pairs (upper and lower). I had all mine done at once, when only one was impacted. The good thing is it gave me more room in my mouth, and the crowding that I had straightened out. At the time, I had never had novacaine, and they did it as outpatient surgery. I was out of school three and a half days (my mornings were very slow in my senior year, so I went in after lunch...).
Why don't you consult with your own general dentist? Most of the time the problem that is causing the pain in one area with wisdom teeth will show up in the other wisdom teeth later. If you are going to have the tooth removed with general anethesia or intra-venous sedation, it is better to do this once then multiple times. Many of your questions could easily answered and explained in detail byn the surgeon you took your son to. If the practioner will not spend the time to answer your questions, then ask your general dentist to suggest someone else.
How about getting a second professional opinion? I know it will probably cost you some money, but you will get a better answer than asking a bunch of lay people here.
Personally, I have difficulty trusting dentists/oral surgeons 100%. I am 40 years old and still have all 4 wisdom teeth. When I was pregnant, I was having some pain around one wisdom tooth and my dentist told me I would have to have my wisdom teeth out after I had my baby; he said all 4 had "watch spots" and the one had a cavity. Well, before I delivered the pain went away, then I got busy with the baby, then we moved across the country. I found a dentist here, went in fully expecting I would have to have my wisdom teeth pulled. He x-rayed, said ALL my teeth looked good, but asked me if I ever got some pain around my lower right wisdom tooth. I said yes. He told me I still had a residual gum flap from when my wisdom teeth came in, and if food gets trapped under the little flap I could get a local infection. He lasered off the flap and I haven't had any problems since. So apparently, the first dentist was lying to me as I am pretty sure cavities don't heal themselves.
Do them all at once, it's a very painful and uncomfortable experience and you dont want to drag it out. After one is done, he will NOT want to go back to get the rest done!
I had all of mine out at the same age, even though none of them were bothering me. I was looking into getting my bite aligned & my teeth straightened, & my oral surgeon pointed out that because my mouth was so small, there literally was no place for them to come in. It was done in the hospital under general anaesthesia, and the pain wasn't bad afterwards. I did come out with two black eyes, though, because the surgeon had to dig deep to get the upper teeth, resulting in bruising. Get it done & over with, I say.
Do them all now. I have 4 wisdom teeth still in there. Years ago when I was a teen the dentist recommended getting them out. I was too chicken (I have a such a fear of the dentist)and didn't do it when it would have been an easier procedure. If the one tooth has to come out anyway, get them all done while the dentist is in there. Good luck.
I've had 2 wisdom teeth removed at different times. Each one was removed because it was in very bad condition. It's so easy to not brush far enough back. If you son isn't having pain or decay with the other teeth, and can remember to keep them clean, then only have the one removed. If your son is only just starting college he should be on your insurance for at least another 4 years, right? Check with your insurance company to make sure. So if something comes up in that time he will be covered. Don't rush to do this all at once, and regret it. The one I had pulled most recently took 3 weeks before I could stop worrying about getting food stuck in the hole that was left behind. The dentist wanted to pull a second one on the other side of my mouth the following week. I cancelled that one until I'm ready to do it. I can't imagine not being able to eat solid food for weeks, waiting for 4 holes to close!
Consider getting a second opinion. Some dentists want to remove wisdom teeth just because they "might" cause a problem later, even if there is no decay, and plenty of room in the jaw.
I had all four removed at once at age 21 and I only had one that was a problem at the time too....I am so glad I did all four at once (at the oral surgeons suggestion)! The others very well may become problematic in the future and he is not going to want to go back and go through it all again...Had mine removed under general anestesia in the oral surgeons office....two of them were impacted...not a terrible recovery, just very uncomfortable for two days and sore for a week until the stitches came out. Good luck!
I had all four of mine done when I was 18, the day after Thanksgiving. They were impacted but not a problem yet. Get it done and over with all at once - you don't want her to have to do that again. Use plenty of ice. I didn't use the pain killers, they made me feel sick. I had ice on all day with 10 minute breaks and went to sleep with ice packs on to help with the pain. Once you get through the first week you start to feel better.
Good luck.
do it.. and do it soon. I waited until I was 42!!! it was horrible.. i actually ended up having 3 wisdom teeth out and one molar.. wow was I sick.. but it hAd to do with age.. I know a lot of kids that have it at age 16 - 18.. it's bad for a few days.. but much better when your that age.. and do it all... because they say.. a lot of people don't come back to get the other out.. so do them all. they have no use... they only end up pushing you other teeth out... so go for it.. just make sure u get pain killers for the first few days.. and ice cream and jello..
If one needs to go, eventually othes will too. Since he
is heading to college get all four done. Wisdom teeth
really do not serve a purpose.