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Wisdom tooth extraction is a multibillion-dollar industry driven by myths that continue to be spread by the conventional dental profession for immense profit.
Over Spring Break during my senior year in college, I endured wisdom tooth extraction like just about everyone else I knew my age. To top it off, the dentist knocked me out for the procedure instead of using a simple local anesthetic plus laughing gas.
Needless to say, I spent most of my vacation on the living room couch with my mouth loaded with gauze! Recovery from the anesthesia caused even more complications.
Prior to surgery, were my wisdom teeth infected or painful in any way?
No.
Were they causing any sort of problems for me whatsoever?
No.
Then why in the world did I have them out you might ask?
Good question!
As it turns out, over two-thirds of cases of wisdom tooth extraction are completely unnecessary says Dr. Jay Friedman DDS in a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Of the approximately 5 million people who endure wisdom tooth extraction each year, 11,000 suffer what’s called “permanent paresthesia” which is a fancy name for numbness of the lip, tongue, and cheek resulting from nerve damage during the surgery.
The problem is, wisdom tooth extraction is quite the little oil well of profit for dentists with the costs of such surgeries topping 3 billion US$ each and every year.
Sounds like the standard practice of wisdom tooth extraction is a bit like “finding and filling” cavities that don’t exist, doesn’t it?
Ah, yes. There’s the rub.
According to Dr. Friedman:
Third-molar surgery is a multibillion-dollar industry that generates significant income for the dental profession, particularly oral and maxillofacial surgeons. It is driven by misinformation and myths that have been exposed before but that continue to be promulgated by the profession.
Dr. Friedman goes on to dismantle in very compelling fashion the 5 myths of wisdom tooth extraction.
Myth #1: Most Wisdom Teeth Cause Problems
The truth is that only 12% of wisdom teeth actually cause an acute issue somewhere down the road that requires the attention of a dentist to resolve.
This is about the same rate as appendicitis, but people do not routinely and preventively have their appendix removed like what happens with wisdom teeth!
Myth #2: Early Wisdom Tooth Extraction is Less Traumatic
The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons recommends the extraction of all 4 wisdom teeth by early adulthood before the roots are fully formed to minimize any chance of infection and pain.
The truth is that this early removal of wisdom teeth is actually much more traumatic than a wait and see approach which leaves asymptomatic wisdom teeth in place and only removes them if pathology develops in the future.
Further, complications from wisdom tooth extraction which include dry socket, secondary infection, and paresthesia (numbness of the lip, tongue, and cheek) are less likely to occur in an older patient than an adolescent.
Myth #3: Erupting Wisdom Teeth Crowd Anterior Teeth
Dr. Friedman writes that it is simply not possible for wisdom teeth to crowd 14 other teeth with firm vertical roots.
There is simply not enough force to do so and multiple studies support this fact.
Myth #4: Risk of Problems Increases With Age
A study of 1756 people who kept their wisdom teeth for an average of 27 years found that less than 1% experienced any cyst formation.
There is zero evidence to support the unsubstantiated claim by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons which states that problems with impacted wisdom teeth increase with age.
Myth #5: Risk of Harm is Small
The list of potential complications from wisdom tooth extraction is long.
- Pain
- Swelling
- Trismus (lockjaw)
- Hemorrhage
- Alveolar osteitis (dry socket)
- Periodontal damage
- Soft-tissue infection
- Injury to temporomandibular joint
- Malaise
- Temporary paresthesia (numbness of the lips, tongue, and cheek)
- Permanent paresthesia
- Fracture of adjacent teeth
- Fracture of the mandible
- Fracture of the maxilla
- Sinus exposure or infection
- Anesthetic complications
Even in cases where there are absolutely no complications whatsoever, wisdom tooth extraction requires 3 days of discomfort and disability while the patient recovers from surgery.
Given that no more than 12% of wisdom teeth ever cause any problems whatsoever at any point down the road, the risk of removal seems great in comparison.
Skip The Surgery!
So, if your dentist tells you or your child that it’s time for those wisdom teeth to come out when they aren’t causing any trouble at all, just politely smile, say “uh, no thanks”, and go home.
You just saved yourself a rather large chunk of change my friend.
Even in cases where you must remove the wisdom teeth, there is no need for antibiotics in most cases. A biological dentist has natural approaches to protect a patient from infection without destruction of the gut with meds.
Which Dentists Won’t Pressure You To Remove Wisdom Teeth?
If you are getting pressured to remove your child’s wisdom teeth, know that a biological dentist does not do this!
I get many requests about who I recommend as a truly holistic, biological dentist who understands the value to long-term health of the wisdom teeth and WON’T take them out unless absolutely necessary.
I recommend Dr. Carlo Litano of Natural-Smiles.com – (727) 300-0044.
He sees young children as well as adults and does phone consultations to help guide those who don’t live near his office. Be sure to tell Dr. Litano that Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist sent you and get 10% off your first visit!
Reference
American Journal of Public Health, Prophylactic Extraction of Third Molars: A Public Health Hazard, Jay Friedman DDS
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10 Signs Your Dentist is Truly Holistic
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Could the Cause of Your Illness Be Right Under Your Nose?
After you’ve had braces, it is recommended you have your wisdom teeth out so that when they come in, it doesn’t shift your straight teeth. In fact, they won’t remove your bottom retainer until you have had them out. I wonder how necessary this is? I had mine removed as a teenager but they had already started coming in and weren’t as far down as they could have been. No digging down to get them and I hardly swelled. I only had laughing gas also. My daughter now has braces and I would love to avoid having her wisdom teeth removed but wonder what I’ll be up against.
Just so you know I had braces and I still have all four wisdom teeth. I never had a problem with them making my teeth crooked again. I actually went back to my Orthodontist (my mother worked for him) and had x-rays when my wisdom teeth started pushing up. He could tell by the x-rays that I had plenty of room for them and recommended I not get them removed. I have been surrounded by horror stories with having them removed. That’s why I didn’t do it. I had a friend lose feeling on one side of her face for almost a year. My husband ended up having to have 4 molars removed because of the damage that was caused my the dentist removing his. And my brother has holes on the bottom on both side from where his where. He actually has to clean out the food that gets stuck when he eats.
Take your children to a functional dentist to ward off teeth crowding in the first place. I didn’t and I’ve had to have my wisdom teeth taken out, an ALF appliance, braces and crowns due to grinding and clenching my teeth. http://mcleandentist.tripod.com/id40.htm
I know our orthodontists has told my daughter she will need to have hers removed…not quite sure why? I am assuming “no room” but we will see….I have 3 of mine…I had to have one removed from decay…if I had only known then what I know now…. 😉
Hmmm…from personal experience, I can say that my husband and I both really needed our wisdom teeth removed. The dentist told my mom that I needed mine removed in high school, but my mom declined because of money issues. Later, my lower teeth became crowded and crooked (not terribly, but still noticeable and I never needed braces). Then, around 23, my upper and lower jaw began aching. I had my wisdom teeth removed (no anesthesia, only laughing gas) and the pain disappeared. My husbands teeth are terribly crowded (not just from wisdom teeth) and at 30, he developed severe pains from the teeth somehow rubbing the gums. He had them out and the pain disappeared. So, that really makes me wonder if it’s only 12%.
Mine is compacted, and the dentist told me he was worried it might cause decay in the tooth next to it… I don’t want to have any teeth pulled though. I have gaps because I had baby teeth that never came out, and my jaw was big enough for my adult teeth to come in, next to them. So once I had the baby teeth pulled at 27, I was left with gaps.. I still have all my teeth, but if I get a tooth removed, I worry it will make the gaps bigger and I don’t want that!
Jill, half the point of wisdom teeth are to keep your teeth close together over your lifetime, or teeth are suppose to shrink as we chew and eat certain foods and our wisdom teeth would be pushing against them all the time to close these would be gaps. With that said, really large gaps are irregular, they might close but it would take years. I wouldn’t get your wisdom teeth removed as you obviously have room, maybe considering a procedure or braces to have everything moved close together and just leave those wisdom teeth there.
Mine were all removed when I was 23, they were impacted & showing signs of decay. What I find interesting is that even 7 years after, the scar tissue in my gums will get irratated & feel just like the tooth is still there!
We just had this discussion with our dentist last year! By the end of our discussion, we had determined that wisdom teeth are taken out on the outside chance they cause problems down the road. It took 45 minutes for him to admit that, however. He was pretty frustrated, although he tried to hide it. When we asked how to avoid cavaties, he told us brush well and eat a healthy diet. We further asked him what is a healthy diet (we are tired of “professionals” telling us to eat healthy, how vague!) Of course, he told us the food pyramid – and that is all he knew. We were not trying to be rude, but rather informed. Apparently they are not taught reasons of why they do the things they do. I don’t really “blame” him. He is just saying what he learned (or rather did not learn) at school. Kind of reminded me about my first OB/Gyn who knew little about nursing babies and the good they do for mothers.
Agreed. My dentist was surprised to see I still have my wisdom teeth, an unfortunate rare occurance.
I still have my wisdom teeth and I love them so:)
This was the funniest statement I’ve read in a long while. Thank you, Samantha, for making me laugh! 🙂
My wisdom teeth would be an oral surgeon’s dream come true. They’re not coming in straight..one is actually upside down! Over the space of a year, I feel maybe two weeks of discomfort. It’s not enough to really bother me and doesn’t last. No infection, no crowding or other issues, so I’ve chosen to just leave them be. I’m 34 and have yet to feel that the discomfort is bad enough to warrant extraction.
How the hell are they UPSIDE DOWN? that would mean the roots are growing in…a weird direction toward your tongue? Impossible.