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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
More Information
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Toddler’s Severe Tooth Decay Halted in 5 Days
Resolving Periodontal Problems with Bone Broth
Coconut Oil Stops Strep Bacteria from Damaging Tooth Enamel
What is the True Cause of Crooked Teeth?
10 Signs Your Dentist is Truly Holistic
Avoiding Root Canals with Diet Alone
Could the Cause of Your Illness Be Right Under Your Nose?
Dr. Friedman who wrote the article is just one opinion out of many who disagree on this issue. As an oral surgeon and dental profession, most of those listed complications occur in patients who are older (older than 25 years old). If there’s a potential to have problems with wisdom teeth, it’s better to get it done prior to 25 since there’s a significant difference in recovery and potential complications associate with removing them. Not every wisdom teeth should be removed, but at young age, benefits of getting them out outweighs the risk. Do not believe what some articles tell you, talk to your dentists and dental professions because every teeth are different, every patients are different.
Hello I currently have one wisdom tooth fully grown in and it has caused one of my front teeth to become slightly out of alignment. The other three wisdom teeth are slowly coming in. Should I get them removed? I feel no pain with the one that is fully in but the dentist said before to remove them.
This doctor who says it’s impossible for wisdom teeth to crowd the other teeth is wrong.
Before my wisdom teeth started coming up, I had people ask me if I had had brace before, because my teeth were (naturally) perfectly straight. I neglected to get my wisdom teeth out because I thought it was an unnecessary procedure. After putting it off for two years, the pain became unbearable, due to my other teeth shifting. When I went to a new dentist to get a referral to an oral surgeon, he asked why my previous dentist had never sent me to an orthodontist.
So now after getting my wisdom teeth out, I have to get braces as well. My teeth have shifted so much that instead of two front teeth, I have three.
TLDR;
Whatever Dentist wrote this article is an idiot.
People drive me crazy. How everyone believes what a denist or doctor “people with a title” say like its fact no matter what lol. Just like all the people getting their gaul bladder removed.
Just like the doctor told me my gaul bladder is only 40 percent functioning and wanted to remove it. So I asked whats the purpose of the gual bladder? He says “it works like a filter for your food etc.” And I responded “well its seems 40 functioning is far better than zero” as I lol. And he couldn’t argue that comon sence. Another time I had a baby tooth that i pulled out at the age of 19! So I went to denist no to long after that, they took xrays and told me it will never grow in bc it has no roots and they wanted to put a metal bracket in my gum to pull the tooth down I said there’s no way! Ill just go without a tooth before I do that lol and not even 6 months later I have a full canine tooth. So that goes to show dont trust shit they say. Also keep in mind that now we all think the doctors of the old days as quacks with there shock treatment techniques etc. And the future generations will see us the same way. Its always best to act on your comon sence and comon sence tells us that we have wisdom teeth for a reason if there wasn’t a reason for them god would not have gave them to us. Idc what any denist or doctor has to say there brainwashed fools. Matter a fact I wont be going to a doctor/denist ever again. Last year I broke my left arm and right leg at the same time and never went to the doctor im now healed fine. Just a few months back I sliced my leg wide open I mean wide open! From sheet metal never got stiches healed up fine.
I had mine removed when I was 22. I have a small jaw, and one of them was already infected. Antibiotics caused a bad reaction, and even though only one was infected at the time, I had all four removed so that I wouldn’t have to go back into surgery four more times for the same reason. No regrets.
I really wish that I had found this page a few weeks sooner than I did. I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed four days ago, and it has been the worst experience of my life. Prior to surgery, I have never had any problems with my teeth. No cavities, no braces, and no pain when my wisdom teeth came in. However, my dentist began insisting about 2 years ago that I had to have my wisdom teeth removed. He finally set up an appointment with an oral surgeon for me and told my mother and I that it was completely necessary. The oral surgeon gave us the same story about how it was preventative and that it was mandatory to keep my nice smile. Fast forward to after the surgery, I have experienced many complications. First, my pain medicine made me vomit, so I was unable to take medicine to relieve my pain. I actually ended up in the ER in order to get nausea and pain relief. Four days later, I still can’t take the entire prescribed dose and I am in agony. I haven’t slept a full night since the surgery due to the intense pain. I also have not yet regained feeling back in my lips and chin. It is hard for me to eat and talk and I sometimes drool on myself because of this. I’m now worried that the feeling may never come back. I urge anyone who is getting his or her wisdom teeth out for “prevention” to reconsider. It really isn’t worth it.
I am 45. Still have my wisdom teeth. Two are crooked. Had an infection twice. Antibiotics and a prescript rinse. My dentist finally stopped asking me to remove them. I’m am ok with them in.
I just recently got my wisdom teeth pulled. My dentist recommended me for it after going through 2 years of braces and having all four of my premolars removed so that my incisors would line up perfectly with the rest of my teeth.
I have a very low tolerance for pain, by comparison, but my wisdom teeth weren’t bothering me at all. However, after watching my parents spend tons of money to get my mouth straight, I don’t think anyone wanted to take the chance of them becoming crooked again.
If I didn’t have enough room for my original 28 adult teeth, no way would my wisdom teeth fit without causing all the work to be ruined.
Not always true, though. My wisdom teeth came in soon after my braces were removed, so my teeth began moving and shifting a lot very quickly. In addition, due to other complications (basically the reason I had braces) the wisdom teeth caused a minor dislocation of my jaw.
Also, early wisdom teeth removal IS less traumatic, IF you catch the teeth before they have roots or while the roots are small.
my two upper wisdom teeth came out. i dont have enough space but they came out anyway. Prior to that i checked with the dentist, he suggested me that i should go for a surgical extraction of my four wisdom teeth but i was persistent that i do not want to remove my wisdom teeth surgically. Later, two of my upper wisdom teeth developed a very little cavities and my dentist is of opinion that i should extract those surgically because they are hard to fill. but they are causing no pain, whatsoever , and i am dead afraid of tooth(ee) extraction(s). I just want them to be filled , even the dentist has said, the cavities are so minored that they are good for tooth colored fillings. Now what should I do? He said “”NO”” for fillings 🙁