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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?
My wisdom teeth only started to erupt in my 21st year. Only one has half erupted and recently started biting the flesh inside my cheek. It makes it hard to chew anything without blowing air to puff out my cheek while I do so and still I bite my cheek a lot. I can feel a tooth on the other side of my bottom jaw but it hasn’t erupted, and one on my top. The other one on top doesn’t seem to exist, or it isn’t starting to erupt yet. So far, the one that’s coming in is nice and straight and doesn’t crowd my teeth. My jaw’s big enough, it’s just my cheek skin that’s not. Would be nice to know what to do to get it to stop biting my cheek
If your wisdoms have grown in straight and the only problem is biting your gum, there is a procedure called an operculectomy. It involves simply cutting tissue over laying the section of the molar you’re biting on. It’s cheaper and less painful than getting it pulled. Just make sure you get back there good with the tooth brush. Swish with saline and peroxide to prevent infection. Use oragel, and about 500mg of ibuprofen for pain. I assume your experiencing ear pain, jaw pain, oral pain and maybe a head ache, the ibuprofen will definitely help.
do not worry its impossible to not bite your cheeks when wisdom teeth are growing what will happen is that youll bit over and over your cheek while trying to eat and the excess of cheek getting squeeze will tear up a bit every day and in a couple weeks it will have healed and youll have more room in your mouth,
After each of my teeth had erupted I bit my cheeks too but it didn’t last long and you get over it. Now they are all out and I have no issues. I read a really intriguing article about the benefits of keeping wisdom teeth and ever since then I have been extremely leery of getting my teeth extracted. Wish I could find it. In addition, my husband just got all four of his out and boy was it horrible to see him heal through all that. No thank you! I definitely feel like it is simply a ploy for dentists to get more $ and is very unnecessary for the majority of people. Also, I just bought myself a toddler tooth brush and clean my wisdom teeth this way and it’s not that hard flossing either. KEEP THOSE WISDOM TEETH if you can. <3
Can you please cite your sources for your percentage information? How can I know that what you report is even valid. It seems to be full of faulty information. Never in my research have I even seen, ‘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,’
Rather, I have read the opposite – that impacted wisdom teeth have a high chance of becoming infected if left alone, even if asymptomatic, they may still be infected (what I have read from medical journals).
Please cite your sources.
Sources cited within the post as links as also at the end of the article.
Blind trust of anyone wearing a white coat is what makes this crooked US healthcare and a need to be convinced with scientific evidence, blah, blah, blah. Americans need to wake up and realize the evidence they need to obtain is from their doctors who are ripping them off with unnecessary procedures everyday. Xrays, prescriptions, all to line their pockets and pay off their medical school debt. Americans need to become more informed and less suspicious of anyone who speaks contrary to practices (like wisdom tooth extraction) that have become customary and in ways, ritualitic, when they are unwarranted. Mother Nature did an amazing job and conventional medicine is refuting it in order to make money and keep American ssick as a result. Pretty disgusting. You should be asking your dentist why the extraction instead of disputing someone dispensing advice that is saving you money and pain and not earning money doing it. Your suspicions are displaced.
GO KIM!!!!
I agree I had 3 wisdom teeth pulled when I was about 26. The last one was impacted so I left it alone thinking no big deal but oh how wrong I was. I now (12yrs later) have a abscess that won’t go away, and no real tooth there to pull just rotten bone. This now is way worse than if I had just done away with them all in the first place. I don’t believe your finding are correct either.
Hi can anyone help?
I am 29, and my bottom right wisdom tooth is taking years to fully grow, its partially erupted, I cant count how many times I have pain and swelling there. Out or leave?
tia
I took 2 out when i was in my early 20s.. I had all 4 grown normally but one of them was causing pain once in a while.. i got annoyed and decided to extract. The dentist said I had to extract both upper and lower even though only one was causing pain. (Not sure if that’s true)
I had no issues, no infection, i’m glad i did it.. i did take pain meds on time because I was afraid it was going to hurt.
thinking of extracting the opposite side for the same reason.
Good Luck!
Hi I have the same problem apparently the wisdom tooth will never fully come in, I have discovered a way to fix the infection and pain, anytime it starts hurting, I take baking soda on my finger and pack it in the area, leave it for about 30 seconds and then brush it off, oil pulling also helps and garlic. At the moment I have a abscess tooth, caused by a cavity filling which was screwed up, If I take 3 cloves of garlic internally it takes the pain away for about 3 hours, because I have been taking garlic trying to kick the infection, I have not had any pain in the wisdom tooth. Just praying it works for good.
I hope youre getting it pulled. Your body is constantly fighting a low grade infection and that’s not good for you 🙁
My lower right wisdom tooth is growing completely perpendicular to the rest of my teeth and pushing it so that my bottom front teeth are getting crooked. I’m 33 so the roots are fully formed and according to my dentist, the procedure would be complicated, involving CT scan, bone graft because the root is near a main nerve and they would probably cut the top of the tooth off and do a bone graft, leaving the root since it might be intertwined with all the important stuff near the back of my jaw. Now, I don’t mind crooked teeth as much as the complication of getting rid of the wisdom tooth, but I am curious to know when the tooth will stop pushing. How far will it go? How does a tooth know when to stop growing?
Agreed, don’t do it if you don’t have to! I have permanent paresthesia in the right half of my tongue. Also, I frequently feel inflammation in the holes where those teeth were, and it’s been over 20 years. I’m pondering cavitation surgery to deal with that, but the idea makes me very nervous. 🙁
Wish mine was not necessary. My wisdom teeth were twice the size of my molars!! They had to crack the teeth below him line and take out if my mouth!
And humans are actually beginning to experience a reduction in the presence of wisdom teeth, (being born without them) because our jaws are becoming smaller and therefore no longer have the same room to allow for these third molars. Just shedding a little light on some of the reasons many dentists and oral surgeons recommend getting them out…its not just a payday frenzy. If you are in the hands of good dental professionals, they will do anything to prevent extractions of teeth in most cases. Their primary concern in dentistry as a whole is to retain as much tooth integrity as possible.
Yes, it’s absolutely true that the younger you are the easier recovery you’ll have. Same reason why it’s much easier to orthodontically adjust teeth in children, because the alveolar bone is much more able to adapt and allow the movement of teeth, whereas if an adult we’re to get braces, it’s much more painful, difficult, and longer in duration, depending on severity of course, because the bone does not have the same ability to “regrow” And fill in empty spaces. Same with wisdom teeth extraction.
and beware of root canals!! Weston A. Price Foundation
Wrong. My story. The dentists told me for years to get my wisdom teeth taken out. I said no way because I’m not having any trouble with them. Then, at the age of 36, I started to have some trouble with impacted wisdom teeth. Had them removed and what a NIGHTMARE of pain and agony for months and months. If you wait until you are older it is horrific! I had dry sockets and paresthesia (numbness of the lip, tongue and cheek) for YEARS. When you get it done at an early age, it is little pain and you recover much quicker. How do I know that? My 17 year old son had it done and 3 days later, he was good to go. Also, throughout my years in the Army, the young Soldiers would all recover within about four days. I don’t buy what this article is selling, especially “myth #4”.