# Dental Teeth **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404 "2013-01-16T18:16:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/1 "2013-01-16T18:16:26Z")
Twenty years old. Braces off for about 3 years. Advised to have wisdom teeth removed. One laterally impacted, one erupted and angled. Will the angled tooth cause the others to shift? Is there any evidence that removing asymptomatic wisdom teeth is, well, um, wise. It turns out that the statistics of 75% of wisdom teeth will eventually cause problems, is, as best as I can determine, totally made up. If you a cite of the original paper, if it exists, I would love to see it. Actually, the title should be: Dental Question. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/2 "2013-01-16T19:13:05Z")
All I have is an anecdote. I resisted having my wisdom teeth removed until there was an actual problem. That happened at about age 28. In retrospect, if I’d done it earlier, under my father’s insurance, I’d have been better off financially. And I’d have had more flexibility in when to schedule the procedure. Other than these two disadvantages, there really wasn’t any problem with waiting for me. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/3 "2013-01-16T19:15:31Z")
As another anecdote, at 59 I still have all 4 wisdom teeth. I haven’t really had problems with them. J. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/4 "2013-01-16T20:54:04Z")
I learned in my mid-50s that an unerupted wisdom tooth had caused a cyst which had spent the last couple of decades slowly eating out the inside of my jawbone. My oral surgeon managed to save my jaw & other teeth, but it wasn’t fun. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/5 "2013-01-16T21:06:23Z")
Another anecdote, no real data here, either. Despite having had four molars pulled when I was 13, as part of the process of getting braces, my dentist still determined that there wasn’t enough room for my wisdom teeth when they came in – when I was 20, he recommended having them pulled. Having just seen several friends have horrific experiences with wisdom-tooth removal, I decided against it…and then stopped going to the dentist entirely for a number of years. When I finally got serious about my teeth again, the new dentist again noted that the wisdom teeth really needed to be removed. They were partially exposed, but not entirely, and as they’re very difficult to brush and floss effectively, they were in bad shape. This was, then, causing problems with the gums in the area, and the adjacent molars. I finally did have them removed (it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d feared), and the remaining issues with my other teeth were far easier to deal with, as a result. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/6 "2013-01-17T00:54:27Z")
Dentist here. The wisdom teeth will not cause the other teeth to shift. They may shift over time after braces but the WT don’t cause it. Nature wants teeth that are stable, humans want them to be pretty. Sometimes the two are compatable sometimesthey aren’t. Wearing your retainer is your best bet to avoid shifting. As far as removing asymtomatic WT, just because they are asymptomatic doesn’t mean they aren’t causing harm. I’d be most concerned with the “erupted angled” one. Food and bacteria can get between it and the 2nd molar. I’ve seen plenty of subgingival decay on the back of second molars due to partialy erupted WT. My general philosophy is if there is room in the mouth and they are fully erupted and upright or they are fully subgingival then leave them unless there is a problem. Partialy erupted, especialy angled usualy cause problems and ought to come out. Sorry I don’t have a cite, just 26 years of observing. By no means do all WT need to be removed but many do. If I had to guess I’d say more like half, not 75%. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/7 "2013-01-17T02:45:58Z")
My orthodontist thought my wisdom teeth would make my other teeth shift. Mine were removed when I was 16 as soon as I was done with braces and a retainer. It actually wasn’t a bad surgery or recovery. One of my co-workers is getting hers removed now because they’re severely impacted and caused nerve damage. I guess based on that it seems like it’s a good idea to get them removed before they do any damage, but this is also purely anecdotal. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/8 "2013-01-17T03:21:28Z")
I have a horizontally impacted wisdom tooth. It has been that way for nearly forty years. Never had any pain, and it has never changed the neighboring teeth. Other than that, I have great teeth. But every dentist I have seen wants to take it out. “What do you want to do about that wisdom tooth?”, they all say. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I say. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/9 "2013-01-17T03:37:35Z")
I had all 4 of mine up until two years ago (I’m 41). They grew in nice and straight with no problems whatsoever, but there did end up being a problem. My dentist told me I have the smallest adult mouth she’s ever seen. I have to use the kid’s bitewing x-ray thing because the adult size won’t fit. There was simply no room for cleaning apparatus to get to all the surfaces of the wisdom teeth and they rotted. I had all 4 removed at once and had no issues with recovery. I’m a big proponent of “if it ain’t broke” and such, but for wisdom teeth I’ll make an exception. Even if they come in perfectly, they are really hard to clean thoroughly. It’s my understanding that removing them earlier rather than later makes recovery easier and unremarkable. Although I had none, complications are more common in older patients. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/10 "2013-01-17T03:40:05Z")
I had all four removed. I had no issues with any of it until a few weeks after the surgery when I developed a “dry socket”. _ **Don’t** _ get a dry socket. It’s when (forgive me if I am not totally accurate here, more expert posters can correct me) the gums where the tooth was removed heal over superficially but an infection occurs underneath the gum. :eek: The only way to treat it was to drain it (it had filled with disgusting green pus) and put me on antibiotics. But draining it was brutal. My dentist brought out this device that looked like a medieval torture weapon and told me to open up and said “This might hurt just a bit”. Talk about understatement!☹ I was still a smoker at the time though, and I didn’t stop smoking for as long as I was told to, so I think that factor deserves the majority of the blame for my dry socket. If you take care of yourself like you’re supposed to after they’re taken out, it’s not a big deal at all. ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/11 "2013-01-17T05:07:55Z")
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > I had all 4 of mine up until two years ago (I’m 41). They grew in nice and straight with no problems whatsoever, but there did end up being a problem. My dentist told me I have the smallest adult mouth she’s ever seen. I have to use the kid’s bitewing x-ray thing because the adult size won’t fit. There was simply no room for cleaning apparatus to get to all the surfaces of the wisdom teeth and they rotted. I had all 4 removed at once and had no issues with recovery. I’m very similar, except it was an exceptionally strong gag reflex that kept me from properly cleaning my wisdom teeth. They pulled all four about 15 years ago and I still miss them. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/12 "2013-01-17T14:26:58Z")
depending on your situation. those teeth can be hard to clean properly and so they will get decay. those teeth are hard for a dentist to work on and so attempting to repair decay will not always produce the best results. if the tooth decays and fractures it is hard to extract (it might break and need to be dug out root by root) where if extracted while healthy is an easier simpler procedure. so if they are in good shape and you are cleaning them well then they are good. if they are in bad shape or might cause problems or you aren’t cleaning them well then the dentist might suggest extraction. IANAD, IANAtooth, Idonothaveboatpayments ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/13 "2013-01-18T04:57:09Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > I learned in my mid-50s that an unerupted wisdom tooth had caused a cyst which had spent the last couple of decades slowly eating out the inside of my jawbone. My oral surgeon managed to save my jaw & other teeth, but it wasn’t fun. Jeezum. Did you have any symptoms during all that time? ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/14 "2013-01-26T20:00:19Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Jeezum. Did you have any symptoms during all that time? None at all. My dentist just noticed some bone thinning around another root, and thought it should get looked at. It was only a full-mouth x-ray that revealed how close I was to having my jaw break while biting on a carrot or something. Fortunately, with the cyst drained, the bone has grown back and all is well. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/15 "2013-01-26T21:32:18Z")
I have all my wisdom teeth, but I had four bicuspids removed by my orthodontist, as part of straightening my teeth. There wasn’t enough room in my mouth. Not sure if they’d do it this way nowadays, though. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/16 "2013-01-26T22:07:03Z")
often when one has four bi’s out for ortho they have room for the third molars, that little bit of extra room can make quite a difference. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/17 "2013-01-27T00:01:01Z")
This has bothered me since I first saw this thread in the list. “_Dental_ teeth” as opposed to what? ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/18 "2013-01-27T02:59:29Z")
saw teeth, gear teeth, zipper teeth… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/19 "2013-01-27T04:18:15Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > This has bothered me since I first saw this thread in the list. > > “_Dental_ teeth” as opposed to what? Addressed in the OP. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404/20 "2013-01-27T04:23:07Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > This has bothered me since I first saw this thread in the list. > > “_Dental_ teeth” as opposed to what? > [@gigi](#): > > Addressed in the OP. 🙂 looks like the teeth got pulled. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-teeth/647404.md?page=2)