Do You Have Your 'Wisdom Teeth' Still?

[Miss Z]

Would I be considered a mid teen? Just wanted to make sure before I voted. I'm 15.

I have all four of my wisdom teeth and they seem fine so far.

[k9krazee]

I have all four of mine. They started coming in about a year ago but stopped. Apparently I'm getting them out sometime in December. I asked the dentist if I HAD to get them removed, like would it harm me in any way to keep them in and she said no, and that I should just get them out becase WHAT IF I have problems down the road. I'm not an advocate for getting surgeries that I don't feel I need, but I feel like I need to get it done while I'm still under my parent's insurance. *shrugs*

[jenluckenbach]

I have all four and have no problems (I am 45). Does this mean I have a BIG mouth?!?!

[Catlady711]

Ouch! That sounds like a horrible thing to have going on with your teeth.

I had to vote 'Other' in your poll.

Several years ago they did a full mouth x-ray on me which they said I should have been having every 5 years (I didn't know that). Anyways I asked about my wisdom teeth because that gum area in my mouth had been sore. Turns out that I just have very large 'gum pads' (at least that's what I think she called them) and my soreness was from the beef jerky I'd been eating causing some irritation to my gums. The x-rays showed I have no wisdom teeth!! I'd never heard of that before! Anyways they said because I have such wide 'gum pads' even if I had some wisdom teeth in there I probably could just let them come in and not have them removed.

I was VERY relieved to hear I never have to worry about them coming in since there are none. BTW I'm over 30.

[jennielynn1970]

I'm 37, and just got mine out this past Christmas. I have a total phobia of the dentist (I had smashed my two front teeth when I was 14, and they drilled into them w/out any novacaine or anything... I've never had cavities, so this was a shock! ).

I've avoided the dentist for the past 7 years. Horrible, I know. But in that time, I only ended up with 4 tiny cavities total, 1 in each molar. I did however had a bad case of gingivitis or whatever the gum infection is called, and for some reason my body builds up the tartar in my mouth really bad in my mouth, so it took a few sessions to get my mouth cleaned up. I had to have antibiotic packets inserted in my gums (which was not covered by my dental insurance, darn!!), and any novacaine and the gas they give you wasn't either). I did get a great prescription rinse that I can get at the pharmacy and it works really well, and I still use it daily.

Getting my wisdom teeth out... I did this over Christmas vacation so I wouldn't lose any sick days at work. What a Christmas that was. First, because I went to the dentist, not an oral surgeon, to have it done, I could only have local anesthesia and was given Valium to take before I went. He kept telling me that I wouldn't remember anything, and I shouldn't feel anything.... well... it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I did HEAR what they were doing. I wish I would have gone to an oral surgeon and been knocked out. My wisdom teeth weren't totally impacted, so I guess I was even luckier in that respect.

What made me laugh was when the dentist was showing me the tools they use. He's all "This is the extractor" or whatever the technical term was for it. I looked at him and said "No, that's a pliers." "Now, now, Jennie... that's not what we call it. And this is the elevator that we lift the tooth out with." I'm looking at him, and looking at the instrument and said "That is a chisel." You don't need to use fancy words with me, I shop at Home Depot and Lowes, I know what these suckers look like, lol!

So, it's almost a year later, and my mouth feels much better. It feels weird having my wisdom teeth gone. My teeth haven't shifted much since then. I do have a small mouth (contrary to popular belief), so the dentist said it should help with spacing.

What I can say is that I haven't gone back for my checkup for the yearly cleaning yet... . I'm still kinda rattled from the whole entire ordeal, and I get panic attacks and throw up when I'm there (the smell gets me). They were a really nice place, and even burned candles for me when I was first there so it wouldn't smell like a dentist's office. You know that smell??? I get sick to my stomach from it.

Oh, I know that I have gotten flouride treatments ever since I was about 3 yrs old because I was given tetracycline when I was 2yrs old and really sick, and it damaged the enamel on my teeth, and so I had to deal with discoloration from that. I still am careful about the toothpastes I use, and I can't use whiteners since they are so abrasive on the tooth enamel.

Hope you have good luck at your dental appt. I'll keep you in my thoughts as I definitely know your pain in this one!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed at the same time when I was 19 years old. Two of them were just barely starting to come in and the other two weren't coming in yet. They may have been impacted.

My mom drove me there and I was very groggy when I woke up and she drove me home and I slept the rest of the day. I don't remember being in much pain but I do remember that they packed the sockets with gauze and that some of the gauze started to come out before I was supposed to have it removed. This made it very hard to eat without chewing on some of the gauze. Yuck!!!

Kelly, I hope that you'll start feeling better soon and that you'll have a successful wisdom tooth extraction. Please take care.

[NoahsMommy]

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with me. I've decided based on your help that I'm going to an oral surgeon and will be knocked out. I believe the front office ladies at the the dentists office told me that the dentist normally refers out her "Wisdom Tooth Removals", so that's good. OMG, my co-worker mentioned that her dental insurance doesn't pay for the anesthesia - what a MEAN insurance...obviously whomever wrote those policy limits never had to have dental work...what a mean jerk!

Anyway, my appointment is this coming Friday, but I found out that my co-worker also has an appointment that day, 30 minutes prior, for a tooth extraction - so I know she will not be coming back to work. I may need to change that appointment.

I'm not as scared this time, the appt on Wednesday made me realize I'm in good, GENTLE hands...everyone there is so kind and like, soft. I know that sounds odd, but you just feel so welcome and like they DO care that you're terrified to be there, that they WANT to make you feel better. Shocking (refreshing??), I know! I guess I'll have my consult with Dr. Valde and discuss my wisdom teeth as well as the bonding work that needs to be redone on my front teeth.

I really want this all overwith...my pain doc told me how to take my current pain medicine to help with the teeth and told me to go get Oragel - that stuff is amazing!!! My migraines aren't as bad...all they did was clean and x-ray my teeth, but maybe that helped do something to them?? I don't know...but I'll take less pain/fewer migraines for WHATEVER reason! ha ha

I thought this sort of pain would be hard, but that I'd handle it how I handle my crohn's pain...but wow!! Tooth/ear/head pain is NOT fun!! This dentist (as per my co-worker) does not prescribe pain medication for her patients!! I don't need anything extra, but I feel for her other patients...I mean, OUCH!!! I scheduled this appointment around my work schedule - don't need to be out for ANY REASON - so this was the soonest I could get in...I think I may call and see if they'll call me with any cancellations, because Friday's appt is not the "end", it's the beginning because she'll need to refer me out.

Anyway, sorry to go on and on like this. I'm talkative today I think. Thank you all again for sharing your experiences with me...it helps to know what I'm in for. My mouth is kinda small too...my teeth are very close together, I have to get a certain type of floss so it works for me...so I think having these out will free up some room and maybe my teeth will be able to spread out a tiny bit. That would be nice.

Hugs, Kelly

[ramanth]

Voted Other.

I have all four of mine in and they do cause pain because they came in crooked.

My orthodontist had my 12 year molars pulled convincing my parents that the wisdom teeth would come up in their place. Well they came in crooked and sometimes ache, but my dentist won't pull them, claiming that I have to have SOMETHING back there.