I am nearly 60 years old, and have had all my wisdom teeth up until a few weeks ago. One of the upper teeth had cracked, and my dentist said it was easier in this case to remove it than to repair it, so we took both the top teeth. The procedure went very well, and I am completely recovered.
My question is, do I have to have the other two out now? I’ve always heard of people having all four taken out. I asked my dentist about it and he said there is no reason to, though if I decide I want to I’ll have to have an oral surgeon do those as they are impacted. He said it might also affect a dental bridge I wear on the left side.
Is it worth it? What are the benefits? Thanks in advance for your help.
Celia in Bar Harbor, MA
Dear Celia,
In your case, it does not sound like there is a compelling reason to remove your remaining wisdom teeth. There should be a better reason than just “they are wisdom teeth”. It also sounds like that would be a more difficult and expensive procedure, with a long recovery. If your regular dentist did the extraction on your upper wisdom teeth, then they were probably not impacted. If the bottom ones are, their removal is more difficult, and the recovery will take longer.
Your dentist is giving you sound advice. I would keep the wisdom teeth in until there is some good reason to remove them.
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