Should I Wait Until My Wisdom Teeth Are a Problem to Remove Them?
Posted by writeradmin
I have four impacted wisdom teeth. One of them is infected and needs to extracted. My dentist is giving me a few choices.
- I can remove all of them at the same time. Though he warned me that one of them is by a nerve, which holds some risks. He did say low risk but not zero risk.
- I can only remove the infected one and then leave the others until they become a problem.
- I can extract all of them and leave the root of the one that is by the nerve.
Do you have a recommendation for the best option?
Ben
Dear Ben,
While the chances of nerve damage are there, your dentist is correct in that they are low. Plus, dentists and oral surgeons tend to exaggerate the risks because we are a litigious society, in order to protect themselves. If he did leave the root, he shouldn’t leave the whole root, just the root tip. That way your body is less likely to reject it.
You didn’t say how old you are, but you should be aware that the older you get, the greater the risk of complications with any wisdom tooth extractions. The best age to have your teeth extracted is in your late teens to early twenties. Every five years after that your chances of complications double.
That will be a big factor in the decision because if they are all impacted, then at some point you will have problems with them. It would be safer to deal with their extractions now, while the risks are lowest and in controlled circumstances. You don’t want to end up with a dental emergency on your hands.
I hope this helps you.
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