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Successful and Positive Wisdom Teeth Removal Experiences

Posted on 16. Jul, 2011 by wisdom.

In the past I posted survey respondent elaborations of their wisdom teeth removal experience that were negative as in the outcome was not what they were expecting.

For some of these you can see http://blog.teethremoval.com/wisdom-teeth-surgery-survey/ and http://blog.teethremoval.com/wisdom-teeth-extraction-survey/

If you have a spare few minutes please complete the wisdom teeth removal survey I have created which is linked to below.

http://teethremoval.polldaddy.com/s/6E8CF57E23BD9041

Below are some survey responses of those who have had positive wisdom teeth extractions. All ages given are at the time of surgery.

A 23 year old female who had 2 wisdom teeth removed says

For me, the worst part was the “laughing gas”. Other than that, I have had no bleeding post-surgery, almost zero swelling, and have not needed to take any pain medication beyond Advil.

A 48 year old male who had 4 wisdom teeth removed says

after surgery my sinus problems improved.

A 31 year old female who had 3 wisdom teeth removed says

It went better then I expected, because my wisdom teeth were erputed and it made easier to access them. The oral surgeon didn’t have to cut my gum and bones. Afterwards there were some bleeding I knew that ahead of time. The worst part was when the novocaine wore off, I could still feel the injections where he injected the novocaine, but in time that feeling wore off. I had mild pain a few days afterwards, over the counter pain meds were all I need. My face swelled up some, that was expected. My jaw ached for over a week but the over counter pain meds helped again. The sockets are filling in now, it’s been months since the extraction and so fare I am doing fine.

A 19 year old male who had 4 wisdom teeth extracted says

I had absolutely no problems with my surgery, my doctors were excellent and well educated on the procedure, I had no complications from the surgery, and I never had any pain after the surgery. I honestly did not think there were any problems (besides the probability of error when administering anesthesia) until seeing this site. Also, I trusted my doctor and am very happy I had mine removed.

A 34 year old female who had 2 wisdom teeth extracted says

I am glad that I have them removed because it was causing problems like ear, neck and back pains including chest pains.

A 20 year old male who had 4 wisdom teeth removed says

It was quick and somewhat painful, under 40 minutes. The top wisdom teeth were removed easily without any pain while the bottom wisdom teeth hurt as they were drilled out. I did the surgery awake with just Novocaine shots. The shots were extremely painful. After the surgery, I didn’t experience really any bleeding as it stopped within a day. I didn’t experience too much pain afterward, and by a week later I feel close to normal again plus I can eat normally again.

A women who had 4 wisdom teeth removed and was 22 at the time says

I was so much in pain before my extraction that anything would have been a relief. I was not sedated or put out for fear of not waking up. I heard every crunch sound imaginable, but did not feel a thing. I must have had a great surgeon!!!!!! No nausea from the sedative I didn’t have, so things went well. That was over 20 years ago and know things have come a long way since. Don’t FEAR!!!!
Everything will be OKAY!!!!!!

A women who had 2 wisdom teeth removed and was 40 years old at the time of surgery says

My wisdom teeth had grown in completely, with no complications almost 20 ago. Dentists had suggested throughout the years that I have them removed and I took the stand that if there was nothing wrong with them and they weren’t hurting anything, I was going to keep them. I saw no reason to have them removed just because they were inconvenient for them to clean. I made the deal with all of my dentists that if something happens with them, I will have them removed. Since then, I had a tooth removed on the bottom and thankfully, I had a wisdom tooth to take its place. The other bottom is impacted and if it rears it’s head, it’s going to be ugly. Dentists don’t want to touch it unless something happens. Recently I cracked one of the top ones and decided it was time to lose them. The procedure was painless. I had no swelling or bruising and I didn’t even have soreness the next day.

A women who was 17 at the time of having four wisdom teeth out says

I am glad I got my wisdom teeth out! I understand that the presence of wisdom teeth can lead to complications, such as pain, infection and neoplastic changes which are often completely unpredictable. Trying to manage this situation later in life is much more difficult than preventatively having your teeth removed at a young age. There is no question that the highest standard of care must be employed during the procedure from both an anesthesia and surgical technique standpoint. I agree that one must be informed of all the potential risks associated with wisdom teeth removal and must be able to make an informed decision, and it is up to the doctor doing the procedure to thoroughly provide this information.

A 19 year old female who had four wisdom teeth removed says

My oral surgeon was very comforting and explained the pros and cons that I could experience from undergoing the surgery. I had no complications and was happy to avoid issues that can occur from problem wisdom teeth later in life. I was informed that one of the main reason I suffered from no issues, other than moderate discomfort, was because I took preemptive action and removed them before the roots had completely formed; this prevents more serious complications such as holes to the sinus cavities and nerve damage.

A 27 year old female who had two wisdom teeth extracted says

I left my wisdom teeth in as long as possible before it started to adversely affect my health. Due to the angles they were in, I couldnt properly clean them and they had decayed to the point where it was risking my health. My surgeon made me sign waivers that I was informed of all the risks, after explaining them of course, and I felt as though I was properly informed. I did however do my own research online anyway. I only had my 2 top wisdom teeth come in. The lowers never formed I guess. Never showed up on the xrays. Anyway, I had been given twilight sedation and it was wonderful. I went to sleep, didnt feel anything and dont remember anything, woke up and I was fine. Didnt need any pain medication. No pain, no (noticable) swelling. One was a surgical extraction and one was impacted. I had both teeth saved and the amount of decay is frightening. One is cracked in half from decay and the nerve exposed. That explains the pain I had felt! The other is missing a good part of the tooth. I’m on day 4 and so far no pain or problems.

A 17 year old female who had four third molars extracted says

It was fine. I’ve pretty much had orthodontic work done on my mouth all my life due to a massive overbite, VERY crooked teeth, teeth growing in over top of each other, and not enough room in my mouth for teeth that weren’t in correctly. This was a very long, painful, and EXPENSIVE process, but I now have a beautiful and healthy smile and have no problems talking or eating or anything. However, having my wisdom teeth come in would have undone all that, due to there not being enough room in my mouth and also due to them coming in crookedly. I do suffer from loud pops on both sides of my jaw whenever I open my mouth more than half-way now, but it doesn’t hurt, and having my wisdom teeth taken out saved me a lot more pain and money in the long run and kept my smile beautiful. People have to understand that EVERY surgery involves risk, no matter how common, and they need to decide for themselves in every case of surgery whether the benefits outweigh the costs and potential risks.

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Wisdom Teeth Promotion and Marketing

Posted on 27. Mar, 2011 by wisdom.

I have previously talked about PBHS Inc. on this blog and website. They design many websites for oral surgeons and also help with branding and promotion.

I have some issues with them in that they provide websites with nearly identical content for oral surgeons to use http://blog.teethremoval.com/oral-surgeon-websites-similar-content/. Even so they do make quality videos on wisdom teeth although of course fail to disclose many of the more serious complications that can occur and the fact that no evidence thus far supports or refutes removing healthy disease free impacted wisdom teeth. http://blog.teethremoval.com/wisdom-tooth-extraction-video/

On PBHS Inc.’s website, on their third molar education and marketing plan section they say, while of course talking to oral surgeons and dentists

“Think about this: One –and only one– extra set of wisdom teeth per week will net you approximately $50,000 more annually. If you do one extra set of wisdom teeth a week for 10 years, your net worth will have increased over $500,000 after taxes (assuming 8.5% interest)! Three or four additional third molar patients every week will significantly impact your net worth.”

Clearly oral surgeons and dentists have financial and monetary incentives to extraction wisdom teeth. Unfortunately when patients go to a medical health professionals they often forget this. It is important to keep this in mind when assessing your health decisions along with the evidence and knowledge available.

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Third Molar Multidisciplinary Press Conference

Posted on 18. Oct, 2010 by wisdom.

Just a quick update to remind you that the Multidisciplinary Conference on Third Molars (Wisdom Teeth) will be occurring today October 19, 2010, at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. at 11 A.M Eastern. To find out more details please refer to my previous blog post http://blog.teethremoval.com/multidisciplinary-conference-on-third-molars-wisdom-teeth/.

If you are unable to make the conference and would like to listen in online, a live audio stream will be provided. Simply visit http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=73177

This conference is being put on by American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) and Ira. D Cheifetz, the immediate past president of AAOMS, will be in attendance.

Update: I did get a chance to listen in on the conference which lasted just over an hour. The live stream also showed a PowerPoint presentation to accompany the speakers. The speakers who presented are seen in the above slide on the panel. If you are interested in learning more about this panel who consisted of Dr. Ira D. Cheifetz, Dr. Louis K. Rafetto, Dr. James Q. Swift, Dr. Raymond P. White, Jr., Dr. Stephen Offenbacher, and Dr. M. Anthony Pogrel you can visit http://www.aaoms.org/docs/media/third_molars/press_conference_biographies.pdf. Each member of the panel did have their own slides which they presented although I don’t think Dr. Ira D. Cheifetz explicitly had his own slides.

AAOMS has released some additional documents to accompany this Third Molar Multidisciplinary Conference which include a Press Release, an Executive Summary, and some Graphics. You can find these documents at http://www.aaoms.org/third_molar_news.php. I am not sure if any of the PowerPoint Presentations will be made available in case you are interested in viewing but I did capture the majority of them while watching the conference online. Hence I will summarize below.

Dr. Louis K. Rafetto discussed briefly in his presentation about how pathology precedes symptoms so decision making should be based on the likely development of pathology and not on the presence of symptoms.

Dr. James Q. Swift discussed how diseases such as periodontal (gum) disease around wisdom teeth is often without symptoms and thus not noticed. He further addressed how wisdom teeth are difficult to reach and often have cavities or are affected with gum disease.

Dr. Raymond P. White, Jr. discussed some of the problems that can occur if someone keeps wisdom teeth such as periodontal inflammatory disease and the associated pathology. He discussed how microorganisms evade neutrophils and become colonized leading to migration by monocytes and lymphocytes which leads to an increase in inflammatory mediators which can then lead to enzymes that destroy collagen and bone.

Dr. Stephen Offenbacher discussed the local and systemic implications of third molar retenion. A young pregnant female study was discussed which showed that the presence of wisdom teeth is associated with worse periodontal status, increases the risk of systemic exposure of oral bacteria, and is associated with systemic inflammation.

Discussion of the oral-systemic pathway was addressed:

Periodontal disease presents biofilm microbial and local inflammatory challenge.
Periodontal inflammation mediates pocketing and bone loss.
Oral bacteria invade into tissues to create inflammatory site of sepsis.
Cytokines, bacteria, and bacterial products disseminate into bloodstream. Systemic microbial and inflammatory challenge trigger hepatic acute phase response.
Liver releases APR proteins including fibrinogen, C-reactive protein and IL-6.
C-reactive protein and IL-6 promote atherogensis and oxidized LDL accumulation.
Increased atheroma increases plaque instability increasing risk for myocardial infarction and stroke.

Thus, this particular presentation by Dr. Offenbacher suggested that wisdom teeth represent a potential systemic source of infectious dissemination and systemic inflammation. Certain biochemical markers such as serum IL-6 and CRP have increased levels with third molar pocketing and that this can cause more severe chronic systemic diseases which include atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and poor glycemic control. Hence the argument is made that removing wisdom teeth decreases the risk of developing periodontal pocketing which thus can subsequently disease the risk of developing chronic systemic diseases.

Dr. M. Anthony Pogrel had one slide which he presented and discussed how around 10% of people with wisdom teeth removal have a complication that occurs and stated that most complications are quite mild and eventually lead to recovery. He discussed how complications that last a long time are rare and that the recovery from complications is slower and not as effective as one ages and gets older. Dr. Pogrel also addressed how most people who have their wisdom teeth out are back to school or work within a few days and that the incidence of complications occurring starts to increase after 25 years of age.

There was also a question and answer section at the end of where the presenters answered questions from both the live audience and also online questions from people listening in.

The above simply serves as a summary of what occurred at the Third Molar Multidisciplinary Conference but does not cover or articulate everything addressed.

Although I am not sure if this was really the intent, but it seemed that the message from the conference was that wisdom teeth should be actively managed and watched and even if someone has no symptoms a disease could still be present. This does not necessary mean all wisdom teeth need to be removed but oral surgeons are less likely to want to remove wisdom teeth for a patient who is in older age.

There is agreement that additional studies on wisdom teeth and analysis of data already available should be undertaken to better understand if asymptomatic wisdom teeth should or should not be routinely removed. There is consensus agreement that wisdom teeth causing problems should be removed. I make the argument in addition to other arguments highlighted on my website, that since it is not clear whether or not to extract symptom free wisdom teeth but it is clear that life altering complications can and do occur from their removal, that at this time the routine removal of asymptomatic wisdom teeth should be discontinued and stopped. In addition the conference did not go into many details on the complications that can occur after wisdom teeth removal and stated that around 10% of people have some complication. Furthermore, this conference was put on by oral surgeons who make a large portion of their living by removing wisdom teeth so it is of course skewed in regard to scientific fact.

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Multidisciplinary Conference on Third Molars (Wisdom Teeth)

Posted on 12. Sep, 2010 by wisdom.

I wanted to let everyone know that on October 19, 2010, at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. there will be a so called “Multidisciplinary Conference on Third Molars.”

This meeting will consist on an invitation-only audience. This event is being organized by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS). Those who will be in attendance include dental, medical, governmental, and third party organizations. I wonder if I will be receiving an invitation however I doubt it due to the nature of the meeting and its intent to promote the removal of healthy impacted wisdom teeth due to so called “accurate and true evidence based research.”

Since I now reside near the D.C area I may try to attend the conference to see what is being discussed and to make sure that accurate results are being presented and discussed.

The program of the conference includes the following (bullets below) as stated in Ira D. Cheifetz’s In My View Section on page 2 of the AAOMS Today Volume 8, Issue 5, September/October 2010 issue.

“Quantifies the issue of third molars in terms of the number of patients who have retained asymptomatic third molars, and the costs associated with managing those patients.”
“Considers the nature of third molars: are they different than other teeth; how predictable is their behavior over time; and is there pathology associated with asymptomatic third molars?”
“Discusses the risks accompanying the removal of asymptomatic third molars. Does timing, for example, affect the incidence and severity of complications, or the patient’s recovery?”
“Examines the long-term consequences of third molar removal.”

After the Multidisciplinary Conference on Third Molars a press conference will take place. The intent of the press conference is to provide media with a chance to write articles and perhaps discuss on a TV news segment the potential problems with leaving healthy impacted wisdom teeth in hence why they should be removed.

The intent of this Conference is clearly to urge parents and teenagers/young adults who are considering oral surgery to have those wisdom teeth removed that are impacted.

The reason for AAOMS having this Conference stems from the fact that in 2008 the American Public Health Association (APHA) released an article titled “Opposition to Prophylactic Removal of Third Molars.” This article is viewable for your convenience on my website http://www.teethremoval.com/Opposition_to_Prophylactic_Removal_of_Third_Molars_wisdom_teeth.html.

Dr. Thomas B. Dodson states in a June 2009 letter to the editor in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery http://www.joms.org/article/S0278-2391%2809%2900068-8/abstract that the American Public Health Association “cherry picked published fact and ignored the context and intent of many authors cited.” Hence AAOMS agrees with Dr. Dodson’s assessment and feels the policy statement by the APHA is flawed.

I feel my website does a good job presenting other information besides just the “Opposition to Prophylactic Removal of Third Molars” article and APHA policy statement. For example as clearly stated on http://www.teethremoval.com/ the British National Institute for Clinical Excellence states “The practice of prophylactic removal of pathology-free impacted third molars should be discontinued. . . . There is no reliable evidence to support a health benefit to patients from the prophylactic (preventative) removal of pathology free impacted teeth.” In addition, I clearly address the serious complication of a constant 24/7 headache I have had since 2 days after having all four of my healthy impacted wisdom teeth removed over 4 years ago. My website addresses other serious complications such as brain damage, stroke, and even death that has occurred in young adults upon having their wisdom teeth removed.

I also encourage you to review a letter I previously sent to AAOMS members back in January http://blog.teethremoval.com/american-association-of-oral-and-maxillofacial-surgeons-aaoms-contact-information-and-request/.In the letter I urge AAOMS to make proper recommendations regarding third molar removal in the United States based on evidence based medicine.

I have not seen AAOMS address the reasons for the British National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommendation and why AAOMS’s recommendation is completely opposite.

In addition, AAOMS is not providing any real evidence based research to suggest that removing healthy impacted wisdom teeth in your younger years is more beneficial than not removing them and keeping a watchful eye on them and then removing the wisdom tooth or teeth that are causing problems down the road. They lead you to believe that their Third Molar White Paper does a good job showing the evidence based research http://www.aaoms.org/docs/third_molar_white_paper.pdf but it is severely lacking in numerous areas and proper scientific studies and assessments.

The first aim and last aim of the Multidisciplinary Conference can really be summed up by the following. As a teenager / early 20′s year old person wouldn’t you rather have the younger years of your life healthy compared to the possibility that instead if you elect to have your wisdom teeth extracted you could suffer a complication perhaps a serious one and be left with that for the rest of your life. Where as instead, if you have suffer a complication later in your life when in fact your wisdom teeth are causing problems and need to be removed than you would have lived with that complication for a shorter duration of your life.

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American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) Contact Information and Request

Posted on 14. Jan, 2010 by wisdom.

I encourage you to submit emails, phone calls, and /or letters to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS).

Here is an convenient email list containing emails of the current AAOMS officers and trustees in which you can your message to

iradc@aol.com, drljmoore@aol.com, ajeeone@aol.com, eslade@comcast.net, rlynnwhite@austin.rr.com, brinaldi@aaoms.org, snelson@rmoms.com, lawrencebusino@gmail.com, lkrafetto@gmail.com, etgoms@comcast.net, wnelson@baycare.net, mapavelka@msn.com, windellh@gmail.com, ejohnson@aaoms.org

Here is the message I recently sent to them.

By promoting the idea of removing healthy impacted wisdom teeth the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are not living up to their mission statement, are being unethical, irresponsible, and contributing to the public health hazard that is facing many Americans.

Each year thousands of Americans are left with permanent disability as a result of elective oral surgery to remove their wisdom teeth. This practice is not justified by any scientific evidence and is a tragedy that is continuing in America.

The British National Institute for Clinical Excellence has recommended that:

Impacted wisdom teeth that are free from disease (healthy) should not be operated on. There are two reasons for this:

There is no reliable research to suggest that this practice benefits patients

Patients who do have healthy wisdom teeth removed are being exposed to the risks of surgery. These can include, nerve damage, damage to other teeth, infection, bleeding, and, rarely, death. Also, after surgery to remove wisdom teeth, patients may have swelling, pain and be unable to open their mouth fully.

Patients who have impacted wisdom teeth that are not causing problems should visit their dentist for their usual check-ups.

Only patients who have diseased wisdom teeth, or other problems with their mouth, should have their wisdom teeth removed. Your dentist or oral surgeon will be aware of the sort of disease or condition which would require you to have surgery. Examples include untreatable tooth decay, abscesses, cysts or tumours, disease of the tissues around the tooth or where the tooth is in the way of other surgery.

The American Public Health Association

1. Recommends that public education about the removal of third molars (wisdom teeth), like the removal of any teeth, should be based on evidence of diagnosed pathology or demonstrable need;

2. Opposes prophylactic removal of third molars, which subjects individuals and society to unnecessary costs, avoidable morbidity, and the risks of permanent injury;

3. Recommends that the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality and the National Institutes of Health, agencies of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and other independent researchers call for convening an expert panel that considers evidence-based research on the effectiveness and appropriateness of prophylactic removal of third molars and generates a consensus statement;

4. Recommends that oral health researchers and funding agencies include in their research agendas support for the application of evidence-based dental practice, to include issues such as the prophylactic extraction of third molars and how to most effectively translate evidence-based science into the practice of dentistry;

5. Urges all public health agencies and dental professional organizations to disseminate information explaining why prophylactic removal of third molars is not recommended, in keeping with their dedication to improving the health literacy of the public and its consequent ability to make informed health care decisions.

Each year thousands of Americans are left with permanent disability as a result of elective oral surgery to remove their wisdom teeth. This practice is not justified by any scientific evidence and is a tragedy that is continuing in America.

I encourage you to review http://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html to learn about the numerous complications patients experience with removing wisdom teeth. In addition I encourage you to read my story http://www.teethremoval.com/ and numerous stories shared by others http://www.teethremoval.com/yourstory.html

I am hopeful you will make the appropriate recommendations regarding third molar extraction in the United States using evidence based medicine and follow in the footsteps of those organizations already to have done so.

Below you will find the full information of the 2009-2010 officers of treasures of AAOMS including email, phone, and address. Use as you see appropriate.