I wanted to write briefly about the California Dental Association and applaud them for their current stance on wisdom teeth and their removal.
It is available to the public at http://www.cda.org/popup/Wisdom_Teeth
Here is an excerpt from the site.
“In addition to problematic impacted wisdom teeth, partially erupted wisdom teeth (poking through the gums a little bit) should also be removed. Bits of food and bacteria get trapped in the pockets between the partially erupted tooth and gum, and cause infections and gum disease, not to mention pain. But according to Dr. Robert Boyd, Orthodontist, Periodontist, and Chairman of the Orthodontics Department at University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, the trend today is to leave healthy, stable, wisdom teeth alone, monitoring them over the years to make sure they stay healthy and stable. Dr. Alex McDonald, Oral Surgeon and Director of the Implant Clinic at UOP agrees, pointing out that the risks involved when using anesthesia and the risk of nerve damage to the lower jaw when removing the lower wisdom teeth should be considered when recommending removal of impacted wisdom teeth.”
From looking around the internet this is the only current dental association in the United States that recommends watchful monitoring of healthy impacted wisdom teeth. The American Dental Association (ADA) offers no such information on their website. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) is using outdated information on their website and states that 85% of all wisdom teeth will need to be removed.
I applaud the California Dental Association for providing the public with up to date information and to keep them informed. I only hope that the ADA and AAOMS can soon follow.