Berkeley Parents Network: Wisdom Teeth

Berkeley Parents Network

Wisdom Teeth

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Advice about Health > Wisdom Teeth

Questions

17-year-old having all four out - any advice?
Should 19-year-old keep her wisdom teeth?

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17-year-old having all four out - any advice?

Dec 2008

My 17 year old is getting her wisdom teeth (all four) removed on a Friday soon. She still has braces on. Any advice to help her recovery go smoothly and make her comfortable (so she can hopefully get back to school ASAP)? Thanks! BPN Mom

Both of my kids have had their wisdom teeth out and had fairly quick recoveries. They were definitely ready to go back to school after a couple of days. Three healing things:

1) Mother love. Be there to bring ice cream, pudding, painkillers, ice packs, the remote, keep track of the antibiotics and painkillers, and fluff the pillows on the couch. Nothing heals like having someone at your beck and call.

2) Frozen peas. Buy several bags of frozen peas to use as ice packs. I was pretty good at swapping them out for the first few hours.

3) Arnica. I gave my kids the homeopathic remedy arnica. See http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA326567 for dosage ideas. I'm not a big believer in homeopathy but I think it worked despite my skepticism.

If your daughter has not experienced anesthesia before you should warn her about the feelings she might have afterwards (numbness, feeling out of it, etc.) (My daughter had only foggy memories of the trip home, didn't remember our conversation, etc.)

Best wishes to you both. Sally

My daughter just had all 4 teeth removed. I think I would allow as much time as you can. Although she had it done on a tuesday before Thanksgiving and went back to school on Monday, an infection started in her gum and she still had pain and couldn't eat food that required chewing.

Our dentist (Dr. Krey) told us to allow 6 days and boy, was he right. Even though she was alert, she was not in condition to focus on school and do homework for that full time.

Best of luck to you. Better now than later! anonymous

My son had all four of his wisdom teeth out when he was 17. I was expecting the worst because I had had mine out a few years earlier and was slow to recover. However, it was a breeze for my son. He spent the afternoon in bed and by the next day, he was ready to resume his regular activities. I think he began eating regular food within just a few days. Both of us went to Bloom & Berger on Dana St. in Berkeley. They are great and really know their stuff. The one bit of advice I have is keep track of the vicodin - it's a very popular commodity in high school circles. G

I had my wisdom teeth out many years ago when I was the same age as your daughter. My grandmother did this for me: slept next to me and set the alarm so that I took Vicodin every six hours for one and a half days. She also put ice packs on my face every two hours and held them there for 20 minutes each time. After 24 hours she made me jello and I drank it when it was still warm liquid. I did this for 1/2 day, then went to warm pudding. The warmth helped.

By the end of the second day I was okay with Tylonol. No pain, no swelling, no hunger and I was fine after that.

I will say, I did not have braces, so maybe my grandmother's method will not work as successfully for you, but for me it worked. Thank Heaven for my Gram

Should 19-year-old keep her wisdom teeth?

Jan 2003

Are there advantages to keeping your wisdom teeth if possible? For example, putting in a bridge if needed down the road. My little sister is considering removal at age 19, the oral surgeon says they're impacted, but I'm not sure what the consequences could be down the line if she leaves them in. Kristine

Are your sister's impacted wisdom teeth bothering her? I too have my upper wisdom teeth impacted so that they have never ''come in.'' However, they have never bothered me. At the time this was discovered when I was 24 thank heavens I had an honest, sensible dentist (Dr. Pralle) who told me that if they never bothered me I should just keep them in place. I later heard that having wisdom teeth pulled can cause long term shifting of the teeth so that one is more likely to start losing them in middle/old age. So I'd say unless there is a specific problem (pain, absesses), just keep those teeth in place. Dianna

FWIW, I kept my wisdom teeth and it is something of a mixed blessing. There was room for them but my mouth is now so full of teeth, going so far back in my mouth, that the wisdom teeth are more susceptible to decay (because there is so little space between teeth and the jaw joint, and food tends to collect in there.) I had a cavity filled in one of them recently and it was NOT a fun experience. If your sister's teeth are impacted, she may not really have choice but to have them out. If she keeps them, it's not necessarily unadulterated joy. Wendy

For what it's worth, I was told that one of my wisdom teeth was impacted and I should have it surgically removed. That was about 20 years ago.I'm almost 50 and it's still sitting up there minding it's own business. I've heard horror stories about wisdom teeth, so it's hard to know what decision to make, but my feelings are ''If it ain't broke, don't fix it''. I have another wisdom tooth that grew down and took the place of a molar that had to be pulled, years ago. Good luck on your decision. anon

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