Wisdom teeth surgery?

I POST THIS MESSAGE BECAUSE I FEEL IT IS WRONG TO USE A DRUG

THAT CAUSES PEOPLE TO NOT REMEMBER WHAT WAS DONE TO THEM!!

If it was me I would not let them use the drug

Versed ( Midazolam ) for the procedure.

In fact, many people who use Versed for " IV Sedation,Conscious Sedation" during a procedure are awake for the entire procedure but remember nothing, often believing they were "out" the whole time.

Versed (Midazolam) is an amnestic. It is also commonly used for minor procedures like setting broken bones,colonoscopies,endoscopies, dental procedures like extractions,conscious sedation,twilight sleep, so that patients won't remember pain and discomfort.HOWEVER THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THOSE SENSATIONS WILL NOT BE EXPERIENCED!!!!Forgetting does not mean it did not happen!!

Here is a note from a Dentist Who uses Versed

I've used Versed 1000+ times during oral surgery procedures and I've never had a complaint. It's a miracle drug because it is safe and it causes you to not remember an unpleasant experience. My answer to him is isn't it better to have not experienced the pain than to have forgot it. No wonder you have had no complaints they have no memory of the procedure..... Arnie

Why I feel this way about Versed

My wife had her broken bone(Femur)set in the emergency room just before surgery to repair it. They gave her versed and I waited outside of the room and could hear her screaming in pain,they did not appear to be concerned as they told me she would not remember anything and she did not. BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT DID NOT HAPPEN AND THAT SHE DID NOT SUFFER

Here is a note from someone that did use versed for a dental procedure

I know I was sedated, I don't remember anything.. but I know I was screaming, everyone could hear me.. My thing is how was I screaming if I'm knocked out.

I have known people who did remember a bad experience during a colonoscopy. They remember pain and yelling at the Dr. during the exam. When a doctor tells patient's they should have a colonoscopy they are told you won't remember anything and not you will not feel anything.

My sister in law had her baby years ago and we saw her after the delivery she complained about

how bad the pain was and had to be restrained.She had twilight sedation and a few hours later

she had no memory of any of this and thinks she slept thru the whole thing.

My father had surgery a few years ago and remembered fighting with the anesthesiologist as he was pushing a tube down his throat,after the operation the Dr. said he should not have remembered that.

Amnesia does no take place for all patients.

They don't have room for them doesn't mean that they'll interfere with other teeth, what it means is that you probably have a petite mouth and when they grow in fully they'll be really close to the edge of your jaw meaning it'll be more difficult to brush all the way back there. If you use smaller tooth brushes this won't be as much of a problem, however the issue becomes if you ever have problems with those teeth (such as cavities) it is nearly impossible to fix because the dentist can't get back there giving the only option of removing your teeth then (which is significantly more difficult because by that time the roots of your wisdom teeth would've grown into the bone already).

My advice would be to get a second opinion from another dentist, if they say to get them out then just do it. I'm guessing that at your age you will have very little difficulty in the removal or recovery.

I got mine removed a couple of months ago (same reason as you) and it took a total of 20 minutes to get all 4 out (including 10 minutes for the freezing to set in). I had no swelling and very minimal pain, I took pain killers for the first day as a preventative measure. I was eating solid food on the third day but I feel like I could have eaten the second day. Really I found it to not be bad at all.

After getting this done I spoke to my friend that is a dentist who told me that most people have bad side effects (swelling, pain etc.) if their teeth had developed too much (roots or teeth still in the bone) or if the dentist they went to was just a general practitioner dentist instead of an oral surgeon - who has experience doing these extractions.

Good Luck and sorry for the really long answer!

Hi,

You certainly seem to have several answers to choice from. So here is my penny's worth, I am an orthodontist and used to be an oral surgeon (the guy that takes the teeth out).

There is no reason to have your wisdom teeth removed.

1) you may or may not develop more space in this area but it is impossible to tell now.

2) we had no problems needing wisdom teeth removed for 200,000 years so what is going on anyway and why do non of the other 5,400 species of mammals NEVER have additional teeth that need removing?????

3) There is no evidence to suggest that impacted wisdom teeth lead to crowding later in life (these two events are most likely to be coincidental), and there is little or no evidence to suggest that they will cause other problems.

Dentist make a good deal of money from extracting wisdom teeth, so check that this is for a health reason not a financial one, or a paranoia that this may make the teeth crooked again (which happens anyway).

A very good place to look is the NICE web site. In the UK the government pays for over 50% of the dental treatment, and obviously wants to make sure that it's money is well spent, so it has a committee (NICE) that reviews the real facts and makes recommendations based on the facts, not on financial reasons or peoples opinions. Which clearly states that "Impacted wisdom teeth that are free from disease (healthy) should not be operated on", so unless you are having disease- or problems at least, DON'T have them extracted.

In the UK if you are over 14 and can understand the issues and explain them then there is nothing that anyone can do without your consent.

Best wishes and check out this web site

Mike

You do have the right to refuse medical care at your age. Nobody can force it on you, legally, unless you need to be involuntarily committed for insanity or mental incapacity to a psych ward or home for the mentally ill. At that point, guardians/wards of the state have been appointed to make medical decisions on your behalf. However, in the end, while your wisdom teeth may not cause pain now, wisdom teeth don't fully emerge until you're about 18 -- and yes, listening to the orthodontist IS best. He wouldn't be recommending the surgery unless it were necessary. They'll put you under and you won't be aware, at all, of what's going on. Now, if you opted out of the surgery, and if your wisdom teeth were to grow in more crooked AND cause you pain, there's a chance of infection, e.g.: you might get gum disease, abscesses, and the operation to remove your wisdom teeth from your jawline would far more protracted, complicated, and difficult as the infection (s) and gum disease(s) would need to be treated as well. Think of that before deciding. You'd be running a totally unnecessary risk of needing a far more undesirable surgical operation on your mouth the one you're currently being recommended. It's a choice, but where the pros outweigh the cons.

Perhaps you could talk to your parents about getting a second opinion, or at least full mouth x-rays, before agreeing to the surgery?

There are a lot of reasons to have wisdom teeth pulled. If your orthodontist says you don't have enough room for them, then he's likely correct even if he just glanced at your mouth. After all, unless this is a new orthodontist that you haven't seen before he's spent hours looking into your mouth in the past. As for "the pay off," your orthodontist probably doesn't stand to profit any from you getting your wisdom teeth pulled as he is probably not the doctor who will do that. Wisdom tooth removal is mostly done by an oral maxillofacial surgeon, rather than by a regular dentist or an orthodontist. The referring dentist or orthodontist does not see any of the money from the wisdom tooth removal.

It's not impossible, but unlikely that you only have 3 wisdom teeth. That fourth tooth has to be somewhere, and there's a chance that tooth may be impacted and unable to come in normally. Only an x-ray will be able to tell that for sure. As it is, it's odd that you would have any wisdom teeth coming in at 15 years old as they usually do not start to come in until at least 17 years of age. At any rate, if there is not enough room in your mouth for your wisdom teeth they will cause damage to your other teeth. If you do have a fourth tooth and that tooth is impacted, it can cause a cyst or abscess to form which could cause damage to your jawbone (which may make your jaw more likely to break). It would be MUCH easier to have them removed sooner rather than waiting as the longer you wait the more developed the roots will become and the more difficult (and painful) it will be to remove them later. Also, it will be cheaper for you to get them out now while you are still fully covered on your parents' insurance rather than waiting until you are old enough that you need to get your own. I had my wisdom teeth removed after I had been removed from my parents' insurance and my insurance did not cover nearly as much as the financial counselor at the hospital told me it would. It took several years for me to pay off the surgery.

Can you get a second opinion? If they DO cause problems down the line, they could really mess up the progress you've made with the retainer. And they can REALLY hurt when they start to grow out of the gums (I could only eat liquids so I decided to have them pulled). I got them all pulled at once. The surgery doesn't hurt (aside from the quick pokes with the needle, but the muscle pain from the Dr using your jaw as leverage will make you sore for a few days. But I didn't even need more than one of the pain pills. Good luck making your decision!

I am 26- and mine are coming in right now and they are telling me the same thing. "Because I have no room" Yet I feel like I have no problems and mine feel fine. I am choosing not to get them taken out. I do not think they know whats best...3 of my friends never had theirs out either even when told to get them out. I think its a huge pay off for the dentist that's why they push it so much. They make a lot of money when they pull wisdom teeth.

You can refuse surgery. (My ortho wanted me to get jaw reconstruction surgery to get braces. The surgeon who saw my teeth for my wisdom teeth removal gave the most WTF face known to man when my mom & I told him.)

If your wisdoms are doing nothing to your mouth painfully, you're fine. Some people just don't need them removed. My oldest sister & I needed ours removed, but the middle sister just had them grow in and never got them removed. Her teeth are fine.

edit: I would definitely ask your parents to get you a second opinion. Like in my earlier example, I could have done a completely unnecessary surgery because one orthodontist thought I needed my jaw broken...which is pretty damned dangerous.

Your dentist/orthodontist can tell by how much room your mouth has plus the extra space needed when they are in the rest of the way. It's your parent's money so why balk at something that will probably be beneficial?

if they aren't causing you pain or taking up space, you shouldn't have to have them removed. i see no reason why they'd have to be taken out so talk to your parents again and try to explain that. if they're your parents and your underaged, they legally can force you to have the surgery. so try to change their minds. the dentists try to push it because its more money to them. insurance should cover it if u do have to have the surgery though. good luck!