Dental Question - Wisdom Tooth in 45 Year Old

Hi! I wonder if that's the same thing as reabsorption. My husband had that happen to one of his permanent molars and had to have it pulled. The dentist pulled it because once a tooth starts to reabsorb, it because a hotbed for housing infection. Now hubby has a hole in his mouth that we're trying to decide if it's worth spending $2000+ to fill or if he should just leave it alone. Of course, dentists and dental specialists all state you "should" get a crown or bridge put in. Sometimes I think it's just about the money, but there is a legitimate issue with shifting teeth, both on the top and bottom. However, he's already 42 years old. I know that the older you get, the harder it is to get the teeth to move (look at people who get braces when they're adults; it takes them years to get them back off again. Or all the people who lose teeth/have them pulled who have no insurance to have any reconstructive work done, like crowns or bridges. Sometimes, they live for years with holes in their mouths with never any problems).

We're still trying to decide on what to do about his tooth.

According to Mayo Clinic:
"Wisdom teeth removal may be necessary — according to the American Dental Association — if:
* Wisdom teeth partially emerge through the gums. This increases the chance of a bacterial infection called pericoronitis.
* Unerupted wisdom teeth are expected to grow crooked and damage other teeth.
* A fluid-filled sac (cyst) develops around an unerupted wisdom tooth, which can damage surrounding tissue or bone.

The decision to remove wisdom teeth isn't always clear. Talk to your dentist or an oral surgeon about the position and health of your wisdom teeth and what's best for your situation."

On Amazon, The book Oral Roentgenology; a Roentgen Study of the Anatomy and Pathology of the ... by Kurt Hermann Thoma (1917; old, but very practical info) on pp 52-53 talks about impacted and unerupted wisdom teeth and what can happen if left inside the mouth.

I was able to read these two pages on the Amazon Web site. The 2 most common reasons cited for taking out wisdom teeth that are unerupted is that they will 1) continue to move over time, trying to come down into the mouth/where they should be, therefore causing intermittent pain, and 2) they can cause internal infection in the soft tissues, or grow crooked and impact the roots of other teeth, causing pain and infection.

The problem with internal infection is that you don't know that you have an infection. You could have a low-grade inflammatory response in your body that can/will produce a myriad of other inflammatory issues and never suspect or correlate your sudden health concerns with the fact that your wisdom teeth could be infected and that infection is what is making you sick.

That--chronic, unexplained systemic inflammation--is what I would consider to be the main reason for why the unerupted wisdom teeth should be removed. People would be amazed at how many of their medical symptoms are because of issues in their mouths--issues that can't be seen because they are silent/hiding inside (like inside soft tissue or around the tooth root or inside the tooth itself (like when root canals or bridges are done; lots of bacteria can be left behind), where they can't be seen.

This is one of those situations where you go and visit an oral surgeon and get his opinion and then carefully weigh your options.

Wouldn't hurt to have a consult with the oral surgeon to see what he says. He can tell you exactly why this is necessary, if at all. I think the idea to x-ray it in 6 months sounds valid. Run that by him.

I wouldn't worry too much about the "risks" if you end up needing to have it removed, it's a common enough procedure. But if you can avoid it, that's an expense and a hassle that you won't have to go through.

My experience with drs., dentists, etc. is that everyone tells you something different.

Only disappear as in decay, but that is painful.

BUT, Make sure to visit the dentist more regularly for teeth cleaning. Your partner will be happy...

Did the dentist compare the current xray to a previous xray? If not, how do they know if there has been a change with the tooth? Maybe the tooth hasn't changed and has always been this way. If you haven't already, see if you can get a copy of an old xray for comparison.

Did the dentist tell you what it actually meant health-wise if it is dissolving? Anything dire associated w/ that? I ask because my husband's dentist has been hounding him for two decades to have his wisdom teeth (below the gum) removed. They don't bother him whatsoever so he's just flat-out refused. I read somewhere that removing wisdom teeth, in most cases, is really just a racket. Of course there are the people who do *need* them to be removed for sound reasons, but the majority of those who actually have them removed would be fine not doing so. Something to think about.

I've not dealt with a disappearing tooth. I had my wisdom teeth out around age 18 and my 18 yr old daughter just got hers out on Monday.

We both have a very small mouth but a good oral surgeon can get this done. She went into the room at 8am and we were home at 10. That was with me sitting with her in recovery for at least a half hour and she had been in recovery for a while before they called me back. Today is the first day she has not been consistant with pain meds. She is in antibiotic and a steroid. She never was very swollen... however she is still having an issue with opening her mouth wide because it hurts of course. They sent her home with a head wrap that hold ice to her cheeks.

A lot of people have this surgery and are up and going within a couple days, others have a little more discomfort and take longer to rest. My brother ate a cheeseburger the day after his surgery. I wasn't so lucky.. I ended up with dry sockets which were very painful. I think one reason she is so groggy is because of the meds she is on and I know it took a good 24 hrs if not more to get the anesthesia out of her system.

They do explain all kinds of risks because they have to cover themselves but this is a very routine surgery. Of course anytime you are put under there are risks, you just have to have a great Dr.

If you were still in Richardson, I could point you in the direction of a top notch oral surgeon in Plano who is fantastic!

Best wishes to you.

In our cases, the surgery was needed. There was no room in our mouth for them to come in and if they did, it would have done more damage to our teeth and jaw. It is a personal preference and before you do it, of course get a second opinion. I do believe some dentists are all about the $$$$ and then there are some who are completely ethical about their practices.