Is wisdom teeth removal a scam?

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Vlinny-kun

Vlinny-kun

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I had a dentist visit today and he was really gunning on me getting them removed despite them not bothering me. He argued that they were pressing up against my other teeth and would cause issues with my back teeth, but I kinda don't really buy that and I know that shit is pricy as fuck. I let him do the referral and I have 2 months to decide if I want to go through with it or not and back out.
 
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SandyCat said:
They don't usually do general anesthesia for wisdom teeth removal to my knowledge, its usually conscious sedation. You'll be partially awake and still conscious but won't remember shit. They of course still numb your mouth up, if they didn't the patient under that light level of sedation would be making it extremely clear they're in agony.
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Agent Abe Caprine said:
They use general anesthesia for very anxious people. You really don't want someone to have a panic attack during a surgery.
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General anesthesia is usually done in an operating room under the supervision of an actual anaesthesiologist doctor.

A big difference between general anesthesia and conscious sedation is whether the patient keeps breathing on their own.

If you actually have to put them completely under, it usually requires a professional who isn't the dental surgeon to manage the patient's breathing by intubating their airway or at the very least putting in an airway device into their oral cavity. Then to monitor their vital signs to make sure they don't die.

Intubating patients is a really hardcore skill that your average dentist or dental surgeon really isn't qualified to do AFAIK. It's also pretty easy to fuck up the patient's teeth while trying to get the breathing tube through their vocal cords if you suck at it.

I had mine out in my college years. I don't recall any of the procedure whatsoever, but had it done in a dental office, so it must have been conscious sedation.

I went out drinking that same night at the poolhall, so it couldn't have been that bad.

I recall liking the codeine they gave me a little too much though.
 
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I've decided to go through with it and spend some time signing the new patient forms last night. I guess it wasn't that bad that this was suggested to me, but the way he tried to explain why I needed it done was really weird. He got really close to me and said, "now let me explain this to you in a way that I would explain it to my own sister, like your my sister". I've only met the guy 5 minutes before that and it really creeped me out.
 
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Vlinny-kun said:
I've decided to go through with it and spend some time signing the new patient forms last night. I guess it wasn't that bad that this was suggested to me, but the way he tried to explain why I needed it done was really weird. He got really close to me and said, "now let me explain this to you in a way that I would explain it to my own sister, like your my sister". I've only met the guy 5 minutes before that and it really creeped me out.
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Yeeeeahhh that is really creepy
 
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I know OP already decided to go through, but I'd line to give my thoughts anyway:

I got mine early 20s, after a few years of dental visits where they said 'well it's fine now but it may cause issues later', until one year they very strongly recommended it, and I can't remember the specifics, but it was enough to convince me.

To note, I never noticed their existence, and I don't miss them now (I had 3 removed, I guess one was stolen from me as a fetus or some shit)

If you're unsure, a second opinion is a good choice, it may give you peace of mind. Did your dentist show you xrays and explain why they thought you need them out? If not, ask.

As for the actual procedure, I stressed myself out a lot by looking up horror stories and all that, but it turned out totally fine. I *think* I was asked not to eat or drink for a while before.

I arrived, the assistant asked me if I wanted any music playing and I immediately put on my cringe anime music youtube playlist, and I passed out listening to that.

I dunno what kind of drugs they gave me, I breathed it in, and passing out may not have been the goal, but I only woke up as it was over.

Another tidbit: I was prescribed antibiotics, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen, irrc, and originally it was gonna be pills but I asked and liquid versions were available.

For the recovery, it was a lot of mashed potatoes, blended stews, etc. I tried really hard to avoid 'dry socket' and overall it was without incident.

Went into a bit of autistic detail to maybe give an idea of the process, and because I'm... (insert my username here)

Hope yours goes well.
 
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I still have one wisdom tooth. It doesn't bother me, so why would I remove it? The other three shattered in some way in my twenties and thirties due to decay. It is harder to floss them, and they may cause a bit of wonky smile, but why take out what isn't a problem? I say no. Keep 'em.
 
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You Triggered My Autism said:
If you're unsure, a second opinion is a good choice, it may give you peace of mind. Did your dentist show you xrays and explain why they thought you need them out? If not, ask.
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He actually did and it looked like they were right up against the molars next to it, but they weren't leaning like what I saw with other cases were people reported having issues with their wisdom teeth. He was kinda going fast with his explanation and blamed pretty much every issue I was currently experiencing on them, which was a lot to take in at the time as I wasn't expecting and explicitly stated that I wanted to hold off on, so I didn't really trust his word at the time.

I had an issue previously with a tooth that was compacted giving me excruciating pain and the dentist I saw at that time tried to push me to get them pulled too because they were coming in sideways. I have always been skeptical of unnecessary procedures and didn't fully understand why everyone needed to have them removed as it seems like such a modern-only thing to do, so I decided against it. Since then, all but one of them have came up to the surface and are for the most part upright.

I am starting to believe that they may be messing with the alignment of my bottom teeth and the reason why it may be hard to floss back there (I had a pick stuck in between my bottom molars once), but I know its expensive and I just didn't want to let myself be manipulated by a sociopathic salesman in a lab coat. Along with that, the main reason why I want to go ahead and do it is because I have a good amount of savings to do so, while in the near future this may change. I'm in a good place to be biting bullets so I am taking care of as much shit that I need done (like fixing my shitty teeth) before I take on more long-term expenses.
 
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Vlinny-kun said:
I've decided to go through with it and spend some time signing the new patient forms last night. I guess it wasn't that bad that this was suggested to me, but the way he tried to explain why I needed it done was really weird. He got really close to me and said, "now let me explain this to you in a way that I would explain it to my own sister, like your my sister". I've only met the guy 5 minutes before that and it really creeped me out.
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Most surgeons aren't very good at explaining the why or the how or the pros/cons of surgery.

I have the utmost respect for their technical skill because I've seen them up close.

But surgeons also have a personality type that's more amenable to handling people out cold in the OR than awake in the office or ward.
 
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