Wisdom Teeth Removal - is it necessary?

[pstee22]

Hi All,

My surgeon is telling me that I need to have my bottom-right wisdom tooth removed prior to BSSO (and Lefort 1) to correct asymmetry and my open/under-bite.

My questions:

1) Is wisdom teeth extraction always necessary? Do the majority or people have them removed prior to surgery?

2) I have read a lot about the negative affects tooth extraction has on the look of the face. Does this include wisdom teeth or only the other molars?

Thanks in advance!

[sirwired]

Well, most people with braces (and especially those getting surgery) have crowding, so if wisdom teeth haven't been removed, it is often necessary to do so.

Removal of the wisdom teeth generally does not negatively effect facial structure. (And significant negative effects from other extractions done for orthodontic reasons aren't nearly as common as scary websites would have you think! Most orthodontic extractions turn out just fine!)

[pstee22]

Thanks for the reply sirwed!

My surgeon said it's due to having to set my lower jaw back slightly which will then cause crowding if not removed. Does that make sense?

[snapdresser]

Yeah, that makes sense. I'd go for it.

[mkstorm0710]

I was also told by both my ortho and oral/maxillofacial surgeon that my wisdom teeth needed to come out at least 6 months before I could get the double jaw surgery done, so this is a common direction.

[missesfood]

Impacted wisdom teeth are completely in the way of where the surgeon needs to get to for surgery, and although they can be removed during the surgery, they increase the risk of infections greatly when removed at the same time. It's safer to remove them before, but you'll need to wait 6+ months for the bone to heal completely before you can have jaw surgery.

Pretty sure that impacted wisdom teeth are almost always removed. They will usually just cause problems for you if left in and, if you leave them in too long, they will most likely grow around the nerve in the lower jaw, making them exponentially harder if not impossible to remove without causing nerve damage. Remember that almost every adult you meet had wisdom teeth removed and their faces don't suffer for it. Not to mention the teeth spend most of their time impacted under the gum line, meaning they're not having much of an effect on your face anyway. I think there's been a paradigm shift toward not removing wisdom teeth ALL the time now, but it's rarer than not to have enough room for them to grow in properly without causing problems.

[RachF]

I had my wisdom teeth removed (I only actually had 3 for some reason) 3 months before I even had my brace fitted. I will hopefully be getting double jaw surgery in about 18 months time.

I Haven't noticed any difference in my face at all.

[emofaith]

Mine was all impacted. I just removed all my wisdom teeth at one go.