Wisdom teeth in or out?

[Bad Mad]

Hi Folks.

Feel a bit guilty, as I haven't been posting in ages.
But I will try harder

Nearly a year post-op with AVR (mechanical). Had a little irritation around my wisdom teeth on my left side (right side were taking out after jaw break), last week. So I organised an appointment to see my dentist.

He said there were signs of a mild inflamation, which he referred to as a Low Level Infection. He asked me to consult with my cardio to advise whether I should get them out or not. My dentist seemed to think that if there was potential for them to flare up again then "the prevention better than cure route" might be the most advisable one.

I rang my cardio and he said it's a decision for the dental people but that if there was no bother with it now he wouldn't rush into getting them out.


As it stands they aren't giving me any trouble. Any advice or experiences would be most welcome

Kevin

 

[Bina]

I don't know if the current thinking is different, but I had all 4 of mine taken out 22 years ago when
one was causing problems. At the time I had MVP.

 

[Cooker]

I had mine out years ago .... I would say if they are not bothering you that waiting may be the thing to do .... They may clear up and never bother you again ... my wife still has all four of hers, THAT'S why she is so much smarter than I am

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I never had any. God knew that I was already a genius and didn't want others to be any more jealous of my already significant wisdom!

However, I did have another molar removed recently because of an abscess. The only thing with leaving them in is that even a minor infection can attack your valve pretty quickly. If you get future swelling, soreness, or any other indication, you need to be on antibiotics immediately.

 

[MarkU]

I'm 55 and still have all four of mine. My dentist says he sees it as about a 50/50 deal whether they will give me problems at this point. The biggest concern would be getting an infected abcess around my lowers.

I have tried to be very careful about my dental health since my AVR. I get my teeth cleaned every three months and always pre-medicate with anti-biotics, Clindamycin in my case. My teeth are in good shape, but there is a history of peridontial disease in my family, so I try to stay on top of things.

I'm scheduled to see a dental surgeon before the end of the year for a consult. I'm thinking that I may go ahead and have the lowers out. (The uppers are so high that it would take a major effort to get them out.)

Mark

 

[Bridgette]

I had the two upper wisdom teeth taken out years and years ago, long before I even really knew of my heart issues. Since then, have had no problems with the lowers - the dentist said that once the uppers were out they would stop pressuring the lowers and he was right.

I remember him sweating and bracing himself as he yanked on the pliers trying to get the teeth out - thank heavens for anaesthetic, lol

Bridgette

 

[skeptic49]

I have all four of mine still. One dentist suggersted that once one is out then the others, especially the one opposite the missing one, will fall out, but other dentists don't agree.

Bridgette...Pliers?

Jim

 

[Bad Mad]

Thanks for the all the feed back folks Interesting to hear the contrasting stories of so many wise men/women

It's just a judgment call I suppose. Mines are the lowers and any irritation is extremely mild, but How would you know if it was bordering on infection that could effect the valve? Would around the gum area be significantly sore and swollen etc?

How would one know if an infection was attacking their valve?

 

[Jkm7]

I would not take the chance.
I still have all four wisdom teeth and if I had the slightest hint of infection, I would discuss with dentist about having it removed. Why risk it?

 

[Herb M]

My dentist wanted me to have the wisdom teeth removed, even though they were not bothering me. That was 20 years ago. I finally had one removed this year that was causing a problem. The extracting dentist would not do the extraction unless my INR was less than 2.0.

Keep your teeth as long as possible.