Opinions Differ on Wisdom Teeth
December 2, 2009

By Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - American orthodontists are twice as likely as Swedish ones to recommend removal of lower wisdom teeth, a study concludes.

Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last teeth in the back of the mouth. They start coming in during the teen years. A wisdom tooth can cause pain as it erupts into the mouth. In some people, the wisdom teeth never erupt. They remain below the gum or in the bone of the jaw.

A survey asked 230 Swedish dentists about their views and advice on wisdom teeth. The results were compared with a similar U.S. survey.

More than half of the Swedish and American orthodontists believed that wisdom teeth in the lower jaw were more likely than upper ones to push the teeth in front of them forward. But most of them did not believe that the wisdom teeth caused crowding in the other teeth.

About 18% of Swedish orthodontists said they recommended removing lower wisdom teeth in people with no symptoms. Among American orthodontists, 36% gave this advice. About 57% of American oral surgeons recommend removing these teeth, even when there are no symptoms.

Dentists have agreed for decades that wisdom teeth causing pain or other symptoms should be removed. They also agree that wisdom teeth that come in straight — and don't crowd other teeth — should be left alone. There is still no consensus on removing wisdom teeth that aren't causing problems now, but might in the future.

Whether to undergo the surgery depends on many factors. They are different for each person. There are risks to the surgery, and benefits to having the teeth removed.

The study appears in the November issue of the journal The Angle Orthodontist.