how many of you still have your wisdom teeth?

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
21,663
4,710
136
Had mine removed when I was 19. In the Navy ( Submarines ) they removed every bodies wisdom teeth. You don't want to have them get infected at sea and have to suffer with no dentist or doctors on board for weeks or months.
 

chin311

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2003
4,306
3
81
I had both on one side removed about 6-7 years ago. One had a cavity and one was slightly under the gum a little so out they came. Wish I would have done both sides now though. The other side is completely in, just crammed way back there so hard to keep em' clean as the others.
 
Nov 8, 2012
20,828
4,777
146
Still have all mine. Never needed braces.

Some people are crooked in life and need to get some braces to get them back in line ;)
 

IGemini

Platinum Member
Nov 5, 2010
2,472
2
81
Still have mine, though they haven't erupted. Should have room when/if they finally do.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
Had braces in high school, was warned it might be necessary to remove wisdom teeth later.

Couple years ago had one or two start emerging but remained only partially erupted.

Removed all four just to get it over with. None of them were due to emerge in proper orientation IIRC if they eventually were to decide to join the party, so it just seemed prudent to get them all out.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
38,505
8,776
136
One day my dentist said to me, "let me know when you want your wisdom teeth taken out." It had never crossed my mind. He explained why it was a good idea to do this eventually. Mine had come in fine, were no problem, but he explained that later in life they are apt to be a problem, they are hard to clean, if you just extract them before they become a problem it's better all in all. He sent me to a dental surgeon in the same building, I had them out two at a time. It wasn't a problem, I don't think I even took the Tylenol they gave me.
 

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
19
81
I've still got mine, though I had four premolars removed before getting braces. All the gaps have long since been filled in, and my teeth are still crowded. I guess my jawline was fabricated for a head 20% larger.

I'd like to get them taken out though, because all they're good for now is getting cavities, followed by appointments to replace popped-out fillings. It's damn near impossible to fit a brush all the way the hell back there.
 

NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
106
Upper left side never came in, just an empty spot there. Lower right side eventually had a huge cavity because it was hard to clean and had to be removed. There was the possibility to save it, but with no corresponding upper wisdom tooth, it didnt assist in chewing anyway so no point in spending tons of money to save it. I have the two on my right side of mouth still there and dont plan on removing them.
 

gururu2

Senior member
Oct 14, 2007
686
1
81
Navy didn't ask if I wanted them, they just pulled them out stating that they inevitably lead to unacceptable risk.
 

ImpulsE69

Lifer
Jan 8, 2010
14,946
1,077
126
I have all of mine. Probably 15 years or so ago they exposed themselves and I had some pain and swelling, but since then they don't bother me. Dentist always comments on them, but since they never bother me they say don't worry about it.
 
Jun 18, 2000
11,157
735
126
Still have 3 of the 4. Kept getting food stuck between one of them causing swelling and pain in the gums. Had a tough time flossing back there so I had it pulled. No issues with the other 3 yet, though I see a possible cavity growing in one of the others so we'll see. I'm in my 30's.
 

notposting

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2005
3,491
30
91
Mine are gone. My teeth have been extremely strong over the years. However, as the wisdom teeth came in, they were toast from the get-go, crumbly, cavity-ridden messes. With deep roots.

First pair I had removed the dentist was on top of the chair yanking back and forth (I should have paid more attention to see if he ended up with some regular pliers by the end). He mentioned something about the roots being built like a Mack truck. :awe:

Moved before doing the rest, had to have oral surgeon do them all. Our kids are wildly different – #1 (5 yr old) has great teeth with no problems. #2 (2 yr old) has a few fillings and one tooth out already, and going in for more next month. o_O
 

norseamd

Lifer
Dec 13, 2013
13,990
180
106
Never had wisdom teeth.

This is apparently a real thing actually. Seems like indigenous Mexicans never get wisdom teeth, while Tasmanian Aborigines always get their wisdom teeth. One of those populations is certainly known to have an ancestral bottleneck, which would explain it. Although basically every human has had ancestral bottlenecks of some time in the last few million years or so. That might explain why so few genetic changes can have such a profound impact on physical biology, intelligence, and behavior.
 

Zodiark1593

Platinum Member
Oct 21, 2012
2,230
4
81
My wisdom teeth are probably the straightest teeth in the mouth at the moment, though they're the least of my concern compared to my broken molar on the right side. Also missing a molar on the left side due to it having broken similarly when I was 11.
 

PenguinPower

Platinum Member
Apr 15, 2002
2,538
15
81
This is apparently a real thing actually. Seems like indigenous Mexicans never get wisdom teeth, while Tasmanian Aborigines always get their wisdom teeth. One of those populations is certainly known to have an ancestral bottleneck, which would explain it. Although basically every human has had ancestral bottlenecks of some time in the last few million years or so. That might explain why so few genetic changes can have such a profound impact on physical biology, intelligence, and behavior.

Of course it's a real thing. I wasn't kidding...I've never had wisdom teeth.