Posted by writeradmin
My little sister is almost 17 now and one of her wisdom teeth is bothering her. Her dentist is suggesting that we extract her wisdom teeth with an oral surgeon under general anesthesia. When I was younger and had my wisdom teeth out, I had it done by a dentist. Have things changed? Our parents passed away this year, so she sort of needs me to take care of her now. I’m not sure what to do here. I’m 21 and still in college, but we’re doing our best. Any advice you have would be super helpful.
Amanda
Dear Amanda,
I am sorry for everything you are going through. You have a huge burden on your shoulders. Your sister is lucky to have you. Unless there is something highly unusual going on with your sister’s wisdom teeth, which you have given no indication of, then I do not think there is any reason why she would need to be under general anesthesia.
In reality, given her age, she is at the perfect age to get her wisdom teeth removed. The bone is still pliable and there hasn’t really been enough time for cementum accumulation on her teeth roots. It should be able to be done with simple dental sedation. Oral conscious sedation should be the most you need.
It sounds to me like your sister’s dentist is not comfortable with the procedure. I would not pressure him to do it. You would rather have a dentist who is skilled and comfortable with the procedure. There will be plenty of other dentists who can do it.
What you do not want to do is put off getting the wisdom tooth out. This is because if it is bothering her than it is very likely to be infected. That infection can blow up into a dental emergency.
Take care of it now and everything can be more controlled and safe for her.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. John Theriot.