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Not Wise to Keep Those Wisdom Teeth

By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com

September 23, 2005

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Wisdom teeth can cause trouble. That’s the conclusion of two studies conducted by the American Association of Oral Surgeons.

In the first study, researchers followed 254 patients in their twenties who kept all four wisdom teeth, the third molars which push through he gums between 17 and 25.

Almost 60 percent of the patients had signs of gum disease due to bacteria around their teeth and 25 percent got worse in just 2 years.

In other words, they had gum disease far earlier than most experts expected.

In the second study of 1,020 pregnant women in their twenties, researchers found that those who kept their wisdom teeth ere twice as likely to give birth early than those who did not.

Conclusion: Keeping your wisdom teeth can lead to gum disease and inflammation that may cause heart disease and early deliveries. Have yours checked often and ask about taking them out.

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