Posted on 12/04/2012 9:41:47 PM PST by nickcarraway
Dr. Jay Friedman relishes his role as dental outcast. Like a pesky younger brother who enjoys watching his siblings squirm, the 86-year-old dentist and public health advocate has for decades been poking and prodding at the oral health community over his personal obsession: wisdom teeth.
Friedman has argued for more than 30 years that removing a young person's healthy wisdom teeth -- called "third molars" by professionals -- is an unnecessary and irresponsible practice. While many dentists and oral surgeons have dismissed him as a traitor and a zealot, in 2007, people in the public health arena began to listen.
That's when Friedman published an article in the American Journal of Public Health claiming at least two-thirds of the millions of wisdom teeth extracted each year at a cost of billions of dollars were removed for no good reason. In pointed terms, Friedman accused his colleagues of ignoring the lack of evidence supporting the need for such surgery in order to line their own pockets.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I can understand preventative removal. Especially when done on older teens whose parents have already spent a bundle on orthodontia. Or the parents had problematic wisdom teeth and simply expect that their offspring will have similar trouble.
My husband and oldest child had problematic wisdom teeth that were removed. The younger three appear to have gotten my superior genes in regards to dentition.
Smartest thing a kid can do is choose their parents wisely ;)
64 here, and I also have all my wisdom teeth, but they came in straight. My 20 year old son, however, had his removed because they were coming in crooked.
“Watching how American of Japanese descent were rounded up and interred.
Disgusting...”
Agreed, Vendome, if they were citizens it was beyond inexcuseable. (If they were not citizens, they should have been decently repatriated if needed).
Sometimes when I think we are living in the worst of America I think of this, or of slavery, or etc., and I think no, this is not necessarily the worst we’ve been as a nation. The abortion epidemic puts in on par, I guess, although it is hard to put a weight on evil.
Still, our past was not all Norman Rockwell, not by a long shot.
“[Insert my anecdotal story associated with wisdom teeth here]...
and so therefore the doctor is:
A) a maverick genius
or
B) a dangerous whackjob “
I read about this guy, and he doesn’t say no wisdom teeth should be removed. Just teeth that are a problem or threatening to be a problem. Makes perfect sense to me.
Some are commenting like he doesn’t want any wisdom teeth removed. That isn’t the case.
Kept mine....against ten different dentists and their desires. I was in the Air Force, and they kept talking about this twice a year for at least the first fifteen years of service I did. The key to this....is that you absolutely have to get to the teeth and clean them.
This guy is a quack. Biologically speaking, wisdom teeth are there to replace loss teeth over time. Now with fluoridation and people losing less teeth, they become a serious problem for many when they start exerting pressure on the jaw because they have no where to “erupt.” I hurt for years before I finally had mine removed as a medical necessity. So yeah, they need to be removed early to prevent problems later.
I had a similar problem when I was about 25 years old, my wisdom teeth were horizontal, still deep in my lower jaw and causing problems. The dentist made the incisions and chiseled into the bone. He couldnt grip the teeth with what he had in the office, left and came back with needle nose vice grips and they worked. Fortunately he had great pain killers.
I suspect for many millenia wisdom teeth served the purpose they served me - to replace rotten teeth.
I don’t feel any discomfort, and my dentist cannot detect any harm, but he gives me these quizzical looks and keeps asking me when do I want my wisdom teeth removed. And I still say no.
All of mine were coming in sideways - had them all pulled when in my 20’s. One side at a time.
My DH had one infected while he was in the Airforce, wouldn’t let him leave Vietnam until extracted. In his early 50’s, had one pulled and has permanent nerve damage (apparently the older you are when they are pulled the higher risk of nerve damage- surgeon told him point blank before the extraction he could have damage) He’s got one left and so far it’s OK. He should have had them all yanked out in his 20’s. (hindsight)
“claiming at least two-thirds of the millions of wisdom teeth extracted each year at a cost of billions of dollars were removed for no good reason”
There’s a BMW payment that needs to be made.
Mine came in straight and I still have them all at 52. However, I can see in part where this guy is coming from. Every dentist I have ever seen wants to extract mine. IMO, all they see is a $1,000 when they see a patient with wisdom teeth.
My wife is lucky to get me to the dentist at all. Any preventative or elective activities are out of the question. If it doesn’t hurt, keep your mitts, pliers and grinders off!
No shock here, I own the complete series.
And yet, every evening at 7 I have the TV tuned to TBS for Seinfeld reruns.
Bingo. It was a dental fad. Molars are provided for a biological reason. Until such time as they no longer appear, eff the dentists. Maybe that’s why their supposed suicide rate is so high—lack of molars to pull.
It happend to non-citizen Italians, non-citizen Germans, and German-American citizens (I hate to use a hyphenated status) in America as well.
BTW, My shoulder is feeling wayyyyyyyyy better all of a sudden.
Not good but not killing me all day long and that’s better enough fer me.
You?
YOu had to bring up Norman Rockwell.
Now I’m hungry for Turkey and potatoes....
They've put my neck and shoulder on hold (just as they've always put something on hold for the last eleven+ months).
I'm receiving therapy for the elbow to see if they can fix the ulnar neuropathy without surgery. For the hand, I have a continuous passive motion machine (well, it's a space-age glove with individual CPMs for each finger joint), therapy, and lots of at-home exercises.
How's the reach behind the back?
Don’t like to complain but just finished PT and I so underperformed.
Not happy and need reprogram my head.
I guess it’s okay to have a not so great day but this was my 1st.
Uhgggg !!!!!
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