Discussion about wisdom teeth tends to be binary in the sense that many dental experts cannot fully agree on what should be done the last of our permanent teeth. Common wisdom, so to speak, tells us that these late dental apparitions shall be extracted, but it is not clear when they should be taken out.

In the 20th century, the most often cited reason argument in favor of extracting wisdom teeth was crowding. To this effect, the strategic extraction of wisdom teeth among young adults continues to this very day. The idea is to pull them out at an anatomical stage when the roots have not fully developed; this reasoning implies that an 18-year old dental tourist can travel to Costa Rica, get her wisdom teeth extracted in a few sessions, recover, and still have time to go surfing in Guanacaste, dancing in San Jose and zip-lining in Monteverde.

Let’s say the aforementioned female patient waits until she is 55 years old to visit Costa Rica as a dental tourist seeking to pull her wisdom teeth. By then, there is a greater chance of impacted teeth and development of cysts, which will require oral surgery in addition to extraction. This time around the patient may need her jaw wired shut for days, and there is a greater risk of surgical complications such as nerve damage.

The dental health professionals at New Smile Dental Group, a specialty clinic that caters to dental tourists in Costa Rica, believe that wisdom teeth assessments should be conducted in every dental visit. For example, a tourist who decides to squeeze in a few whitening sessions should get an x-ray if one has not been taken in the last year or so. An x-ray and an examination can determine the course of action to take with regard to wisdom teeth at any age.

For more information about wisdom teeth and oral surgery procedures, please contact the New Smile Dental Group toll-free from North America at 1 (888) 663-9764. From Costa Rica, please call 2222-4182.