Hi muppetdave,

you do have a quandary there, but it doesn't have to be. The reason you read about more problem-wisdom-teeth-removal stories is because they are the ones who post because they are seeking help. The many who have had the wisdom teeth removed and had no problems, don't need to post.

Now after I wrote that, you still need to be extremely careful. I did not have my wisdom teeth removed and developed tmj. When the teeth came in, they changed my bite drastically to the point that my teeth only came together at the wisdom teeth. So when other factors, like stress big time, came into my life, the clenching and grinding on an imperfect bite began. Thus, my life of tmj. You'd think now that the smart thing to do would have been to remove the teeth, but I became an experiment and other methods were tried that failed. This was 25 years ago, so I do have to say there is more knowledge out there now even though the medical field seems to ignore it too much.

I would talk to the oral surgeon who would pull the teeth. Discuss the problems you have currently and your fears about tmj getting worse, etc. Ask him/her how he removes the teeth? Does he overextend the opening of the mouth to get to the teeth? (overextending of the mouth/bite is a major problem that seems to cause the tmj disc(s) to displace.) will he x-ray the area first to see if there might be any problems? What about an mri? Does he use excessive force to pull the teeth and/or roots?

These are just a few questions I would ask. Do a lot of research, get your concerns and questions organized and written down and make an appointment if that's what you decide.

I hope and pray that everything works out for you. Now remember, if all goes well - come back and post good news. We will expect that. :)

god bless...
Carol

Thanks carol
i'll certainly be giving it a lot of thought before I rush into anything and will definately post back if I do have them removed - hopefully with good news.

Kindest regards
dave

what is tmj?

I've had TMJ for as long as i can remember. It gets worse with stress. I had my wisdom teeth cut out when I was in my 20's and it didn't affect my TMJ at all in any way.

Good Luck!

the First posting is exactly right you hear more horror stories then good ones is because the people who have had succesful treatment dont care about posting they are living there lives and dont have time to look on the internet about there problem that they use to have. You cant base your treatment on what these forums say. I have gotten so discourged at times with what i read but then i came to think only people who are looking for help are on. Oral surgen is the best for tmj and wisdom teeth ask around find about the doctor research the doctor. I have awful tmj pain everyday but i am doing my best to help myself and thats all we can do. But RESEARCH the doctors try to see how they work. Ask questions feel them out are they in for money or are they good doctor is anyone has any tips or needs support because i know i can use it .

I have the same problem.. i never had any problems with this until my wisdom teeth started to push through, i then started to get periodical pain (i'm assuming from the teeth) and constant crunching/crackling noise when i open my mouth (on left side only) ..I now don't have any pain in my jaw however the craclking noise in my jaw is there all the time and i have extreme pain in my neck on the same side and crackling in my left ear....i thought all my pain etc was due to bad posture but after doing a fair bit of research i have many symptoms of TMJ including the ones i ahve just mentioned... i never had my wisdom tooth removed but am considering it if it will stop the horrid crunching noise in my jaw and hopefully help with my ear and neck pain.. .. did you find out any other info on this with your dentist etc? i would be interested to know..