Removing your wisdom teeth might not be a smart move

The procedure is performed on 5 million Americans every year. And while parents and teens have to sign the standard release to go under anesthesia, the safety and importance of the out-patient surgery itself is being called into question.

The extraction causes roughly 11,000 complications annually, ranging from permanent nerve damage to brain tissue infections, ABC News reports. And still the surgery is strongly recommended by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons to “prevent future problems.”

In reality, these future problems affect only 12 percent of those with impacted wisdom teeth. That’s the same exact chance you could come down with appendicitis. And as far as we know, girls aren’t handing over their appendices when they hit their teen years. Hmm…

BY BRITTANY TAYLOR ON 12/16/2011 12:00:00 AM

POSTED IN disease, doctor, injury, advice, In the News