Should a child's healthy molars be extracted to make way for wisdom teeth? Dental hygienist Gerald Wennerstrom recommends a more conservative approach.

Raisingkids member's problem
When I was 12 yrs-old, our family dentist removed four of my (healthy) back molars in order to make space for my wisdom teeth to come in later. This seemed to work and I didn't have to undergo any of the painful dental surgery that many of my friends had in their early 20s. Should I consider this from my own children?

Gerald Wennerstrom's reply
Check with your dentist as to why your child would need such a procedure. Usually, wisdom teeth are extracted because of their improper positioning in the jaw, such as being impacted.

A conservative approach is to wait and see how they develop. This is done through periodic x-rays. Very often wisdom teeth can erupt without causing any problems. However, to second guess such a situation before the eruption of the wisdom teeth and extract healthy teeth could be unnecessary.

Whenever you have any doubt about such a procedure get a second or even a third opinion.