Maryland teen’s death raises questions about wisdom tooth removal

The heartbreaking story about the recent death of 17 year old Jenny Olenick
during the removal of her wisdom teeth raises questions about the need and
safety of the procedure. In most cases, there is a good reason to remove
impacted (covered with gum or bone) wisdom teeth. In other situations, the
reason for removing these teeth is less clear. This issue has stirred some
debate in the dental community in recent years. Some dentists believe that
wisdom teeth should be removed early, before the root is fully formed, to
prevent future problems. Other dentists take a more conservative approach,
recommending removal only when there is a clear rational to do so.


Wisdom teeth, or third molars, sometimes do not have room to fit into
the mouth properly. This is believed to be due to the evolution of the human
jaw, which has become smaller because of modern refinements in food and cooking. Primitive peoples needed the "extra" wisdom tooth as other back teeth, molars, broke down with their coarse diet.

Wisdom teeth usually make their appearance from the ages of 17-21. If the jaw is too small to accommodate them, they will often cause earaches, headaches, swelling and infection of the gums, and potentially cause crowding of the other teeth. A large panoramic x-ray of the jaw or other imaging technology may show a tumor or cyst that can painlessly grow around the wisdom tooth, or destruction of the adjacent tooth's roots. Due to their location in the back of mouth, wisdom teeth are difficult to clean and often prone to tooth decay and painful infections. These are all valid reasons to have wisdom teeth removed.

Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons are the most highly trained of all dental professionals. After completing the difficult premedical curriculum in college, they need to finish at or near the top of their class in dental school. A residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery is extremely challenging. Most programs are 4-6 years where highly advanced surgical techniques and anesthesiology is studied. As a group, oral and maxillofacial surgeons are highly trained, ethical and extremely competent in the treatment they provide.

Although I am not an advocate of early wisdom tooth removal, every situation is different. Talk to your family dentist and oral surgeon about the potential risks and benefits of the procedure. If you have never had any problems with your wisdom teeth, you should still get them evaluated. If there is no evidence that the wisdom tooth is causing pathology (disease) or damaging other teeth, then I usually recommend no treatment other than follow up observation at future dental visits.