For generations, wisdom tooth extraction has been a rite of passage. Getting your third molars pulled has been one of the milestones of young adulthood — probably not as exciting as your first beer but, if your dentist uses laughing gas, possibly equally intoxicating. However, wisdom tooth removal is less common today than it once was.
In the past few decades, there has been growing evidence that removing undiseased wisdom teeth may have more costs than benefits. The UK’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence began discouraging routine wisdom tooth removal in 2000. In 2008, the American Public Health Association released a similar statement opposing the removal of undiseased third molars, although other U.S. bodies, including the American Dental Association, have not made similar changes to their recommendations.
In a recent survey, YouGov found that while most older adults in the United States have had their wisdom teeth removed, most young adults have not. Wisdom tooth removal is widespread among Americans 45 and older, with about two-thirds of reporting that all of their wisdom teeth have been removed. For younger Americans, wisdom tooth removal is less common. Less than half of Americans between 35 and 44 have had their wisdom teeth removed (49% of 40- to 44-year-olds and 46% of 35- to 39-year-olds). This rate is even lower among younger adults: 36% of 30- to 34-year-olds and 26% of adults under 30.
Part of this age trend can be easily explained: Many younger adults have not had enough time for their wisdom teeth to emerge or to cause problems. However, the unevenness of the age distribution — with visible jumps around the ages of 30, 35, and 45 — suggests that something more complex than aging may help to explain the lower rates of wisdom tooth removal among younger American adults.
The differences across age groups line up with evolving scientific views on third molar extraction. Most wisdom teeth are removed in a patient’s late teens or early 20s. Americans who were in the prime ages for wisdom-tooth extraction during different eras may have received different dental recommendations. Two-thirds (67%) of Americans who turned 20 before 2000 have had their wisdom teeth removed. Before 2000, routine wisdom tooth removal was recommended by major dental associations in both the U.S. and other countries. In contrast, only about half (48%) of Americans who turned 20 between 2000 and 2008 have had their wisdom teeth removed. This group likely had wisdom teeth emerge after scientific publications began questioning the efficacy of routine removal, but before any American organizations began discouraging it. Only about one-third (35%) of Americans who turned 20 between 2009 and 2015 have had their wisdom teeth removed. This group reached age 20 after the American Public Health Association began discouraging routine wisdom teeth removal. And wisdom tooth removal is even less common (29%) among Americans who turned 20 in 2016 or later, although this share may grow as more of the group has their wisdom teeth emerge; 14% say they haven't yet.
Our survey also found that other factors are associated with the prevalence of wisdom tooth removal. Women (58%) are more likely than men (46%) to have had their wisdom teeth removed, which may reflect that women are somewhat more likely to suffer from tooth crowding. There are also regional differences. Midwestern Americans (60%) are most likely to have their wisdom teeth removed, while Northeastern Americans (47%) are least likely. These relationships match those that have been reported in published dental research.
Despite the lack of scientific consensus on wisdom tooth removal, most Americans trust that dentists have good judgment about when to remove wisdom teeth. A majority (57%) of Americans say that when dentists remove wisdom teeth, it is always or usually medically necessary. In contrast, 28% say it is only sometimes necessary, and only 7% say it is rarely or never necessary. Americans who have had their own wisdom teeth removed are more likely to say these removals are always or usually medically necessary (65%), but a majority (55%) of those who still have wisdom teeth also say most or all removals are necessary.
Demographic differences on this question generally align with demographic differences in wisdom tooth removal. Older Americans are more likely to say that wisdom tooth removals are usually or always medically necessary: 60% of Americans 45 and older say this, while 57% of those between 30 and 44 and 50% of adults under 30 say the same. Politically, Democrats show the most trust in dentists' recommendations about wisdom tooth removal: 64% of Democrats say it is usually or always medically necessary when dentists remove wisdom teeth, while 54% of Independents and 56% of Republicans say the same.
Expanding outside wisdom tooth removal, a similarly sized majority (56%) of Americans believe that procedures recommended by dentists are usually or always medically necessary, while 32% believe they are only sometimes necessary and 6% say they are rarely or never necessary. In contrast to views on wisdom teeth removal, Americans who have had their wisdom teeth removed are slightly less trusting of dentists’ overall recommendations than are those who still have wisdom teeth: 55% of those whose wisdom teeth have been removed say dentists’ recommendations are usually or always medically necessary, compared to 65% of those who still have wisdom teeth.
Democrats are more likely than Independents and Republicans to trust dentists’ recommendations: 64% of Democrats say the procedures they recommend are always or usually necessary, compared to 54% of Independents and 55% of Republicans.
— Taylor Orth and Carl Bialik contributed to this article
See the results of this poll:
- When dentists recommend dental procedures to their patients, how often do you think they are medically necessary?
- When dentists remove patients' wisdom teeth, how often do you think it is medically necessary?
- What is your experience with wisdom teeth?
Methodology: The Daily Questions survey was conducted online on December 10, 2024 among 6,308 U.S. adults. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, U.S. census region, and political party. The margin of error for the survey is approximately 1.5%.
Image: Getty
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