Wisdom tooth removal

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If you have had your wisdom teeth removed how long was your recovery?
I am thinking of having my wisdom teeth removed for cosmetic reasons in order to have braces to straighten my lower teeth however as it’s non essential the wisdom teeth are healthy but the front teeth are crowded I’m unsure whether to go for it.
I have a two year old and three year old and no family support so I’m wondering whether it’s a terrible idea if it’s a long painful process?

I’ve had the lower ones removed as they were sideways and causing me constant infections. It was a difficult extraction (complicated by other health issues I have) but recovery wasn’t too bad. I was swollen and on painkillers and antibiotics for about a week. Personally though I wouldn’t remove any back teeth for the sake of straightening front ones. I’m 44 and my bottom front teeth have always been overcrowded but no one really sees them, id much rather have more back teeth that I can chew on as I get older. I’ve had a few other back teeth removed for various reasons and now I wish I hadn’t,

I've had 2 out under local (not at the same time) which were impacted and causing infections. Lower one was a bit tricky but it was fine really, I just took paracetamol and ibuprofen and ate soft-ish food for a couple of days. I definitely didn't need family support or time off work or anything like that.

However... I am not sure I would do it electively for the same reasons as pp. If you end up losing molars later on for any other reason later in life (cracks, dodgy fillings etc) it can be useful to have your wisdom teeth!

I had 2 removed under GA and it took about 2 wks to feel/look normal. I swelled up both sides like a chipmunk (all my wrinkles went though!) and I couldn't really eat anything for the first week. I was pleased to get shot of them tbh as they were both impacted and giving me gyp.

There are so many scare stories that I love to say how good my experience was. It was so long ago that I don't recall the details, but it was the classic ideal situation when I asked "When are you going to start?" and was told "It's over." I think everything was fine within a week.

Thank you all for your insight. I will speak to my dentist about the risks of removing with regards to problems later in life. I know there are far more important things in life than straight teeth and I am lucky my top teeth are pretty even. I was concerned that it may be damaging the front teeth being crowded so maybe I need to speak to an orthodontist.

I find it hard to believe as someone that has worked in dentistry in the UK, that any reputable orthodontist would advise removal of wisdom teeth for crowding. Wisdom teeth eruption has no bearing on the final position of your other already fully erupted teeth.

You tend to find that in America the blanket policy is to remove them, but the risks of nerve damage versus the benefits of removing them (which if they are not problematic is no benefits) are higher.

Seek a second opinion, if you're having orthodontics and space is an issue, the first port of call ordinarily is to remove pre molars, but even now this is really only done in children and not adults. Interproximal reduction (shaving between teeth) is normally used to make space (0.5mm off 10 teeth can create a gap of 5mm) for example.

Had one removed along with another tooth. Absolutely fine to go straight back to work (manual job) with some paracetamol. Wouldn’t have gone straight back if I was doing a job with a lot of talking though as it was sore and numb for a while.

Thank you for the advice @Sundaymorningcalla so I am British but no longer live in the UK. I had a quick conversation with my dentist at the end of my appointment and explained my teeth were straight until my wisdom teeth came in. He said okay you will need them removed before braces, here’s the name of my colleague who can do that…
I have a friend who really rates her daughters orthodontist so will maybe ask for his details and see what he is saying about my teeth.

Recovery varies from person to person, but usually it’s a few days of soreness and swelling, then things improve over the course of a week. It’s often better to have wisdom teeth removed sooner rather than later.

Crowding occurs as we age, our jaws get smaller. It's a coincidence, not a result of your wisdom teeth coming in. Any respectable orthodontist will tell you the same.

I had a lower impacted one that was still half under the gum removed. Only took a couple of minutes, and I only had local anaesthetic. It was unpleasantly painful for maybe 3-4 days, then just painful for another couple.

I had all four impacted wisdom teeth out under GA. Recovery was a couple of weeks. I couldn't open my mouth or eat for the first few days. Husband no.1 had private health insurance at the time, when I came back to my room after surgery, I was offered a menu and a wine list 😅

I've had 3 out with LA. Took seconds to do each. Bit tender for a couple of days but fine. I did have a bit of facial bruising after a couple of them but concealer hid them!

Oh no, I’m only 30 I can’t imagine how bad they will be as I age! I’m googling jaw expansion exercises now haha

There's not such thing, at 30 your mandibular growth is finished.

I had 2 wisdom teeth out around age 30 with a toddler at home. My mum came for a couple of days, I felt fine by day 2. Had them out at the hospital under local. Felt a bit dizzy and white and drained after but perked up

I had one out under local (I only ever had one wisdom tooth) and I don’t think there really was any recovery as such. I must have eaten soft food for a day or so. The extraction itself took seconds as I was having something else done at the same time so was already numb from the anaesthetic, otherwise waiting for the anaesthetic to take effect would have been the longest part of it.

My friend had hers out, no issues at all. I had mine out and it was horrendous!!! But mine were wonky and impacting the teeth next to it. The dentist split my lip as the tooth would not come out.

I had nerve damage to one side which took 6 months to recover from and dry socket in the other side. The nerve damage was annoying but the dry socket was hell.

Had all four out at once, two impacted and spent a while getting those out - recovery a few days but the holes at the bottom took a while to heal.

My DD had all 4 taken out two years ago when she was 24. Two of them were growing in sideways, so a complex removal. She was fine. All done under local anaesthetic. She was sore for a few days but coped ok with painkillers and very soft food (lots of ice cream!)

Had no choice to get a badly infected and impacted one out. Left the others in place.