Pull 'em
Our dentist -- who has a mortgage and boat payments, like plenty of dentists -- said h.s. senior DS's wisdom teeth were fine. No problem. Look @ the x-rays! No action needed. So we sent son to NAPS, confident in the knowledge that his teeth were as fine as the rest of his fitness.
In months, USN dentists said wisdom teeth had to come out. Immediately! And wimpy mother gets this news 3,000 miles away.
Navy dentists yanked out all four of them. Heavily medicated son called soon after the procedure, sounding alarmingly like Leon Redbone -- w/ NAPS friends shrieking w/ laughter in the background -- to say he was fine. Friends brought him soup, took care of him, teachers gave him a break on deadlines, Navy follow-up was great, DS healed quickly and thoroughly.
Mother (reminder: 3,000 miles away) upped hair-coloring appts from every 6 wks to every 4 wks.
Moral to mothers: if you have any reason, ANY REASON, to think your kid needs to have dental procedures prior to USNA (or NAPS), do it. Not for your kid. For yourself!