Wisdom Teeth?

Artillery

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Not sure if this was ever asked before, but I've heard a lot of people say that you need to remove your wisdom teeth to pass the DODMERB, is this true?

This may be a stupid, clueless question, too, so I apologize, just don't want to be denied appointment for something stupid like this.

Thanks!
 
No you definitely don't. Mine aren't and I was fine. It's just recommended that if you're in pain or know you're going to have problems, get them removed a certain amount of weeks, I wanna guess it's approximately a month, before you'd report to West Point
 
Only if they are a problem will they be an issue with dodmerb ( Impacted/Infected etc)... I hear most get them out voluntarily prior as it's easier to recover from surgery at home vs an academy...At least that is what I have been reading...
 
But FYI, my DD will need to have them out before R Day. Once appointed, a panoramic X-ray is needed as well as a dental review completed by your dentist to certify that there are no impacted teeth. We should have taken care of this last summer!!
 
Both my middle sons had their wisdom teeth out last summer. All of their wisdom teeth were impacted and it was advised for them to be removed by their dentist. It was really simple and both were back to activity within a couple days. Talk with your dentist. Their dentist was concerned they were going to move their other teeth as there was no room for them to come in. Both boys were hilarious afterwards. [emoji41]
 
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But FYI, my DD will need to have them out before R Day. Once appointed, a panoramic X-ray is needed as well as a dental review completed by your dentist to certify that there are no impacted teeth. We should have taken care of this last summer!!

Son had to repeat his Panax last week to prove his teeth were removed.
 
There are "toothsome" threads in abundance across all forums, just use Search.

WRT DODMERB, their function is to Q or DQ candidates using the DOD standard. Services waive per their internal guidelines.

There is nothing that says, to the best of my knowledge, they have to be removed for DODMERB purposes. Read the various threads on pros and cons of removal prior to reporting to an SA.

The DOD standards are here, to give you a feel, page 16:

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/613003p.pdf

This is the latest version that keeps coming up in searches.


If you and your dentist know there is potential trouble in wisdom tooth land, time to determine best course of action, regardless of military career plans.
 
If you need to have your wisdom teeth removed, I would recommend having it done before R-Day. That way you can heal easily and no down if you were attending WP

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
Actually, a very good question that comes up quite frequently on here. There is no DODMERB requirement to have healthy wisdom teeth removed as part of the application process. One thing you will tend to find is that well meaning friends/relatives/neighbors or even the postman will offer all sort of ill-advised advice about applying to Service Academies even if they have no idea what they are talking about.

If there are medical reasons why your dentist recommends their removal (like those listed above), most of the discussion you will find on here indicates that recovery can be more easily accomplished while still at home and in h.s.
 
As CaptMJ said, search the forum for "wisdom teeth". A lot of good discussion.
 
I never got mine removed because the dentist said they didn't need to be removed. He was correct, except once I got into my 30's I started chomping my cheeks with them now and then, and then it swells, and is a real pain in the ass. It still happens probably ten times a year. Now I'm in my 50's they are too deep rooted to be removed without nerve damage. Take them out while you can.

We had my sons wisdom teeth removed in the spring of Sr year. We knew it would be better getting it done with well before R-DAY. Worked well.
 
Just had mine removed Friday. If you have the chance to get them out before R-Day...take it. I'm still not able to eat most foods (4 days later) and that could be difficult at a SA. I called dodmerb before the procedure to make sure and they didn't care one way or another.
 
This is a 20th C tale of wisdom teeth. The summer before I reported into Navy OCS, and just after college graduation, I saw my childhood dentist. He was a former Army dentist. I told him what I was doing, and he laughed and immediately said, "let's get your wisdom teeth done the easy way." He noted at some point they would need to come out, because of the military's penchant for a preventive strategy. It would be more comfortable getting them done in advance, then trying to be active in a military training setting. In my case, he was right. Down the road, he could see they would be a problem. Did 'em two at a time, left side then right, spaced three weeks apart.

It is not a terrible thing to get them done at the SA. Many of our USNA mids got theirs done right there at the Brigade Dental Clinic. It usually seems to be late in the week, geared to a weekend recovery. The key is when during the semester - you don't want to be dealing with certain academic things or PE or PFT things just after dental surgery. They get through it. Just another hassle. Not everyone needs it. My sense is they (Big Dental) are less draconian these days.
 
This is a 20th C tale of wisdom teeth. The summer before I reported into Navy OCS, and just after college graduation, I saw my childhood dentist. He was a former Army dentist. I told him what I was doing, and he laughed and immediately said, "let's get your wisdom teeth done the easy way." He noted at some point they would need to come out, because of the military's penchant for a preventive strategy. It would be more comfortable getting them done in advance, then trying to be active in a military training setting. In my case, he was right. Down the road, he could see they would be a problem. Did 'em two at a time, left side then right, spaced three weeks apart.

It is not a terrible thing to get them done at the SA. Many of our USNA mids got theirs done right there at the Brigade Dental Clinic. It usually seems to be late in the week, geared to a weekend recovery. The key is when during the semester - you don't want to be dealing with certain academic things or PE or PFT things just after dental surgery. They get through it. Just another hassle. Not everyone needs it. My sense is they (Big Dental) are less draconian these days.
I didn't think oral care and hygiene was something they did in the Navy, Capt. Thought you sailors just rinsed now and then with sea water and called it good until you teeth fall out. No?
 
Q: My dentist said that I need my wisdom teeth taken out. Can I still come
to West Point after I get them taken out? Do I need to send in a new pano
x-ray?
A: Please allow a minimum of 1 (one) month healing time between your Oral
Surgery and reporting for R-Day. This will not disqualify you from
reporting. You do not need to resubmit a new pano after the extractions.

The above is response by West Point's Dental Clinic to my DD's e-mail regarding wisdom teeth extraction prior to R-day..
 
I didn't think oral care and hygiene was something they did in the Navy, Capt. Thought you sailors just rinsed now and then with sea water and called it good until you teeth fall out. No?

I was a real pioneer with dental hygiene. Most of my shipmates had real problems breaking their teeth on hardtack and getting bits of weevil out of their teeth, the ones that weren't falling out from scurvy or barfights.
[emoji23]
 
I didn't think oral care and hygiene was something they did in the Navy, Capt. Thought you sailors just rinsed now and then with sea water and called it good until you teeth fall out. No?

I was a real pioneer with dental hygiene. Most of my shipmates had real problems breaking their teeth on hardtack and getting bits of weevil out of their teeth, the ones that weren't falling out from scurvy or barfights.
[emoji23]
Lol. I love it.
 
I was a real pioneer with dental hygiene. Most of my shipmates had real problems breaking their teeth on hardtack and getting bits of weevil out of their teeth, the ones that weren't falling out from scurvy or barfights.

CAPT, I thought your teeth are marlinspikes?! I was surprised to see this from the memorization list from NASS few year ago when DD went through, same thing I had to eons ago!

All me blooming life, sir! Me mother was a mermaid, me father was King Neptune. I was born on the crest of a wave and rocked in the cradle of the deep. Seaweed and barnacles are me clothes. Every tooth in me head is a marlinspike; the hair on me head is hemp. Every bone in me body is a spar, and when I spits, I spits tar! I is hard, I is, I am, I are!
 
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