When I was 18 years old, I went to the dentist. And he told me what he was taught in dental school to tell every 18-year-old who came to see him. “You need to get your wisdom teeth out,” he said. He filled out a little form for me to bring to the oral surgeon, which was a paper diagram of the inside of my mouth with four red circles around the upper and lower wisdom teeth. I left the office, went home, and was calling the oral surgeon to make the appointment when my father gave me the single best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten.
“Hang up the phone,” he said. “Don’t do it. The whole wisdom tooth thing is a scam. They just love getting you all gassed up and then going at you with the pliers. My advice is, toss that paper out and forget all about it.”
