As I sat in the newsroom last week -- my cheeks swollen and puffed like a chipmunk, my mouth barely able to open -- it occurred to me that I shouldn't have waited until my mid-30s to have four wisdom teeth out. Maybe I should have had them removed when I was a healthy teen -- before they caused problems. No doubt the recovery would have been faster and less painful.

I imagine parents are contemplating similar questions regarding their teens -- especially parents who grew up in an era when the prophylactic removal of wisdom teeth was encouraged. But the latest guidance suggests that is not necessarily the best strategy:

The American Public Health Association recently issued a statement against the removal of healthy, unerupted wisdom teeth, comparing it to another procedure -- the removal of healthy tonsils -- that is now widely discouraged:

The association's stance is supported by a literature review published in The Cochrane Library, an online resource for up-to-date medical information. The review sites studies saying "watchful waiting," instead of early removal, is more cost-effective. One study suggests a more conservative approach could reduce the number of wisdom teeth removal procedures by 60 percent, because many people end up never having problems with their wisdom teeth as adults. In the end, the Cochrane review concludes there isn't enough evidence to support or discourage the prophylactic removal of wisdom teeth at a young age.

So, I guess the pros at this point are encouraging watchful waiting, in the hopes that people never have troubles or need their wisdom teeth removed -- even if recovery is more difficult with age. It's no picnic to have them removed at my age, I can tell you. At least I can laugh about it now -- though it still kinda hurts to do so.