Wisdom Teeth
 

I have to get my wisdom teeth out in a few days and i am SO NERVOUS! I have never had surgery before, not even an IV, and I seriously get shaky every time I think about it! All 4 of my teeth are impacted so I am probably in for a rough ride. Does anyone have any suggestions to make my recovery a little bit easier on me?

I am with you. I gotta have mine out in a few weeks. I have been putting it off and now they are starting to hurt - bad. One has a crack in it. Ow.

2 good things that come out of oral (or any other) surgery:

1) Vicodin or pain killers that end in 'set or 'al.

2) The guranteed 5 to 8 lb weight loss that almost all of us could stand to benefit from.

All I can say is OUCH. You'll do fine. Besides, It's a good reason to baby yourself.

Lifesaver:

Mine got infected earlier this summer and it was seriously the most painful experience of my life! I couldn't even close my mouth at one point because it was so swollen, so compared to that, hopefully the surgery won't be so bad.

Also I apparently get Vicodin and from what I hear it is good stuff.

And those 5-8 pounds? I call it my beer weight. As in, if I didn't drink beer, I wouldn't have it! My big lost 10 pounds when she got hers out, if I lose half that I will be a happy camper! Although, my dad GAINED 6 pounds - but all he had were frappes for a week.

I had mine taken out 3 summers ago. Are you getting "put to sleep?" That's what I did and I felt wonderful afterwards. I really didn't have any pain at all. I am afraid of needles, but somehow I managed to keep my cool. Besides, they put it in the top of your hand, which isn't bad at all. Trust me...I normally pass out when people stick me with any type of needle.

Tips:
1) Buy plenty of yougurt, pudding, and jello to eat.
2) I bought some baby food to eat bc the above mentioned food items start to drive you nuts!
3) Make sure you have plenty of water to drink. You don't wanna drink things that are too sugary because you can't really brush your teeth for a little while. I think you can use mouthwash though. I don't really remember.
4) If you are getting "put to sleep" don't wait until the medicine wears off. I took a pill as soon as I got home and then I laid down and went to sleep for a while. The pain really never had a chance to kick in since I did it that way.


Good luck with your surgery. You'll be fine! :D

good luck!
 

Ugh, wisdom teeth. I was in the same boat you were (4 impacted). Unfortunately, I was not put to sleep, but it wasn't really that painful at all. The worst part was the bleeding afterwards. If you are going to be at home, all the better so someone can take care of you.

I would recommend that you go home with tons of painkillers (dentists are generally pretty good about that) and that someone is there specifically to help you. I was lucky my mom was there to take care of me. :) I remember I looked like a chipmunk and generally felt really nauseous. Also, I recommend gauze for any bleeding.

Really, I think some of my friends made it sound worse than it was. It wasn't that bad. Also, if you had braces, just think- those darn wisdom teeth will never mess up your beautiful smile. Good luck though!

Edited because I am redundant at 1:30am.

I have talked to enough people to know that the experience varies from person to person, but it seems that the younger you do it, the faster your recovery will be.

I was 19 when I had mine taken out. From the horror stories my parents told me, I thought I was going to be out of commission for a week. However, the very next day I felt well enough to give an impromptu speech at my old high school. I only experienced mild soreness. I guess I was lucky. :)

I had my wisdom teeth taken out 9 years ago. I had my teeth pulled on a Friday morning...Friday night I was up and ready to go. I went to a game at the Pontiac Silverdome and even managed to get a couple of pieces of pizza in me. I never took any of the painkillers. I did end up with an infection in my lower right side but antibiotics took care of that. I went back to work 3rd shift on Sunday night.

My mom had hers pulled when she was 37 and she was puffed up like a chipmunk and was black and blue. She just sat in bed with ice packs on her cheeks all day. :( I didn't bruise or puff up at all!!

i just had my wisdom teeth out last week. prepare for a liquid diet. find a place to sleep where you can keep you bed elevated. prepare to not remember a thing from the day you actually get the teeth out. it hurts. mine are apparently almost healed completely and it sitll hurts. when you ice use bags of frozen veggies like corn or peas. it's a lot better than actual ice and you can refreeze it. don't go back to work 2 days after you get them out, whatever your boss says. he is wrong. you may get sick to your stomach. that's from all the blood draining to your stomach.

one more tip. if you're going to be put to sleep do not under any circumstances get on the computer that day. i sent some very interesting emails....it was like i was drunk without the alcohol.

Oh the pain ;) j/k

Actually mine were pretty bad. I too had all four impacted but one of my top ones was SO impacted that it was almost in my sinus area. The oral surgeon said he wouldn't know until he got to that one if they'd have to finish the surgery at the hospital :eek: Luckily everything was okay.

The experience:
SUCKS! I had an IV and a little bit of that gas to put me under. I could hear what was going on the entire time, but couldn't react to it. So I HEARD them grinding at teeth and breaking stuff...BLAH (I'm gonna puke).
Then they had a seriously hard time waking me up. My mother, who is an orthodontist assistant, got me home and I fell asleep after taking a pain pill....oh yeah, and to back track...I WAS SO HUNGRY CUZ I COULDN'T EAT AFTER 6AM (and my surgery was at like 2). So I wake up cuz my mom wants to change my gauz...that was when I felt the most incredible pain ever (cuz my mouth had been shut and so the minute the pressure was released so was the pain).

DO NOT BE AFRAID of the amount of blood you may spit up the first time you change the gauze. It's a little scary, so have someone there with you.

AND FOR PETE'S SAKE: no matter what your mom says (like mine) TAKE YOUR PAIN PILLS. Mine was afraid I'd get addicted to them so the day after she took me off em. It only worsened cuz then a week later I was in TERRIBLE pain (no dry socket though).

Good luck. I wish I could say it's a breeze, but it isn't. :(

HAD TO ADD A FEW IMPORTANT THINGS
 

I forgot to add this:

If possible have your parent's fill your subscription before you go in. It will be hell for you to sit in the car while they fill it afterwards...so get it done ahead of time.

Do not expect to be able to eat dairy right away. I remember that I was so hungry that I drank some soup and then later had friends bring me some TCBY yogurt...NOT A GOOD IDEA. Yeah it was easy to eat, but it upset my stomach so much that it would have been a terrible experience to throw up right after having my wisdom teeth pulled.

You guys who have your parents there to help are lucky. I virtually live alone and all my friends have to work, so when I have them done, I will have no one...I may ask one of them to just drive me home, but how will I get there? Ah forget it...

ANYWHO, I had two of them taken out and need 6 MORE TAKEN OUT! I am so scared. Yeah, I know I had it done before, but I got so scared before that one procedure that I vomited on the surgeon, broke into tears when I saw the extraction device coming at me (they look like HUGE, menancing pliers!!), and they won't knock you out at my dentist!!! I bled like a mutha.

One thing they don't tell you is what happened to me and I'm pissed. On the left side, where I had the teeth extracted, the teeth above are coming out, literally falling due to gravity b/c there is nothing beneath them to sit against! So, now I have to have them out!

Oh, and dental insurance helps, but it's going to cost me $5600 out of pocket to get all the work I need done completed!

wow
 

i did mine one at a time...
generally with not a lot of grief.
however, antibiotics is the key word. i had one that puffed up like a golf ball. got the good drugs and it went away immediately.
i'll admit only one was impacted.
every tooth it seemed i tried a new dentist.

Oh, and I don't know who has oral surgeons that are nice enough to give Vicodin! Mine only gave me Tylenol with codeine! BASTARDS!

That's it. I'm asking for the motherlode: Oxycontin!

Mine were impacted, too, so I had to go to the hospital. I am the only person I know who did NOT bruise very much. The best advice I can give you is relax, insist on the maximum amount of pain meds, keep the ice packs on your face the whole time you're "out" and stay "out" for two days, if possible. I was playing tennis on the third day!

Just remember: max painkiller (Tylenol #3 is NOT a viable option - insist on the real stuff!) and lots of ice packs!

I had heard wisdom teeth horror stories from my friends. I thought that I wouldn't be able to eat for 2 weeks and that I'd be in a severe amount of pain.

I had them taken out when I was 18. That day, it hurt but it was nothing that a little bit of OTC Tylenol or ibuprofen couldn't relieve (I was given Tylenol-3 aka Codeine as a prescription...never had to use it). The very next day, I was ok enough to go out for dinner with my boyfriend's family. I had a hard time chewing but I still managed.

This was with 2 out of 4 of my wisdom teeth being impacted.

Not everyone is overcome with pain after wisdom teeth removal. A lot of people are good to go the next day. It's just a matter of how well your body heals itself and if you're good a withstanding pain.

I have a small mouth and they had a hard time getting my wisdom teeth out, so I started to wake up near the end of it. They had to put me back under. I thought the worst part was that I couldn't work for a week because I was so weak. Oh, and the sides of my lips were sore from the rubbing. To keep the ice packs to my face as I slept right after I got home, my mother put them in 2 pillow cases and tied them around my head. I'm sure I looked funny, but it allowed me to sleep ok.

Also, right before they put me under, after I had left my mother, the doctor tells me I might have permanent numbness in my lower jaw. I freaked out and almost started crying. But then they put the mask on me, and all was good. I turned out fine.

A day or two after I had mine taken out, I was by myself in the house. I heard my dog barking, so I went outside to see what it was. In the field (maybe 10 feet away) there was a ground chuck. My dog stopped barking right after I got out there. I talked to the ground chuck for a bit, then I told it to go away and it did right then. I swear I could communicate with it. In reality, I probably was hallucinating. So be careful for the first few days. I don't remember what medication I was on, but it was interesting!

Good luck with the surgery. It really isn't that bad if you do what they tell you to do. I'm sure you will be fine. Just make sure you have some good movies in the house to watch, and some good books too.

Alright, I got my wisdom teeth out senior teeth out. I had all four extrated while I was awake. I still have those suckers in one of my boxes. They gave me eight injections of novacaine for each tooth. It didnt really hurt whiel Iw as getting it done, but after I was in a world of pain. I just cried until I got my vics and then I was happy. I lost about 6 pounds, for two weeks I ate over cook rice, mashed potatoes, yogurt. Funny thing was I wanted to eat come french fries and it was the 3rd day into it so I put them in my mouth and tried to chew them with my fron teeth. It realy did not work but I was determined so I swallowed larger than usual french fries. I only had about 5.

Tips:
- Dont use straws, because it could rip out the stitches
- Dont eat anything to salty or sweet, cause it hurts if it gets into the sockets
umm thats it for now.

Ok people, you are going to scare the hell out of her if she reads this.
Here is what I know(I got mine done when I was 22)

-It sucked, but I lived to tell the tale. Vicodin is nice.

-Try not to eat anything that will get stuck in there...(I ate rice and mac and cheese one day, but it got stuck in the little holes so I had to clean it out with the little syringe type thing they gave me, but you have to do that anyhow with my Oral Surgeon.

-Have some soft foods like applesauce, etc... on hand.

-You may be just fine within the day, who knows as it's different for everyone

-The swelling is usually not that bad until the 2nd or 3rd day after it is done.

Bottom line is that it's not a comfortable thing, but you will do fine. My a-hole ex wanted to go watch the Tyson/Holyfield fight the next evening and kept bugging me to go with him to his friend's so I went and felt like crap. What a jerk. If you feel like crap, stay home!:)

*edited to add: I recommend getting all 4 done at once. If I had to go back and do more there is no way I would want to, orthodontry be damned.

I must be weird, b/c my wisdom teeth haven't even grown in yet.

i never heard of tylenol but i have heard of percs being given
i need to get mine taken out but i have to wait for a vacation
plus, i have to wait until someone can take care of me
i don't have anyone that i trust right now

i heard that it's no worse than getting my tonsils taken out
which i did last summer(losing 15 pds as well)
so, hopefully it won't be that bad

you're not weird! i had mine out when i was 20. my sister, who is 28, hasn't had hers out yet.

OMG!!! I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THE NOVICAINE AND STITCHES!!! THANKS MATT!!!

DENTISTS ARE MEAN!!!!

YES, I AM AN ANTI-DENTITE!!!

It is 2003, you'd think there'd be progress in this area by now!

Have fun with the Nitros.

I had a bacterial infection a few months back in my wisdom teeth. I thought for sure they were impacting because the pain was so bad. My dentist's told me that it will most likely be a recurring problem since it's so difficult to clean out the small pockets of bacteria there. I'll probably have to get them out next summer. Wisdom teeth are stupid, bunch o' troublemakers.

thought i would add:

watch out if they give you vicodin ( i can't spell it) because my dad got it for his laser eye surgery. he only took it for a day and a half and took the prescribed amount but he still had major withdrawal.

My oral surgeon is also a plastic surgeon, perhaps the Vicodin comes from the rich women who have nose jobs and want to be looped up on Vicodin for a week!

PAINKILLERS! Those are a true godsend if you know what I mean, and especially more so if you are planning to get all 4 removed at once. I think that's what got me through it all.

I had all 4 wisdom teeth out when I was 19. No problems whatsoever, except that one of the local anesthetic blocks was slightly off, so they had to redo it (ow). I used Advil for the pain, and I was even eating solid food again the next day. My teeth hadn't gotten too impacted yet, though, so they pretty much came straight out.

I had my dad to take care of me, and he did a decent job, except when he decided I should have some way of making noise other than by shouting if I needed help, and his idea was to put my extracted teeth into a mason jar that I could shake. :rolleyes: My dad has a weird sense of humor.

Good luck - hope everything goes smoothly. :)

Matt who is a Brother had his removed! Well Matt is @ 8 ft tall to me!

I was wodering since I still have MINE!:) , That is it like whats his dumb ass let the Broad cut his hair and lost his strenght, do you lose your Knowledge?????:(

Da, Wisdom teeth! Thought there were only 2???

Oh for some that have the audacity to ask, I have MOST of Mine!:p

I have yet to have mine removed. My dentists give me that constant reminder by showing the X-Rays. However, I have a question or two about it? The anesthestic/numbing medicine of choice, is that up to the patient or the dental surgeon to choose the type of sensory depriving medicine? Just wanted to be prepared and informed when I have mine out.

http://smilies.crowd9.com/cwm/cwm/eek5.gif

Heh..I dont' remember much about getting my wisdom's out...that's mostly due to my daddio. He had me pumped up on pain pills and chocolate pudding. Every few hours when I would actually gain back conciousness he'd give me my oills and make me eat more damn pudding.

Oh..make sure your dentist doesn't have large hands. I will say nothing more about that. ;)

My baby sis just got hers out last week. Take this opportunity to indulge in all the things you should have grown out of years ago-snack packs, freeze pops, jello, etc. You'll feel better because you are having so much fun eating fun food!

Also, I remember the fun, floating feeling I had from the laughing gas. Enjoy that, too!

I guess just use the time to spoil yourself and get some rest. Let others wait on you!

Oh, and my mom made my sis do salt rinses, they're supposed to be good for your mouth. Mix warm water and salt and swish around.

Are you refering to Sampson (and Delihla)???

mmm mmm it's not the size of the hands its how he uses them mmmm

I have to have mine out over the winter break. I'm not looking forward to it at all. :(

I just had mine removed earlier this week and I had the same problem, impacted teeth. Basically, you will go to the hospital, get your IV, and they will wheel you into the operating room. As soon as they started with the gas, I was gone. The surgery lasts about 2 hours. My pain was minimal with the help of a lil Oxycodone....LOL.....

As far as after surgery, I would say to use a lot of ice and stick with the jello, applesauce, and ginger ale.

So, my life now sucks even more. Apparently, my wisdom teeth created some pocket in my gum in one spot where bacteria got in, and it decayed one of my teeth under the gum. Now, 4 days before my extraction surgery, I have to have MORE surgery to reshape the gum there, and then a week after my extraction, I have to get a filling in that spot. PLUS I have jury duty on tuesday. This has not been a happy day at all for nucutiepie.

On a side note I will forever love anyone who is able to cheer me up.

nucutiepie, my experience wasn't so bad. I was in my late twenties and:

The bad part-I had to have them cut out in the hospital because one was so near a facial nerve that the dentist feared that my face would be paralyzed if he accidentally hit it.

The good part-although they had to dig out all 4, I never had any post-op pain. Nada. The painkillers went unused.:D

Ouch! Sorry to hear this. :( Is it one of your wisdom teeth that's decayed, or the molar next to it? (I'm assuming the latter because you say you need a filling and how can you get a filling in a tooth that isn't there any more?)

Sorry about the jury duty too. Just tell them during the screening process that you want to give the guy the chair. Especially if it's just some minor little charge. :p