I'll be gone for a li' while...

ARGH! Good luck, you should be fine unless you get a dry socket....that would be painful....been there done that!

 

I got my wisdom teeth pulled last year. It wasn't bad. Kind of groggy when you wake up, but you don't remember anything. You will probably sleep most of the day. It only took me 24 hours to recover. Wishing you the best.

Dani

 

It's really not as bad as you think; I had mine done in November and two weeks later I had forgotten that I even had it done!

Just follow their instructions *exactly* as they say and you should be okay (don't spit, don't brush your teeth, smoke or use any straws). If you do any of those things, you'll lose your clot which from what I hear is pretty painful.

Good luck.

 

OMG all 4 at once!

I'm scheduled to have 2 removed (local anesthesia) the 19th and the other 2 a month later; it's all I can do to not cancel the appt right now, I'm so scared.

For those of you who've done it, do you recommend local or general anesthesia?

 

I had all four of mine out a few years back. It took about an hour and I had a large syringe of stuff pumped into my arm. I was fully awak and consious, but I just didn't care about what was going on. The doctor could have said: "Andrew, were going to have to remove your nose" and I wouldn't have cared one bit.

Drugs (the legal kind) are good.

 

Don't worry..the pain from NOT having them out hurts much more than recovery from having them pulled. You will probably be groggy from the meds(especially if they give you Tylenol with Codeine) and have puffy cheeks but that is about it. Also, it is very smart to have them all done at once. I waited until they were bothering me before I had them removed. Boy did I regret that decision. Now you won't ever have to worry about wisdom teeth giving you trouble again. Good luck!

 

I know someone who, like you, regretted waiting.

3 years ago, my dentist suggested removing them even though they never bothered me, even now. Every day I have to convince myself to not cancel the appt, I'm so apprehensive.

I don't like the thought of being put out for it, but neither do I want to see all the pulling and prodding going on...

 

I had all 4 of mine out about 10-11 years ago. I was put under and my dad said he just about had to carry me back into the house 'cuz I was still so out of it.

After the anesthesia wore off, I was okay.. except I looked like a chipmunk with puffy, black and blue cheeks for a few days..

Ozzy.

 

I had all 4 of mine pulled at one time. I had them put me under. I had no insurance and it was quite pricey (It cost a lot more to be put under rather than just having novacaine). When I woke up, I didn't realize they had already done the procedure. I asked them when they were going to do it, and they told me it was already done. I highly recommend being put under.

I was awake enough to walk on my own when we left, and later that night I was feeling much better. The experience was not that bad.

 

I also got put under and had all 4 cut out. When I came to in the recovery room, I had somehow managed to get myself on my side. I didn't have enough strength to move, but I somehow managed to get the annoying oxygen tube out of my nose. I laid there waiting for my strength to return and the drugs to wear off. And all I kept hearing was this whining/crying that was driving me nuts. I kept trying to look behind me, but could barely lift my head off the pillow. After about what seemed like an hour I was ready to smother this whining person. Finally I was able to roll over and.... nobody else was in the room but me. I kind of gasped/caught my breath and the whining stopped.

I had a good laugh at my own expense. Then they came in put the oxygen tube back in my nose and gave me a shot of Demerol. Off to lala land.

I did end up walking out on my own power a few hours later (after the wheelchair trip to the front door).

I really didn't have any problems, but do what they tell you for as long as they tell you, don't think your all better in a couple of days and stop, you'll regret it.

 

Rina,

I would avoid general anesthesia if possible. There's no need for you to put your life at risk for minor, minor surgery. I also recommend having all 4 taken out at the same time - as soon as possible.

I had local anesthesia. It did not hurt at all, but I did feel a curious pulling sensation as he pulled the teeth out. It took about an hour b/c I had complications from waiting so long. Because I waited until I was 23, my roots had grown curved/entangled and the DMD had to break the teeth apart just to get the roots out. It was long for me. So - do it sooner than later and all at once. It should be done when one is a teen.

As far as pain, it is not bad. Just get Percodan or codine and you'll be fine. As a matter of fact, I took only one dose of Percodan because the discomfort from that pill (I hate drugs) was worse than the ache from the surgery.

I did sleep a lot and was puffy for about 3 days.

The worst feeling, though, was the "itch" and nervous stimulation I got when my other teeth began to settle back into place sans the wisdom teeth. That drove me crazy and lasted about two weeks after the surgery. It didn't hurt but felt "itchy".



But it was all better than when the wisdom teeth were there and getting infected! YUCK!!!!

 

Thanks for all the info...

Matty, forgive me for hijacking your thread.

I'll stick with the local because I've never had general & I truly dislike the idea.

I'm 28, but my wisdom teeth are perfectly straight to the amazement of my dentist, so that was my excuse for delaying it all these years. But what I'm hearing from this board & in "real life" is don't wait till I have a problem.

I'll keep the appointment, but have him get it over with all at once.

 

Rina, I'm not a dentist, but let me toss over an opposing view:

I'm 41 years old and have never had my wisdom teeth removed. They never bothered me, and they sit happily in my mouth and fit perfectly right alongside the other molars. I do not buy into the fiction that you "should" have your wisdom teeth removed no matter what. It wasn't too many years ago that children had their tonsils removed in order to forego potential problems; of course, today we understand that tonsils are just fine to keep, and almost nobody has them removed anymore. Not every dentist would advocate having your wisdom teeth removed, by the way. In fact, the American Dental Association advises (direct quote) "Wisdom teeth are a valuable asset to the mouth when they are healthy and properly positioned." They go on to say, however, that when there are problems with their positioning that removal may be helpful. Here is that link:

http://www.ada.org/public/topics/wisdom.html

In my case, I never had any problems whatsoever, so I assume that my wisdom teeth are "a valuable asset" per the ADA. I question the motivation of any health professional who would recommend the extraction of perfectly healthy teeth as a preventative measure. Please consider seeking independent second opinions.

Again, if your wisdom teeth fit well and feel well, then you may want to reconsider risking the possible side effects of such extraction which may include: infection, injury to teeth, dry socket, nerve numbness, sinus complications, root fragments, jaw fracture, and TMJ pain. Please don't simply "keep your appointment" because you feel as if you have somehow wronged your dentist by not undergoing this procedure so far. Instead, cancel your appointment and spend a few months researching the matter so that your opinion will be fact-based rather than obligation-based.

It's my hope that I can at least be one dissenting voice that at least helps you to question what you have apparently heretofore felt was just another life milestone -- just another one of those things you're "supposed to do" like paying taxes and getting auto insurance. I wish you the best, of course, no matter which way you go with this.

Doc

P.S. I just read one more page, this one by the California Dental Association, which advises that even healthy impacted (i.e., healthy wisdom teeth that are there but never grow enough to "poke through" the gums) shouldn't be automatically removed. Moreover in their list of false myths, this appears: "Everyone's wisdom teeth should come out sooner or later." That gets a round "FALSE" from the California Dental Association. Here's the link:

http://www.cda.org/articles/wisdomteeth.htm

 

Doc, I can't agree with you more!


I think most people have problems with them and HAVE to have them removed. In my case, they were growing in at an angle because my mouth wasn't big enough for them to fit.

But there are definitely many people who have no need to have them removed.

 

Thanks for the info & the email, Randy. I'll definitely get a couple more opinions before proceeding.

 

I had all 4 wisdom teeth cut out 5 years ago. It wasn't so bad, but that may be because I was put under with an IV--my memory of the event jumps from watching the specks on the ceiling swim around to my mom sitting me at the kitchen table with a bag of ice on each side of my face. Apparently I had a whole conversation with the receptionist on the way out; I don't remember a thing. And of course, the Vicodin they gave me for afterwards wasn't so bad, either. ;o)

You'll be fine, Matty. Good luck!

 

I also had mine out and elected to go under...lol. No way I could sit there and hear them trying to yank them out! It must have been a bad experience because I woke up with tears rolling down my cheeks, but I didn't remember a thing so it was okay...lol.

BTW, Doc...I always wanted my tonsils out so I could eat all the icecream I wanted!


L <---still with tonsils