Have a consultation this week for wisdom teeth removal, how bad is it?

[Linflas]

I've been putting off getting my wisdom teeth taken out for awhile now. It feels like I have no room in the back of my mouth, and I'm constantly chewing on my cheeks. One wisdom tooth on the bottom has barely poked through, leaving an area for food particles to get trapped. So for the past 2 years I have been chewing exclusively on one side of my mouth to avoid any infections. I need to put an end to this misery.

Every 3 months when I visit the dentist he writes down recommend extraction <whatever the technical terms are for upper and lower wisdom teeth>. This has been going on since 1997 but unlike almost anything else medical dentists scare the hell out of me and the idea of having teeth yanked are highest on that list of things I don't want to deal with. :$

 

[abaez]

I had all four of mine pulled out. I had to go because the tooth was eventually pushing up into my cheekbone causing tremendous pain and pressure. I didn't get anything except Novocaine I think and was awake the whole time. Apparently my teeth were huge and were not straight so he had to break up two teeth into four pieces to get it all pulled out.

After about taking two hours to pull out two the sides of my mouth were raw from all of the rubbing. He asked if I wanted to come back later to pull out the other two and I was like hell no get it done. I think he was annoyed by this and he seemed to be a little more frustrated and careless the last two and it hurt pretty bad. I didn't care though because the pressure relief from that tooth pushing up into my cheek was so worth it.

Recovery was pretty quick.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Good to hear that the recovery time isn't very long - I'm getting my consultation today (I think my bottom two are impacted while my top two are straighter).

 

[Blackjack200]

It varies widely from person to person, I guess having to do with how "set" your teeth are in your jaw.

For me I was put totally out for the procedure and the pain was severe for a few days. They definitely gave me pain pills, and I couldn't eat solid food -at all- for a good 4-5 days. I was swallowing mini-raviolis whole to get some decent food in my stomach.


Other people are back at work the next day..

Indeed. I was lucky. I also took the twilight option and can remember being in the chair and watching the dentist pound away at the teeth (all 4) with what seemed like a hammer and chisel. I can just remember thinking 'damn, I bet that would hurt like crazy if I didn't have all these drugs in me.'

They gave me percocets but I didn't need them at all. After the drugs from the surgery wore off there was a dull ache that just lasted a few hours. I went back to work the same day.

My sister had her whole face swell up and she was out of work for a week.

 

[Ruptga]

It wasn't that bad for me. I had all four taken out, though none were impacted. The worst part was trying to eat entirely with my front teeth for a few days. Oh, and I was SO high when I woke up. Definitely don't try to drive afterward, and tell your driver to ignore any great ideas you may have immediately afterward.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. Don't be a man, take the pain pills for a few days after. You might want to punch yourself in the face if you don't.

 

[Maximus96]

i'm 32 and still haven't removed mine. i think all 4 are pointing towards the front (impacted?) Regular dentist mentioned that I could just leave them there but one of my front lower tooth is no longer straight...

 

[moshquerade]

I have 3 horizontal bony impacted wisdom teeths. So what is the removal like? Is gas or IV better? Sleep or no Sleep?

Punted from P&N to OT
-ViRGE

you wouldn't happen to have your xray would you?

as far as your "how bad is it" question, results/answers will vary.
i had all four of mine removed using just novocaine (lidocaine). took one dose of pain killer immediately after returning home and then none thereafter as it wasn't that bad.

i don't think anything anyone tells you here is going to be right for you. your surgeon and your level of fear will be your guide.

 

[MotF Bane]

Take your drugs, and use icepacks - get the nice ones with the strap so you can hook it on your head and have your hands free.

I have never watched so much Military/History channel before in my life.

 

[silverpig]

I had a local, all 4 out, and had a scrip for tylenol 3s. I only ended up taking maybe 4 of them, and ate turkey dinner two days later.

I did bleed and drool all over my pillow that first night though.

It's odd because when you're awake you can't feel the pain of anything, but you can still feel enough to know what the doc is doing. Slice gums open, use a scraper thing to pull them down, then drill away some bone, then stick a mini pry-bar in there and pop the sucker out. One of mine flew across and hit the nurse in the chest, then bounced along the floor across the room.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Every 3 months when I visit the dentist he writes down recommend extraction <whatever the technical terms are for upper and lower wisdom teeth>. This has been going on since 1997 but unlike almost anything else medical dentists scare the hell out of me and the idea of having teeth yanked are highest on that list of things I don't want to deal with. :$

I'm actually not afraid of dentists at all...I'm afraid of the procedure. Since I have 2 that are impacted, they need to cut down to the bone. The surgeon said there is like a 1% chance that they could damage the nerves causing permanent numbness. It's probably a warning statement that he has to give all his patients, but still...

There's also the fact that my shitty insurance is going to make me pay $800 for all 4 to be removed. Being a self supported college student, $800 is hard to come by