TVCH FORUMS HOME . JOIN . FAN CLUBS . ABOUT US . CONTACT . CHAT  
Bomis   Quick Links   TOPICS . TREE-VIEW . SEARCH . HELP! . NEWS . PROFILE
Wisdom Teeth Extraction!

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2005 Dec. ~ 2006 Feb.: Health Center: Wisdom Teeth Extraction! users admin

Author Message
Way2prissy
Member

07-21-2002

Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 4:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Way2prissy a private message Print Post    
I'm 36 and just found out that my wisdom teeth have to come out! Not a happy girl about this. I'm going with an oral surgeon (sedation dentistry) and everyone tells me I won't feel a thing. BUT I've never spent a day in the hospital and have never been under anesthesia. I'm absolutely petrified of doctors/hospitals etc. Then I heard that they have to break your teeth before they remove them!

The only upside I can see is that I'll be on a liquid diet for 3 days afterward and might lose a few pounds! :-) Plus the drugs and DH waiting on me hand and foot!

Experiences anyone? Please put my mind at ease!

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 5:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
I had mine taken out when I was 30. It was really no biggie. They did not have to break them. Now you never know how you'll do, but I can tell you, I didn't have a problem. I think I even got one dry socket, but even that went away quickly. Just DON'T SUCK STUFF OUT OF A STRAW. (No sucking at all!) Just sip stuff.

Jmm
Moderator

08-16-2002

Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 5:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jmm a private message Print Post    
Way2prissy, My youngest dd had to have a tooth extracted and since her mouth is very sensitive and she's very afraid of dentists, we took her to an oral surgeon for the sedation. We gave her a valium about an hour before the appointment (ask the dentist, he'll give you a prescription for a couple), they took her back to the examining room and hooked her up to the laughing gas, after a couple of minutes they explained that they would be hooking up the i.v. and that she should start counting backwards from 100. She never got to 98 LOL. After they got the tooth out and discontinued the i.v. she was groggily awake in a matter of a few minutes. She never felt anything and had a normal recovery. So you can see that whether or not they have to break your teeth to get them out (they didn't mine), you won't know about it anyway.

About the liquid diet - just remember DO NOT USE A STRAW. Creating suction in your mouth by using a straw (or smoking) can cause a dry socket and you want to avoid that if at all possible.

Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 5:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Schoolmarm a private message Print Post    
Mine were impacted and I got dry sockets and lived through it! I don't wake up very well to anesthesia. You will need someone to drive you home. The liquid diet is a really good idea. I stayed at my cousins' house when I was recovering and they made a yummy dinner. I kept biting my tongue and didn't really enjoy the meal.

You will want to have some kind of ice bags (I love the ace cold pack with the blue cover) or a couple of bags of peas to put on your face.

It really didn't hurt at all. You don't remember a thing! I'm not even sure that I got to 99 on the count down! I think that I was up and working the next day. The dry sockets are annoying and you have to irrigate after you eat anything so you don't have any food irritating the socket. It did hurt to eat with the sockets, but, hey, doesn't that help with the dieting?

It really isn't that bad at all. You will have a swollen or bruised face for a day or so, but that's not so bad!

Mak1
Member

08-12-2002

Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 5:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mak1 a private message Print Post    
I was about 40 when my top wisdom teeth tried to come in. Ow!

Way2, I have to tell you, the surgery was so easy. I was scared, too, until the happy sedation drug hit me. I felt myself falling asleep really fast and then felt myself waking up with cotton in my mouth. I don't know what happened in between, but the teeth are gone. If the teeth have to be broken, it doesn't matter because you'll never know. I was in the recovery room for what seemed like a short time in my drugged drowsy state, then DH drove me home. I slept most of the way and napped a lot that day.

I took the pain pills for a couple days, three at the most. The pain for me wasn't bad at all. I had feared much worse. On the second day, I started eating small amounts of regular food. I mashed it like baby food so I could swallow it without needing to chew.

The oral surgeon will give you some simple post-op instructions. Follow them carefully. I didn't have any problems at all, but some people have suffered with dry sockets.

Best of luck. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry too much.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 7:27 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Not a big deal. The fear you are expressing now will be worse than the reality. The mouth heals really fast. I have had a bunch of ordinary and some fairly gruesome oral surgery. None of them amounted to much pain or trouble. I don't think I even took pain pills for any of them.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 8:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
I had all 4 of mine pulled the same day -- and that afternoon one of my best friends convinced me to go see "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," swearing up and down it wasn't "too" funny! Since this was in the movie theaters at the time, you can see how this dates me -- anyway, we went and I managed not to lose the any of the gauze or anything. I think I had to take tylenol 3 for like a day, but that was it. GOOD LUCK! :-)

Mameblanche
Member

04-13-2005

Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 11:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
Way2Prissy: About 6 years ago I had one wisdom tooth removed, and then about 4 years ago I had one broken back tooth, and the remaining 3 wisdom teeth removed. In both cases I was knocked out (put to sleep with anesthesia by an oral surgeon and I don't remember the pain, thanks to the painkillers I was prescribed. I lived on ENSURE a liquid meal replacement for about a week. I lost weight - my husband made milkshakes for me out of the ENSURE. The only bad thing was that I have a receding chin at the best of times, and all of a sudden I had jowls and puffed out cheeks. I looked like a chipmunk for about a week. LOL. If you are Canadian, like me I always say I looked like Joe Clark (a former Prime Ministers). I went from a receding chin to no chin. LOL. But after a few days, I was fine. And I really don't remember much pain at all. Honest. I am the worlds biggest chicken, so if I aced it, anyone can. Now if we were talking about root canals, then I'd be the one freaking out, I am deathly afraid of those, but then I've never had one, only heard scary things about it. I guess we all have our own dental-demons to face, eh?

Bottom line: You'll be fine. :-)

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 3:41 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
I was 18 when I had mine taken out, but I had to have it done in the hospital because my mouth was so small. (there was a little irony in all that too! LOL) It was even an over night stay back then. Besides the swelling, it was not a big deal.
I had a root canal done in the dentists' office with gas and novacaine, and didn't feel a thing.
You will do fine.

Dfennessey
Member

07-25-2004

Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 8:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dfennessey a private message Print Post    
i had mine out years ago i was not put under I went right to the dentist office i too had dry sockets and had to have an oil and clove wick put it but i survived as well

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 10:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
'Bout a year ago I had to have 12 teeth (all back -- whew!), including three wisdom, pulled. (One other wisdom came out years ago.) Asked the dentist how many in a session? All at one time! Have to admit, I'm not a worrier / anxious about it. He gave me script for four different drugs -- including valium. I didn't think I needed the valium, but he wanted me to take it. All in all, no big deal. No problems. Truly no pain. Wasn't put out at all. My jaws were just numbed with novocaine. No biggie.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 11:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
I had mine out in March, and the surgeon used IV Valium. I don't even REMEMBER any counting backwards. Then they woke me up after the surgery, in a different room, saying my ride had arrived. I asked where I was; the nurse said a recovery room where I sleep off the valium.

As we were walking to the front, I asked the nurse how they managed to carry me in there, and she said "We didn't, you walked."



Seriously, I DO NOT remember anyone talking to me before them waking me nor, and I DEFINITELY don't remember walking anywhere. My memory of the surgery is non-existent, to the point where I wonder even WHY people took valium recreationally in the 60s and 70s.

The dentist gave me Ensure to drink, and a reuseable ice pack. And some prescriptions for painkillers. T3s and Ketoralac (which is like strong Advil, he said).

So I went home, drank my Ensure can (although some dribbled out of my frozen mouth), and fell back asleep. That evening I walked by myself to the pharmacy, and the pharmacist couldn't believe I had gotten my teeth out that morning.

I was ultra-careful about not sucking, and avoiding dry sockets, but they came anyway. Sure they hurt, but the pain killers alleviated all of the pain. You go to the dentist, and they stick some natural "clove" goop in the socket, and the pain stops fairly quickly.

I HATE DENTISTS, I HATE PAIN.....but I would recommend my guy to ANYONE, even after the whole process.

Oh PS - I only had the bottom two taken out, and both were impacted. Only one was broken, and the only reason I know that is that he gave me my teeth in a cup.


Here are my Xrays. As you can see, I only had bottom ones, and one was more impacted than the other.

d

2

And here are my teeth afterward. One came out fine (the most crooked one in the Xray), and the one that looked straighter was just broken into two pieces. No big deal. I felt none of it.
3

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 12:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ... thanks for the details, Eeyores.



Way2prissy
Member

07-21-2002

Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 8:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Way2prissy a private message Print Post    
Wow...thanks everyone...I feel better already. Even Eeyores pics didn't scare me! I'm waiting on my insurance approval so I should be doing it soon. I hope I don't say or do anything stupid when I'm under the influence!

I'll let you know what happens--if I even remember!

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Monday, January 09, 2006 - 9:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
I had an amazing experience recently with anesthesia for surgery -- not dental. I've had general anesthesia a number of times for various surgeries. Coming out of that is no fun due to nausea if nothing else. This last time for a surgical biopsy I only needed twilight. Good stuff!!!! Remember exactly when I was "gone". Remember nothing during. Came out of it and I was eating and drinking immediately after. Dressed 30 minutes after coming out of it. Then walked to pharmacy in the building to get a med. Not allowed to drive home myself, but feel like I could have. Love that twilight!

Bandit
Member

07-29-2001

Monday, January 09, 2006 - 9:44 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Bandit a private message Print Post    
I was 23 when I had it done. I was absolutely terrified, even tried to leave the waiting room, but I went through with it. I was knocked out (and also don't remember anything past 99 when I was counting backwards. Why don't they just tell you to count backwards from 10? LOL) I do remember thinking "What's gonna happen when I get to 1, and I'm still awake?"

After the surgery, I woke up in a wheelchair, very groggy and loads of gauze in my mouth. No pain yet, but it's a little unpleasant when the meds start to wear off. I got a prescription for Vicodin, which was a lifesaver!

For like a week afterwards, I had to rinse with salt water, and I kept taking the medication.

Legalboxer
Member

11-17-2003

Monday, January 09, 2006 - 10:20 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Legalboxer a private message Print Post    
had mine done two weeks before i left for college - all SIX were pulled since there were two baby wisdom teeth behind the upper two as well - went to the dentist's office and was supposed to have the local which only numbs but i was knocked out completely like a real operation until it was over - no biggie

Jagger
Member

08-07-2002

Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - 8:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jagger a private message Print Post    
I had mine removed years ago, but they never put me under, just a little laughing gas and novicane. One of them was growing in sideways so they had to cut that one out along with a piece of my gum or jaw. I had it done at like 4 in the afternoon and went to work the next day, it was no biggy.