Wisdom teeth?

OtherHD · #1 Postby **OtherHD** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:17 pm

I'm going to be scheduling tomorrow to get my bottom two wisdom teeth removed in the near future, and I was wondering who here has had the procedure done. I know the basics of what goes on, how it is basically surgery and you get the IV, put to sleep, etc., but not much else. Both wisdom teeth are above the gum line and I've never experienced any pain with them, but they are coming in very crooked (at about a 45 degree angle). I have heard that if they are above the gum line, like mine, that the surgeon would not have to do much cutting below the gums. Is that true? How much pain is involved? Will have that swollen lip sensation like when you get fillings put in? I asked my dentist what goes on and he said "You don't want to know." If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have ASKED. duh. Thanks for your responses!

EDIT: Changed "butting" to "cutting". :roll:

stormraiser · #2 Postby **stormraiser** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:20 pm

I can ask my wife. I have all four of mine and have room for another four. She has a smaller mouth and had a similar problem to you, but I don't know what happened, because it was before we met.

#3 Postby **Stephanie** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:23 pm

Hey there!

I had all of mine out. The two top ones came out on two different occassions. The bottom two came out the same day. I remember Marty having to come in because I didn't want to wake up - now I know why!! Your jaw will swell out for a few days - it's kind of ugly. As far as the pain, just be happy that you're probably going to get pain killers laced with codiene or percocet. All you will do is sleep through the pain. Mine were coming in at a 45 degree angle themselves and only a little nub was showing, so they had to be cut out. If you are lucky enough just to have them pulled, it probably won't be as bad, but it will still hurt and again, you'll be thankful for the pain medication! :eek:

Good luck!

#4 Postby **azskyman** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:24 pm

Hello there OTHERHD!

While I don't envy the day you have ahead of you, I wouldn't worry much about it. The procedure and surgery will be taken care of without feeling any pain whatsoever. You will have a hard time believing it is even over when you wake up.

On the other hand, it is not a pleasant experience and for a few days your jaw will be sore and there will be swelling. Not a pleasant taste in your mouth either...and of course, don't get to close to others because your breath will not be its freshest.

After a couple of days the healing will begin and then it is just a case of being careful what you eat and how you rinse. You'll want to avoid damaging the soft tissue that forms before it actually has a chance to heal over...in other words, you'll want to avoid "dry sockets."

All in all, the procedure is nothing much and the recovery is more an inconvenience than anything else....but it is not a pleasant experience.

You'll be glad in a week when things are returning to more normal.

Good luck to you....and don't worry, you can still be smart even without wisdom teeth!

OtherHD · #5 Postby **OtherHD** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:30 pm

Thanks guys. What about school? Will it be wise to go to school while I'm healing or is it best advised to stay home for a few days afterwards? It's an important time of the year with exemptions from finals, so I don't want to miss too much...

ColdFront77 · #6 Postby **ColdFront77** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:42 pm

I got mine removed in February of 1999, nearly three years after graduating high school. I remember coming home with gauze
in my mouth watching Clinton's Impeachment Proceedings... of all things.

#7 Postby **Stephanie** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:47 pm

Try and have the appointment scheduled for a Thursday (with Friday off from school) or Friday. This way it'll give you a few days to get back to normal. The next day inparticular will be a wasted day.

Stormsfury · #8 Postby **Stormsfury** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:51 pm

I just had a tooth extracted last Friday morning (intense pain Thursday night and Becky ended up taking care of me AND calling in to my work Friday morning) ... but it wasn't for a wisdom tooth ...

I have had my upper two wisdom teeth out, and by far, they are the ones (wisdom teeth) that generally give you the most discomfort ... dentistry has moved in leaps and bounds and probably the worst thing you'll experience during the procedure is the novacaine shot ... the extraction generally is feeling some pressure but is usually not real bad ... You MIGHT have some discomfort afterwards as the novacaine wears off, and your dentist will likely prescribe you something like Darvicet and/or recommend that you take some ibuprofen (over-the-counter) if you experience some discomfort afterwards ... (which you will probably have some for 24 hours or so).

1) You are not supposed to smoke, or drink through a straw for 24 hours ... you do NOT want to get DRY SOCKET ...

2) After 24 hours (next morning), gargle your mouth with warm, salt water (like you would if you had a sore throat) ...

3) Eat soft foods/liquid diet for 24 hours ...

They will put gauges where the extractions take place, and it is recommended you leave those in for 30 minutes, before taking out. I leave mine in pretty much all day ...

Also, I would recommend at least a day off, maybe two, if you experience more discomfort than normal ...

SF

sunnyday · #9 Postby **sunnyday** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:08 pm

I had 2 ingrown (below the gum) and 2 above the gum wisdom teeth removed at the same time. I never felt any pain at all and was eating light foods by that night. I do have a high pain tolerance, though, and I've heard that some people experience pain. When our son had his removed, he got very sick and threw up a lot from the anesthetic. Time has shown that anesthesia always makes him sick, tho. This seems to be one procedure that varies a bit from person to person. I never felt any pain from root canals, either.

azsnowman · #10 Postby **azsnowman** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:09 pm

Not to scare ya or nuthin like that, but when I had mine out, it HURT like a SOB! Course, I'm a BIG baby anyways "LOL!" I'd take a coupla days to recover!

Dennis

breeze · #11 Postby **breeze** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:28 pm

I had ALL of mine removed at once. Whatever
you do, don't use a straw to drink for at least
a week (or smoke, which, I assume you don't,
HD), or the wrath of the DRY SOCKET FROM HELL
will descend upon you. That, my friend, ain't
funny! Otherwise, you should do fine.

#12 Postby **Stephanie** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:33 pm

breeze wrote:I had ALL of mine removed at once. Whatever
you do, don't use a straw to drink for at least
a week (or smoke, which, I assume you don't,
HD), or the wrath of the DRY SOCKET FROM HELL
will descend upon you. That, my friend, ain't
funny! Otherwise, you should do fine.

I think with that, he's just going to leave them in there... :lol:

It DOES HURT THOUGH! :eek:

OtherHD · #13 Postby **OtherHD** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:38 pm

Ok, you have sparked my morbid interests. What's a dry socket?

breeze · #14 Postby **breeze** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:47 pm

A dry socket occurs when the blood clot
that forms in the socket to aid healing is
dislodged prematurely for the extraction site.
This is why the dentist asks you not to
rinse after the extraction and has you
bite on the gauze instead. You can
prevent a dry socket by not rinsing
vigorously for the first 24 hours. Also,
smoking and drinking through a straw
should also be avoided for at least
24 to 48 hours after the extraction since
they interfere with the healing process.
You may eat after but once again,
preferably soft kinds of food for 24 hours
(luke warm soup, muffins, etc.) Brushing
should be avoided in the area for the first day as well.

Never fear, HD - NurseBreeze is here! :lol:

#15 Postby **azskyman** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:47 pm

Not sure what the medical description of a dry socket is...but I always assumed that it could occur if you broke through the soft tissue that grows over the extraction space. Air can get in there and that's where the pain can grow. Thus no straws.

I'd take off a couple of days. You won't feel that good.

Like some of the others, I had all 4 at once. Looked like a chipmunk for a few days.

azsnowman · #16 Postby **azsnowman** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:58 pm

A dry socket takes a LONG, LONG, LONG time to heal and HURT, MAN, they hurt.....feeling better Lyle?

Dennis

sunnyday · #17 Postby **sunnyday** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 10:00 pm

You guys should use my doctor; I honestly had no pain. I'm sorry you all had problems.

Miss Mary · #18 Postby **Miss Mary** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 10:28 pm

Hey HD - you've been given good advice here. I had a wisdom tooth pulled about 15 years ago (and several teeth as a child pulled, that was back in the dark ages of ether, nasty stuff). I don't recall having severe pain afterwards, I did develop a dry socket and was told afterwards there was nothing I could have done to prevent it, although I was following hygeine instructions to the letter.

I will tell you though, as I was facing my first colon surgery back in 1999, and going thru my battery of pre-op tests (EKG, Cat Scan, blood work, chest xray), I was asked if I had had surgery before. I rattled off a few D & C's (female procedures), and oral surgery. Response I got back was - mmmm, and then I said again - I've had ORAL SURGERY! Again, mmmmm, she finally said well that's not really surgery......in a few days after my colon resection, I knew precisely what she meant! What I thought was 'real' surgery, wasn't what they considered 'surgery'. I was in terrible pain! Hope that helps you out some. In other words, it's considered a minor procedure and will hopefully give you minor discomfort. Good luck. Check in with us when you feel up to it. I certainly don't want to deminish your concern, if you've never had oral surgery before, you don't have anything to compare it to. It is a procedure that is done hundreds or thousands of times, with no complications. My youngest who just got a full set of braces almost needed oral surgery first. She was sweating it, and was quite relieved not to need it.

Mary

#19 Postby **coriolis** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 10:32 pm

Good luck OHD! Let us know how you make out. I'm sure it will turn out fine. I'm facing some dental work too, but since this is your thread, I'll save my story for another one.

#20 Postby **DaylilyDawn** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 11:21 pm

Afraid I can't help you there. My wisdom teeth are upside down and embedded in the bone of my jaw. If they ever give me problems I will have to have surgery to remove them.

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