Wisdom teeth extraction

[fireheart]

I'm apparaently now needing to get my wisdom teeth removed now. And of course I'm a little freaked out.
What should I expect with the procedure?

[Parrothead]

You will be loopy right after. One of the meds (either pain or antibiotic, can't remember) they gave me had hydrocloric acid in it, and that doesn't play nice with dairy. don't mess with the stitches.


The process itself? Count back from ten, then you're in a wheelchair in another room and the Dr is telling your ride what to look out for, and your mouth is a little sore.

[chrislb]

I had 4 of them removed at the same time when I was 18. They knocked me out cold to remove them and gave me some really good painkillers before I awoke after the operation.
I couldn't feel my face the rest of the day. They also gave me some pain pills that would last a few days afterwards. There was some gauze in my mouth to stop the bleeding.
I was told not to smoke or I would get dry socket. I don't know what that is but it sounds painful.
I was also told not to eat solid food for at least two to three days after the operation to give my mouth time to heal. So you should probably make sure you have plenty of soft things to eat. Pudding and protein shakes are what I survived on. It sucked, especially since I was still in high school at the time. At least the pain pills made me feel good.

[fireheart]

:lol: Now I understand that zits comic where the nurse/doctor is asking Pierce how he's feeling and his head's a balloon :p (Wisdom teeth)

I don't smoke and I don't drink much.

Is it just Day Surgery?

[MaggieTheCat]

It sounds like the two above posters were put totally under for their procedure. I was not. I was given a few shots of a local anesthetic in my mouth (in the gums) to numb the areas around the teeth and they pulled them while I was awake. Whether you go completely under, or just get a local anesthetic, will depend 1) on how bad your wisdom teeth are looking and 2) how you can handle the procedure. Some people get so freaked out that even if their teeth aren't in real bad shape, they request to be put under anyway.

My advice (and this is just my opinion) is to NOT get general anesthetic unless you absolutely need it. It is ALWAYS better for the body to get local anesthetic, it doesn't mess with your system as much or for as long. If you get a local anesthetic, then yes, the injection in the mouth do sting, but they aren't too bad and once the anesthetic starts taking effect (usually about 10-20 minutes after the injection) then you won't feel anything except a little pressure in the mouth. No pain, though.

My wisdom teeth came in perfectly straight and healthy. The only reason I had them removed (at age 26) was because they are so far back in the mouth that they are hard to clean and mine were starting to get cavities. So it was either get fillings (and then probably more fillings eventually and possibly having them removed at a later date due to not being able to clean them properly) or get them removed. I opted to have them removed.

One of them was pretty bad, it had rotted down almost to the gum line. The other three were still in good shape. The one that was badly rotted took about 15 minutes to remove. The other 3 took about 1-2 minutes each. In other words, it is not a difficult or long procedure unless you have complications.

Do you know why you are having your wisdom teeth removed? Are they impacted or crooked? If that is the case, the procedure may take longer since they may have to do a little more work to extract them.

As far as recovery goes, dry socket is the biggest concern. After you have the teeth extracted, a blood clot will start to form over the wound. That blood clot needs to stay there for a while (a week, or two? I don't remember exactly) so the wound can heal. If you do anything that makes a "sucking" motion in your mouth, like smoking or drinking out of a straw, the pressure of that motion can dislodge the blood clot that has formed. This is called dry socket, and it is EXTREMELY painful, from what I understand. (I've never had it but my dentist warned me up and down about it and how to avoid it.) Just don't smoke/drink from a straw for 1-2 weeks at least after the procedure, and you should be fine.

Immediately after the extraction, you will have gauze in your mouth covering all of the empty tooth sockets. The bleeding should start to clot almost immediately; within 10 minutes after my procedure, the bleeding had slowed down a lot and almost stopped. They will send you home with extra gauze that you can use. The wounds will still "ooze" blood for about 24 hours after the procedure, but the large amounts of bleeding should stop within 1-2 hours after the procedure. You can also use a wet tea bag to help stop the bleeding if it's still bleeding a lot after an hour or so.

For about the first day or two, you will not want to brush your teeth around the extraction areas or rinse with mouth wash. You want those clots to form so the areas can heal. You will want to rinse with warm salt water, though, just to rinse the blood out of your mouth.

I was eating solid food the same night I came home (granted, it was soft solid food -- macaroni and cheese -- but it was solid.) I've heard of people who can eat steak dinners the day after their extractions. It will all depend on how you're feeling and how bad your wisdom teeth were to begin with. It's not a bad idea to have some liquid food, or at least soft food, available for the first day or so in case you don't feel like chewing much.

You will be given pain medicine. Use it at your discretion; I never had to use mine, but I did take ibuprofen a few times. The stuff they give you will be stronger, prescription pain medicine so use it if you're hurting a lot, or can't sleep at night.

Make sure you have someone to drive you home after the procedure. You shouldn't be driving (or walking), even if you just got a local anesthetic, since you'll be a little disoriented. Our dentist lives about a mile up the road from us so I walked to their office for my procedure, but they wouldn't let me walk home and instead, one of the receptionists drove me since I live so close.

Try not to get too freaked out over it. Dentists and oral surgeons do wisdom teeth extractions all the time, so they have lots of practice, and there's very little that can go wrong. Good luck, I hope the extractions go well. :)

[MaggieTheCat]

Is it just Day Surgery?

If you are just getting your wisdom teeth removed (no fillings or anything) and there are no complications, you should be out of there in 1-2 hours. If your teeth are impacted or crooked and the procedure takes longer, you could be there for a couple more hours, but I've never heard of anyone getting their wisdom teeth removed who needed to spend the night at the clinic/hospital.

[Geek King]

When I've had teeth out (twice, once for spacing, second for Wisdom teeth that only came in halfway), they actually put me out and stitched the gums shut with thread that deteriorates in saliva over time. By the time it fails, the gums have healed enough to not come apart again. I never got the warnings against straws and the like, so maybe the stitching doesn't have that issue. They put me under both times because my roots tend to wrap more fully around the mounting points, so they're a bit of a pain for the dentist to get out. They have to break the roots off, then remove them seperately. I still only took a couple of pain pills, and had no need for them past that. All-in-all, not too bad other than being told to stay off my feet as much as possible due to the knockout juice working its way out of the system.

[Dreamstalker]

I got a general for my wisdom teeth because two were coming in sideways :eek: It only took a few hours, I was back at work in about 3 days and oddly, iced coffee (minus the straw) helped immensely. I had soft stitches that eventually worked their way out; it was strange spitting out bits of string for a few days.

[Raveni]

Be sure to confirm with the dentist any medications or pain relievers BEFORE they start. My wife was so loopy after the procedure, she thought that her pain meds were once every 8 hours instead of once every 3 hours. She was in a lot of pain until I got a look at the bottle.

[trailerparkmedic]

There's another option called conscious sedation. You aren't knocked out entirely but you do take a pill that makes you relaxed and sleepy and you forget about most of what happened. I had conscious sedation for my root canal earlier this year, and aside from needing to take the day off to sleep, it had no other effects. My dentist has suggested conscious sedation for my wisdom teeth removal because he doesn't do general anesthesia.

You'll probably get a prescription pain medication to take at home. For at least the first day, take it as often as you can (probably every 4 hours), even if your pain isn't horrible. It's easier to manage pain by taking medication on a schedule rather than waiting for the pain to come to a point where you're miserable and then taking the medication.

[Blue Ginger]

Perfect excuse to eat Aeroplane Jelly. :D Just remember to make it the day before you get them out.

I had 3 out a couple of years ago. I was missing my 4th. :confused: I had to be totally knocked out but that was because the bottom 2 were growing sideways and they had to remove part of the bone to get at them. :lol: They did the stitches that dissolve for me too.

My only problem was recovering from whatever they used to knock me out. But my whole family react oddly to the 'good' drugs. :D Took me 3 days to recover and then I was fine.

The hospital I went to gave me 'Mersyndol' as the pain killer. Actually they gave me a choice of that and another one that I had never had. I use Mersyndol to treat my migraines so I knew how it worked for me. Only had to use it for the first few days then switched to paracetamol for a couple more.

I will suggest taking multi vitamins or Berrocca to balance out the antibiotics. Only because you probably won't eat very well for a couple of days after and antibiotics can take a lot out of you.

[Seshat]

Mine was a worst-case sort of scenario, and prompted my mother to have my brother's mouth x-rayed asap. My wisdom teeth had come in crooked, without enough room, and the roots were wrapping around everything in sight.

They broke my jaw to get my teeth out.

So I had general anaesthesia, and I spent a week going from a state of extreme pain and bed rest and being this sick mess to being still sick but mobile. Took about a month for me to heal up properly.

I can still feel sensitivity in some of the former sockets, but it's a lot better than the alternative!

[fireheart]

My wisdom teeth came in perfectly straight and healthy. The only reason I had them removed (at age 26) was because they are so far back in the mouth that they are hard to clean and mine were starting to get cavities. So it was either get fillings (and then probably more fillings eventually and possibly having them removed at a later date due to not being able to clean them properly) or get them removed. I opted to have them removed.
Do you know why you are having your wisdom teeth removed? Are they impacted or crooked? If that is the case, the procedure may take longer since they may have to do a little more work to extract them.


I'm having mine done for the same reason you were. They haven't rotted completely, but they're getting close to.
My dentist is located close to a bus station and that bus gets off near my house so I can possibly get away with bussing it home.

Be sure to confirm with the dentist any medications or pain relievers BEFORE they start. My wife was so loopy after the procedure, she thought that her pain meds were once every 8 hours instead of once every 3 hours. She was in a lot of pain until I got a look at the bottle.

Thanks for that. I might also have to be reminded about my own meds :p

There's another option called conscious sedation. You aren't knocked out entirely but you do take a pill that makes you relaxed and sleepy and you forget about most of what happened. I had conscious sedation for my root canal earlier this year, and aside from needing to take the day off to sleep, it had no other effects. My dentist has suggested conscious sedation for my wisdom teeth removal because he doesn't do general anesthesia.

You'll probably get a prescription pain medication to take at home. For at least the first day, take it as often as you can (probably every 4 hours), even if your pain isn't horrible. It's easier to manage pain by taking medication on a schedule rather than waiting for the pain to come to a point where you're miserable and then taking the medication.

That may be the option I'll go down-I've been under general anesthetic before (when I was 5/6 and broke my arm :p) and I really didn't like the feeling. I don't know if it will be done at the clinic I go to or if the oral surgeon does it elsewhere. If it's done at the clinic, they do provide the option of "sleep dentistry" which generally involves sedation either via gas or IV.

Based upon the last time I had to have teeth pulled (for my braces), I freaked out when the needle went in for the local. Also on top of that, although the needle was meant to be for each side, every time I did, the numbness sensation would only come in on one side of my mouth.

Conscious sedation might be the better option, although it may mean having someone (friend/boyfriend etc.) taking me home afterwards.

[AnaKhouri]

Everyone else has given you better advice than I could, except for this:

DO NOT get a milkshake within 24 hours of the surgery. Drinking a milkshake when your mouth is sore is great, until you look down and see that your milkshake is now filled with blood.

[BlaqueKatt]

My dentist is located close to a bus station and that bus gets off near my house so I can possibly get away with bussing it home.

not a real good idea to do alone, on the off chance any complications arise.

[fireheart]

Everyone else has given you better advice than I could, except for this:

DO NOT get a milkshake within 24 hours of the surgery. Drinking a milkshake when your mouth is sore is great, until you look down and see that your milkshake is now filled with blood.

:eek: :roll:

Sorry that's disgusting but damn funny.

Thanks for the warning about jelly though. Fortunately we're starting to warm up around here, so I have an excuse for icecream and iceblocks. :D
As for the Aeroplane Jelly, they have Create-Your-Own Jelly, so you can mix up your favourite drink within. (You can't put pineapple, kiwi or pawpaw in it because it doesn't set) So I might do some Vanilla Coke Jelly :D

Blaque, when I find out the date for it, I might get lucky and my boyfriend could possibly get away with taking the day off, but we'll see. As we're not a de facto relationship, it might be a bit more complex. (We've been dating for 2 years)

[fma_fanatic]

I had one removed when I was still in high school. I took the bus to the dentist, he yanked it, then I went on to summer band camp. Shoulda gone home, I couldn't play my clarinet worth a darn.

The other two were removed a few years later. Yanked and that was it. I only had 3 total.

I've got an extraction coming up and I'm not looking forward to it. My dentist doesn't do extractions, so he's sent me to an oral surgeon who said it'll be easy. I'm dragging the husband with me because I know I'll feel better with him there.

[trailerparkmedic]

Fireheart, the conscious sedation I took is a pill. IV or gas is probably a general anesthetic.

If things are set up like they are in the US, you will NOT be able to go home without an escort. I had to provide the name and phone number of my ride before my appointment and I was in no shape to get myself home (car, bus, bike, or any other way that involved my own judgement).

[fireheart]

Fireheart, the conscious sedation I took is a pill. IV or gas is probably a general anesthetic.

If things are set up like they are in the US, you will NOT be able to go home without an escort. I had to provide the name and phone number of my ride before my appointment and I was in no shape to get myself home (car, bus, bike, or any other way that involved my own judgement).

If it's being done at the clinic, they only do gas or IV.

Things are set up a little bit different, it depends on whether you're sedated or not or whether you're using local or general. For insatnce, when I had the implanon put in, I had a local and was told I couldn't drive. They let me sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes afterwards as recovery. I bussed it home after that.

[MaggieTheCat]

If yours came in straight and there's no complications, it's going to be a piece of cake, seriously.

I actually had my wisdom teeth taken out over the course of 3 visits. The first I had made mainly for my husband, who lost one of his crowns and needed an emergency visit to get a new one fitted. I asked if they could see me at the same time, since I knew my one rotted wisdom tooth was in bad shape and would likely need to come out. The dentist took a look at it and said, "Yup, it needs to come out, want me to do that for you today?" I was like, "Uh sure" and half an hour later I was one tooth short.

Since that was an "emergency" visit they didn't do anything else but the dentist advised me to come back soon to have the rest of them taken out, as well as have some fillings done. I asked if they could do everything on one side of my mouth one day, and everything on the other side two weeks later, so I could still chew reasonably well in the meantime.

So the next time I went back, I had some fillings done, then it was time for the extraction. The dentist poked my gums a bit to make sure I was still numb enough (from the fillings) for the extraction. Then I saw him pick up a tool so I opened my mouth and closed my eyes -- I don't like to have my eyes open for anything they do, it helps if I just close my eyes and try to relax. I felt a slight pressure in my mouth, then the dentist leaned back and the nurse stuffed some gauze in my mouth and told me to sit up. I was like, "Uh, is this gonna take long?" And the dentist was like, "Nope, you're all done! Here's your tooth, wanna see it?" And I seriously didn't believe it was over till he actually showed me the tooth. I hadn't felt ANYTHING and it took him less than 20 seconds to actually pull it.

The third time, I had the rest of the fillings and the last two wisdom teeth pulled. I think both of the extractions took maybe 5-10 minutes? I was a little out of it because they had to give me extra Novocain (or whatever) for that one, apparently I'm a bit more sensitive on that side of the mouth, and one of the extractions did hurt a little when he pulled it, but it was over so fast that it was really more uncomfortable than anything.

[Sapphire Silk]

General anesthetic involves the use of inhaled anesthesia. Patients are usuall intubated for General (the sole exception being nitrous oxide, which is still used some in dental procedures), though some procedures can be done on an outpatient basis.

Moderate sedation (formerly conscious sediation) involves the use of IV anesthetics. Versed and an opiate are most commonly used. These are out patient procedures than can be done in doctor's office but do require special monitoring equipment (ECG monitor, BP, pulse oximetry monitor, and available oxygen as well as reversal agents for the drugs).

Local anesthetics are injected into soft tissues and/or a specific nerve. Novocaine (a variant of lidocaine) is commonly used in dental procedures (the usual nerve involved is the 7th cranial nerve, or Facial nerve).

Regional anesthetics involve injecting medication in large nerves or nerve roots and producing numbness over a large body area. An example include a pudendal block, or numbing the pudendal nerve via the vagina during childbirth to numb the perineum.

Wisdom teeth are usually extracted using a local (sometimes with inhaled nitrous, though this is falling out of favor in dentistry due to complications). It's no worse than getting any other tooth pulled.

If the wisdom teeth are impacted (growing in the wrong direction, usually against other teeth or into the jaw) the moderate sedation is often used.

General is rare, for situations such as Seshat described.

Ask the oral surgeon what kind of anesthesia he plans to use and what to expect for recovery.

With any kind of anesthetic that impacts consciousness, expect to be loopy, sleeping and tired for a day or two after the procedure. You should not be alone for 24 hours after the procedure, and of course should not drive or do anything requiring alertness. You can and should take pain medication as needed. Be alert for nausea and vomiting during the period, and if too unsteady on the feet, make sure your caregiver is available to assist you to the bathroom.

Dry socket happens when the blood clot gets accidentally sucked out of the now empty socket. The socket gets inflamed and sometimes infected from the over dryness that results. It is very painful. Be very careful not to make a sucking motion with your mouth to avoid this; no straws!

Avoid dairy products for the first 24 hours to avoid nausea that is sometimes a complication of generals or moderate sedation. Stick to clear liquids only: broth, jello, juice, water.

A neat trick my mother used when I had my wisdom teeth out: she took 2 knee socks, filled them with ice, tied them together, and looped them across the top of my head so the ice rested against the sides of my mouth. Ice for the first 24 to 48 hours will prevent post op swelling and reduce pain.

[fma_fanatic]

^^^

And this is why Panacea is teh awesome :D Thank you for the explanation.



I mean it in all seriousness. Sometimes it takes someone who knows about this kind of stuff for it to make sense.

[Primer]

I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 17 simply because there was not enough room for them in my jaws. I was given a choice as to whether I wanted a local or to be put under. I opted to be put under. The dentist did not have me do any counting, but I do remember him saying, "It ought to be starting to take effect by now." I looked up at the clock on the wall, saw two clocks, and the next thing I remember was being in their little "recovery room" after it was all over.

The whole thing took about 2 hours before my mom could take me home. I napped for a bit, then got up and drove myself to a choir concert I had to sing in that evening.

[Kogarashi]

I had mine out at 18 in preparation for going to college halfway across the country; we decided to get it done then so as to avoid any tooth complications while I was away from my parents and their dental plan, since my teeth were at least partially impacted.

I seriously didn't want to be conscious for any of the procedure, after hearing my friend's description of getting two of hers out while awake, so I opted to be put under. One minute the oral surgeon's explaining something to me and repeating himself, the next the room is empty save for the surgeon's assistant (waking me up), and I was moved to a recovery room. Mom drove me home, and I spent the next three days narcoleptic due to the anesthesia (learned it was that, as I had the same exact reaction to being put under for a C-section six years later). I only managed to wake up long enough to roll over in bed, switch which side of my face my ice pack was on, or eat a bite of yogurt. Oddly enough, I didn't have any nausea from the yogurt. Go figure.

I got dissolving stitches, but was warned against dry socket anyway, so don't think stitches are a free pass to use straws. ;) I believe my pain meds were Tylenol and Codeine, which I took on schedule which helped with the pain for the prescription's run, after which I was able to switch to ibuprofen. Also, make sure to take good care of your mouth for quite a while afterward. I ended up with an infection in one of the sockets four weeks after the extraction, and was put on antibiotics for it. That was not pleasant. My jaw hurt, my cheek was puffy, and I looked like I had a bruise.

[Food Lady]

I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 17 simply because there was not enough room for them in my jaws. I was given a choice as to whether I wanted a local or to be put under. I opted to be put under. The dentist did not have me do any counting, but I do remember him saying, "It ought to be starting to take effect by now." I looked up at the clock on the wall, saw two clocks, and the next thing I remember was being in their little "recovery room" after it was all over. The whole thing took about 2 hours before my mom could take me home. I napped for a bit, then got up and drove myself to a choir concert I had to sing in that evening. This was my experience when I was 14. I didn't get stitches, or maybe small ones. The wounds were open and I had some kind of device to squirt water in them to flush out food bits. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have the general because it took me out for a day (sleeping) and I believe it was what gave me the nausea (the worst part). I have also had several teeth extracted in the last 5 years with just novocaine, and it wasn't bad at all. I went to work right after. The last visit included a root canal; now THAT is uncomfortable, but not painful. Extractions, unless under special circumstances, are only slightly more trouble than fillings. I don't miss those teeth at all.

[Aramika]

A neat trick my mother used when I had my wisdom teeth out: she took 2 knee socks, filled them with ice, tied them together, and looped them across the top of my head so the ice rested against the sides of my mouth. Ice for the first 24 to 48 hours will prevent post op swelling and reduce pain.

I took two ziploc bags of ice, wrapped them in towels and tied them to my head with a scarf. It worked really well for me and for my friend who I took care of when she had hers removed. You may look really stupid but it really helped with the swelling and I highly recommend it.

For food, I survived on cream of chicken soup (not too hot), fig newtons and animal crackers because I couldn't stand just liquids.

One other thing - I slept somewhat propped up in my bed with pillows for a few nights after my surgery. For some reason I could not get comfortable laying down with the gauze in my mouth. It might be different for you though.

[Seshat]

Now that folks have mentioned it, I remember ice, and being propped up for several days.

Basically, I was a mess. But my wisdom teeth were seriously wrong; growing in the wrong directions and with twisted roots. So don't expect my situation, it's not the normal case.

[Sapphire Silk]

My teeth were bone impacted (all four of them), so my recovery was rather painful but otherwise uneventful. Had the surgery on a Friday, and went back to school (I was 16) the next Monday.

I was in choir; my teacher came by when she noticed I didn't sound quite right during scales, and shook her head in disbelief when I told her what happened.

My friends took to calling me "Chipmunk Cheeks" for the next week or so :lol:

My brother's wisdom teeth (at least 2 of them) were upside down and growing upwards into his skull. He had a miserable time.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I was completely unconscious when they took mine out. I don't know if they do that anymore, but mine were pretty hard core impacted, I had four of them, and they had to break them to get them out.

I'm not telling you this to scare you, I'm telling you this to unscare you. It was nothing. My jaw was slightly stiff for about a day or two, there was mild pain, so I took some painkillers, and it was nothing. Had some very mild swelling for a very short time.

The worst part was the horrible halitosis and nasty taste in my mouth for about a week or two until they pulled the stitches out.

[Bardmaiden]

General anesthetic involves the use of inhaled anesthesia. Patients are usually intubated for General (the sole exception being nitrous oxide, which is still used some in dental procedures), though some procedures can be done on an outpatient basis.


I can't have inhaled anesthesia as I have asthma and they don't allow it used with this medical condition here. If I was to have a removal of a tooth under general anesthetic I would have to be referred to the local hospital and have it done there. It was offered to my sister who refused a local because she is phobic of needles and the thought of being injected in the mouth made her run out of the dentists.

[AlmightyALT]

I was 16 and mine hadn't even come in yet, but my mouth is so small that the act of them coming in would have ruined several thousand dollars worth of braces and Mom wouldn't have that. I had them knock me out because if I'm doing nothing stimulating for long periods of time I get really twitchy and antsy.

I remember being woken up and told my parents were there. Then I don't remember anything till we got home and I had to step up into the house from the garage (two inch step but I acted like it was a foot tall :lol: ). I was put to bed and didn't move until 4pm when I got up randomly, zombie walked into the living room past Mom and her bridge group, turned on Sailor Moon (on Cartoon Network), turned it off when it was over and zombie walked past Mom and her bridge group again and went back to bed where I didn't get up until the next morning.

My Dad and I are champion sleepers in my family.

We did this on a Thursday as Friday was a school holiday. So I was back to school on Monday and being called 'Chipmunk Cheeks' for the next week or so.....

[Andara Bledin]

Local anesthetics are injected into soft tissues and/or a specific nerve. Novocaine (a variant of lidocaine) is commonly used in dental procedures (the usual nerve involved is the 7th cranial nerve, or Facial nerve).
I used to have this when having dental work. But, aside from the 30-minute limit (after 30 minutes it starts wearing off and no additional shots will keep it from going away), the last work was done on my upper teeth, and the sound of the needle going in freaked me out to the point where there is not a chance in hell anyone is ever getting a needle near my mouth while I'm still conscious.

If the wisdom teeth are impacted (growing in the wrong direction, usually against other teeth or into the jaw) the moderate sedation is often used.

General is rare, for situations such as Seshat described.
I fear that I will have a similar problem to Seshat or RK. At least two of my wisdom teeth came in sideways, and my mouth is severely overcrowded; all four canines are pushed completely outside my normal bite and all four lateral incisors are slightly turned to fit in the space left. >_<

^-.-^

[Blue Ginger]

Thanks for the warning about jelly though. Fortunately we're starting to warm up around here, so I have an excuse for icecream and iceblocks. :D
As for the Aeroplane Jelly, they have Create-Your-Own Jelly, so you can mix up your favourite drink within. (You can't put pineapple, kiwi or pawpaw in it because it doesn't set) So I might do some Vanilla Coke Jelly :D


Damn, when did Aeroplane Jelly start doing that? That could be so much fun. I wonder if it would work with midori or malibu or something. :cheers: Maybe not mixed with the wisdom teeth coming out though. ;)

I think I have been away from Oz for too long.

Hope it all goes well when you have them taken out, no matter which way it is done.

[Imprl59]

I'm a big chicken and get sedated for all my dental work including cleanings. They give you a couple of pills to take before you go in and another one when you get there and you are gone for a few hours. No IV's or machines or anything, you just sleep for a while. You shouldn't be responsible for getting yourself home if they give you anything more than novacaine! Get a friend to go with you to make sure you make it back.

Everyone has covered everything you need to know pretty well. Mine were impacted and I was sore for a few days but all in all it really wasnt a big deal.

[MaggieTheCat]

One more thing I forgot to mention, is that my dentist advised me not to eat or drink anything really hot for a few days after the extractions. Hot foods and especially liquids could "dissolve" or dislodge the blood clot forming over the sockets. Stuff like coffee, tea, broth, etc. are all fine, just make sure they're warm, not hot before you drink them.

[macphile]

*delurks because she loves talking dentistry*

I opted not to get drugged up, not that a regular dentist can give you general, anyway. He gave me local, of course (with numbing gel first) and Valium because he thought it'd make the painkiller last longer. I didn't care for it, as it just made me cold.

The whole thing (4 teeth and a filling) took 3.5 hours, including a bathroom break. He gave me video goggles, but to quote McBain, "The goggles do nothing!" I couldn't hear the movies over the equipment, and they kept knocking them further back on my head. Still, maybe it was better than nothing. Maybe.

I didn't feel any notable pain, that I recall, except when he jabbed my cheek accidentally. There was a whole lot of yanking and vibrating, though, so it still wasn't fun.

They gave me Tylenol with corticosteroids in it and sent me home (bonus of not being drugged, you can go home yourself). I spent the day on the internet and watching reruns of Kids in the Hall. :) I ate soup. I felt some pain from it once the local wore off, but it was never agonizing. They gave me Vicodin, but I tossed them. The worst of it for me was the constant fear of dry socket. I never thought I swelled up that much, but other people said I was a little swollen after it. Of course, you have to be careful with your food and drink intake and all that jazz for a bit.

(In case you're curious how it works, this is what mine involved: They cut away your gums with a scalpel to get at the tooth properly. There is quite a bit of blood. They drill a hole [probably pretty big] down the center of the tooth and stick what amounts to a screwdriver [but without the screwdriver tip] into the hole. Then they pull. And pull. And yank. And pull. They do everything short of pushing your chest down with their foot or straddling you comically. Despite all the advances in technology and digital x-rays, a lot of dentistry is just brute force and hacking. Honestly, it took ages to get the bottom ones to budge. Then they pack it all up and stitch it, of course.)

[MaggieTheCat]

Macphile, were your teeth crooked/impacted/somehow complicated? When I had mine pulled, there was no cutting or drilling involved. The dentist reached in with some kind of grabbing tool (like a pair of pliers for teeth, I guess), grabbed my tooth, and yanked. It came out. They stuck gauze in my mouth (no stitches) and sent me home. It's interesting to hear all of these extraction stories and how different each one is, depending on the situation and the dentist involved.

[macphile]

I don't think so...they were tilted towards the others a bit, which is why they decided to pull them. They'd come through and all but weren't going to go any further without ripping their neighbors a new one.

Of course, they also had to hack me up to prep a crown recently. I'm just poorly built, maybe.

[fireheart]

Damn, when did Aeroplane Jelly start doing that? That could be so much fun. I wonder if it would work with midori or malibu or something. :cheers: Maybe not mixed with the wisdom teeth coming out though. ;)

I think I have been away from Oz for too long.

Hope it all goes well when you have them taken out, no matter which way it is done.

A couple of years ago. I joked to a former coworker of mine that he should make jagerbomb jelly :p (as he'd made Red Bull jelly)

One more thing I forgot to mention, is that my dentist advised me not to eat or drink anything really hot for a few days after the extractions. Hot foods and especially liquids could "dissolve" or dislodge the blood clot forming over the sockets. Stuff like coffee, tea, broth, etc. are all fine, just make sure they're warm, not hot before you drink them.

That shouldn't be a problem as we're warming up down here.

[trailerparkmedic]

Damn, when did Aeroplane Jelly start doing that? That could be so much fun. I wonder if it would work with midori or malibu or something. :cheers:

Is that like Jello? If so, yes, you can put alcohol in it. Generally I've found the best jello shots to be between 1/3 and half alcohol, depending on the alcohol.

[fireheart]

Is that like Jello? If so, yes, you can put alcohol in it. Generally I've found the best jello shots to be between 1/3 and half alcohol, depending on the alcohol.

Yes it is.

[Seshat]

I fear that I will have a similar problem to Seshat or RK. At least two of my wisdom teeth came in sideways, and my mouth is severely overcrowded; all four canines are pushed completely outside my normal bite and all four lateral incisors are slightly turned to fit in the space left. >_<


Get them done as soon as possible, then.

After they'd seen mine, my parents sent my brother to the dentist to have his teeth X-rayed: he was going to have the same problem as me. So they did his straight away, and he had a much less serious extraction, and a much shorter recovery time.

Basically, if you're going to end up with impaction, get them removed young.


Another option that a friend of mine took: he had his existing (pre-wisdom-teeth) last molars removed to make space for his wisdom teeth. Those molars, in his case, were half practically more filling than tooth. So the wisdom teeth came in and took that space, and thus he had new healthy molars instead.

[Andara Bledin]

Considering I just celebrated my 40th birthday, I don't think I'm early enough.

^-.-^

[suburbandecay]

I had all of my wisdom teeth pulled under local anesthesia. They pulled one side one week, the other side the next. First go round was pretty simple, I think it took longer for the novocaine to take effect than it did for the extraction. Second go round was more interesting. He had a hell of a time getting one of the bottom ones out and broke it at the root. Aside from that, it wasn't too bad. Got a script for hydrocodone (generic vicodin) and he told me to take 600mg ibuprofen on top of it when that wasn't quite cutting it.

[Seshat]

Considering I just celebrated my 40th birthday, I don't think I'm early enough.

^-.-^

Ah ... no, probably not. :D

[blas]

I'm almost 25 and I still have all four of mine. I didn't have all four of them until I was about 20, I was a late bloomer as far as teeth went. I didn't get my first baby tooth until I was nearly a year old (by that time, most babies have several teeth) and I didn't lose my last baby tooth until I was a teenager.

Our dental insurance covers visits and cleanings completely (they may have snuck in a copay with our new insurance, as I saw they snuck in a copay for eye doc visits which used to be free), but everything else is covered very poorly.

The dentist can find nothing wrong with my wisdom teeth, they are all straight and there's plenty of room for them, but this dental office is obsessed with having them pulled just because you don't "need" them, I guess is their theory.

Either way, it'll be $300 out of my pocket (as it is an oral surgery) that has to be paid in full at the time of the surgery (it may be more, like I said, our benefits stayed about the same but the prices went up), and I really don't want to tap into PTO for something like that.

I'm keeping them until the dentist can find a truly valid reason to get rid of them. For now, they are just trying to scare me by saying I should have them out before 30, or it will be harder and more painful to extract them. They've even tried to sell me by saying since I have very straight teeth with nice long roots (save for my two gap teeth in front on bottom, they are slightly crooked), it'd be "easy as pie" to take them out.

[Sapphire Silk]

I'm keeping them until the dentist can find a truly valid reason to get rid of them. For now, they are just trying to scare me by saying I should have them out before 30, or it will be harder and more painful to extract them. They've even tried to sell me by saying since I have very straight teeth with nice long roots (save for my two gap teeth in front on bottom, they are slightly crooked), it'd be "easy as pie" to take them out.

I think that's very sensible. There is NO reason to expose yourself to the risks of medication interactions, dry socket, infection, or normal post op pain if there is nothing at all wrong with your wisdom teeth.

With many people the wisdom teeth either become impacted (preventing them from erupting and putting pressure on other teeth) or crowd the mouth so badly that the other teeth become crooked. This can affect your bite, and a bad bite can lead to jaw problems. Crooked teeth are more susceptible to tooth decay.

But some people's wisdom teeth come in just fine on their own, the teeth are usable and healthy, and the person has no problems at all.

[Seshat]

There is no valid reason to remove healthy teeth that have plenty of room.

[dalesys]

There is no valid reason to remove healthy teeth that have plenty of room.
Greens fees.

(US, where the money is (mostly) green.)

[laborcat]

I don't know if I am extremely lucky, or just odd, but my wisdom teeth haven't come through yet at 38 and my dentist says they may never. Sounds like I got a good deal going, though, if I never have to have them removed.

[SuperDan]

Sounds like I got a good deal going, though, if I never have to have them removed.

Wisdom teeth not erupting can be bad, as they can still impact below the gumline and digging out unerupted teeth is much more of a process than pulling erupted ones. I'm in that boat now. I have one partially erupted and the rest are unerrupted, but the bottom two are impacted and the top two are getting to be impacted. I'm trying to figure out if I have enough in my HRA and FSA to cover oral surgery this year without need to pay out of pocket, or if I need to just continue to put up with it til after the wedding.

[Eisa]

Mine were impacted, I think. My top ones were coming in mostly ok, but my bottom ones were coming in aimed at my other teeth like submarines or something. :lol: I got put completely under for it, with IV sedation or whatever. I remember waking up a bit in the recovery room going "gagugghghadhadhghfka" basically. :p And had to go home and sleep for hours. They gave me Vicodin for the pain, and I needed it, but I'm also a bit of a wimp with pain. They also...I dunno how they did this exactly, but both sides of my jaw were swollen and super bruised up. I got it done the Friday before I started college...I looked like I'd gone a couple rounds my first week! :eek:

But it wasn't too bad, I didn't get dry socket or anything like that. I believe I had a lot of jello. Jello gets very boring after a while. :p

[Sakka]

I've had all four of my wisdom teeth removed. First one side then a couple months later the other. There just wasn't enough room in my mouth for the top teeth. For the bottom teeth, one side was coming in sideways, pushing against my already crowded teeth while the other was trying to come in at an angle. :eek:

I got one side done at my normal dentist and the other done by a teaching surgeon from <major metropolis> who would travel into the area every six months or so just to do this surgery.

I kinda remember the surgeries. Mostly as pressure in my mouth, my jaw vibrating in an unpleasant way from some of the tools, and the sound as a couple teeth were dug out of my gums.

One surgery, I was wonky but otherwise okay. The other one, I was definately drugged as I was not coherent, repeating myself, etc. Shortly after getting home from the major of the two operations, I was rather restless in the house and had a couple computers to repair in the basement. I had the comp completely taken apart, replaced a couple parts, etc. ... I have no idea what work I actually did, except that it was working much better afterwards, and I think I lost a bracelet into the case, but didn't hear anything rattling around inside later. :doh:

I looked like a chipmunk for at least a week or two after each removal, a fact that a couple friends reminded me of consistently. Especially as I couldn't fully open my mouth for almost a month without pain. While a friend who also had his wisdom teeth removed was fully recovered in almost a couple days. :cry:

[Fish Taco64]

I had all four of mine removed a few months ago, the bottom teeth were causing me a lot of pain due to coming in sideways.

I ended up with two dry sockets, the clots of the left side of my mouth just never formed right. They were absolute misery until I discovered a wondrous thing called Clove Oil, which makes the pain go away in about a minute.

[Android Kaeli]

I KNOW I need to get all four of mine out because they are impacted something terrible, but the major problem is the fact that it costs so damn much to do it. Even if I get one tooth taken out at a time, even going as cheaply as possible, I'm looking at $500-$700 dollars per tooth. And this is what I've been told by several dentists as well.

[Sapphire Silk]

I KNOW I need to get all four of mine out because they are impacted something terrible, but the major problem is the fact that it costs so damn much to do it. Even if I get one tooth taken out at a time, even going as cheaply as possible, I'm looking at $500-$700 dollars per tooth. And this is what I've been told by several dentists as well.

Dental care is insanely expensive. Dental insurance doesn't cover squat, and dentists are under no obligation to treat you and can demand cash up front.

Still, that sounds like an awful lot. I paid about $800 per tooth to get two teeth root canaled, and that didn't include the permanent caps. That's a lot more intensive that pulling a tooth. However, it does make more sense if the wisdom teeth are impacted.

[trailerparkmedic]

I KNOW I need to get all four of mine out because they are impacted something terrible, but the major problem is the fact that it costs so damn much to do it. Even if I get one tooth taken out at a time, even going as cheaply as possible, I'm looking at $500-$700 dollars per tooth. And this is what I've been told by several dentists as well.

Do you have a dental school nearby? They aren't exactly common, but they tend to be cheaper since it's students doing the work. They're supervised, of course, and I didn't have any problems when I used the local school for some fillings.

[Android Kaeli]

Dental care is insanely expensive. Dental insurance doesn't cover squat, and dentists are under no obligation to treat you and can demand cash up front.

Still, that sounds like an awful lot. I paid about $800 per tooth to get two teeth root canaled, and that didn't include the permanent caps. That's a lot more intensive that pulling a tooth. However, it does make more sense if the wisdom teeth are impacted.

It is a lot and dental stuff is quite expensive. However because the way my wisdom teeth are laying, I'd have to get them cut out so I'd probably be closer to $700 per tooth.

trailerparkmedic -- I have no idea if there's any dental schools nearby. Even if there WAS one, even if it was $200 cheaper then the lowest cost, I still wouldn't be able to afford getting any of my teeth extracted.

[Sapphire Silk]

Do you have a dental school nearby? They aren't exactly common, but they tend to be cheaper since it's students doing the work. They're supervised, of course, and I didn't have any problems when I used the local school for some fillings.

:doh: I can't believe I didn't think of this.

Android, check it out. These programs are designed to work for people with no money to pay. They'll charge you based on your ability to pay. It could be even less than $200 per tooth, and they may work out a payment plan.

Don't nix it before checking it out. Routine dental work at the dental clinic run on my community college's campus is $5 per visit (for a teeth cleaning). More advanced procedures cost more, but not much more. You can get a real deal.

The downside is, the procedures take longer because students are working on you. But they are supervised by trained dentists, and they won't let students hurt you.

Really . . . if I needed that kind of dental work, I would choose this option. My last major dental procedure was more than I could afford; paying it off was difficult. If I have to go through that again, I"m going to the dental clinic on campus.

[Slayer]

I had my top wisdom teeth removed about a month ago. I'm having the bottom two removed in a couple of months since they're not affecting my other teeth at the moment. I'm 26.

Though I didn't pay nearly as much as what I've read o_O I paid around $150 for each wisdom. The top left had to be broken (it was already cracked because of how it grew) while the top right was extracted whole.

My bottom ones are half showing, but even then, it shouldn't be more than $200 per tooth. I don't have insurance.

My sister's friend paid $1500 for all 4 which I thought was excessive. Then again, I don't know her circumstances. I can't imagine $700 for ONE tooth. Crazy!

I had local anesthetic (syringe) and lots of loud music. I was able to eat soft foods that night and ate at a buffet the next night with family (very slowly though and it was one of the rare times I sat for 2 hours in a restaurant without getting annoyed and wanting to leave).

[Food Lady]

I just had a root canal. I have insurance, so for everything (the procedure itself, X-rays, multiple visits, cleaning afterward) I paid a total of around $200. I'm not sure what's out there, but my dentist said, "You have really good insurance!" I guess so; maybe I got lucky.

[ParkingWitch]

You might also see if your county health clinic has a dental clinic. I got 3 of mine done for free.

[Seshat]

For those who are in Australia, there is a 'Dental Health Plan' that your GP can put you on if you meet certain conditions. It covers dental work under Medicare.

[fireheart]

Seshat, that would be the chronic disease management plan and I think it covers health conditions that can impact on your dental health.

Just had the X-ray today. One thing that struck me as a slight WTF: in the past, whenever I've had a dental x-ray done, this has involved me biting on something and having the machine whir around my head. EVERYTIME I've had those done, it's been without needing to take anything off, glasses included. Today I got told to take everything off that was metal: earrings, glasses etc.
Is that a new thing? can any of the X-ray techs here confirm?

(Oh and yes I've had the one with the card in my mouth and the machine pointed at my face. The one I mentioned above used to be done at my dentist's office, but apparaently they no longer do them)

[Sapphire Silk]

I just had a root canal. I have insurance, so for everything (the procedure itself, X-rays, multiple visits, cleaning afterward) I paid a total of around $200. I'm not sure what's out there, but my dentist said, "You have really good insurance!" I guess so; maybe I got lucky.

You must have an awesome dental plan.

Most dental plans suck. They'll pay for routine cleanings and x rays, and a fraction of any dental procedures up to a certain amount, usually a couple of grand for the entire year.

[Andara Bledin]

My dental plan pays crap all (like 10% up to $1000 annually) and doesn't cover most types of surgery or orthodontia. Oh, unless you wait until it's an emergency and you're in pain, then it'll cover a whole lot more.

So, in essence, they're encouraging people to wait until they're teeth are bad and require major work as opposed to doing any preventive maintenance. >_<

^-.-^

[Kogarashi]

My dental plan involves airline tickets to Texas and only covers whatever a regular DDS can do. :D But then, that's because my dentist is my father-in-law.

[ShadowBall]

I need to get mine out at the end of November...even though they aren't causing me any issues right now and never have. My dentist seems to think that my wisdom teeth - all impacted - might someday affect my other teeth, so I was told to get them out before the start of next year. One tooth is laying diagonal and is just barely visible and the rest are laying perfectly horizontal below the gums.

I am terrified and refuse to have nothing more than novocaine or nitrous in order to have four teeth cut and broken out of my head, especially with the risk of my jaw being fractured trying to get the teeth out. When I got a teeny tiny cavity filled a few months ago, I had novocaine and numbing gel and it still hurt. I'm scared as shit I won't wake up from the anesthesia, but I'll be damned if I'm going to be awake to experience my mouth being mutilated for what I feel is no goddamn good reason.

Thankfully insurance covers the entire thing (on my mother's insurance) because I'm sure I'd hear about how expensive I am if it didn't.

Oh, and when I got my teeth X-rayed, I also had to remove all metal stuff from my head. I never needed to do that when I had a normal X-ray, but when I had to be in the machine that orbited my head, I couldn't have any metal on me.