Dental Dread

[satcomer]

They didn't offer Nitrous Oxide. And I think - because I drove myself - they wouldn't have given it to me. I did take up the offer to get a prescription for Vicodin - but I haven't really felt like I needed it so far.

I'm quite pleasantly surprised at the general lack of post-procedural pain, swelling, etc. I used a cold pack for a about an hour immediately afterwards, but haven't needed it since. Its more discomfort than actual pain. The worst part seems to be blood in my mouth, and an irritating "tickling" at the back of my jaw where he sutured the wisdom tooth socket. Apparently the sutures will dissolve over the next few days and any remaining will be removed next Wednesday.

Trust me when I say wait for about a month before toughing any alcohol and about 2 ½ weeks for carbonated drinks, plus orange juice. Good Water should be your friend for the first week too.

 

[chown33]

Trust me when I say wait for about a month before toughing any alcohol and about 2 ½ weeks for carbonated drinks, plus orange juice. Good Water should be your friend for the first week too.

And cheese omelets.

 

[sviato]

I had two of my wisdom teeth extracted last year, I was 20. The bottom one was extracted quickly it was the upper one that did not want to come off. The dentist was practically fighting with it, using a lot of pressure. I was really frightened that something will happen but eventually he was able to extract it. My wisdom teeth was in my gums so they had to cut my gums in order to extract.

Ha, mine was like a battle too. One of my teeth the dentist needed to cut into pieces and pull out one by one. Another, I remember his assistant was holding my face down and he was pulling with both hand and it was barely budging. Apparently my teeth were more difficult to get out than the average patient's.

 

[LizKat]

My wisdom teeth were taken out by an oral surgeon when I was 19. They used general anesthesia which was fine with me since two of the teeth were impacted and I didn't care to be conscious for that gig. I was home from school for Thanksgiving. Hah. Thanksgiving was some scotch on the rocks through a straw, followed by some turkey broth, also through a straw. And listening to my stepmother complain about the fact that I was too out of it from the anesthesia hangover to help with the dinner prep and cleanup. Skating on those chores seemed worth it to me

 

[jondunford]

to be honest I'm more scared of the bill than the actual work being done

 

[Silencio]

It seems like oral surgery has really come a long way, even in a relatively short amount of time like 10-15 years. I had a wisdom tooth and a molar extracted a year ago, and it was actually a more pleasant experience than my average cleaning visit was back in the 80's. And no, they didn't turn up the nitrous very high.

 

[lelisa13p]

I'd like to caution that using a straw is generally not a good idea until your stitches are out. When my son had 4 wisdom teeth removed 2 years ago, the oral surgeon said that the suction required for using a straw can cause bleeding to start again because that same suction acts on your soft tissue.

Speedy recovery!

 

[yg17]

They didn't offer Nitrous Oxide. And I think - because I drove myself - they wouldn't have given it to me. I did take up the offer to get a prescription for Vicodin - but I haven't really felt like I needed it so far.

I'm quite pleasantly surprised at the general lack of post-procedural pain, swelling, etc. I used a cold pack for a about an hour immediately afterwards, but haven't needed it since. Its more discomfort than actual pain. The worst part seems to be blood in my mouth, and an irritating "tickling" at the back of my jaw where he sutured the wisdom tooth socket. Apparently the sutures will dissolve over the next few days and any remaining will be removed next Wednesday.

So now that it's been a couple weeks, how long did the discomfort and such last for and how long until you were completely back to normal with your eating habits?

I've known I've needed all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed for the past 10 years, but they don't hurt so I never found it necessary or got it done. Went to the dentist today for a regular cleaning and this time he was pretty adamant that I get them removed or they'll eventually become a problem and I'll regret waiting, so I guess I'm considering it, which is more than I could say yesterday.

He said mine would be the among the easiest to remove, they're all grown out and the surgeon won't have to dig deep, but I guess I'm still not sure what to expect in terms of the procedure itself and what it's going to feel like after.

I have no issues going to the dentist - I've been fortunate that I only had one cavity back when I was a little kid and don't remember it, every other visit has been routine cleaning and don't bother me one bit, but having 4 wisdom teeth extracted is a whole new ballgame.

 

[vrDrew]

So now that it's been a couple weeks, how long did the discomfort and such last for and how long until you were completely back to normal with your eating habits?

Thanks for asking.....

My situation was a tad complicated, so I don't think it necessarily will be that instructive to a more "normal" dental patient.

The good news: The wisdom tooth extraction was a doddle. Absolutely minimal post-operative swelling, pain, bleeding, etc.

If all I'd had done was a wisdom tooth pulled, I'd be eating normally in less than a week, and almost totally recovered in less than two.

From your perspective: If you have a good oral surgeon, he/she can pop wisdom teeth out with an extremely minimal level of discomfort. It took my guy less than five minutes to slice, grab, wiggle, and pull the nasty impacted wisdom tooth. And he did it in such a "trauma free" (remember that phrase) that I hardly needed any icepacks. And my prescription for Vicodin was pretty much un-needed.

My situation: The extractions were fine. But I also had some pocket reduction surgery, which means that my gum line is radically, and in many ways permanently, altered. Its going to take me a while before I can adequately assess the situation.