Help! Wisdom Teeth Extraction on Thursday...

Hi,

I'm getting three, fully erupted wisdom teeth pulled on Thursday and I'm nervous. Very.  I'd love to hear some advice about post-surgery care and some success stories.  I'm paranoid about getting dry sockets or permanent nerve damage, numbness, etc.  How long do you think the swelling will last?  I'm going on vacation in 10 days and then teaching a class in 13 days.  By the way, I'm no teenager.  I'm 44!  I know, I'm pathetic.  The teeth didn't come in until I was in my mid-twenties and they don't bother me, but my dentist says they need to come out because it's impossible to clean them properly and I have a cavity in the molar next to one that can't be filled because the wisdom tooth is in the way. 

Thanks in advance,

Jo

There is nothing to worry about at all! I was so freaked out I researched it and everything for about a week and that freaked me out more so dont do that.

Mine went soooo well. There was no swelling, no complications, and no pain, it was of course a little uncomfy the day after but really it didn't hurt at all!

And the drugs they give you are FANTASTIC. I didn't remember the day at all, I just slept the entire day and saw weird stuff, like turtles walking through my house......yeah. It was cool.

Wisdom teeth...not fun!

I've heard that everyones different, but for me it wasn't a fun experience. I had three impacted tho, so I am wondering if that's why I had a tough time. I got an infection and was in a lot of pain for the first couple of days.

On the bright side, I got my teeth out on a Monday and was ok to start a new job 6 days later. Why I would schedule it that way is beyond me. After the first couple days I was just fine - needed to pop a couple of pain pills here and there but nothing over the top.

Hopefully all goes well for you. Good luck!

i had no problems whatsoever.  had all four taken out under general anesthetic.  i was on liquids for a few days because i couldn't open my mouth wide enough for a fork, but tylenol with codeine is a wonderful thing ;)

and i was an adult, too (30?  31?).

Mine weren't the total breeze that some people report, but all in all, I think that the worst thing that happened was that I am pretty sure I said something inappropriate to my father when I was all looped up on the way to the car.

I spent a couple of days taking the fun drugs and making people take care of me. I didn't think it was so much fun at the time, but it was no big deal. I was back to my old self by day 3. The worst part was being so hungry. You can't drink from a straw and it hurts to chew, so you're kind of s*** out of luck for a while. I found that cafeteria-style mac and cheese (I got the kind from KFC - ew I know) was the tastiest thing that I could get into my body. The cafeteria kind is mushy enough that you can just mash it with your tongue and swallow. Sorry if that was TMI.

As for the scary-sounding complications -- they are really rare. I'm sure you're going to a very good dental surgeon who won't snip any nerve fibers, and as long as you follow the doctor's instructions you'll be golden. Good luck!

Just make sure you follow the doctor's instructions.  Especially the part about not using a straw.  It is really important.  It also helped me to avoid things that were too hot or too cold for the first day or so - just normal tap water instead of ice water...

Also, the pain pills are a wonderful thing, but codeine can make some people really nauseated.  I can't take tylenol 3's or percocet or anything like that because what good is it to be pain free if you are barfing your eyes out .  Instead they give me a codeine medication that also has phenergan (anti-nausea) in it. 

If you have taken codeine meds before without feeling queasy, you should be ok.  However, if you have gotten sick from it before or don't know what your reaction will be it might help to ask for the stuff with the phenergan added.

You'll be fine by your vacation... just do exactly what the dentist tells you to. Do NOT use a straw, don't smoke, drink lots of water to stay hydrated, and don't put anything into your mouth except water until you can feel what you're doing (this gives the clots time to develop nicely and makes sure you won't burn yourself or bite yourself...) I had three teeth out this year and there wasn't any swelling to speak of, and very little discomfort after the first few days - NEVER any real 'pain'. It shouldn't hurt very much at all - if it does, go back to the dentist to make sure everything's okay, don't wait. I lived on smoothies and homemade soup for a week and while I got tired of them, I made a textbook recovery.

Everyone has given you excellent advice: one bit my dentist told me is to avoid hot liquids, hot soup, tea, that kind of thing.  Lukewarm is ok, but hot liquids can start to dissolve the clot in the new holes...you don't want that. That way lies the dreaded dry socket.

You'll be fine. If the teeth are already out then the procedure is closer to just having teeth pulled than surgery.

Mine was awful... I was laid up on the couch for a week. But all of my teeth were impacted and the ones on the top were growing down on top of my other molars.

Follow the advice that everyone has given you!

Hi,

Thank you all so much! I feel somewhat better, but I'm sure I'll still be a nervous wreck tomorrow morning (my poor husband!).  Sorry to hear that for some of you it was a nightmare.  I'll make sure to stock up on soup (to be eaten lukewarm), mac and cheese and soft foods.  I doubt I'll want to eat tomorrow anyway, although I'll probably be starving beforehand since I can't eat or drink after midnight and my surgery's not until 10:00.  I'm allergic to a bunch of meds, but I've never had a problem with codeine, so that's cool.  I think I've had percocet before, too, without a problem. Thanks again for the advice and words of encouragement!

Wish me luck,

Jo  

Hi,

Thank you all so much! I feel somewhat better, but I'm sure I'll still be a nervous wreck tomorrow morning (my poor husband!).  Sorry to hear that for some of you it was a nightmare.  I'll make sure to stock up on soup (to be eaten lukewarm), mac and cheese and soft foods.  I doubt I'll want to eat tomorrow anyway, although I'll probably be starving beforehand since I can't eat or drink after midnight and my surgery's not until 10:00.  I'm allergic to a bunch of meds, but I've never had a problem with codeine, so that's cool.  I think I've had percocet before, too, without a problem. Thanks again for the advice and words of encouragement!

Wish me luck,

Jo  

Oops! Sorry for the double post. 

- Jo

Well hell, I wish it went even half as well for me as it did for you guys.  My face swelled up so bad I couldn't hold my head upright for a few days.  But my jaw also got infected from the whole thing and it took four months for the infection to finally clear.

You're definitely going to be fine by your vacation, and by your class.  Just take it easy and stock up on apple sauce. :D

I had my teeth out on June 13th of this year. I still have the holes in my jaw to prove it  I didn't eat very much while recovering because the Tylenol 3 was making me nauseous. Once I stopped taking the T3, my appetite returned and I was back at work. I used a smaller spoon to eat so I wouldn't have to open my mouth very much. Feel free to read my journal about my experience, I think I wrote a couple of days.