Toothaches!

Okay, I have 2 wisdom teeth on my bottom row that are killing me, the left more than the right. They are half in the gums and half out...one of them is so swollen. I'm waiting for dental insurance to kick in before I go to a dentist (it's like $1400 for 1 tooth without insurance... no thanks :P).

Any at-home remedies for the pain? I tried ice for the swelling, I have sensitive teeth, it didn't work out so well. I tried warm oatmeal, it felt real nice but...it's not long term and I can't eat oatmeal all day long. I took 2 migraine pills since tylenol for headaches didn't work. Right now my stomach is a bit upset...and those pills aren't working, of course I was just hoping they would do something. Anything cold just makes it angrier.

Also...the extraction, can anyone explain the pain afterwards in detail? I want to be prepared. I'm not really scared of the pain cause it can't possibly be worse than this...and if its like this or similar...well, at least once it's gone it will never come back. Both teeth will be removed... will they do both at once or one at a time? One at a time sounds like torture especially if the pain is horrible after the first one, I rather have both taken out and just deal with the pain. I also remember kids in highschool, who had theirs removed, had horrible bruising on their faces... is this common?

My teeth have been aggravating me on and off for over a year... but this pain is brand new and I want them gone!

Right now I'm willing to yank them out myself if I could, haha. :)

They will do both at once- I had all four impacted teeth (impacted= still in the bone) taken out at once. However, if you also have top ones they will have to take those out at the same time. Top teeth need something to rest on and without something to rest on they can cause problems.

My wisdom teeth experience was not terrible. I had a slight 'plumpness' to the face but otherwise I was fine. No bruises at all. The pain was sort of ache-y but otherwise not bad. The percocet killed me though- it made me pass out and then I'd throw up upon wakening. I did know one girl who was bruised for MONTHS afterwards- I guess it's just different for different people!

Last year I was in your position.  I had an abscess and I can honestly say that it was the WORST pain I have ever felt in my life.  I suffered in horrendous pain for 4 days before going to the dentist.  I took Advil and layed on a heating pad.  That was all I could do before going to the dentist.  I didn't have insurance either.  I ended up seeing a new dentist who felt sorry for me and gave me a 20% discount.  They did one x-ray (of the bad tooth) and the exam.  It was only $65.  I got a prescription for pain meds and an antibiotic.  The day after I started the aantibiotic, the pain was gone.  I had the tooth surgically removed about 3 weeks later.  My surgeon told me to take a pepcid the night before and the morning of the procedure to avoid stomach upset.  I went in, they gave me the gas & put in an IV.  I was awake about 2 mins. after they put in the IV.  I dont remember anything after that until I was in the car on the way home.  That was the first time I had ever been put to sleep for any reason.  I had next to NO pain after the procedure.  The Dr. gave me pain meds and anti-nausea meds, but I never needed them.  I fully expected to be out the whole day of the surgery, but but as soon as I came out, I was awake until I went to be that night.  I was REALLY scared to have the surgery, but I can honestly say that the pain that I was in from the toothache was WAY, WAY, WAY worse that the pain/tenderness that after the surgery.  Dont worry.  I promise it is completely worth it!!!

as much as it sux to not have insurance and wait, i would go to the dentist and at least get an antibiotic.  i had the same thing, four impacted teeth, but 2 were half in/out.  i had an infection between the gums of the half exposed teeth and doc gave me suped up antibiotic for a week b4 surgery.  i would get an antibiotic becuase an infection in the mouth is the worst to have...it can spread to the rest of your body, especially your heart (my fiance has heart disease and cant get any work done on his mouth unless he takes antibiotic before so no infection forms and goes to his heart. this is from his doc's mouth, im not BSing u).

and i went to sleep for mine, got all four at once, needed the pain meds for a few days becuase i sleep on my side and was aggravating it...other than that it was fine.

i would just get some meds to hold off until insurance kicks in.

best of luck!

Well your posts made me feel a bit at ease of the after surgery bit... but a few things... I have to be put to sleep? God, that scares me so much, I've never been put to sleep before. IVs make me feel queasy... oh that will be fun.

I'm not sure if my top wisdom teeth came in or not, I'm assuming they have since there is no gum left for a tooth to fit in, but right now...and for years, they haven't rested on anything and still aren't (my bottom 2 aren't even all the way out...theyre like 80% in still) and my top teeth seem to be okay. I hope I don't have to have them all removed... I'm not a fan of dentistry, as most people. I have had 6 normal teeth yanked growing up cause they didn't wanna fall out for adult teeth... but that was just 1 needle and some drool... no pain or sleep gas.  I don't feel safe being alone, asleep and vulnerable with a stranger... any way to avoid this? Are there options?

What does the gas do/make you feel? I mean I know you fall asleep... but it seems so scary to have something literally force you to sleep. I mean, it's probably better I'm not conscious but... I rather be awake and drugged up. :P I know some people don't wake up after being put to sleep so... paranoia hitting me here. :/  What is the IV for?  Now I'm not scared of needles, per say... I just don't like them 'in me' for too long (like when they take blood... after awhile I start to shake, no idea why).

I want these buggers out, but I'm so scared of being put to sleep now more than having pain after haha.

Edit: I'm gonna have a look around for a dentist that is under Metlife (that's the insurance I'll have) so I can have them look at it for antibiotics, cause I was always thinking of infections... since one of them, the gum is so swollen.

you can do them with just a local.. that is to stay awake.they numd you and do what the oral surgeon would do if you were asleep.. now general anesthesia is going to sleep but when it is used in dentistry it is a twilight.. meaning if someone were to shake you say your name you will respond and can answer questions, your not fully asleep.. ( i am an oral surgeon assistant by trade ) just so you know i am not making up stuff.. i did it for 15 years before being a mom.. you should take all them out at once to avoid doing it again. they will give you antibiotics anyway and usually 2 different pain pills afterwards an anti-inflammatory and a narcotic. then they will give you intstructions like do not suck through a straw.. you will do fine, it is a walk in the park.. breath in the gas relax and before you know it you will be saying " really it's over wow "..

im having the same issues also.. my top 2 came in fine. had no problems with them.. but my bottom 2 are impacted.. and now the top ones are extruding down trying to fill the space of hte bottom 2.. so my denist wants me to get them taken out.. my insurance covers the simple extraction but anything that has to do with cutting they wont cover...so.. i called the Unversity of Maryland dental school  ( im sure ur state has a dental school also)  it starts at $400 but goes up depending on how complicated the surgery is...  i rather get the top 2 pulled then go back to get the bottom 2..

i think you can be put out or you can stay awake for it. i was put out b/c i did nto want to hear what they were doing. The pain afterwards isn't bad. It's really just more sore than anything. I had vicodin afterwards, but dont think i really needed it after like the first day. I had 5 taken out at once (yes 5, i had an extra one in there somewhere lol) and it wasn't too bad. There's plenty of food you can eat after the surgery too. Mine started hurting all of a sudden and no matter how much vicodin i took, they hurt like crazy. Try and get them done before they start to really hurt b/c that pain is insane. I worked as alifeguard at the time and almost passed out multiple times because of the pain and being in the sun. definitely don't put it off any longer than you have to.

When I had mine out, all 4 at once, semi-impacted I opted to get knocked out.  I was more freaked out by being awake and having 4-teeth pulled than I was about the IV.  Honestly, I think everyone's stories had me more scared than it really was, I was fine.  The IV (thingy) was really tiny, I didn't even feel it, (having blood drawn is far worse from my perspective) they told me to count back from 100 and literally all I remember was thinking "100" .. . next  thing, the nurse was shaking my shoulder and saying my name.  The funny thing, I was in a completely different room, yet I didn't even remember being led into it!  They did give me a prescription for pain (I don't remember what) and told me to take it as directed for the 1st 24-hours and not to wait for the achey/pain to start, I took it and I didn't have a problem and trust me I am a really big wimp when it comes to pain.  I was a little swollen and didn't have any bruising.  I had mine removed on a Friday morning and was back to work no problem on Monday. 

If you think you have a possible infection, than like the others recommended you'll need to get an antibiotic first.  I don't think they will pull the teeth if you have an infection.  Also, for OTC pain relievers you might want to try Oragel or Orajel (not sure of the spelling).  You rub it on your gums and it numbs them.  I think it might be made for babies who are teething and you should be able to find it in shopping aisle with toothpaste.  I've also heard rubbing Oil of Clove on the gum is supposed to help with the pain, but I've never tried it.

GOOD Luck! I think you'll do fine.

Thank you all. I think I might go with the sleeping route afterall because the thought of what is going on gives me more anxiety than being put to sleep. And my mother said she will stay in the room with me. I just hope they let her, I don't know.

Well the swelling is all gone today, it's very sore to touch and I get a bit of pain every now and then but it hasn't been too bad. I figured it's going to cost $225 per tooth if they charge for each extraction seperately. My insurance pays 85% and I have to pay the rest, and if it's about $1500 or $1400... it'll cost somewhere around $200. I hope I can have the bottom ones removed first and top ones later because the top ones don't hurt, but the bottom ones are awful. Or maybe the dentist can set up a monthly bill or something... I've never not paid a medical bill, don't know if they'll trust me though. :/

I was using oragel yesterday, but the pain is also inside...which I can't get to, it feels like it's inside the tooth or behind it in the gums or something. But I used it on the outside and I ended up numbing a bit of my tongue, haha. Funny feeling. :)

I never looked forward to a dentist office like this my entire life! XD