Wisdom teeth

Mine were impacted. I was knocked out, no question. I didn't have a whole lot of pain, but when I woke up from the surgery I got up, took two steps, turned and walked straight into a wall.

We did, however, find out I was allergic to codine after that little episode. That was not fun.

 

I had two out, one partially impacted and one just a normal extraction. I got nitrous AND Valium, but that's because I am terrified of needles. It's my phobic pressure point, and it tends to cause a "fight or flight" reflex, though I've gotten much better over time. I also find nothing creepier than the sensation of people working in your mouth.

I absolutely remember when they gave me the IVs even though I'd been on the gas for 30 minutes. I may have, er, kicked the doctor (I don't remember meaning to, but I do remember reaching the end of my rope with them) when he botched the third attempt at an IV in my elbow. He eventually went to the back of my hand, and I got nothin' for the next 30 minutes. But I recovered really fast and only took the Tylenol with codeine once over the enxt several days.

 

Had them removed when I was 22 or 23. I got knocked out. That's the only time I've been put under in my life and I kind of liked it.

When I came to in the recovery room, I had no idea where I was or what was going on. Sad to say, that had happened to me enough in college that I had developed autopilot for what to do whenever I woke up groggy with no idea where I was or how I'd gotten there. So I engaged autopilot -- get up, get your shoes on and get out of there, worry about figuring out what's going on later when you're sure you're someplace safe -- and was walking out the clinic's backdoor (which is where they put the recovery room because they didn't want post-op patients lurching through the waiting room and scaring people) when the nurse came in and collared me.

 

You. Suck. No, really, I hate you.

Let me put it this way, the actual surgery was the most fun I had for the next two weeks. I was knocked out. They said count back from 100...I believe I made it to about 98. When I woke up, I wasn't at all dopey or whatever...I could have driven myself home.

I bled for almost six hours afterwards. Had to change my gauze when I got home and I have a really sensitive gag reflex, so when I went to shove more gauze in the back of my mouth, I threw up blood for about five minutes.

I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to do more than shove a spoon (and more gauze) in for several days. I lived on jello, pureed potatoes and chocolate milkshakes for days. I swelled up like a balloon (I had serious chipmunk cheeks). I was allergic to the pain meds they gave me, so after the second day of recovery, I had to switch to straight ibuprofen because they wouldn't prescribe anything else for me.

Once the swelling went down, I could feel the stitches in my mouth and while it wasn't the first time I had stitches, it was the first time they were in my mouth and it seriously felt like there were about 20 in there. And it freaked me out.

AAAND I bruised. All the way up into my eyesockets. I looked like I was recovering from a boxing match or had an abusive boyfriend at home who had been smacking me around.

The biggest hell I've ever been through and I've been to the ER with various injuries. I had to get them yanked because they were pushing my back teeth in such a way that it was giving me daily migraines. Thankfully, they yanked them all at once so I never have to do it again.

 

I have all four of my wisdom teeth.
What is the purpose of having them pulled if they are not impacted?

 

Thought about posting that one too.

Lil' Ryan Sonner in the back seat of the car: "Is this real life?"

 

The way it was explained to me, there's a little space between my bottom two and the jawbone or whatever, and there's a 100 percent chance that bacteria will eventually build up in there to the point where it's going to hurt like hell. So...better to just yank them now and get it over with. I couldn't argue with that. Fortunately, they're not impacted and they all came in straight as an arrow.

80-20 N20.

 

I guess that would explain it.
I always wonder about wisdom teeth because I had a dentist lie to me about it when I was younger.
The wisdom teeth were coming in, and there was some pain and swelling. I was home visiting from college, so I went to see the dentist.
He said they were impacted and had to be removed. He tried to schedule a surgery immediately, but I put it off and went back to school.
Long story short: They were not impacted. I was experiencing the normal discomfort associated with healthy wisdom teeth.
They came in fine and I still have all of them. I never went back to that lying dentist the rest of the time I lived in NJ.

 

Another reason to get them out is if they are crowding or shifting your other teeth.

 

Like Smash, I'm terrified of needles. To the point where I started to have fainting episodes and then, later on as a child, seizures.

When I went to get my wisdom teeth out I was in first year college. I was not offered the gas, and as soon as they put the needle in my mouth to freeze the area I passed out and went into seizures.

Woke up, apologized, my mouth was frozen by that point and believe it or not, the actual procedure wasn't so bad. Yes, there's some weird grinding involved but as long as your wisdom teeth are normal, it's actually quite routine. Well, aside from all the rinsing and gauze you have to do afterwards of course.

Enjoy!

 

Get a local unless your specialist highly recommends otherwise. Going under is just one more potential complication.

I had one out almost two years ago. Did the local, though I loathe needles, and it was done in about 30 minutes, including time for the Novacaine to take full effect. Ate that night, didn't go through too much gauze and didn't need the pills prescribed in case of trouble.

 

Had mine done during Christmas break during my university years.
Got knocked out, woke up and puked all over recovery and the doctor advised my folks to leave me in the hospital for the night and come back in the morning. (We were from out of town).
My parents went to a Jets/Maple Leafs game that night while I slept it off. The only reason my dad agreed to go to the game was because he was a Darryl Sittler fan.
I was put in a room with a bunch of old fellows and the man next to me spent the night causing shit with the nurses. I read his obituary in the paper a few days later.
The end.