Wisdom teeth

[bwright]

I got knocked out. If I had to do it again, that is exactly what I'd do.

Mine hurt like the dickens for two days. Either some of you didn't have the same procedure I did, or that doctor in Oxford just really sucks at his job.

I think I ate a box of instant grits that day.

 

[proudpittsburgher]

Hmm, not sure which is more unpleasant . . . the thought of getting my wisdom teeth out, or the thought of eating instant grits. :)

 

[Small Town Guy]

I did neither the gas or knocked out when I got one of mine out 3 years ago.

My tooth was not impacted so my dentist said that they could do it in the office in the chair with regular freezing, hey sounds good!

They froze me up and then started to have issues getting the damn thing out. It turns out the root was really long. They had to crack the tooth in 2 and wriggle the pieces out. Basically using plkiers to work it free. I felt no pain but it was discomforting.

After they were done he offerred to show it to me which I declined as I am a squeamish ***** with that sort of thing. The dentist said that they won't do any more of mine that way, will need to be knocked out.

No pain after, went to work later in the afternoon with a mouth of gauze to soak up the blood.

FWIW I have heard that they tend to be more gentle when the patient is awake, don't know if this is true or not.

My dentist showed me mine - thanks! - and then asked if he could send them to his son, who he claimed was in dental school.

 

[crazedchipmunk]

I had mine done at different times. My bottom ones hadn't even broke through yet and I got knocked out. Boy, I'm glad I was. I was in massive pain afterwards. I looked like a chipmunk. I couldn't eat for three days. When the uppers were done, also had an infected tooth pulled at the same time. I wanted to be put under but the dentist had a policy that he have 2 assistants in the room with him. One went home already and I had to take the laughing gas. I completely freaked when he pulled them. Never again with the gas. Just knock my ass out, thank you very much.

 

[mustangj17]

Interesting. My dentist did, in fact, mention the roots of the teeth that will be coming out. Pretty sure he said they weren't very long at all, which is why he thinks it'll be an easy procedure.

65-35 N20.

I don't think there is such a thing as a hard wisdom tooth procedure. I had a small part of my back jawbone removed because the tooth was so deep. When I woke up, I was fine... the knockout juice, as IJAG called it, had me making all kinds of jokes.

I kept telling the nurse that she was "a nice lady" just like the druggie from the television commercial about parental controls on the T.V.

When my brother picked me up, we got a good laugh about how the drugs, and gauze in my mouth made me talk like I was Lil' Wayne. I then sang the refrain to "Stuntin Like My Daddy" and apparently it sounded like the real thing.

All of this is true.

 

[albert77]

Not only were all four of mine impacted, but they were coming in sideways. At least that's what the oral surgeon told us. I spent two days in the hospital because they treated it like semi-major surgery, but that may have just been the standard procedure back in those days (1974).

 

[expendable]

I did neither the gas or knocked out when I got one of mine out 3 years ago.

My tooth was not impacted so my dentist said that they could do it in the office in the chair with regular freezing, hey sounds good!

They froze me up and then started to have issues getting the damn thing out. It turns out the root was really long. They had to crack the tooth in 2 and wriggle the pieces out. Basically using plkiers to work it free. I felt no pain but it was discomforting.

After they were done he offerred to show it to me which I declined as I am a squeamish ***** with that sort of thing. The dentist said that they won't do any more of mine that way, will need to be knocked out.

No pain after, went to work later in the afternoon with a mouth of gauze to soak up the blood.

FWIW I have heard that they tend to be more gentle when the patient is awake, don't know if this is true or not.

My dentist showed me mine - thanks! - and then asked if he could send them to his son, who he claimed was in dental school.

I hope you told him that it would be $20, or whatever the going rate is from the tooth fairy. :D

Oh, and I cast my vote for the gas.

 

[Pencil Dick]

Had all 4 removed at the same time when I was 17 on a Thursday. Took the gas and don't remember a thing about the procedure.

Played in a high school basketball game on Saturday night with a mouth full of cotton. Actually scored 6 points in very limited action.

Overall, the whole experience wasn't bad at all.

 

[kokane_muthashed]

Get the gas or knocked out, whatever. Make sure your ride video tapes your come-down.



Beware of unicorns.

 

[Dyno]

My cousin got knocked out for her wisdom tooth removal. The dentist wrenched her neck somehow and she was in excruciating pain for a long time. She had to go out of work on disability and years later, still has flare ups.

I'm holding onto my remaining three wisdom teeth for as long as possible. One of them is extremely impacted and has fallen over sideways. My dentist said that until it starts to bother me to just leave it alone. Apparently it will be hell to remove.

Good luck, Ryan.

 

[bwright]

Hmm, not sure which is more unpleasant . . . the thought of getting my wisdom teeth out, or the thought of eating instant grits. :)

At first I thought you were being a grits elitist, as in "I only eat the real thing."

Upon review, I think you're opposed to grits in general.

Either way, I give a hearty "To each his own."

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I'd always go with the gas. There are a lot of insurance plans that don't cover it anymore though, so check ahead of time.

 

[JackReacher]

I'd always go with the gas. There are a lot of insurance plans that don't cover it anymore though, so check ahead of time.

Yeah. My insurance covers being knocked out, but not the gas. But if I choose the gas, it's only gonna be another $20 out of my pocket all told. IF nothing else, the price was much, much, much lower than I expected for three teeth being removed in Northern Virginia.

70-30 gas.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I'd always go with the gas. There are a lot of insurance plans that don't cover it anymore though, so check ahead of time.

Yeah. My insurance covers being knocked out, but not the gas. But if I choose the gas, it's only gonna be another $20 out of my pocket all told. IF nothing else, the price was much, much, much lower than I expected for three teeth being removed in Northern Virginia.

70-30 gas.

The last procedure I had done, the gas was an extra $60 so I went without. Definitely not as much fun. :)

 

[JackReacher]

Yeah. I think I'm just gonna man up, use the laughing gas and deal with it. I just don't see the point in getting knocked out for a 15-minute thing. Maybe I'll bring my iPod and close my eyes during the whole thing. I'm guessing drinking heavily beforehand is frowned upon. :)

 

[imjustagirl]

Get the gas or knocked out, whatever. Make sure your ride video tapes your come-down.



Beware of unicorns.

I prefer this one:

 

[farmerjerome]

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.

 

[Smash Williams]

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.

 

[Baltimoreguy]

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.

 

[Wenders]

Yeah. I was told that, in my case, I should have little to no swelling, and that I shouldn't experience too much pain; some the first day, maybe a tad the second, but that's it.

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.