wisdom teeth

[Hooahguy]

im getting mine (all 4) taken out tomorrow. anyone have any tips to reduce the swelling? a friend of mine told me frozen peas helps, and judging by pics of her taken the day after, it looks like it works.

[Hosakawa Tito]

All 4 at once doesn't just sound brutal, it is brutal. Why not one side at a time so you can eat easier etc...

Be prepared for black eyes. Have plenty of ice cream and pain killer on hand. You'll be living on a liquid diet for a few days, if you feel like eating at all.

I had mine removed when I had braces as a kid, probably 12-13 years old. A few days before the procedure I was playing hockey. I was the goalie, had the pads & gloves, but no mask. Took a deflected shot right between the eyes, 20 stitches worth. I was just glad it didn't pop me in the mouth with those braces in there it would have been much much worse.

The dentist got a chuckle out of it when I showed up with both eyes blackened & almost swollen shut and my Frankenstein stitches.

Hang in there Hooah, you'll be all right. You should score some major sympathy points too.

[Hooahguy]

does it help that only one of them is still in the gum? the doc says the other 3 will be a breeze to remove, just like taking out any other tooth.

[Hosakawa Tito]

The roots of the tooth, and how deeply embedded in the jaw, are what causes the most pain and swelling. During the procedure you won't feel a thing. He'll drill two small holes in each side of the tooth in order to get a grip on it with the extraction pliers, then wiggle, pull, lever, and sometimes twist to get it out. You might hear the roots snapping/cracking as they break, but the pain killer they use nowadays it won't hurt at all. They'll give you pretty good oral painkiller to take home and use when the stuff wears off from the actual procedure. It'll ache some afterward, and there'll be some swelling. When healthy molars are removed, they have big roots, swelling and black eyes are more likely than not. Ask him to give you one of those teeth or at least show it to you. There'll be a gap in the back of your gums, feels like a crater when you explore it with your tongue. You get used to it in a couple of days. You might have to gargle a bit of salt water for the first couple of days, helps staunch any residual bleeding. They're not going to want you to eat solid food for a day or two either so as not to jam food particles in the healing wounds.

It sounds worse than it actually is. You might look like Mike Tyson used you for a punching bag, but you'll be just fine. Like I said, major sympathy points, without the excruciating pain = big time pampering. Find a pretty girl to spoon-feed you ice cream and you'll be in your glory.

[Hooahguy]

and now the question is: novocaine or general sedation?
i was pretty bummed when i heard they didnt give anesthesia.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Well, I've been a dental coward for years. When I was a kid my "horse doctor" of a dentist didn't use novacain for filling cavities. The shots of pain killer I received for pulling my wisdom teeth, especially the one in the soft palate in the roof of my mouth, hurt so bad it was all I could do not to bite his fingers off. As a result, I hadn't seen a dentist since 1976, and didn't need to till about 5 years ago when an old filling went bad inside an upper molar. The tooth needed to be pulled, and I needed a partial plate.

I dreaded it and expected lots of pain from the shots, pulling the rotted tooth, and grinding down the two good teeth on either side of where the bad tooth was to create the anchor points for the partial plate. It was easy. The shots in the gums were just a slight pinch and no pain whatever for the entire ordeal. Dentistry has come a long way in the pain relief department since I was a kid.
Don't worry about it, you'll be just fine.

[Beskar]

but the pain killer they use nowadays it won't hurt at all.

Completely opposite experience with me. Pain Killer actually makes it worse. Firstly they stab around your mouth which makes your mouth feel like you been 'sucking on a very large lollipop for a while' and your cheeks and lips go numb and slightly enlarged, then you have the added pain from the tooth removal/filling ontop. Even worse if the injection bruises a vien in your mouth and you have to take anti-biotics.

I just take it without the "pain killer", as it is just the same as with it, I can handle it like a man and not have any stabbing around or other experiences for the next few hours either. So pretty win-win.

[seireikhaan]

I didn't have too many problems with my wisdom teeth. Was knocked out, woke up, and was back at school the next monday(procedure was friday). Was sore for a bit, but other than that, I didn't thin k the process was all that bad. Granted, I only had 3 instead of 4, but whatever. Didn't have any issues with black eyes either.... (sorry hosa, just never heard of that being a problem regarding tooth removal)

[pevergreen]

I still don't get it. Is it easier (less pain) to remove while still in the gum or wait until they come out?

My brother had his done earlier this year, he was bad for quite a few days (2-3) then fine. Then a friend had it done a month or so later, I saw him the day after, he hosted an overnight D&D session with pizza as dinner. He ate more than me.

[Hooahguy]

my doc said its easier when they are surfaced, because then they dont have to cut the gum off.

[Fragony]

Ain't that bad you don't feel a thing, just have some painkillers ready for when the sedation wears of

[caravel]

Why are they removed? I still have all four of my wisdom teeth in perfect order and haven't been to a dentist in 5 years.

[Mithrandir]

Why are they removed? I still have all four of my wisdom teeth in perfect order and haven't been to a dentist in 5 years.

I believe they often push the normal teeth out of the way.

I haven't had mine removed yet either. Or I don't have them... wisdom ain't my strong suit.

[pevergreen]

Does wisdom not come with age? And you, milord, seem to be Ancient.

[Hooahguy]

well, im back from the oral surgeon. well, i was back a few hours ago.

they gave me a sedative, so that knocked me out pretty nicely. my only recollection is flying through some type of cavern or alien thing. reminded me of that level in Crysis where you float through the alien spaceship. its was pretty cool.

and now im at my computer, sluggishly hitting the keys, and with gauze firmly in my mouth.
my dad bought me a huge milkshake for dinner. cant wait to eat it with a spoon, as slowly as i can while my brothers gets to eat some sort of veggie meatloaf.

[Fragony]

Good boy, chew on this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove if you don't like pills, it's grandma's way.

[Ice]

Just take the opiates they gave you with a lot of advil/tylenol, and you'll be fine. I didn't even need to use narcotics when I got mine out, just a couple advil per day. Everyone is different though; I've heard some real horror stories.

[Veho Nex]

Enjoy your high today man. That stuff that knocks you out is a real kicker. Remember to take your antibiotics. Unless you like the taste of pus in your mouth.

[Hooahguy]

well, right now im living on milkshakes, pudding, jello and apple juice, and pretty high on meds.
i cannot tell you how happy i am right now.

[Fragony]

Wisdom teeth is a fun example of language mixture by the way, I am positively sure it comes from dutch we call it verstandskiezen, 'verstand' means knowledge. But what it really is is 'verre stand' which means 'far standing'.

[Ice]

well, right now im living on milkshakes, pudding, jello and apple juice, and pretty high on meds.
i cannot tell you how happy i am right now.

Ice cream and vicodin will tend to do that.

[Hooahguy]

i cannot speak my utter frustration because i have two gauze pads stuck firmly in my mouth, plus an ice pack, and im on meds. and i cannot speak because of the pads, and must communicate through grunting/pointing/ writing on the back of an envelope.
FML.

[Hooahguy]

blood finally stopped. hallelujah!

[Veho Nex]

Now enjoy a week or two of the pleasent high given by opiates. Though I had to take 4 pills to even feel the pain go numb... You hopefully dont have to

And if you run out, dont go in for refills two bottles with 30 pills a piece are enough to get you addicted without you knowing. You will probably go through opiate withdraws at the end of this anyways. Speaking from personal experience when I had three removed.

[Ice]

Now enjoy a week or two of the pleasent high given by opiates. Though I had to take 4 pills to even feel the pain go numb... You hopefully dont have to

And if you run out, dont go in for refills two bottles with 30 pills a piece are enough to get you addicted without you knowing. You will probably go through opiate withdraws at the end of this anyways. Speaking from personal experience when I had three removed.

I'm fairly sure the doctor probably wrote "no refills" on the prescription for that very reason.

[Veho Nex]

doctors around here are... lets just say... very liberal with the pain meds...

[Scienter]

I had all 4 of mine out at once, and they were impacted. Take your drugs! I had minimal swelling because my nurse gave awesome advice. Borrow a pair of knee high stockings from a female or get a pair of men's knee socks. Nylons work better because they're stretchy. Put a ziplock bag full of ice in each one and tie it around your head so the ice is on your cheeks toward the back where your teeth were. The socks hold the ice in position. Just make sure to remove it every few hours to give your skin a chance to warm up. I didn't have a lot of swelling, but I did get a large bruise on each cheek, it looked like someone beat me up. Can't emphasize enough: take your drugs! Also don't play with your stitches. If you got the dissolvable kind, they'll fall out on their own and it feels weird.

[Hooahguy]

dang, more bleeding.

[Centurion1]

i have to get my out since some of them arent impacted i gonna have to under general anesthesia. my mother also decided we are switching dentists. This surgeon barely talked to me and when i asked questions he treated me like an idiot. like for example-

Me: so i need to under general anesthesia
Doctor: well you see general anesthesia is when wee make you go to sleep and then you dant feel a thing
Me: No kidding, thats not what i was asking
Doctor: Oh well then what were you asking
Me: is it normal to have to go under general anesthesia
Doctor: Now dont you worry about that
Me: grinds teeth

(i swear to god this actually happened and ith this mans tone of voice it was infuriating)

and then to clinch he didnt meet with my mother but sent out a like nurses nurse to fill out paperwork and waivers in case i get ******* up.


Now i assume this man thought i was an imbecile because i was wearing a football sweatshirt and was larger than him but that doesnt excuse his poor manners for my mother. it was 8 in the morning on a tuesday youre telling me he was too busy to talk to somebody who is doing the paper signing i mean for gods sake.

so i have decided that i am going to come back when im rich and buy this operation. then i am going to turn it into a candy store. just for the kkicks.

sorry for the rant.

[Subotan]

I don't have any adult teeth in my head beyond about the fourth tooth back. So on the plus side, that means no wisdom teeth! Although on the other hand, it means that the three pre-molars I pulled out for tooth-fairy money won't ever grow back and I'm stuck with gaps that, although they're not noticeable, will get food stuck in them for the rest of my life.