Have you gotten your wisdom teeth taken out? What was your experience like?

[MAJ4251]

After avoiding it for two years, I'm finally getting my wisdom teeth removed this Thursday. I'm nervous as hell. I've never had anything like this done before. The most I've ever had is an IV in my hand because I was super dehydrated. The thought of going under general anesthesia, alone scares the hell out of me. I'm afraid of what I'll feel like when I wake up after and the amount of pain I'll be in.

How were your experiences? Was it as bad as you thought it'd be?

Updates

+1 y

I got my wisdom teeth out this morning. Turns out that some people are resistant to anesthesia and I'm one of them. I woke up half way through. They gave me something through the IV to help with the pain but it wore off pretty fast and they gave me all that they could. So I had to get the stitches without any type of painkiller. It wasn't that bad actually, so overall I feel it went pretty well. Along with an antibiotic and the percocet, the surgeon gave me some type of steroids for the swelling

[adudeasks]

I had to get 2 of mine removed because they were shifting my teeth. So I figured why not just get them all done. I was put under, which I preferred because I hate the dentist, needles, ect. I woke up with them removing that last tooth, and to be honest, it was a little freaky hearing the drill and seeing the dentist with what looked like pliers trying to rip my tooth out. The recovery was a little rough. When I got back home, it was mostly just sleep and drink, with a little mash potatoes to eat. Your not aloud to spit or you could risk busting the stitches. My mouth was obviously still bleeding, so not being able to spit meant I either had to swallow the blood or just drool over the sink to let it out. I preferred the latter. I also had a small hole where one of my teeth was removed and they gave me a special plastic, curved syringe to fill with water and clean out the hole. It was just tedious after a couple weeks of doing it.

Going under with general anesthesia to me is fantastic. I've done it a few times for different reasons and with the exception of having your teeth ripped out, I've always woken up feeling like I had a fantastic nights sleep. Your drowsy, But I have never been out of it where I don't remember things after I wake up. I have always been very aware of what was going on.

All in all, right after the surgery and a few days after, I wished I had not done it because there was a lot of pain even with the pain killers. Of course after the pain was starting to go away, I was glad I had it done. It'll be rough at first, but in the end, it will be worth it. Good luck, make sure you have some soft foods ready for you. Try and get as much sleep as you can after the procedure.

[John83]

It is good you only avoided it for 2 years. I avoided it several years longer and finally ended up getting mine pulled only after I got an infection in my gums the dentist said was due to not having my wisdom teeth extracted. By the time I did it, the roots had gotten pretty deep, so I'm sure it was worse for me than it will be for you. Still, it was not as bad as I expected. The anesthesia was what scared me the most too. I don't remember much of it. The anesthesiologist had me count backwards and I did not get very far with that. Next I remember, I was waking up and they were done. I had a lot of gauze in my mouth to control the bleeding. The dentist said two of them were very hard to remove because I had waited so long to do it.

With the numbness from the Novocaine and the lingering effects of the anesthesia, I apparently was talking non-nonsensically to my girlfriend on the drive back from the oral surgeon's office. The pain was not bad at first but got worse that night. I took some of the prescription pain killers they gave me, which made that go away fast. By the next day, all I needed was Advil because the pain was not nearly as bad. There some numbness and tingling in my gums that lasted for about a week or so, which the oral surgeon said might happen because of pressure on the nerves during the extraction. That was not a very big deal though.

Overall, I am glad I did it, because the pain from the infection I got was actually worse than the pain for the day or so after I got them extracted. Good luck and I'm sure your experience will be better than mine.

[springocelot]

I had three wisdom teeth taken out (2 impacted) via IV sedation. Once they had the drip going I fell asleep and woke up with some gauze in my mouth. I was super drowsy when the procedure was over and my mom had to help me to the car.

My pain wasn't too bad - just had some mild throbbing for a couple of days. Recovery during the first day was hard though as I was limited to soft foods.

Prior to surgery, the thought of going under scared me too, especially after signing all those disclaimer forms. What comforted me a bit was a few things. First, I was having the procedure done by a very experienced oral surgeon whom my dentist recommended. Second, and more important, he took the time to explain the procedure, the kinds of anesthesia he uses for his patients, and why he recommended IV sedation for me.

[Anonymous]

I never thought it'd be bad in the first place. I went, I was put under, and I don't remember the rest of the day. Apparently I spent the day with my then ex and somehow he became my boyfriend again :p

My boyfriend had an extremely different experience. His temperature is apparently two degrees warmer than average and he is an athlete (swimmer) so his body burned off the sleeping meds and he woke up half way through and he remembers the entire thing.

So...I don't think you'll have a problem at all. As for the pain...it's more of a dull ache. Not so much pain. Plus they give you meds for that so it's really not a big deal at all.

[Opinion Owner]

The same thing that happened to you happened to my boyfriend lol

[MAJ4251]

Yeah, definitely not too fun. Hearing that drill and feeling it breaking up a tooth is horrible.

[Opinion Owner]

I can only imagine. I was out cold haha.

[3gmoney3]

I had all of them taken out and they were all impacted. It really wasn't that bad. The worst parts about the anesthesia were when I woke myself up snoring (my head was tilted back, I couldn't help it!) and worrying about what I might say to my mom on the drive home while I was still loopy. I definitely felt some pain afterward, and was appreciative of the drugs. I also planned ahead and bought some juices and protein shakes, since I knew I would have trouble with solid foods for a few days. You'll be fine, though. Be happy that you're doing it before anything gets any worse.

[Anonymous]

well I have gotten 2 wt removed. I was nervous so they had to use more medicine but it was the kind that you are still concious. it wasn't that bad bht I could hear sounds of what they were tearing apart like the bone to the tissue. but it didn't hurt. afterward the put you like a white thing to press with your teeth and then just stich it. they gave me 2 kinds of pill for infection and pain, after a couple of hours the pain starts but the pill is strong enough. you might be nervous but its not as bad as you think really

[Anonymous]

After they put the IV in your arm, you kind of just drift off to sleep. When I woke up they had me sit in a chair until the effects of the anesthesia wore off. For the first couple of hours I felt no pain, but after a while the vicodin came in handy. The pain never really got intense, it was more of an annoying throb to me. I didn't even use half of my bottle of vicodin. The worst parts imo were the gauze you have to have in your mouth until you stop bleeding (it took longer than normal for me), and not being able to eat what I wanted. Overall, it was a lot less traumatic than I thought it would be.

[kheserthorpe]

I had it done in the doctor's office, local anaesthetic, some gas for relaxation. Experience was fine. Iced heavily for 24 hours later, swelling was manageable.

Why are you having it done under general anaesthesia? It makes things more complicated (in terms of recovery and what you can eat before hand, risks, etc.)

[MAJ4251]

The oral surgeon says it's "high risk" because all 4 wisdom teeth are impacted and the nerve in my jaw overlaps the roots of my wisdom teeth so it'll be harder to get them out without hitting the nerve. But idk. My dentist mentioned something called twilight anesthesia and he said he would recommend that but the oral surgeon disagreed and said the general is better for my situation.

[kheserthorpe]

If its what they recommend, then go with it. I just wouldn't do (as some people do) the 'knock me out so I don't have to deal with it'. I had all four out, two were impacted, two were not. I think twilight means you're on the edge of being out.

This is an extremely common extraction, there's no reason to be stressed about it. There will be minor challenges during healing, and you will deal with them, and life will continue, and you will have and conquer bigger challenges then this.

[snowangle]

I haven't gotten it done, but I recommend you stock up on soft foods before your procedure (yogurt, pudding, mashed potatoes, etc) because you'll be in a lot of pain and you'll get sick if you take pain meds on an empty stomach. Other than that, just relax. Recovery will take anywhere from a couple days to a full week, but it'll be over before you know it. And you'll probably sleep a lot the first day or two. Good luck!

[beastman88]

i probably wouldve been more afraid if I knew that some people actually die from anesthesia lol. I wasn't scared though, just thought it would be cool to be drugged out after waking up, which I was, didn't feel much till the next day. then ya, some major pain. I had 5 teeth removed that day, one was impacted. felt like somebody took a bat to my jaw

[Anonymous]

I got the iv that made me passed out, I woke up and it was done, took pain meds for a few days after, and that was it, I had dissolvable stiches so I didn't go back after the initial procedure. I don't remember feeling any pain, maybe a little aching.

[Anonymous]

yes, I have

i regretted not eating a lot before the procedure, I cried because I was so hungry

i didn't go through general anesthesia...

it won't hurt! don't worry about it

my dentist was pretty rough about the deal and it didn't hurt!

[zagor]

Are you having all 4 done or just one? If just one I would forgo the general anesthesia because that will make you feel worse than the extraction.

[MAJ4251]

all 4

[zagor]

Then you might want to go with the general, as it will take longer. I've had two out, but just one at a time. Just had local anesthetic. Wasn't that bad.

[Anonymous]

If they don't hurt and arnt shifting your teeth them leave them. Do some research, it's not a necessary procedure unless they're screwing up your teeth.

[MAJ4251]

They are shifting my teeth and the pain that they're causing is the only reason I'm going through with it. I can't deal with it anymore.

[Enideqa]

No but I think I will be soon.

[Anonymous]

Yes. The process wasn't really bad