December 14, 2004

• Of course there is. Just put it in a blender first.
• You might be able to enjoy stuffing (er... dressing), but I doubt you'll be in the mood for turkey. My advice: avoid sucking things for a few days after the operation. This includes drinking through straws, or eating things where you have to create negative pressure in your mouth. From what my surgeon told me, dry sockets are QUITE unpleasant.
• Local anaesthetic (sp?). Not the general knockout. Your recovery time is much, much better. The ordeal itself is more than a bit traumatic (esp. hearing the sound of bone breaking within your head, or watching the little spoon-shaped scalpel go in, to be followed by a torrent of blood that you can't feel but you KNOW is YOURS), but any trauma is more than compensated by the 'quick' recovery time. Local. Only way to go.
• Eh. I say to take the general. I was back up and around the next day (worked a full shift at a pizza place) but wasn't able to eat properly for about four days. But- you should probably be more careful than I was, as I was not very at all. And make sure you get all the refills they allow for your pain killer of choice (vicodin is standard, but sometimes you can talk them into percocet). You'll want 'em later, when you can enjoy 'em. (And boy, they make migranes melt away).
• good captain, i beg to differ and advise just the opposite. *get knocked out.* i had four impacted wisdom teeth removed and all i remember of it is the nurse saying, "now count backwards from 100..." and i woke up two hours later in recovery. oh! and then the nurse came in and asked if i wanted to keep my teeth. unfortunately they hadn't done a very good job of cleaning all the gunk off them. ick. YES guard against dry sockets, you DO NOT want those. my guess is, you won't feel much like eating christmas dinner. but it'll be worth it in the long run to have those puppies outta there.
• What the good captain said regarding the local - you don't want to *miss* it, do you? No way. And no, you won't be tucking into anything even moderately chewy on Christmas Day. Instead, if you're like how I was, you'll be spending a lot of time watching the clock (only 45 more minutes until my pill), puzzling through the complexities of Knot's Landing reruns on Soap (me likes my pill) and napping (shouldn't have taken three pills at once). Figure a week of wincing and changing the dressings before you get much past the jello, broth soup and moist cracker phase. Cool thing about tooth extraction - if you laugh while they're doing it? A little pinkish bloodcloud will form above your mouth, like the effervescence above a freshly made vodka tonic.
• I vote for local too. I had that and the gas, and was in the chair for nearly three hours (complications), but it wasn't bad at all. To cover the noise, I compiled a mix tape (remember those?) of the loudest music I had -- Jimi Hendrix, the Sex Pistols, Muddy Waters, you name it -- and played it on my Walkman at full volume over and over again. It wasn't pleasant, but even with all the complications I had, it was hardly the gauntlet of hellfire that others described to me. I just kept hitting the gas, and all was well. Yeah, keep your sockets wet. If you smoke, don't. If you drink, don't. There's a fair chance you'll be eating by Christmas, but I doubt you'll be tackling jerky or anything.
• I already have one of my wisdom teeth and another is coming in. It's a bit painful but nothing like extraction (My dentist believed in serial extraction as a kid, which means ALL my baby teeth got pulled two or four at a time to make way for my permanent teeth). I'm glad my mouth had room for them, I get to keep my perfect smile AND have extra teeth!
• I had FIVE teeth removed come wisdom tooth day (one of my front teeth was an implant and they finally pulled the little nubbin out and drilled a hole in MY SKULL for a socket to screw the implant into, but that's another story or six) and I was eating okay after about a five or six day period. So you're cutting it close. I got KNOCKED DA FUCK OUT and I must say it was a good choice. I was anesthetized and only came to once in the doctor's office... I was vomiting blood into a sink at the time. That stuff trickles down your throat and well, ya see... Anyway, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary apparently. I sorta remember leaving the office and my mom drove me home. I woke up about TWO DAYS later with a dull ache in my mouth. Two days later, I was doing pretty okay. Two days after that, no major issues. Except for the skull screw. But as I say, another story.
• I don't remember having much of an appetite, and when I did eat it was mostly soup. Maybe pudding would be both festive & manageable? (Not if it's like so-called Christmas pudding that looks like cake to me, but like, um, more fluid-like chocolate pudding, perhaps?)
• Do local, especially if you're sensitive to anesthesia, and you should be able to eat Christmas dinner. Luckily for you, Christmas dinner -- at least growing up in my house -- is lots of soft stuff. Mashed potatos and gravy, squash, candied sweet potatoes, onions in cream sauce, and home-made cranberry sauce all require little if any chewing. Turkey or ham should be fine as long as you take small bites and chew it with your front teeth; the same goes for pumpkin pie.
• Mine wasn't all that big of a deal. They ended up pulling one of them and cutting out the other 3. I just got local and donn't remember it being too much worse than a regular dentist visit. I was only out of commission for about two day. The worst thing was simply jaw soreness due to keeping my mouth open and the dentist prying on it.
• why are you guys so anti-general? i was knocked out cold for two hours, woke up, was a bit groggy for a few hours, that was that. why put yourself through suffering when you can go under?
• Good info here. (scroll down to Post Operative Care) Don't smoke or suck liquids through a straw. I thought I heard that dairy products weren't so good for recovery, but I could be wrong. Do use a cold pack on your jaw and watch silly movies. And this is one of the (hopefully) few times someone will prescribe painkillers for you. Don't be brave. Take 'em, they help. At least they worked for me. I had never been knocked out before getting the wisdom teeth yanked and was scared. Afterwards I was very, very glad to not be awake for it. Two were impacted. YMMV. Be on the lookout for possible infection and get it looked at immediately. Less than a week later I could feel a painful lump on the outside of my jaw. Turns out they missed a tiny bone fragment and had to open 'er up again. Good luck, and enjoy them mashed potatoes!
• I'm curious about the anti-general as well. Is the local used for wisdom teeth much different than the one used for cavities? Because something about my nerves has always made local very difficult for my dentists: more than once, they've stuck five needles into me, given up, and sent me home. BTW, you people rock my world, thanks for the info.
• SideDish: Because in my case, I'm so sensitive to general anesthesia that I end up being sick in bed for about a week, comparable to a medium-to-nasty case of the flu. It also makes me horrendously nauseous, and throwing up blood after dental surgery doesn't make for a pleasant recovery. On the other hand, with just novocaine, I felt kind of tired for a couple of hours and that was that. I'd rather put up with fifteen minutes of cracking sounds and yanking sensations than five days of being groggy and worn out. I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority in terms of overreacting to the general, and if you like the stuff, more power to you.
• Follow the recommended course of icing your face--it's like 20 minutes every 2 hours (check on the timing). Get a couple of nice ice packs and make sure they are in the freezer and ready before you go to surgery. It's very important to reduce swelling and make you not look like a bruised chipmunk. Eat softer food (little pasta bits in sauce, soup, jello, pudding), avoid caffeine. Rinse the area with warm salt water after the 1st or second day (ask your dentist for the timing). chew carefully, and keep food out of the general area. You eat slowly but you should be able to enjoy most of the good stuff (except the booze--but you should be set for new year's eve). I had general, all 4 out at once (2 impacted) and a week later I was hiking in the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
• Also, you are going to have a big fat face, if you look like I did after this. Make sure that you are featured in the holiday pictures.
• I don't think it's so much anti-general, at least not for me. In my case, my insurance didn't cover general, and I didn't want to pay for it. I also didn't want to risk finding out that I'm sensitive to general anesthetic (I don't know). I did the local, and even with huge complications, I found out that it wasn't that bad at all. I've heard that you'll heal quicker if you take it easy on the painkillers, btw, but I don't know how true that is. The downside, of course, is that you don't get to be stoned out of your mind on painkillers.
• I've had three different tooth extractions, with a total of three widsom teeth and two impacted canines. The first time, I went under, and I was groggy the whole rest of the day and out of school for almost the whole week. I was knocked out again the second time I was up and around within a day. The third time I had local and I got to watch the guy drill into my tooth with this huge drill that shot tooth dust up in the air, then he just yanked the tooth out. The whole process took, like, 10 seconds. It was awesome. Make sure you have something more to eat than apple sauce and ice cream for the first couple of days. I lost five pounds because I got sick of eating apple sauce and ice cream and just stopped eating for almost a day.
• I have just one thing to add: Don't eat spaghetti while you still have stitches in. Trust me on this one.
• I've always wondered-- when people say "general" anesthesia when discussing dental surgery, are they talking about real honest-to-God "general" anesthesia? The kind where they stick a tube down your throat and the anestheseologist does the breathing for you? Because death is an occasional complication of that. If that's what "general" is for dental surgery, I vote for local, purely on safety grounds. Also, people puke a lot less with local. I've only had one wisdom tooth out, but it was impacted. I had local, and it was a completely benign experience. I only took motrin afterwards, and was fine. On the other hand, having four out could be four times as bad if they all turn out to be impacted, so I wouldn't turn down the post-op drugs. Honestly though, I would only ever have general if there were no alternative.
• I've heard that you'll heal quicker if you take it easy on the painkillers... Whoever told you this was a sadist. Modern pain management aims to PREVENT the pain starting up in the first place, insofar as that's possible.
• I just had my wisdoms out this summer. they gave me nitrous oxide (woohoo!) and then an iv of morphine (woohoo!!!) I am really glad I had general!! however, I had a fairly simple extraction with no complications. I was surprised at how quickly I felt generally better & was able to eat (with limits, of course) listen to the doc, follow the aftercare instructions closely. take the drugs (you will need them) watch the silly movies.
• I had two wisdom teeth out a while back, both on the bottom and both impacted. I was able to eat, albeit it hurt a little bit, three days later. This was using a local and no painkillers. Your mileage may vary. The pain isn't as bad as everyone says. Sure, it hurts, but it isn't really that bad. You get used to it after about 2 hours, and you don't get the drugged feeling. Don't just use icepacks, keep some ice in your mouth and then try to eat. It helps.
• I had my wisdom teeth out under general anaesthetic, but my experience won't really be comparable to most people's: I had seven wisdom teeth. Yep, I'm a freak - but a very wise one!
• Also, for quick recovery, I agree about the icing schedule, and, more importantly, you should be taking an anti-inflammatory medicine around the clock for several days, maybe up to a week (that means take it as often as recommended, 24 hours a day, even if you're not in pain). Common anti-inflammatories are tylenol (acetominophen- every 6 hours around the clock), motrin (ibuprofen- every 8 hours around the clock), and aleve (naproxyn- ask your dentist, I think its every twelve, but it might be every 24). Many narcotic pain meds have anti-inflammatories included in them (darvocet, percocet, tylenol #3), but some do not (oxycodone, darvon, demerol). Ask your dentist or pharmacist if your med has one, and supplement with tylenol, motrin, or aleve if it does not. Don't use tylenol, motrin or aleve at the same time as your narcotic if it does have an anti-inflammatory, or you'll box your liver. If you're not in pain, you can skip your narcotic (in fact, doing so will help you recover faster), but don't skip your anti-inflamatory. So, for example, if you only want one percocet (which is 5 mg of oxycodone and 325 mg of tylenol), take one 325 mg tablet of tylenol with it. If you don't want any percocet, take two tylenol. If you want two percocet, don't take any tylenol. The goal is to have a full dose of anti-inflammatory on board.
• If you can read French, here's a blog kept by my friend who had his four wisdom teeth pulled in one sitting.
• Whoever told you this was a sadist. Come to think of it, my father has been a little passive-aggressive with me lately...
• Actually, anything with acetaminophen (paracetamol, Tylenol, etc.) is NOT an anti-inflammatory agent, they're classified as analgesics, and don't decrease inflammation. True OTC anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are ibuprofen and naproxen, which seem to do double duty as a pain blocker AND decreases inflammation. Anything with a "-cet" suffix generally has acetaminophen (percocet, darvocet), and anything with a "-al", "-on", or "-an" (darvon, percodan) usually has aspirin.
• Oh, and Asprin is also anti-inflammatory. One downside is that it thins the blood, and for people who are sensitive to that, blood thinning will increase bleeding from your tooth-yanking, and may also lengthen healing time. Your mileage may vary.
• For reference, I've found this page to be very helpful. (Merck.com online Merck Manual).
• chimaera, apparently, you are correct. My bad: don't take the tylenol, take the motrin. I'd swear my NP recommended tylenol as one of the ones to take to keep imflammation down, but perhaps I misremember, or perhaps she is poorly informed. That seems weird though, because then if you're taking a -cet drug (which is what is most frequently prescribed), you can't take motrin too, because of the liver issues? So then you're missing all the anti-inflammatory goodness? I'm confused.
• That link is great, btw.
• 1. Rinse your mouth with warm salt water every couple of hours. This will help healing and also is soothing on the wound(s). 2. Eat your percocet. Mmmmm... Pull out the blankets and sleep in a warm, delicious narcotic haze until you're fully healed. 3. Sign up for rehab if the percocet monkey grabs your brain and starts squeezing.
• stray, you didn't say if any are impacted, or have extra roots. I had the first three removed, one by one, with locals and they just popped out and healed within 48 hours, to the point of full comfort. The last one, impacted, left rather more enduring discomforts. The facility of recovery is in reverse proportion to the quality of the teeth removed, in dental terms.
• Good point dxlifer. They're not impacted, in fact they are fairly underdeveloped. However, they're headed towards impaction, which is why we're getting them out now while the getting's good.
• I'm curious why everyone does the wisdom tooth thing. I'm 36 and haven't had them out. No troubles.
• I only had two, and they popped right out under local. The dentist told me to take an advil if it hurt aftwards. But it didn't, really. I'm a lucky bastard.
• I was knocked out, had all four removed in the morning and was eating pizza that night - no swelling pain or anything....
• I had impacted WTs so I had to take the general. When I woke up, I was feeling really, really good. So much, in fact, that I was laughing like a deranged loon and the nurse got very angry with me because I couldn't stop laughing, which of course, I found utterly hilarious. So yeah, by all means, take the general. MonkeyFilter: you'll come for the wisdowm extraction but you'll stay for the laughs.
• I can't believe so many people are in favor of local. Yes, by all means, let me be awake for someone ripping my teeth out of my head! But then, I also request nitrous whenever I'm having a cavity filled. I will say that I was utterly terrified before before I had my wisdom teeth out. I set off the blood pressure monitor--I'd never been knocked out before. The only thing that frightens me more than air travel is surgery. I think they just gave me demerol in an IV. It was swell, really. My oral surgeon's name was Dr. Hitchcock. He shared a practice with a Dr. Fear. Definitely follow all of the doctor's instructions re: icepacks and so forth. I used my icepacks faithfully and had minimal swelling and no bruising. "I'm curious why everyone does the wisdom tooth thing. I'm 36 and haven't had them out. No troubles." --rolypolyman I waited about 10 years to have my wisdom teeth out after my dentist recommended it. The one on the lower left was impacted and infected. It oozed pus. My breath smelled like rot. It was then that I decided that it was time.
• "boiled dead owl" was how i've heard the smell described.
• krebs cycle, I think it's generally discouraged to take motrin (an ibuprofen drug here in the US) with tylenol, but I've known a few chronic headache-sufferers (of which, I'm thankfully only lightly stricken compared to some friends) to do what they call "shotgunning" ibuprofen on top of tylenol in an alternating 2 or 3 hour period. Tylenol 1000mg, wait 3 hours, then ibuprofen 600mg, then wait 3 hours, and do over until the headache goes away. I've also known a few people who have used that trick for really bad flus. As I understand it, ibuprofen is harder on the kidneys than the liver, and acetaminophen is the opposite. So I guess "shotgunning," when done only occasionally, may not do much harm.
• roly, as apis has indicated, WT problems can develop slowly over time. I am 36 also and I just had mine out (luckily before real problems developed)
• I don't know personally since all mine seem to fit in my giant head, but a nurse friend of mine told me that getting just the local anesthetic makes the dentist do a neater job of it, so it will heal faster. He/she can't rip them out with his/her knee on your chest for leverage if you are awake, you know?
• Is the local used for wisdom teeth much different than the one used for cavities? Because something about my nerves has always made local very difficult for my dentists: more than once, they've stuck five needles into me, given up, and sent me home. Nope. Same stuff, different injection site (usually). Some people have a harder time than others being anesthetized by the 'caines (Lidocaine, novocaine, any synethetic cocaine). If this is the case with you, I'd recommend a general anesthetic. Plus, you don't have to listen to the cracking noises or hear the dentist say "You're going to feel a little pressure!
• Anyone who doesn't perform self-surgery to remove wisdom teeth is a spineless wimp, utterly dependent on the pharma/hospital industrial complex, and worthless to all rational people. Most autosurgeons are dismissed as self-hating mutilators (a la teen mongrels who cut themselves to draw the attention of their dim-witted parents), but the rich history of autosurgery is apparent for those who are not medical industry sheep. Trepanation gained a degree of fame in the last decade, and many of those engaged in the activity are performing the act upon themselves only. Self-enucleation is often dismissed as being caused by 'drug-related psychosis', but there again the coven of doctors and nurses reveal their bias and greedy desire to make us all their patients and suck from us all the money they can. Dental autosurgery is a little-explored avenue in the journals, but that is not surprising. Though as children we eagerly embrace the habit (who among us has not spent hours wiggling the loose tooth with tongue or fingers, thrilling to each and every delicious rip of gumflesh and skin as we extract - alone in our bedrooms - the remnants of childhood?), we are quickly and efficiently 'socialized' to shun such natural behaviour in favour of wilfully succumbing to knockout drugs and the disgustingly intimate probing of so-called 'professionals'. Bah. Get the mirror, pliers and Dremel out and and enjoy the experience and your control over it. Long live Phyllis Gleaner!
• are they talking about real honest-to-God "general" anesthesia? Almost certainly not, unless there was a real life no-shit MD anaesthesiologist in there with them throughout the procedure. When I had all 4 of mine out in the late 80s under "general," it was a mix of valium and other depressants and sleep aids -- plain old boring unconsciousness, not the comatose state of proper general anaesthesia. Novocaine for actual numbing, and a bit of the ol' N2O to get me in the mood for the IV. If you can afford it, or it's covered, by all means spring for the general. You won't be around for the Icky Stuff, and as an added bonus the oral surgeon won't have to be "acting nice" at you -- he or she can treat you like a big limp sack of meat, which I'm told can mean cleaner extractions since they can do whatever they like, no matter how terrifying it would be if you were awake. If you can't afford general, look into sedation. My ex had hers out under sedation and said that she was sort of aware of what was going on, but didn't care. Both my lowers were impacted; they had to crack them in half to get them out. No swelling. Basically no pain; I didn't feel like I needed the tylenol-3 they gave me, but took it anyway just in case, and I never hurt.
• make the healing go fast and smooth? Lots of rinses with warmish water and a touch of salt. Try not to play with the sores. Avoid hard food like apples etc for the first while. Avoid sucking through straws and while smoking is bad the reason why is it prevents the formation of clots and you'll bleed longer. General anesthetic might be an option but also realize that there is a small chance you'll never wake up again. In Canada it is the "real deal" and the surgery done with general anethesia is done in the hospital and not at the local dentists office. YMMV I hate dentists and quite phobic about anyone messing around in my mouth (had a few terrible experiences) but the idea I may never wake up again is even more terrifying so I've always had the local anethesia and sometimes the gas to go along with it.
• I just might get to keep mine, if they ever show up, which my dentist is questioning now. They seem to be stuck right where they are in my gums, no upward/downward movement at all.
• But wow, you people are making my jaw hurt...
• Go Local. 1) It's not painful, why miss it? 2) Quicker recovery 3) Less risk of death and 4) I don't like the idea of being unconscious with strangers in the room. Just the thought gives me the willies. As for the eating 3 days later ... * shakes magic 8 ball * ...uh, best just concentrate on the drugs they give you...
• I had them all removed under local anaesthetic in the hospital (3 operations). That was in the Netherlands and they would only use general anaesthetic for very severe cases. General anaesthetic has a way too high mortality rate to use it for minor things like tooth. But of course our health insurance is much cheaper. And the Dutch are not so squeamish, 60% of child-births are done without any anaesthetic, and at home.
• I haven't had mine out, two out of four are impacted, and now I'm way too scared. You people have ruined my mouth for life.
• I'm getting mine out on thursday. All four of em. Two are impacted. I don't think i'm getting general, but then again, my dentist is quite aware of how insensitive i am to novacaine. I think they are going to give me something slightly stronger. I plan on using my painkillers with reckless abandon. And enjoying Monty Python Movies and Spaceballs.
• When I had mine out, I tried most of the oral wound cleansers on the market; warm salt water was by far the most pleasant. Be diligent about rinsing after meals, and don't be in a hurry to get back on solid foods - getting popcorn stuck in the hole hurts like a mofo. I had all four out at once; the bottom two were horizontally impacted. They gave me an IV of valium. I was able to do chicken soup by the evening after the operation; the day after I actually felt great, in a cottage cheese and canned pears sort of way. What they don't tell you in the aftercare instructions is that the worst pain sometimes comes just after you think you're healing up quite nicely... my absolute worst day was the third. Merry Christmas! But, it was only the bottom ones that ever gave me trouble; if yours aren't impacted at all, you'll probably be fine for soup, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy...
• Well. Ahem. That was...ah. Comforting. I guess. Maybe. *wonders what the sound of a bone being cracks out of one's head is like* Actually, that was a great help. I'll talk to the dentist about local vs. general, but you've all provided me with tons of info there- and a glimmer of hope. My favorite part of dinner is the mashed sweet potatoes anyway. Cheers!
• When I got my first wisdom tooth out (standard yank job), my mom had me hold mouthfuls of room-temperature, strongly brewed tea in my mouth for the remainder of that first day (spitting it out afterwards, for god's sake don't swallow it), and the pain was bearable (I was only on minimal ibuprofin for anti-inflammatory purposes) and the healing smooth. Don't know if anyone else has heard of this, strikes me as riding the fence between folk and herbalist, but I know that tannin is supposed to have curative properties, so it's worth a shot. I'll let you know, since the other 3 are coming out next week (and one is going to be of the blood and gore, hack and stitch variety) thank god for dental insurance at long last!
• I had local and glad I did. The combination of gas, some kind of downer, and the novocaine left me conscious but uncaring. I really enjoyed the sensation of teeth being cracked in my jaw then the pieces ripped from my mouth. It was great. I couldn't eat solid food for nearly a week, but mine was a tough extraction: the teeth were growing sideways below gum level so there was a lot of cutting, cracking, yanking involved. I was on Darvons for four days. The problem with eating hard food is that pieces of food get forced into the voids and that hurts. My father and both of my sisters were born without wisdom teeth, which apparently is pretty common. I wasn't lucky enough to inherit that, though.
• IANAD, but I can tell you about my own personal experience. I had mine pulled by the navy. They didn't need to come out, but the navy is paying dentists to sit around, so they might as well be pulling any teeth they can get away with, right? So, this captain dentist is pulling out all four of my wisdom teeth, under local anysthetic. He keeps cussing under his breath: "Shit! ....aw fuck! ....godammit!" This kinda bothers, since he's in there with a saw (two teeth were pulled, but two had to be cut out). He later explains his cussing to me: "Yeah, sorry if your mouth is a little sore. The blade on this saw is brand new, and it's a little bigger than I've ever used before." He gave over 30 shots of Novicaine, I don't remember the rest of the drugs he used. He told after a list of three or four drugs, but I only remember the 30 shots parts. I was given big 800mg pills of motrin to take, though I don't recall how often. That same night though, I was back on solid foods (pizza), but that was only using my front teeth. I don't recall how long it took until I could use my back and side teeth. But I would assume you should be able to eat some at christmas.
• Knickerbocker wins. ...one more reason not to enlist...
• here's a personal story to hate me for if necessary: four teeth out, one stitch, eating later that day i had the general but i woke up during with someone's foot in my mouth as they were yanking decided to go back to sleep i think i was still in or close to highschool and i've always been a bit of a dental oddity i think, having more than one permament tooth come in to replace others. apparently should have had braces but no one outside the vanity industry thinks so, and i couldn't have stood it
• hmm, i need to go to the dentist. i may have a cavity, but i tend to note them before they need filling so i have only had to have one filling for a tooth malformation. i inherited my dad's gums though. i never knew dentists would do "unneccesary fillings" until one very tense one i was reccomended mentioned it before i decided to get the hell out of there. my old dentist did a preemptive guard and that was that
• coppermac is a very bad person. I read that at work, and burst out laughing. Then my boss asks me what's so funny....
• I'd say go for the general. I had mine done about five years ago (all four at once) under a general. With the painkillers that I was given afterward, the only thing I felt was a bit tired the first day, and a bit loopy for two more days due to the painkillers. Lots of pudding, salt water rinses, and zombified staring at a TV got me back to normal within three days. (I generally get dentistry (fillings, etc) with no numbing at all, but when they told me what was involved in the wisdom tooth extraction, I didn't hesitate to have them knock me out.)
• Hectorinwa's point was made to me by a doctor friend. "Have the local." he said. "You mean it doesn't hurt?" I asked. "God, yes, it hurts like hell," he replied, "But if you could see what they do once they've got you under the general, you'd go for the local anyway, believe me." I did not take this advice. They gave me a shot of intravenous valium, and I woke up when it was over. It hurt quite a bit, but not all that much worse than the toothache I had before. I think it is possible my judgement was slightly impaired in some way, because to my wife's surprise, I insisted on going directly from the hospital to Pizza Express, where I consumed an American Hot with extra mushrooms and half a litre of Chianti. My wife then left me alone in the flat, and I went on to take about four aspirins and drink half a bottle of whisky (over the course of the afternoon). This seemed OK, and I was in fine fettle (so far as I recall)for a normal dinner with a bottle of Merlot around 8 o'clock. The following day I felt little worse than usual and resumed my normal working and eating life without many problems. I only had one wisdom tooth out, and no doubt they vary, but I hope this is in some degree encouraging, stray.
• Jaysus, I'm one lucky bastard. I have six--yes, six (don't know why or how)--wisdom teeth and none of them are impacted or infected. And even if they were, I think I'd cut off my own head before going through some of the gruesomeness you all have gone through.
• The reason I didn't get put to sleep while my wisdom teeth were taken out was that when i went to the oral surgeon for the initial consultation he said that with the sleeping gas, you don't really go to sleep, you are still responsive but you just don't remember it. With that, I was like, screw that, I'm not going to do that. If I'm going to be awake, I want to remember it.
• There was a question upthread about why is everybody getting their wisdom teeth done. In my case, it was infection. My wisdom teeth didn't come through all the way, so they were partially covered by a flap of gum. Which would, about every 6 months or so, get infected and become red, sore and inflamed. This got really old after a few years, so I decided to get my wisdoms done. I'd never had a full jaw x-ray done before, so it came as something of a surprise to have a look at the image and see a horizontally impacted pre-molar. Think large tooth sitting in the middle of my jaw, placed underneath my canines. It was starting to attach the roots of the nearby teeth too, and place pressure on the nerve to the right hand side of my mouth. So, full anaesthetic, a hole in the side of my jaw and Panadol Forte for a week. By the way, no one's mentioned spitting HUGE blood clots for a day. Was that just me?
• HOLD IT. ThreeDayMonk had SEVEN wisdom teeth? Name That Itch had SIX? where did you guys store all of those?
• Whaddya mean, "had"? Still have. I guess they're just all nestled back in my jaw somewheres. And just because I have six of 'em doesn't mean I'm chock full of wisdom (reference: "Name That Itch, marriage, first one").
• okay, adding to the chorus - short answer, go local. I had mine out when I had no dental insurance, so it was $600 I could ill-afford, but they were turning sideways in the socket, so I had to get them out. now, I am extremely sensitive to dental work, so I wasn't happy about the idea of staying awake, but the conversation went like this: -How much is it to get knocked out?- "$200." -How much is Nitrous? "$85." -How much is Novacaine? "That's free, as much as you want." Novacaine it was. Top two came out easily, bottom two broke and had to be drilled / pulled out in pieces. I went home with Roxicet in hand, took two of them and crashed out for 8 hours. Woke up, no pain, no bruising, very little swelling, no problems. Ate soft food that night, but the next day was eating pizza and partying with friends. The benefit (that I didn't see anyone mention) in staying awake - if you are asleep, a nurse braces your jaw to prevent the dentist from hyperextending it while he works. But they don't really know if it's hyperextending or not. Since I was awake, I could stop him from pushing my jaw too far open... which seems to be some of the cause of the chipmunk-cheeked, swollen and bruised aftermath of so many extractions.
• I haven't had mine out, two out of four are impacted, and now I'm way too scared. You people have ruined my mouth for life. Let me really brighten your day with the story my mom told me a few days/weeks before I had mine out. After they were married, my father was doing some manner of Fulbright work in Colombia and my mom was at a party conversing with other military-community types. So someone asks her "Oh, did you hear about Lieutenant So-And-So?" and she hadn't. Turns out he'd been having his wisdom teeth out and HE DIED IN THE CHAIR. After my heartrate approaches normal again, she adds "Something to do with being at very high altitude in the Andes."
• InfraMonkey -- I had the tea thing too. And reading all of this, it has become clear that I missed out on a lot of chemical fun. Room-temp tea, extra strength Tylenol, and a spitting cup -- that's all that got me through the post-op. Well, marathon tv watching too. The whole of the Pride and Prejudice miniseries with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, followed by most of The Prisoner. Developed a crush on Jennifer Ehle as a result of my prolonged exposure. Offhand, I'd think that a crush on Jennifer Ehle is a strong indicator of drug use, but I know I wasn't ON anything. Which is a pretty disturbing thought. But back to the teeth -- I didn't need to do it. My coverage under my dad's work plan was about to expire, so I was cramming in as many freebies as I could. Going for the local was largely based on getting bragging rights over my sister, who had a general, and had a thoroughly miserable recovery. Going in was a bit unnerving -- I had to remind the dentist that I wanted a local over and over. Only to have to ask "what's the gas mask for if I'm just getting a local?" "You want a local? You should have SAID something." Realizing that your surgeon doesn't have a good eye for detail is a pretty scary thought. Then bone-crunching in the skull, tooth dust flying, and the smell of burning bone. Good times, good times...
• my wife had two teeth out in early november (wanted to be healed by thanksgiving). she was totally under, recovered fine but was really too sore for solid food until after about a week. still rinsing out the holes (teeth were sideways) and had some minor bleeding again after the stitches were removed. so, YMMV. your ability to partake in christmas dinner depends on your healing ability, pain tolerance, and what's on the menu. given all of the above, i'd say go for the local. and i have all 4 wisdom teeth, in straight and healthy. because i have a big mouth, apparently. my wife hated me for about a week for not having deformed wisdom teeth like normal people.
• Dear lord. Lets have a MoFi get together for Wisdom Teeth survivors. You people without deformed teeth can come, but you don't get free booze. I envision some sort of sloshed one-up-manship: "You shhink you had it harrdsh? I got mine out witsh a hammer and an ice pickshs."
• Dear lord. Lets have a MoFi get together for Wisdom Teeth survivors. cool - that'll give me an excuse to bring my uppers out of the deep freeze and make the jewelry I've been threatening....
• my oral surgeon actually said, "You won't feel anything." then his assistant applied the mask and had me count backwards from 5. 5, 4, 3... there was a george harrison tune on in the recovery room, and all I could do was say "woooo" and give a thumbs up when asked how i felt. a bit more vicodin and ice packs on the first day and I was fine. By the next day it was just the anti-inflammatories and rinsing. with 2 impacted teeth i guess I got off pretty lucky.
• when you guys say local vs. general you make it sound like they anesthetize you... maybe sometimes, but not usually nowadays i think. when i was "put under" it wasn't like getting surgery. they just pump you full of valim/xanax type thing, probably with some other helpful drugs (like memory blockers), and you aren't actually asleep (nor are there any of the risks of general) but you'll be fucked if you care that they are ripping your teeth out with a pair of pliers. nor will you remember it. i was walking around buying a nintendo literally 5 minutes after leaving the surgeon. no recovery problems (at least related to the drugs) at all.
• Its the not remembering that freaked me out. I have illusions of that seinfeld episode where he wakes up and can't remember if he had tucked his shirt in or not before going to the dentist. As for why I had mine taken out, the dentist said so. At elast one of them was already in, and I never had any pain from them. But the dentist said so, therefore, out they came.
• I had my wisdoms pulled a few years after the braces came off because they were displacing my bite. Not much pain initially, but both the lowers were dry sockets. Then there was pain aplenty -- like a mole burrowing into my gums. And a discharge that tasted like rotten cabbage. Uh! The dentist had to pack the sockets with gauze soaked in this vile antiseptic. I kept throwing up the pain killers, so I sneaked shots of my dad's brandy. Now I'm an alcoholic. But really, you'll be fine. By the way, I recently had to have a dead tooth pulled, and the dentist wouldn't let me keep it. He said it was a biohazard!! And to think it had been in my mouth all those years!
• I had to get all 4 of my impacted wisdom teeth pulled, but decided to have it done in two phases. This way I had one good side to eat with both times. I think this is a good move. Both times they just gave me the happy gas and numbed the area really good (I don't know if it was local or just a lot of novocaine). So, I was awake and aware of both procedures, but since I had the happy gas, I didn't care. Not even when I saw blood shoot out of my mouth and hit the oral surgeon on his white shirt as he said semi-frantically "I need a little more suction here!" The one thing that sticks out in my mind from the whole ordeal is the stitches. The first time I got dissolving stitches that left an awful taste in my mouth for what seemed like forever as they dissovled. The second time I got regular stitches which needed to be removed, but I didn't care because it didn't taste like something died in my mouth.
• oh, the stiches. yeah. if you've never had them before, there's no way to describe the feeling of having them removed. sort of like that miracle surgery that purports to pull things through the skin, but with fewer chicken parts.
• This just in...
• Alrighty then...
• That's a good reason to stay with the Tylenol. Ibuprofen can act as a blood-thinner and is not recommended for such situations. stray, be happy to be getting those teeth out before any impaction. That's where I went wrong, by putting off the last one until I had to have a viritable slash and grab to get it out. and ditto for the warm salt water.
• Bondurant: Well, posting THAT was certainly a way to reassure and cheer ...
• Sorry- Just couldn't help myself ;-)
• oh, the stiches. yeah. if you've never had them before, there's no way to describe the feeling of having them removed. sort of like that miracle surgery that purports to pull things through the skin, but with fewer chicken parts. Of course, nowadays they have those newfangled stitches that dissolve in your mouth over a week or so.
• Oof. Saw this on the blue, and thought of this thread. Something "useful" (meaningful?) to do with the by-products of wisdom teeth extractions.