[Starflux]

I had been experiencing increasing toothache in the two weeks before this, culminating to a horrible episode yesterday where I couldn't bear the pain anymore and called the dentist. I had been fearing this for quite some time, but now the die was cast: my tooth was going out.

After a short fit of hysteria (also because of the pain, but I was really afraid) I calmed down with the help of my great girlfriend. Today I was surprisingly relaxed in the hours leading to the appointment with the dentist. When I finally met him, it was all handled very professionally and without any pain. The procedure was rather simple, even. Just a few sedative shots with the syringe and the tooth-pulling itself lasted only half a minute. It was really quite extraordinary. My fear then had more to do with the unfamiliarity of the move than anything else. Regardless, I feel like I've climbed a mountain. This was something that had been on my mind dormantly for years, and I've succeeded in overcoming it. It's not over though: there are still three teeth to pull next year. But now I know I'll be able to handle it all perfectly.

So, YEAH! I had to tell this.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Ouch. I had a wisdom tooth pulled years ago, myself.

[Erwin_Br]

Some people experience little pain when getting those pulled, but I also know someone who went through a horrible experience. The pain in his jaw lasted for two weeks, even though he got painkillers. What's even worse, his stomache couldn't handle these painkillers, resulting in another month of stomache ache.

And now he's afraid to get the last one pulled.

--Erwin

[Jeysie]

Heh. I had my wisdom teeth pulled a few years ago... had all four of them pulled at the same time. The actual operation wasn't near as bad as I thought (it literally took more time and pain numbing my mouth than the actual pulling did), but for about a week my mouth would ache unless I stayed dosed with ibuprofen.

Peace & Luv, Liz

[lakerz]

I had all 4 of mine pulled at once too. I was actually put to sleep before the procedure since one of mine was impacted and required some cutting to get it out. Since I DO NOT like needles, I was a bit panicky. All ended well however, except when I tried taking the codeine later that night to dull the pain. It made me ill enough to throw up which you can imagine is not good when you've just had 4 big ass teeth pulled.

Anyways, congrats on getting though it!

[LeChimp]

You really want to get your wisdom teeth pulled out as soon as you can. It's less painful and it's nice to just get it over with. I got mine out a couple of years ago, I think when I was 15. It really didn't hurt at me, but my cheeks swelled up a bit and I had to eat a lot of stuff like soup that I didn't really have to chew, but that's all that sucked about it. For the people that haven't had their wisdom teeth taken out, don't worry about the pain, you really won't feel anything at all.

lakerz: The same thing happened with me too. The painkiller or whatever I took to keep from mouth from being sore caused me to throw up once, but after that I didn't feel like I was going to puke.

[VoodooFX]

I don't have any wisdom teeth, because I'm not wise Too bad we get only two sets of teeth in our lifetime, gotta envy those sharks.

[fov]

I had all four pulled in 2000. I was a little nervous beforehand because I'd never had surgery or been sedated before. It was not a big deal at all. I don't remember a thing about the procedure and I was not loopy at all afterwards (unlike the girl who went in before me, and was still giggling in the recovery room when I checked out)... I wouldn't have minded a little more drugs! I did take painkillers but I don't remember the pain being that bad. I stayed home at my parents' for the weekend and my mom made me mashed potatoes and soup and other soft things (as mothers are so good at doing).

While you're healing, don't drink through a straw or smoke cigarettes. That can really f*ck it up. (I know this from a friend's experience... I was good and did what the doctor told me to. )

[Starflux]

Great to read all your experiences I'm surprised at how some of you had all four teeth pulled at once: I always heard that that was unwise because you ran the risk of both sides swelling up and, well, choking you to DEATH. But hey, guess it worked out for you.

My jaw is still sore at the moment, but nothing to take painkillers for. The pain was really not that bad. Then again, the dentist told me my teeth were looking perfect and straight, so getting them out was a cinch.

LeChimp; I'm already 22, but my teeth are only now popping up. Next year the other three are going out. I think the other side of my jaw will have both of them extirpated at the same time.

Also, I was really amused at how the stitches will simply dissolve by themselves in my mouth. Technology, you gotta love it!

[Karmillo]

Originally Posted by fov

While you're healing, don't drink through a straw or smoke cigarettes. That can really f*ck it up. (I know this from a friend's experience... I was good and did what the doctor told me to. )

Whys that?

[Starflux]

I don't know, but here's my guess:

Smoking is bad because it's just about the worst thing you can do to yourself, and other people, period.

Drinking through a straw is bad because you have to apply pressure which may strain the wound and open it up again.

[Ninth]

I had two of my wisdom teeth pulled out.
It didn't hurt at all when they did it, but it hurt pretty bad the following day, and I looked like a hamster for a week.
In fact, it hurt so bad a few hours after the operation that I couldn't even play an adventure game.

EDIT: For the record, the game was Dragonsphere.

[Jeysie]

Karmillo: I remember my dentist saying anything that produces a lot of suction in your mouth is bad, because it increases the possibility of your gums growing around air pockets instead of growing back solid. I don't remember the exact details, but I think that was the gist of it.

(That's also why the dentist might say to keep your gums washed free of food all the time, too. You don't want the gums growing around anything!)

Smoking's doubly bad because it also reduces blood flow, IIRC, and might interact with painkillers.

Flux: Maybe it depends on the state of your mouth, whether they remove them all or not? I dunno. My teeth were all healthy and I only had one crooked wisdom tooth and one slightly impacted one, and the other two were normal (but had to come out anyway)... and more importantly I couldn't afford more than one visit anyway. Though my roommate, who has kind of lousy teeth, and had rather badly impacted wisdom teeth, still had all his removed at the same time too, IIRC.

Finally, medicinal opiates often have nausea/vomiting as side effects. I had tried Tylenol with codeine for a previous operation and it made me sick to my stomach, which is why I just took ibuprofen for my wisdom teeth. (Though I wouldn't have minded something stronger. My roommate took Percocet.)

Peace & Luv, Liz

[fov]

Originally Posted by Karmillo

Whys that?

In most dental patients, blood fills up the open socket left after a wisdom tooth extraction. The blood hardens and protects the wisdom tooth socket while the gums grown over the top of the hole. With normal patients, without a wisdom tooth dry socket, the gums often completely grow over and close an wisdom tooth extraction socket in a week or so. After six months, the hardened blood is replaced by bone that grows into the socket. This can be seen on a dental x-ray.

In a patient with a wisdom tooth dry socket, blood does not fill up the extraction socket or the blood clot is lost for some reason. The result is a wisdom tooth dry socket. The gums can not grow over the extraction socket because there's nothing to grow over and the wisdom tooth dry socket remains open. This open wisdom tooth dry socket causes a constant dull throbbing pain and the patient with a wisdom tooth dry socket can often have a foul smelling breath and bad taste in the mouth. The wisdom tooth dry socket pain can sometimes even be felt in the ear.

...Anything that can dislodge a forming blood clot can cause a wisdom tooth dry socket. Forceful spitting or sucking though a straw can pull a blood clot completely out of it's socket and cause a wisdom tooth dry socket.

...Avoid smoking for a few days after dental extractions because smoking may disturb blood clot formation and cause a wisdom tooth dry socket.

From some dentist's website.

As for pulling all four teeth at the same time, that thing about choking to death sounds like an urban legend. Dentists and oral surgeons wouldn't do it if that was a possibility (or at the very least they'd be required to tell you it was a possibility, which they didn't in my case).

[Erwin_Br]

Originally Posted by fov

From some dentist's website.

As for pulling all four teeth at the same time, that thing about choking to death sounds like an urban legend. Dentists and oral surgeons wouldn't do it if that was a possibility (or at the very least they'd be required to tell you it was a possibility, which they didn't in my case).

Most dentists here only pull one side per appointment. I don't know if that's because of the danger of choking (if that's even true).

--Erwin

[Fairygdmther]

Perhaps they can't give anesthesia in their offices. Dentists here go through an anesthesia residency rotation so they learn the basics. Local anesthesia may not be adequate for 4 wisdom teeth, all in different quadrants of your mouth.

Lynsie

[Starflux]

Maybe Dutch dentists are just not as gung-ho as American ones?

[natalia]

Argghhh...I haven't had my wisdom teeth pulled, and I'm 30. My dentist just this year said I should make an appt. with an oral surgeon to talk about getting them pulled. Man, I'm so not looking forward to this.

[Melanie68]

I had mine pulled in High School. I was lucky in that they weren't impacted. They used local anesthesia and popped all 4 out at once and I don't remember any complications. This was 20 years ago so I'm sure practices have changed.

[Erwin_Br]

Originally Posted by natalia

Argghhh...I haven't had my wisdom teeth pulled, and I'm 30. My dentist just this year said I should make an appt. with an oral surgeon to talk about getting them pulled. Man, I'm so not looking forward to this.

So why do they need to be pulled now? Are they rotting? Or have they started to hurt?

--Erwin