Wisdom Teeth

I had all four out at once, under a general anesthesia, because there were some nerves tangled in the roots, and the surgeon wanted to be very careful about those. He thought it would be best if I were out. There was a danger that I would lose feeling in my jaw; I didn't.

I was prescribed Percocet, as I recall. It took me a good two weeks to really start eating normally again. In the meantime, I went to the "Soup Nazi" (when he had his old place on West 55th) and got a ton of soup, rented Season One of the Sopranos, and watched the whole thing over one weekend.

Originally Posted by A Harris

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If you already have an infection make SURE you take antibiotics after you have them pulled. You should already be on them prior to going in. Unfortunately I listened to the oral surgeon who removed mine, he said I didn't need antibiotics. The results of that idiotic recommendation were truly awful. I got a severe infection, and could not open my mouth more than a few millimeters for over a week. The pain was freaking incredible. Save yourself that.

I hear dry socket really sucks too, so pay attention to the recommendations your doc will make to avoid that.

really? my dentist told me that they want to get rid of the infection before they take it out so they put me on antibiotics for the last few days

I wonder if i shoudl still take them afterwrds..

okay.... what's the best drug to get afterwards? presuming you can ask...

Originally Posted by Tarmac

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okay.... what's the best drug to get afterwards? presuming you can ask...

I don't think you can ask specifically. You can tell the surgeon that "I've been on ____ before, and it didn't work... can you prescribe something stronger?" or inform them of how sensitive you are to pain, they'll likely know what's best. The last thing you want is something too strong for you. It's not a good idea to be doped up to the point where you can't drive, talk normally, work, etc.

Codeine (in liquid form, or T3s) worked fine for me, though it made me drool and zone out sometimes. When I ran out of painkillers though, I was in a LOT of pain for a few more days.

You might consider putting a towel (or something similarly functional) over the pillow when you sleep, in case some blood, uh, spurts.

Is it worth it to have them out when everything is fine simply because something may go wrong in the future? My dentist thinks so...I just thinks she wants to bilk me of some more $$$$$.

It does seem to be conventional wisdom ( ) to have them out with a view to future potential problems, even though all is presently OK. Who knows which of us could or would have gone on with no problems.
If $$ is a concern, you might consider contacting dental schools or perhaps medical centers for leads on residents or interns or students in their final year who may be part of a public service/reduced rate/training, practice program.

I had all 4 removed at same time with local anesthesia

I'd say half of my friends had severe post-healing where they were under a LOT of pain for weeks-month

The other half (myself included) had no issues, with 2 days of swollen-ness and just eating ice cream then life was back to normal by the 3rd or 4th day

You'll need painkillers for a couple of days at least.

When you remove the gauze, soak a tea-bag in cold water and apply to the socket. It helps reduce swelling and there is something in the tea that's good for the healing process. Sounds weird, I know, but my mom is a nurse and recommended it for me and it worked very nicely.

Originally Posted by ghulkhan

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really? my dentist told me that they want to get rid of the infection before they take it out so they put me on antibiotics for the last few days

I wonder if i shoudl still take them afterwrds..

Antibiotics will help fight the infection prior to cutting you up and will reduce the likelihood of infection afterwards. My course is two days prior and three days after. You should probably be taking them after surgery, too.

Originally Posted by Augusto86

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Is it worth it to have them out when everything is fine simply because something may go wrong in the future? My dentist thinks so...I just thinks she wants to bilk me of some more $$$$$.

From what I've read in my extensive research on the topic done in the wee hours of the morning while being kept awake from the pain, there are several schools of thought. One theory is that if you're 18-24 you should probably get an x-ray to see if they're impacted or have the possibility of becoming so. The younger you are then the quicker you will heal and the decreased likelihood of complications (nerve damage, deeper roots, etc.) that can come up as you get older. The other extreme is to just let them run their course as having wisdom teeth doesn't guarantee future problems since every case is different.

I noticed a bottom tooth popping out just a few weeks ago, read that I should take care of it more because it was more prone to infection and cavities, and sure enough it became infected anyway. Honestly, if this means I'll never have to worry about going through this crap again then I'm all for the surgery.

Or maybe that's the codeine I'm on talking...

My sister is getting hers removed this Friday.

God, wisdom teeth being pulled is more happenin' than shingles.

Originally Posted by whodini

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Antibiotics will help fight the infection prior to cutting you up and will reduce the likelihood of infection afterwards. My course is two days prior and three days after. You should probably be taking them after surgery, too.


Well I just realized I was prescribed a **** load of pills so I guess im taking them afterwards as well...

are you in med school?

I got one removed and it was a little worse than I expected. It hurt quite a bit for 3 days. I have another one moving in, but it isn't giving me any problems, so I hope I don't have to get this one removed too...

Originally Posted by michaeljkrell

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I got one removed and it was a little worse than I expected. It hurt quite a bit for 3 days. I have another one moving in, but it isn't giving me any problems, so I hope I don't have to get this one removed too...

My surgeon told me they typically remove all 4 at the same time. If you only get one or two done, you'll never come back for the others

Originally Posted by ghulkhan

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Well I just realized I was prescribed a **** load of pills so I guess im taking them afterwards as well...

are you in med school?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Bandwagonesque

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My surgeon told me they typically remove all 4 at the same time. If you only get one or two done, you'll never come back for the others

Yeah, I think Hitler said the same thing. Never trust doctors.