I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow. Can anyone give me any feedback from their experience?

Question

Any tips on making it not so bad or avoiding dry sockets?

Answer 1

I had all four of my wisdom teeth cut out by an oral surgeon at one time. When I woke up, I was fine and there was no pain; however I was really drugged up. I won't lie, the pain does come back and it hurts pretty bad, but once it heals, you'll be glad it's done and glad you don't have to do it again. Your cheeks will swell a LOT and will more than likely bruise as well; don't worry; this is normal! Make sure to change your gauze often and eat lots of soft foods like mashed potatoes, jello, and soups. DO NOT drink from a straw or smoke as these are two things that can definitely cause a dry socket. I know this will be taken in a different way for immature readers, but basically anything that requires you to pucker your lips and suck can cause one, so be careful as it will hurt much worse if you have one...and it will slow the healing process down! Good luck and I hope I put your mind at ease a little bit.

Answer 2

hopefully they will give you something to knock you out when they do it. That makes it a lot easier. If not go for laughing gas. It pretty much makes you not care what they are doing.
Ask your dentist about the dry sockets. I have had a lot of dental work and quite a few teeth pulled. I only got a dry socket once and I can tell you it was very painful. But they will give you pain meds for afterward I am sure. Good Luck

Answer 3

get conscious sedation :) the dentist will start an IV in your arm and give you a combination of drugs (fentanyl and versed usually) so that you are not anesthetized - you are just asleep and dont remember the experience and breathe on your own. great! i didnt remember a thing, and the fentanyl (which is a painkiller) kept me comfortable for the rest of the day after the procedure.

another thing - take your medications and prescribed. advil/motrin will help reduce swelling and make you more comfortable. you will probably also get a special mouthwash to use so swish with that as prescribed. also, making sure you keep your sockets moist will reduce dry socket. ask for a syringe from the dentist with a curved tip that will allow you to reach back into the corners of your mouth - spray water or your prescribed mouthwash to rinse your sockets with throughout the day - this will also remove any food particles from the pockets and keep them clean. good luck!

Answer 4

Luckily, when I came out of my surgery I was given another pain shot that knocked me out again. I had a dull ache in my mouth for days until I finally took the very strong pain killers the doctor had recommended--I was out cold for 9 hours!! Painkillers are a wonder to help you get through.

Be very careful what you eat--I chewed with my front teeth for many days afterwords--and avoid pretzils and crackers and anything hard like that until you heal; when those hit the empty socket, the pain can be excruciating!

One final word--keep the sockets clean!!! I developed an infection because I didn't and one side of my mouth swelled up--it was not pleasant!!

Answer 5

I had all four of mine out at once and glad I did. Two were impacted so I had to go to an oral surgeon. I know I was scared to death because it seemed all I heard were horror stories. I was put under, of course, woke up feeling great. Of course I almost fell down as I was drugged up. I was fine when I went home onto the following day. The following day - well, in the evening is when the pain medication didn't seem to help much. The day after I was better. I only remember a few hours that it hurt bad -- it gets better though. But I was still able to eat like toast with peanut butter - just not chewing in the back. I needed to go back to work as soon as possible and I looked like a chipmunk (be sure to take a picture - HA HA). I went to work (worked for a one attorny law office) and I sat out front where people came in. I was told to go home because I was ugly. LOL. That was kind of funny - mean, but funny. I was told to return when the swelling went down.

Answer 6

Gosh, I've got to get my post-op instructions on the computer so I can use them to answer these questions. Start out by taking ibuprofen 600 mg a couple of hours before the procedure. Your job after the teeth are out is to protect the blood clot at all times! I'm sure others will tell you all the ways to do that, but let me add, the longer you bite on the gauze the better. It's your band-aid. I tell people to keep gauze in their mouth until they go to bed and I have very, very low incidence of dry socket in my practice.

Answer 7

I was a lucky one and had no pain, but I did have a problem with food getting into a dry socket on the left side until another dentist put in a few stitches to stop it. Don't eat before the experience so you don't get sick. Try hard not to swallow any blood as this will make you sick. Make sure the dentist knows exactly what you want and ensure that she/he does it right.

Answer 8

If you're getting general anethesia (they're putting you to sleep) for surgery, then be SURE to consume SOMETHING (i.e. warm soup) before you go to bed - or you'll pass out the next morning in the bathroom like I did! I hadn't really eaten anything for 24 hours at that point.

It will hurt, it will be sore (my jaw swelled to the size of Russia and bruised on the outside so it looked blue/purple, then blue, then yellow as it healed) and as for the dry sockets - ask the doctor/dentist for their advice and follow it. Good luck!

Answer 9

i dont know anything about dry sockets but i had one of my wisdom teeth taken out and that was only because i had a cavity in it. as long as the teeth are not impacted (growing in sideways then you are good to go) it will not hurt as long as the dentist uses the novacaine or whatever they use these days.

Answer 10

I had all 4 removed at one time 25 years ago. It went well. I followed the directions I was given. However, I got sick from the Codeine I was given for pain. If I had it done now I woud request Percocet for pain because I know it works for me and doesn't cause side effects. Ice is essential to keep the swelling down and also helps with the pain. Follow the dentist's advice, she knows best!