Has anyone had their wisdom teeth cut out?

Question

What was it like? How was recovery? How long to heal? Etc.
I have to have all 4 done next week. Plus one of them is so impacted and coming in all crooked it has actually caused one of my molars to become abscessed. WORST PAIN EVER. I am on antibiotics and pain killers. So yes, I am having a grand total of 5 teeth out - more than my son has in his mouth! I have always been religious about my dental hygeine because I hate going to the dentist. I am worrying myself into a frenzy over it.

Answer 1

I had all 4 of mine pulled the same day...my top 2 wisdom teeth were sooooo impacted, they were all the way up by my jaw bone. I would NOT have believed it if I didn't see the x-rays myself! My bottom 2 were half way sticking out and the other half were underneath of the "farthest back bottom row teeth". I have no idea how they got them out from the position that they were in and I don't think I want to know! I was under for about 1 and a half hours...they put the mask over my face and said count from 10 back...I made it to 8 and that was it! When i woke up my bottom jaw was a little sore but that was about it...they do give you pain medicine. Just make sure you have someone to drive you home and have some sherbert or ice-cream and some soup for a couple of days. The worst part about it was the anticipation and then the nasty bloody gauze that you will have to change once in a while. My stitches were disovable so no worries about getting the stitches removed. You'll be fine in a few days and you'll have alot less headaches and pressure in you jaw and face. You can keep them lil' stinkers too...I have mine in a Ziploc baggie because they cost about as much as my very first car!!

Answer 2

Ha! You think you have pain now!!! I too had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled plus one. I would have rather been shot and then pulled by a truck tied to a rope on broken glass. OK maybe that is little extreme but it hurts like hell. I couldn't talk for two or three days and I couldn't swallow the antibiotics or pain pills they gave me because my mouth was so extremely swollen. My husband had to crush the pills and put them into ensure. I barely got that down due to the numbness in my mouth. Sometimes the drug cocktail along with my ensure lunch would just dribble out the side of my mouth because I had so very little control of it. I cried and spit blood into the sink endlessly. Keep towels close by with a trash can by the bed along with some ice....and buy straws cause that is the only way anything is getting down for a week. Aside from the pain you will look like you have been beaten with a baseball bat in the face. On the plus side however I lost 7 pounds in two weeks. Let me know how it goes! I am going to give birth to my new baby boy tomorrow and I already feel better about it now that I am reminded of that dreadful trip to the dentist last year. P.S. The teeth are great now but I couldn't feel my mouth completely till 6 months later. Good Luck!

Did I mention I was awake during this process with just local anesthetic?

Answer 3

Yes, I've had six teeth pulled - four wisdom teeth and two others that were too rotten to save (and had bridges made). I was awake for the two single extractions but they were a piece of cake. One was abcessed and I practically kissed the oral surgeon when he finished, he was so good and it came out so easy just like butter and MAN it felt so good to get that itchy throbbing painful tooth out. I was dying before I got the tooth out, I couldn't sleep - but afterwards all I took was a few Motrin.

Two of my wisdom teeth were impacted, two were in all the way, I had all four out, they knocked me out entirely and it was exactly ok. I didn't have too much pain, the worst part is biting on those pieces of gauze and drooling bloody saliva for the first day and having your mouth taste like blood, metal and antibiotics. Again I never took anything but Tylenol or Motrin but I had no drugs for childbirth either so I guess I have a high pain tolerance.

Take a few days off and lie around eating ice cream and pudding. You can't use a straw, smoke, have hot stuff or chew much for the first week or so but you are pretty much back to a normal soft diet within 2-3 days.

If they are hurting you, you'll be glad when it's done!

Answer 4

I had 4 out recently. I didn't have any teeth impacted though so the procedure was fairly smooth. I took about a week to heal up and be on semi-regular foods again. It was about 2 days before I felt good enough to function normally.

I won't lie and say it didn't hurt, it did a lot, but it's better than haven't impacted and abcessed teeth.

I found it helpful to have my husband sit in on the procedure with me so I could hold his hand.

Also, drink chicken or vege broth after the procedure. It'll be warm and comforting as well as replace some of the salts/liquids lost.
Good luck!

Answer 5

First and foremost - relax! To be completely honest, you blink and its done. I'm looking at a career in medicine so I knew a bit too much going into it - but I was escorted into the room where they were going to remove them, had a brief discussion with the doctor about what was being done. After that, the assistants started preping by starting an IV with the meds to knock me out as well as put an oxygen device on my face so that I would be getting oxygen, but not detracting from the doctor's ability to work - and finally a clip on my finger so that they could monitor my vital signs. Mostly just precautionary stuff. I had all four removed, the bottom ones were impacted and quite painful. After they started the IV, I blinked twice and the third time I opened my eyes - my mouth was full of gauze and I was just laying in the chair. It was the weirdest feeling ever because it was like "what happened??" but the actual surgery took about a half an hour and I was out for about 20-25 minutes. After I came to, the nurse escorted me to an area where I was told I could lie down and just relax while they got my designated driver (yes someone else has to drive you home). Suprisingly, I wasn't very groggy after getting up from the chair and was very eager to get up and move about, which is okay. The gauze needed to be changed out a few times until it had for sure stopped bleeding, and chewing much of anything was pretty much out of the question (which was quite a a pain because I love steaks and such) but I could have like mac & cheese because it didn't need to be chewed. Mostly what I did for that week was sleep, eat, and when needed go to the bathroom. I wasn't able to do a lot because of the groggieness factor - but it gave me a lot of time to just relax....truely relax.

It took a few weeks for me to really be able to eat without any discomfort as well as play my instrument in band - but with the medicine they gave me, I was able to make a full recovery. I really wouldn't worry too much because it really isn't that bad, and its way better than being in pain. The biggest pain - is having your mouth packed with gauze to stop the bleeding....because it makes you get cotton-ball mouth and dry.
Good luck and I'm sure everything will go just fine.

Answer 6

i had two done in one sitting at the dentist, if you are in pain because of the teeth than going to the dentist will be a relief for you, i am very scared of the dentist and require lots of gas for the pain, but it was immediate relief when i got them taken out, and it only took about a day to truly heal.....yes at first it was painful, like right after the visit, but once i slept and got up the next day, i felt great, i was suffering while the teeth where still in my mouth so going and having them pulled was the best thing i did, no more pain.....go to your appointment and just do it, maybe get some gas and they will give you a shot or two of Novocaine as well, it is really quick also, so you'll be done in a jiff....good luck...

Answer 7

yeah- i just had that done about 3 weeks ago. It took me a little over a week till there was no pain. Have them put you all the way under. They probably will anyway cuz you are getting them all cut out. (i had 3 cut out)
you can put certain teabags over the hole to cut the pain after you have stopped bleeding. Ask the dentist for more details on this. And put ice on your face as much as possible.
I was really scared too, but becuase they put me under it wasn't so bad. Take at least 3 days off work though- thats what I would recommend.

Answer 8

If possible, have someone to come and watch your son for the first 48 hours and use icepacks and take your pain meds every XX hours (whatever it says 4, 6, 8) and don't miss a dose. -- don't do anything but sit and veg with the ice and the meds. I had 2 out-- cut out on top, and had virtually no pain with this regime. Your recovery may take a little longer if you can't keep yourself quiet and with cold packs, but it still shouldn't be too bad. I hope you have friends and family to be there and help you out in a pinch.

Good luck

Answer 9

I also had four out at once when I was a teenager. For some reason or another I was not put under for it either. So the experience was pretty bad to say the least. One was quite impacted and they had to dig and dig to get it out. The recovery time with out going under is less though and they are simply more gentle while working on you. So I no puffy face or brusing....just lots of pain. I say within a week I felt fine. And boy are my teeth pretty now :) Good luck to you!

Answer 10

first of all what dentist is going to take all 5 out at the same time?4 months ago i had 1 taken out , the worst part was when he held my head and would pull this way and that way. then no less than 20 mins. lter it was the worst when the meds wore off and it took like 45 mins for the framacy to fill my script, then another 30 for the pills to kick in, all over one tooth, so i feel sorry if your having all 5 pulled