Wisdom Teeth?

Question

Firstly why are they called that...? But on a more serious note, I have to get all four of mine taken out. I'm having it done under general anisthetic but two of them are in such bad condition that there is no tooth left below the gum line..... somebody please calm me down, I'm scared sh*tless as they say. I would appreciate an dentists opinion too if there are any on line.

Thanks for any help.

Answer 1

I had 4 wisdom teeth pulled out, and as well I´m a dentist. So I know both sides. I didn´t need general anesthesia, local was enough.
Please, don´t be scared at all!!! You won´t feel or hear anything. The only bad thing might be a swollen face for some days and pain when you open your mouth. But you can take painkillers and then everything is better. Don´t smoke, that´s important.
Don´t worry, you´ll wake up and be delighted that you did it.

Answer 2

As they say, shoot from the hip.... I had mine taken out... they had 'impacted' with the teeth to the front, and the roots had wrapped round my jawbone. seems they had to shatter the teeth to get them out, then put them back together to ensure they had got all the tooth (4 of them) out. Yes, I was bruised from ear to ear, very sore, could not work for a week or two...I was teaching at the time. Overall, was fine, a bit sore. This is some bad case scenario, but hopefully, knowing is better than glossing over the facts. One precaution I always take before a General Anesthetic is to insist on an ECG, simply to ensure no heart problems go unoticed. Nothing to be alarmed about really, hope you dont mind soup and scrambled egg for a week or so.

Answer 3

Don't know why they're called that - maybe because they erupt in our late teens/early 20s when we're supposed to have acquired some?

What are you afraid of? Pain? You'll be out cold, you won't feel a thing. When you wake up, you probably will have some discomfort for the remainder of the day but Tylenol or something similar will take care of it. The holes will be packed with gauze and you should plan on a diet of soft foods for a day or two: jello, pudding, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs etc. You'll get instructions. If you are a smoker, give it up as it will cause pain and delay healing.

Just for comparison: mine were removed years ago by dental students under nothing but Novocaine. Two came right out, two had to be chiseled out. They took forever, the Novocaine wore off and it really hurt. But you won't know a thing. Lucky girl! Not to worry - it will be slick as moose snot!

Answer 4

i had one taken out with a general and one with a local. the one with a local was just like having a normal tooth pulled and was fine afterwards so i guess you must have 2 that can be pulled like normal so these will be fine afterwards. the other 2 will have to be cut out your gum and you will have stitches. my wisdom tooth i had taken out under a general was completely in the gum. i don't know what they did but i know the gum was cut and i had stitches when i woke up. the same day i had it done i was fine. the next day my face swelled up really badly and couldn't open my mouth. i had to have liquids for about a week. i had to have 2 weeks off work but was told this before the op. it took me a long time for my jaw to get back to normal. you probably won't be as bad as that as my tooth was quite deep into my jaw and it sounds like it will be the removal of the roots which will only be a very minor cut to get a grip on the roots to remove unless they drill them out. sorry if I've scared you with my story but yours will be far less painful.

Answer 5

I had all 4 removed under general and although i was a bit swollen and uncomfortable it was fine. You will feel a bit sore for about two days but not excrutiating. I have heard of some people who were able to chew, i wasnt and ate soup then on day two managed mashed potato and from there as long as it was chopped up small was able to eat anything. Rinse your mouth with salt water after every meal to ensure that no food gets into the wounds. mouth wounds are quick to heal. When i woke up my throat was a bit dry as my mouth was open all the time they did the op. Also my jaw joint was a bit sore when i tried to open as it was open all that time.

You will be fine. Mine were compacted and were growing down my jaw towards my chin.

I slept propped up as it was more comfortable and had an ice pack to put against my chin every now and again.

Good Luck and dont worry.

Answer 6

They call them wisdom teeth because they come out when you're older...and have more wisdom.

I had 5 wisdom teeth cut with general anesthetic. The worse part was the numbing.

Most wisdom teeth don't have room to come through the gum, or maybe just a side of it will...so they mostly have to cut them out.

I did my internship with a dentist that specialized in removing teeth, and we did a lot of wisdom teeth extractions. It's not that bad really, and it's a great idea to get them removed, the sooner the better!

Answer 7

If you're having it under general anesthetic you won't even know what's going on. I'm sure your dentist/oral surgeon is very competent to do a good job. Have faith in their abilities and try to relax. Let your dentist know what your concerns are. Most of the time, we become overly concerned about the unknown. Knowledge of the procedure may help put you at ease. And don't listen to other people's wisdom teeth horror stories. They don't help at all and most of the time they are greatly exaggerated in order to scare you. Everybody's teeth and experiences are different. I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck!

Answer 8

wisdom..... cause you usually get them in your twenties, because you are supposed to be wise I suppose... why dont you ask your dentist to take one or two out and then go back for the other two....... although they may charge you again to take them out but it's your mouth.
I would be scared too getting 4 taking out, that is to the exstream, but if you have no tooth left under your jaw line than it should be easy as your dentist will not have go next to any nerves.
Dont worry but do tell your dentist that you are very nervous, and how you want things to go. Good luck x

Answer 9

I had the same done. It wasn't exactly fun, but it wasn't too bad. I had a bloody nose and felt a bit crap for a day or so, but I reckon a lot of it was down to the anaesthetic.

And the weird bit is feeling your gums when they start to heal. They're all jelly-like - just like when your teeth fall out when you're young.

Relax. It will be fine.

Answer 10

There's nothing to be scared about. I got all four of my wisdom teeth out several years back, and the only really bad part about it is that after the general anesthetic wears off it really hurts! So make sure you have someone fill the prescription they give you for pain right away, so you can take it as soon as possible. And just have someone with you after the surgery to take good care of you. =)