Wisdom teeth
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free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:21 am

I am having all four wisdom teeth removed next Friday and I have not yet decided what to do about sedation. On one hand, I'm afraid that full general sedation is going to be a lot for my body to process... especially since I am not really used to medications. On the other hand, I don't want to be sitting there during the surgery with only light sedation wishing I didn't have to listen to my teeth being broken up. Honestly, I am leaning towards light sedation. I just don't want it to be traumatic.

None of my teeth are impacted and there are no other anticipated complications. Any advice?

Thanks!
Shawna Very Happy

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:05 am

I had one wisdom tooth taken out two years ago, I started to experience those "growing pains" for a few days and I panicked because I had been warned by previous dentists that my w-teeth would never come through and once the growth started I would experience mind numbing pain and infection Rolling Eyes

so after these false alarm pains, I opted for immediate removal of the one tooth under light general anesthesia, basically I was awake and aware but delirious. There was no pain during the DEEP extraction because local anesthesia was very well done, but it just felt like someone was trying to rip my head off - the process took less than 2 minutes. Plus you will be taking a few pain killers after the extraction, so there are a lot of chemicals being pumped through you for that short period of time - I really did not handle it that well and developed a bad allergy after a few days.

But it was the hours and days that followed that were horrible, so PLEASE take care especially after four extractions - I don't know if it was because I walked home after the surgery (5 minutes away) and lied down straight after, but I didn't stop bleeding for around 30 hours - heavy bleeding which had me stuffing gauze in my mouth for around two days.

If they have to apply stitches to your gums after extraction then get prepared to drink through a straw for a few days, hopefully your bleeding will stop quickly but you may not be able to chew for several days.

I dread when my growing pains start again Sad

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 2:54 am

miranets wrote:

... but it just felt like someone was trying to rip my head off - the process took less than 2 minutes....

What about psychological counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder?

Sorry, I have just finished watching "The Hills Have Eyes".

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:37 am

Go for the full sedation.

I was told by my dentist that they'd never emerge. My wisdom teeth finally erupted when I was 40!!! I had all four taken out two years ago because they were crowding my teeth and causing problems. I had been under full sedation for minor surgery previously and found it was fine. Personally I'm sqeamish and feel that I'd rather have the chemicals than the fear. I react strongly to even small amounts of all drugs and had absolutely no problems either time. My mum is in her 70's and in the last 7 years has had full sedation for two big operations (gall bladder removal and triple bypass) and twilight sedation four times, twice for cataract removal and twice for tooth extractions. She had no problems any time.

I'm not sure how much easier it is for the body to process the twilight anaesthetic in comparison to the full one. It's probably less trauma to the body to be out of it than to be conscious and scared.

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:58 am

Go for full! I took out my 3 wisdom teeth at one shot (my 4th tooth, to quote the dentist, is "either MIA or doesn't exist" Question

I hope it doesn't exist of course) and I took 3 shots of sedation - one at each area of the gum where the teeth is to be removed.

I don't think there's any side effects to the sedation though if you aren't reassured you should check with your dentist? But I know I had to have sedation because my dentist had to cut into my gum to remove my lower wisdom teeth *shudder*

But if it's any consolation, after the surgery, everything heals back pretty fast Smile

I went back to remove the stitches 2 weeks after the op and after that all was fine again Very Happy

Good luck with your extraction and smooth fast healing!

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:50 am

I just removed two (upper and lower), both on the same side. I did it last month. I honestly don't think GA is required cos the pulling really turned out to be NOT as traumatic and violent as I had expected. It took my dentist all of 15 seconds for each tooth. I'm gonna remove the other two later this year. I wouldn't go for the GA if I were you.

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:17 am

I had all 4 removed at the same time as well. I went for the full sedation, I could NOT imagine being semi-conscious for that!!

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:21 am

I had all of them removed about a decade ago and I went for the full sedation. I didn't have a problem at all. I hate going to the dentist though and wish I could be fully sedated for a cleaning too. Laughing

LOL

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:58 am

I still have all of my wisdom teeth, but hubby had his removed quite a few years ago. I don't think they even gave him the option, it was done under a general anaesthetic and he was very grateful for it Laughing

!

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:32 am

Candy8865 wrote:

I had all 4 removed at the same time as well. I went for the full sedation, I could NOT imagine being semi-conscious for that!!

Same for me, and my sentiments exactly. No regrets. There gone and I'm done with it. I did this back in high school, I think -- maybe early college years. 3 of my 4 were coming in sideways. Sad

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:58 am

Doesn't the time it takes depend on the roots? I had one out via local and found it to be really traumatic because the roots were growing in different directions, so made it harder to get out, the noise alone was quite worrying and it's not pleasant having your mouth prized open as far as possible. Personally if I had to do it again I would go for a general.

Best wishes

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:04 am

Speaking of which...I have to go back and have my other two taken out. Ugggghhh! I hate going to the dentist.

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:04 am

IMO you should go for the full sedation. Sometimes extractions can be a little tricky. Why be stressed? You will be sore for a few days so get plenty of rest. My thoughts are with you.

Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:32 am

I just had 4 teeth out on 1/31. Two of those were impacted wisdom teeth, 1 was a tooth that was damaged too severely to save by one of the wisdoms and one was a failed root canal. Because I'm 29, the risks for me were greater than if I'd had the wisdoms removed in my late teens or early twenties because the roots had grown so far that they were close enough to my jaw bone to possibly break it upon removal and also because the one on the bottom was so close to the lingual nerve that it may be damaged upon removal. I opted for full sedation due to the bone breakage risk and because I'm such a HUGE coward where dental work is concerned (which is why I didn't have the teeth removed earlier like I should have.) Fortunately, the surgeon didn't break the bone but she did damage the nerve and I am still completely numb on the left lower side of my face. If I were younger, my chances of the nerve repairing itself would be greater but since I'm not, it could take months or years to regain feeling, if ever. The only way to explain what I feel is that it's exactly the same as when the dentist has just numbed you. I can't feel the left side of my lip, teeth, gums or chin. Occasionally, I get what feels like sharp jolts of electricity that run along the nerve, through the left side of my cheek, tongue and into the back of my throat. It's painful enough to wake me all during the night and, so far, nothing works to make it stop. The inside of my lip and cheek is really torn up from me biting it randomly while talking or chewing. I guess it's fortunate that I can't feel it so it isn't sore? I don't know. It affects my speech slightly (more so at the end of the day when I'm tired) and tend to slur some of my words.

I signed a waiver because I knew this was a risk but I didn't quite understand how serious it was. In my research about it online, I have seen that there are many many people out there who were NOT aware of the risk or didn't read the papers they signed. The younger the patient, the better the chance that hitting that nerve is not a risk and, if it does get damaged, the better your chances for a complete and quick recovery BUT there are no guarantees. I'm not trying to scare you, I promise. I'm simply trying to make sure you are completely informed. If your dentist didn't talk to you about this risk, ask him/her about it and, people, PLEASE don't wait to have these teeth removed like I did. If I could have simply had the tooth next to it removed to allow the wisdom tooth room to grow in, I would have but there was a cyst below the wisdom tooth that needed to be biopsied and the only way she could get to it was by taking out that tooth.

Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:42 am

I too had my wisdom teeth extracted under general anesthesia. None of mine were impacted. They put a mask over my mouth and said count backwards to 10. I don't think I remember past 3. Next thing I knew it I was waking up and it was over. No anxiety. No regrets.

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:43 am

I made sure they knocked me out completely. Definitely better, I think, to have all 4 removed at once - then it's all over and done with.

Wasn't very pleasant, I'm afraid, for a while afterwards, but it did heal and I didn't have to worry about going through the whole blummin' thing again.

Mind you, although I can take a lot of pain, I am a complete and utter coward when it comes to dentistry.

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 11:51 am

Wow, thanks for all of your replies! I am generally not nervous about the dentist. I've had a few fillings done this year and only go for the novacaine. I never needed nitrous.

I am also 29 and I know there is some risk with that, but no one ever advised that I have them removed in my early 20's. The surgeon said they should be really easy since there is no growth into the bone, which can happen as you get a bit older.

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:38 pm

I was never given an option, they simply put me under. Glad they did. I've had lighter sedation for other procedures and it's stressfull even though it's not painfull.

free skin care · Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:13 pm

I had mine removed a few years ago and went under general. It wasn't too bad, I'd be freaked out under local having someone knocking away all 4 teeth gradually though.

Different people will experience different recovery phases, I was in quite a bit of pain afterwards and literally couldn't eat anything remotely close to solid for 2 weeks. I lost like 3 kilos during that time though Shock

free skin care · Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:19 pm

Highly recommend full sedation. I had all 4 taken out at once and was glad that I wasn't awake to witness all the gruesome details. I find the world of Dentistry mid-evil on a good day -you'd think by the 21st Century this profession would have perfected less primitive ways of dealing with our teeth (have you ever seen a Dental Plier?). Another thing I found EXTREMELY important to do, but failed to follow, was to go home ASAP and IMMEDIATELY apply crushed ice packs to your face. My dentist 'froze' all four area's around the extracted teeth so that I felt nothing when I woke up (other than insane relief that it was all over!). I was so thrilled that I felt no pain (HA!) that I insisted on rewarding myself with a few hours of shoe shopping with my mother before I headed home with my pain pills (retail therapy works wonders for a girls soul - no pun intended!). Anyhoo - by the time I got home my face began to swell and throb with the worst pain I have ever had in my ENTIRE life!!!! My mother literally stayed up all night with me crushing ice in a blender and repeatedly applying packs all over my face and head. She also had to confiscate the Demerol because I probably would have overdosed on it in an attempt to stop the pain. Just my two cents worth, but I would advise you to apply ice to your face right away and do not stop for at least 24 hours. The swelling really hindered my healing and may have been much less of a problem had I applied some ice the moment I got out of the dental chair.

free skin care · Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:13 pm

I got all 4 taken out at the same time, so I only looked like Orson Wells one time instead of 4.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:18 pm

Well, the deed has been done!

I wasn't really nervous about the whole thing until around an hour or two before I was supposed to go in, so I didn't bother getting the little anxiety pill they prescribed for me. When I got to the office, the receptionist and assistant were both surprised that I hadn't taken it, and *that* started to make me a bit more nervous. I kept wondering if maybe this was going to be harder than I thought and I was just being silly not taking all of the drugs. I decided to just do light sedation and hoped that would be enough.

The assistant/nurse brought me into the room, sat me in the chair, and gave me some "laughing gas". For a few minutes I actually started to get more anxious, but after a bit I was feeling pretty damn high. She was talking to me, asking me questions, and then somehow we got on the subject of vaccinations. At one point, she kind of threw up her hands and said, "well, you aren't going to remember any of this anyways," which I thought was strange. I felt coherent enough. I think I kind of took this as a personal challenge to try and remember everything in spite of her claim. The doctor came in and set up the IV, continued to ask me his own set of silly questions, and then things started to get a bit fuzzy. When he first came in, he said it looked like I had gotten some sun and had I been on vacation lately. I was in a nitrous haze and had to think about this. I was pretty sure I hadn't been on vacation, but I was high enough to have to seriously consider what was going on, ahahah.

I don't remember them setting up my mouth or any of the tools. I don't recall any sounds. I just remember them routing around in my mouth, lots of pressure, and even some pain when they were working on my lower right jaw. I was moaning during that part and wishing whoever was messing with my mouth would stop it already. But things didn't really make sense to me and the pain didn't actually bother me very much, nor was there any sense of trauma or fear. Finally, the nurse was breaking everything down and the doctor left the room. She kept telling me to keep my eyes open, when really that was the last thing I wanted to do.

She helped me up and took me to another room where my mother in law met me a few moments later. The nurse was telling her everything, while I listened, though she said I wouldn't remember any of this either. She mentioned that they found an extra wisdom tooth higher up in my jaw that I don't need to pay attention to and that the root on my right lower tooth had been fractured, but they got it all out (hence the pain). I was shaking under the blankets and then randomly started crying, but only out of my right eye. I didn't feel sad- actually I didn't know what I was feeling. They figured it was from the trauma and medication (but the nurse said it was also probably because I am a sensitive and caring person- WTH). Once I got in the car, I started crying even more (because I am so caring, of course!) but calmed down after a bit.

I've mostly been treating the pain with tylenol and ibuprofen, except for half of a pain pill I took last night so I'd be sure to sleep. I'm not really puffy or anything, and overall I feel okay... just a bit spacey and my face aches a little. I'm having lots of applesauce, soup, smoothies, and water. I can't wait to eat solid food again!

And I still remember almost everything the nurse said!

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:38 pm

That sounds... not so pleasant. Note to self for full sedation should I ever need mine out.

Glad you are okay though.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:13 am

Glad you've got it over with. It's such a relief, isn't it!

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:58 am

Absolutely!

Oh, and to World of Mirth... I didn't mean it to come off bad at all. I should have said it was much easier than I thought it would have been and I would definitely do the light sedation if I had to do it all over again.

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