My wisdom tooth extraction experience

sillysocks

Read this thread with interest during the week as I was getting my 4 wisdom teeth out under GA yesterday.
Just wanted to post my story so far (only day after surgery now) in case it helps anyone.

My top two teeth were fully down, bottom left was slightly showing through the gum and bottom right wasnt showing through the gum at all. Had 2 infections in the one that was partially grown, so dentist advised getting it out, and said I might as well get others out while I was at it as there was no room for other bottom one to grow.

As I say I had mine under general anesthetic, I think I was only knocked out for about 10 or 15 minutes in total. Didnt have any pain when I woke up, was just uncomfortable a litle bit with all the gauze in my mouth, and my mouth was still totally numb. Felt like when you get a filling and they numb your mouth - you think its ridiculously swollen but to look at me you wouldnt have noticed.

Got jelly & ice cream when I was back from the recovery room. Very embarrassing though - with numb lips I was spilling it all down my chin and not even noticing becuase my chin was numb too! Very attractive.

Was allowed home about 3 hours after the op started.
No pain at all last night, but was starting to get a bit concerned when my chin, lip & tongue were still numb this morning. Suddenly around lunchtime they 'thawed' out over the space of about half an hour thank god! Stil havent had pain, took 2 painkillers over the course of the day as was afraid it might start to hurt but nothing so far. The only one that even feels a small bit uncomfortable is the one where none of the tooth was above the gum before the op.
Could be speaking too soon but hopefully pain wont get too bad! Sticking with liquid foods for the moment just in case.

So just a bit of reassurance for anyone getting them done , its really not that bad (and Im a chicken!)

TDiamond Sounds like you might have an infection alright, when I got infections in mine before I wasnt able to open my mouth enough to eat anything. I got antibiotics that time and they worked fine. Dentist just said it will keep reoccuring unless you get them out. Cant comment on cost as I have health insurance so only had to pay the 75 eur excess at the hospital. As I said one of mine wasnt showing through the gum at all so that shoudlnt matter.

pistonsvox

Got all 4 removed this morining in Clane General. They're real nice there. I always freak out about GA's but the anethesist was real sound and happy which made the difference:D

Just remember him saying this might make your head spin and youll feel an odd sensation up you shoulder, took a few breaths of the oxegen and woke up in recovery! I was in great form when I woke up:pac:

Ice cream was nice but tasted like blood haha. I now have stitches in my sockets that I think fall out eventually.

I was in real bad pain earlier and was wondering why the pain killers werent working but after taking a few every 4 hours the pain isnt as bad, sleep helped too. Just another few days of pain and bleeding and itll be all over.

Scary experience but got through it :cool:

Surfing_Xboxer

Just got my wisdom tooth out today...Not put asleep , and I genuinely felt nothing... A little pain now , more discomfort.... But it really was a pain free dental procedure for me

conor86

I had a wisdom tooth remove 4 days ago and stopped taking pain killer today:)

There was no pain until I got home even do it took 45min of non-stop pulling. The biggest shock was I paid 160 euro for 1 tooth,,, it just seems a bit Irish?

Murilloinf

where did you get it done for 160 ?

a guy in smithfield just quoted me 450 per teeth with local, 630 with general..
damn I could almost buy a new mouth with 2500.

cici888

Hi i was told a couple of days ago that i have 2 impacted bottom wisdom teeth should be extracted. I am with VHI for a year now. Would VHI consider this as a pre existing condition and not cover it? please reply if you have similar experience.

neelyohara

When people talk about insurance and VHI are they referring to a normal policy or the dental policy/addition?

martyc5674

I got mine donme under a regular plan B VHI policy..so im sure it covers it...not sure how long you have to be a paid member for though..Id say your Ok though with a yeart...sure ring em and find out.
Marty.

whitelightrider

martyc5674 wrote: »

I got mine donme under a regular plan B VHI policy..so im sure it covers it...not sure how long you have to be a paid member for though..Id say your Ok though with a yeart...sure ring em and find out.
Marty.

Hi Marty, how do you go about it? Do you need to bring the form with you to the dentist and get them to fill it out and then send it to VHI?
Im a member but havent been to the dentist for about 2 years. Heading in next week!

Bluebell55

Hi all,
I got one of my wisdom teeth out today. Have been having problems for the past 5 days with my left lower wisdom tooth, and after an excruciating few days, and the pain not being relieved by any amount of painkillers, I went to see the dentist.
She confirmed I have an infection in that tooth, and the abscess beside it was due to the upper wisdom tooth irritating it, so she removed the upper wisdom tooth.
I had to done under local anaesthetic- which was grand, a bit sorer than normal since she had to inject near the abscess... but still, grand. And then she yanked it out. Surprised at how painless it was.
I think I'm still a but numb, but I'm sure the tooth itself wont be that painful, since the lower one is still infected, and cause the pain.

She said to go back once the infection in the other one is gone to get that one out to prevent it happening again. I'm on amoxicillin for 5 days, does that mean i can go back after the course is finished, or should I wait a while??

Busi_Girl08

Hey guys.

Well I've been able to forget about it for long enough, but I'm booked in for a wisdom tooth extraction next Wednesday (2 bottom, impacted). Oh goody

What I was wondering was when should I start taking the Arnica tablets/cream/etc?

ordinary_girl

Angelica Rocks! wrote: »

- Start getting water (lots) into you as soon as you can, small sips obviously, dont horse it, but as much as you can - it helps to get the anaesthetic out of your body quicker and therefone means less puking potential.

:eek: If you go under GA there's the likelihood you'll throw up?! Does that happen to most people who go under GA?

Busi_Girl08

Well today was the day. I am now at home, rather swollen (more on my right side than the left though), and minus two impacted bottom wisdom teeth.
Got it done privately under the VHI plan at Barringtons.

I was bricking it when I went in, first time going GA, hate needles (although I don't know that many people that like needles, but I digress).

Mum went in with me to the ward, where I got changed into the gown, got weighed, blood pressure, medical info, etc. The nurse told me I was next on the list, so I would be waiting around 30-45 minutes.
10 minutes later, another nurse arrived to take me upstairs :eek:
Then we sat around another few minutes, in another waiting room, watching Ireland AM.
Then I was called into Theatre 1, met the consultant, went through medical info, then did the same with the anaesthetist a couple of minutes later.
5 minutes later, I was shown into the operating theatre, and lay down.

Now I had this plan for when the canulla was going in, and I was waiting for the meds to kick in, didn't really work though, it all happened way too fast.
The needle was just a pinch, and then the sensation of the drugs going through me veins in my arm was just weird! The room started spinning a little bit, felt light-headed, then got a weird taste in my mouth (not sure if that was the meds going through my bloodstream, or if, as I was losing consciousness the nurse was putting the gas mask over my mouth
Anywho, next thing I know, I'm in recovery, with a load of gauze in my mouth.
I then got wheeled back to the ward, where I stayed with the guaze in my mouth for another hour or so. I snoozed for a while, but after a while, before the nurse came in for my gauze and to get me some water, I was wide awake, and bursting for the loo. I called the nurse, who brought me in, and I had no problems. No dizziness or anything.
She then gave me some water, no problems there, and then some jelly and ice-cream, which I ate a good bit of (The only reason I didn't finish all of it was because the drip was in my left hand and it was too awkward and uncomfortable to use it, and I couldn't bend my wrist).
Then at about 2pm, the surgeon came in, looked in my mouth quickly, said everything was perfect and everything went fine.
Then I got my prescription, one last blood pressure check (got about 5/6 of them over the course of the day), and then I was discharged

Now I'm home, ate a good bowl of ice-cream earlier on with a little tub of jelly, no problems, took the anti-biotics and pain relief/anti-inflammatories, and no problems there either.

The LA is wearing off now, and I'm feeling some definite discomfort, nothing major though, but I will take something before going to sleep.

Just sooooo glad it's all over!

SarahMs

had 3 wisdom teeth out with no probs at the dentist.

THEN!

went to get the 4th one checked out to see if it was ready, dentist took xrays and says yeah it should like it should be no hassel.

2 hours later had to call for my BF to collect me, turns out it was a bigger job then he thought the poor guy....it was twisted at an odd angle but they numbed me up good and proper. was bruised and swollen and couldn't eat for 5 days but it only cost me €50 euro.... gotta love living close to the border!

Busi_Girl08

I just finished my course of anti-biotics last night, they knocked seven bells out of me the first few days, especially considering that I was hardly eating anything.

The right lower tooth was a bit deeper in than the left, so it has been giving me more trouble than the left one, it's finally healing up now (I hope)

The swelling has gone down considerably, although my right cheek is still a little bloated. I'm still just really paranoid about infections and dry socket.
The pain is way less than it was last week, but there is still a definite twinge on the right side, and the left still aches once in a while. But I think I'm over the worst of it now.

Also, the right side of my lip and chin are taking a while to thaw out from the LA, they tingle occasionally, and I feel some sensation, but they are still pretty numb. Should I be concerned about this?

Caroline K

I expect my 4 wisdom teeth (2 impacted) will require extraction and I need to be knocked out as I won't survive it awake! But I'm a bit confused about the various forms of anesthetic and sedation. Am I right in saying there's:

1. Local anesthetic - shouldn't feel anything but you're wide awake
2. Local anesthetic with nitrous oxide gas
3. Local anesthetic with IV sedation, probably into the arm
4. General anesthetic, probably into the arm too - completely knocks you out.

I get the impression from reading these threads that the gas relaxes you but doesn't make you sleep, whereas the sedative does make you sleep. In this case, why should one choose general anesthetic over IV sedation - are there pro's and cons?

My second question is about how the sedative / GA is administered. While being a baby at the dentist, I always assumed I'd be fine in a hospital situation (as you can tell, I'd never had anything done!). Had a couple of moles removed recently under local anesthetic and the pain of the needles was, to my surprise, unbelieveable. I was very anxious as a result and, while I never felt a thing during the removals, I fainted twice - once during and once after. With sedation, am I right that they put an IV into your arm and inject the sedative into your bloodstream? Does this hurt the way that the local anesthetic did? Is GA into an IV or directly into your arm and does it hurt like the local anesthetic too? :eek:

Sorry for all the questions but the pro's here know what they're talking about! Thanks in advance, Caroline

Busi_Girl08

Caroline K wrote: »

I expect my 4 wisdom teeth (2 impacted) will require extraction and I need to be knocked out as I won't survive it awake! But I'm a bit confused about the various forms of anesthetic and sedation. Am I right in saying there's:

1. Local anesthetic - shouldn't feel anything but you're wide awake
2. Local anesthetic with nitrous oxide gas
3. Local anesthetic with IV sedation, probably into the arm
4. General anesthetic, probably into the arm too - completely knocks you out.

I get the impression from reading these threads that the gas relaxes you but doesn't make you sleep, whereas the sedative does make you sleep. In this case, why should one choose general anesthetic over IV sedation - are there pro's and cons?

Is GA into an IV or directly into your arm and does it hurt like the local anesthetic too? :eek:

For the GA, you would have to go to a hospital for it, you would get a drip in your hand (seriously, it's just a pinch, just count to ten or think of the lyrics of your favourite song/poem, etc to keep your mind off it).
Then you will get a strange sensation up your arm, kind of a cold tingling sensation, then you might feel a little woozy, then next thing you know, you're in recovery!

I should warn you though, your throat will be pretty sore when you wake up because of the breathing tube, but other than that there is no major discomfort, just a bit of grogginess. You'll have been given local anaesthetic aswell, so you will be all numb when you wake up.

I was bricking it before I got it done 3 weeks ago, but I was fine afterwards.

Big_G

In my opinion general anaesthetic is risky and unnecessary for wisdom tooth removal. Sedation is sufficient. But I am no oral surgeon.

MagicMarker

Woah? Breathing tube? I assume this is put in when you're out cold?

Getting mine out in 2 weeks, and am fairly happy to have GA! Sorry BigG!:)

Busi_Girl08

MagicMarker wrote: »

Woah? Breathing tube? I assume this is put in when you're out cold?

Getting mine out in 2 weeks, and am fairly happy to have GA! Sorry BigG!:)

Oh yeah. You will be completely out. You won't feel it going in or coming out.

Just a bit of a sore throat afterwards.

MagicMarker

Busi_Girl08 wrote: »

Oh yeah. You will be completely out. You won't feel it going in or coming out.

Just a bit of a sore throat afterwards.

That's alright then.

Busi_Girl08

Big_G wrote: »

In my opinion general anaesthetic is risky and unnecessary for wisdom tooth removal. Sedation is sufficient. But I am no oral surgeon.

I don't know, my right tooth was pretty close to the nerve, and as of now the nerve is still swollen (the right side of my chin, lip and lower gums are still a little numb). There was a definite niggle when I woke up on the right side, so I can't imagine what it would have been like if I was awake and alert through the whole thing.

I can't imagine what would happen if I suddenly jerked or winced or something :eek:

Big_G

During conscious sedation you are not awake and alert. You are in a state of depressed consciousness. Sleepy, in other words. Most of the time patients experience retrograde amnesia, in other words, don't remember a thing.

Hingisfan08!

I'm having my 4 wisdom teeth out on Wednesday under GA (Bricking it!!!!!!) but have a driving lesson on Thursday and was wondering should I cancel it or would I be ok to drive??

Thanks!

MagicMarker

Hingisfan08! wrote: »

I'm having my 4 wisdom teeth out on Wednesday under GA (Bricking it!!!!!!) but have a driving lesson on Thursday and was wondering should I cancel it or would I be ok to drive??

Thanks!

I'd probably cancel tbh.

Busi_Girl08

Hingisfan08! wrote: »

I'm having my 4 wisdom teeth out on Wednesday under GA (Bricking it!!!!!!) but have a driving lesson on Thursday and was wondering should I cancel it or would I be ok to drive??

Thanks!

You are going to be pretty out of it for the first few days, you should really take it easy. Like MM said, I would cancel.

Caroline K

Big_G wrote: »

During conscious sedation you are not awake and alert. You are in a state of depressed consciousness. Sleepy, in other words. Most of the time patients experience retrograde amnesia, in other words, don't remember a thing.

Thanks for the info folks - if I thought I really wouldn't know a thing about it, I'd be happy with sedation. Aside from the pain, it's the thought of being aware of the wrenching and drilling that terifies me! :eek:

Hingisfan08!

Thanks for the info Busi_Girl08 and MagicMarker. Getting them out tomorrow!! Hope it goes ok!! :eek:

Bookworm85

Just had my two upper wisdom teeth removed. I have a very small mouth and was having difficulty brushing and flossing properly all the way back there so decided it was time to get them out.

I wouldnt describe it as a nice experience, but it certainly wasnt unpleasant. Got loads of anaesthetic and both teeth were out in about 20 mins. He took the right one out in less than 5 mins, the left one was a little bit tougher and he had to do a bit of extra drilling.

All the same I felt nothing and am feeling great. He gave me a script for antibiotics just in case (the surgery is closed until tuesday) and sent me on my merry way. I am back down to him again next thurs just to check all is ok

harr

getting my 4 wisdom teeth out in clane on thursday morning but i have a wedding nine days after the op will i be ok to go and enjoy the day dont want to be in pain for it.what do u think should i be ok after nine days