Wisdom teeth coming out--any advice?

If it still hurts over a week later there is probably something wrong. That's what happened to me. I was in excrutiating pain. Yet, I still went to work. My boss kept acting like I was a total wimp. Anyhow, I rationalized the pain by telling myself that my teeth were shifting to make up for the new space. As soon as it was all over, I'd be okay again. :o What can I say, the dentist told me that I have a little mouth and that the wisdom teeth were crowding my other teeth out. :o It seemed rational at the time, and I didn't want to be a whiner. So there I was working while in incredible pain day after day.

Then one night I decided that I simply couldn't take another moment of it. I was totally losing my mind. I called my dentist at his emergency number and explained the problem. He asked when I came in to see him. I answered. He replied, "Why on earth did you wait so long to call?" I told him my theory. He laughed at my theory and complimented me on my creativity. He told me that he never heard of anyone going that long with dry socket. He explained to me that...in the morning...he could put something in that area that will make the pain go away almost immediately. :mad: He called the pharmacy and prescribed the strongest pain meds. It was the first and only time that I have ever been literally drunk from pills.

I called my boss at his home that very night to tell him that I was NOT a wimp. I had dry socket, and my dentist never heard of anyone tolerating it for as long as I did. Hey, I have my pride. :o

So don't do that okay. You're teeth aren't shifting...

(I know I'm a complete flake.)
 
Both are analgesics (pain relieving). But Motrin is also anti-inflammatory which should help to reduce the swelling. Alleve may be even better in terms of long term relief.

Agree with all 4 at once. You will be given a syringe with a curved tip for cleaning the sockets. Don't even think of going near popcorn.

Probably a good idea to have some orajel (benzocaine) on hand in case the pain becomes too great.

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If you use ice to reduce the swelling, be sure to wrap it in a towel. Don't put the ice pack directly on the skin. And 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off.

And this may sound like a strange recommendation. But try deep breathing when you can. It may not be a bad time to take up meditation. Your local library may have a copy of "Whereever you go, there you are" by Jon Cabot-Zinn. One of the best books on the subject.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

Tom
 
Absolutely NO JOKE---Use Ice packs 15mins on 15 mins off as soon as U get home!!!
This will cut the pain and swelling time in half:eek:
How do I know---worked for me along with some Percocet:o
Good Luck
 
Timely post. I get those buggers out in about 12 hours. I'm not worried about the surgery (although the thought of a nice strep or necrotizing faciitis infection did cross my mind) but the idea of the recovery period. Things need doing, stuff needs stuffing. Don't fancy getting messed up for a week.
 
Mine and my wife's backgrounds are in dentistry. Get the infection under control first if you are going to a regular general practice dentist where you will be conscious. Thats what I'd do anyway. Why? Heres the deal. If there is an infection in the form of an abscess you have pressure there around the nerves and the whole area is just really touchy. All your nerves are on fire all around the swollen area. If you go to the dentist in pain like that with the nerves on fire and he gives you an injection around that site you already have pressure built up around guess what? Right, the injection adds to the pressure tremendously and it just hurts that much more. So, I'd say take the anti biotics given and don't make up your own schedule. Do what you are told to do exactly, taking all of them and don't stop just because the tooth feels better. Thats a common mistake and its not a good idea. All you've done in that instance is slow it down and not gotten rid of the infection. It will be back. For that matter don't skip out on the appointment just because it feels better in a week or two. Get this taken care of or it will be a reoccurring event I promise you.

If you are getting knocked out by being put under don't worry about it. Just get it done ASAP if thats the case and get it over with. Also, don't do one or two at a time. Many times we saw patients that did this and they never came back for the other two. Get them all done at the same time trust me.

If you are a smoker then be aware that you may have to cut back or just stop while the sockets heal where the tooth used to be. Your smoking dries out the blood clot and when that happens and it falls out you get what we call a dry socket which is for some more painful than anything else they endured. Sucking actions like through a straw are also a bad idea because this sucking vacuum can pull out the socket that is the only thing between open air and your jaw bone. When this happens its the same thing as the dry socket.

If you are still young get it done now. Its harder on people the longer they wait. Again, don't ignore the instructions given on the meds. If you follow the doctors procedures you can get by with nothing more than a few tylenol IIIs. We've seen it many times. The only way you'll need more than that is if you ignore what you are told to do and/or do it wrong or stop before you should.

STR
 
I get all of mine plus my first molar on the right side taken out on the 20th.yeah freakin hooo.:rolleyes: (I hate the dentist)
 
They are using lasers now to "cut" through gum tissue. This minimizes bleeding and helps in healing. Some Oral Surgeons use them and some do not.

In any event, good move to get all four at once and make absolutely certain you get a script for Vicodin ES with one refill.
 
I don't know if you have a dental phobia or not but I have a MAJOR dental phobia. My advice that I use is to get the nitrous and then the IV Sedation to thoroughly get knocekd out. And then yeah, afterward have prescriptions for pain meds "just in case" it hits you and you can't reach the office. I have had the above for other work and it was no problem to go through.

Butt

I have to drag myself to a Dentist eventually to get two wisdoms out. One is half gone in my mouth and the other is getting there. It won't be a pretty sight, me crawling into the office drugged. It will not be a good day.
 
I had my wisdom teeth pulled while I was in the Air Force. They yanked all four at once. I was in some pain for about a week and took percs for it. I was all healed up inside of 3 weeks.
 
LindaJ said:
I don't know if you have a dental phobia or not but I have a MAJOR dental phobia. My advice that I use is to get the nitrous and then the IV Sedation to thoroughly get knocekd out. And then yeah, afterward have prescriptions for pain meds "just in case" it hits you and you can't reach the office. I have had the above for other work and it was no problem to go through.

Butt

I have to drag myself to a Dentist eventually to get two wisdoms out. One is half gone in my mouth and the other is getting there. It won't be a pretty sight, me crawling into the office drugged. It will not be a good day.
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I'm in the same boat that you are in...I HATE to go to the dentist! I have 2 or 3 REALLY bad back teeth (or what USED TO BE teeth...2 of 'em are just "shells" now), but untill I'm in ALOT of pain, and my cheek is swollen to 5 times its' normal size, I just won't go get 'em taken care of...(Aside from the fact that I'm broke, with no insurance...).:(.
 
Sounds like me alright... I probably have thousands of dollars of dental work pending. We could post picts of em in the Pirates section and gross everyone out! I can see the thread now... "WHO has the most disgusting rotten teeth" My dad was just as bad. Matter of fact, he would to pull his rotten teeth out right in front of me and toss them across the table at me. Totally gross.
 
Man, this thread is freaking me out... I managed to crack a maxillary molar in FREAKIN' HALF!:eek: My dentist took a pic of it, and it looks nasty. Short story is I have to find an oral surgeon and get it extracted. My dentist tells me that I must be an evolutionary throw-back, I have the largest muscles of mastication he has seen. I must produce amazing bite force according to him. This is not something I am looking forward to. (where's the "wuss-bag" smiley?)
 
Mmmmrrmph! I'm bwack. Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it. Got shot full of novocain in the jaw, then an IV drip of various things (percodan and penathol?) that put me right under. All I remember is a weird roller coaster of flashing colors and swirlings patterns, like a Jefferson Airplane light show.

I gather the operation was pretty easy, although the roots (got my teeth in a baggie!) were all hooked and the lower two needed to have part of the tooth ground off to make it out past the bone. One of the uppers lost some root. Dunno if it's still in there or came out. Took a couple hours in a back room to regain my senses and balance. Tried to take a percocet and promptly puked when I stood up.

Got driven home around 2:30. Had a jello and ice cream lunch, took another percoset and a motrin. No pain for the next four hours unless I moved my jaw. Just finished my grand dinner of Gerber mashed pears, some yogurt, more jello, and another percoset. A little bleeding from one side but it goes away when I chomp down on guaze. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Thanks again, hearing all this was a big help. I'm not nervous abut dental stuff, but I get things done so infrequently (probably was 12 last time I had any painkiller-requiring medical work done) it's a little strange.

Bring on those unshelled brazil nuts! :D

Edit: Oh yeah, anyone read James Harriot's "All Things..." book series? I recall a great acount of an RAF hack dentist cluelessly pounding some teeth out of his head with a cold chisel and mallet. And Mongo, before you go in make sure you watch "Little Shop of Horrors", "The Whole Ten Yards", and "Novocain." :eek:
 
I got dry sockets and was misserable. A buddy of mine told me to put clover oil on part of a cotton ball and put it in the dry socket. Next morning I went into get the treatment from the oral surgen. I asked about the clover oil and he told me that was what he was treatting me with. You can buy the clover oil in drug stores. has a bad flavor, but it works. It can also be used on tooth ackes
 
I worked for an Oral surgeon for 5 years when I was much younger.

1. Use an Oral surgeon and a good one. All 4 of mine were impacted, was asleep for 1.75 hours and went out that night. (occasional discreet blood spitting, but I did go out.) No pain meds were needed. The amount of pain is directly related to the position of the teeth and the skill of the person taking them out. (the second part is controlable :p.)

It is good to get them out when you are young. I have seen many people in there 60's and 70's that had to have them out and it takes a lot longer to heal and usually requires a hospital stay. Getting them all done at once is the way to go unless the impactions are quite severe.

Good luck. It should not be too bad at all as long as the right person is doing the job.

Afterwards:

Keep those sockets rinsed out especially the first few days, it will be a little uncomfortable the first couple of days (assuming they give you a bulb or something to rinse them out with warm salt water.) To help initially, stick on a liquid diet for the first day or so. You don't want any food festering in those sockets and it is easy for them to become infected (dry socket) during the first few days. Trust me the discomfort from keeping them clean is nothing compared to being treated for dry socket.

did I mention to keep those sockets rinsed out. ;)
 
Mongo said:
My dentist tells me that I must be an evolutionary throw-back, I have the largest muscles of mastication he has seen. I must produce amazing bite force according to him. This is not something I am looking forward to. (where's the "wuss-bag" smiley?)
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WTF?!? Did you go to a "human" dentist or one of your vet colleagues?
:D
 
So, Savagesicslayer, how'd you make out? Having fun yet? :)

Guys, how long do the sockets usually take to fill in? I can eat normally now (one week after, I had three homemade cheesburgers and beer) but I can't chew too far back or they start feeling it. Got the funky little syringe going.
 
ABTOMAT-47 said:
So, Savagesicslayer, how'd you make out? Having fun yet? :)

Guys, how long do the sockets usually take to fill in? I can eat normally now (one week after, I had three homemade cheesburgers and beer) but I can't chew too far back or they start feeling it. Got the funky little syringe going.
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It's done.....


He used a bottle of cheap whiskey,mastercraft pliers and my Native III(cheap bastard wouldn't use his own knife...)
On a serious note I'm doing fine.he left the molar but took the 4 wisdom teeth.I had to get sutured.5 stiches in the lower 2 teeth and 1 in each top teeth.I bled for 2 days.The first day was pretty bad because I was frozen and couldn't move my lips or toungue.I was pretty out of it for a while so I sat there in the car drooling blood all over the place while my mom drove me home.I'm eating some bigger stuff now.lThe biggest boost was when I could brush my teeth again.
You can't keep a good knife nut down for long.I'll be eating pizza in no time.
Thanks for asking.:thumbup:
 
The bottom two look like all 4 of mine did...
I had to have 'em pulled in College. Went to someone with the sobriquet of the Butcher of Blacksburg... Didn't see in the x-rays that all four had roots bent inwards and hooked - he would only do two at once, I was conscious... each time...and he had to eventually crack each one in half before he could extract...

That was twenty four years ago... I haven't been back to a dentist since...

Yeah, I'll prolly pay for it... But heck, pretty soon they'll be able to pull ALL of my teeth and screw a new set in, with one tooth for channel selection, one for volume (bone induction speakers, don't'cha know!) and one for the poison pill... :eek:

:D
 
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