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Wisdom Teeth Extraction – What To Expect
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My girlfriend lovingly has made me lots of rice pudding and I’ve lovingly heated up canned soup and I’ve begrudgingly ate both for the last three days after getting two wisdom teeth removed three days ago. Honestly, it hasn’t been that terrible because I only had two removed (instead of all four), but it’s still very uncomfortable. Just to give all you folks who have never experienced this a taste of what you can expect… read the time line for the last three days.
10:15am: I go under. The process was painless… they stuck an IV into my left arm right into my vein, the same vein I use to donate my blood, and it’s quite a fatty so there aren’t any problems there. I try to stay conscious as long as I can so I can fully feel like what it’s like to go under since it’s my first time. They put a pulse thing on my finger, strap on blood pressure stuff to my right arm, and the oral surgeon tells me to pick out a nice dream. I pick the nice one about how my girlfriend and I went on a cruise to the West Caribbean a few years ago. Then I pick out the one with the other girlfriend (aaaah just kidding). I would’ve thought of sugar-plum fairies but I have no idea what they look like. They strap on a few other things, put some stuff on my face, and I feel the same exact sensation I felt when I (allegedly) puked all over a mall in Cancun my freshman year. Everything gets all bright and I black out.
10:xxam: I’m half awake somehow, feeling the dentist drilling apart the left tooth and pulling out the pieces. It doesn’t hurt and I know what’s going on so I don’t freak out or anything. I remember my friend said this happened to him so I just sort of pretend everything’s cool. I open my eyes, look at the surgeon, look around, wonder if he cares that my eyes are open, and the next thing I know we’re done.
10:45am: I’m sitting in a chair waiting for my girlfriend to come back with two pieces of gauze in my mouth that hurt like hell. The nurse hands me two containers of pills, amoxicillin and vicodin, and tells me not to spit. I promptly spit out blood into the toilet and she scolds me. My girlfriend comes back and we drive home. I know why they say not to drive because I feel ridiculously drunk, like twelve beers in two hours type drunk, except it’s light out (not that that’s never happened before) and it’s before noon (also, not like that’s not happened before, I did attend 4+ years of higher education after all).
11am: I eat the pills, lie in bed, PTFO.
6pm: Girlfriend wakes me up, I eat more pills and some rice pudding. It’s good since I haven’t eaten since 6pm the day before (rules of anesthesia, no eating). It’s also good because it’s the first time I’ve had it in about ten years.
+1 day, 7am: I wake up for work feeling pretty good. My girlfriend is apprehensive about me driving to work since the rule is no driving within 24 hours but I feel good.
+1 day, 8am: I sit at work, groggy from the vicodin, the world is a blur around me. I feel absolutely and entirely… useless.
+1 day, 10am: I realize I can’t do anything and I’d be better off sleeping. I manage the drive home without incident. I sleep for many many hours.
+1 day, 5:59pm: At some point my girlfriend asks me if I asked for my two wisdom teeth. I mention to her that I was on drugs and was thinking about how I was going to stop the Joker and the Penguin from destroying Gotham tonight, especially if I can’t drive the Batmobile for 24 hours. She realizes that I’m on drugs and thus not in the full frame of mind to actually ask for my teeth back, let alone realize I’m not Batman.
+1 day, 6pm: I’ve just slept 8 hours a mere 2 hours after sleeping like a million hours. I eat some more rice pudding, which is still tasty, and soup but girlfriend is nowhere to be found. I realize she works 2nd shift so she’s doing crazy stuff in a biosuit. I think I fiddle around online for a few hours, play cards online, then pass out at around 11pm. Somewhere in there I eat ice cream.
+2 days, 7am (today): I really feel pretty good now and I have a great productive day at work. I still look like a chipmunk, my girlfriend mentions this to me, and my friends still ask me if I want to go grab a hamburger or a beer (while I secret vow to crazy glue their phones to their faces) but otherwise it’s a regular day. I tried to eat a shrimp salad croissant sandwich at a meeting today… it was like trying to put a wet dog in a bathtub (messy and I looked silly) and generally a bad idea.
+2 days, 8pm: I eat some soup. Rice pudding is on holiday tonight. I skip the ice cream, wouldn’t want all those empty calories!
+2 days, 11am: Right before I’m about to go to bed, my nose starts to bleed (I have had nose bleeding problems, it’s from my days as a numchuck-wielding barenuckle boxer) but it goes into my mouth and I think my stitches have busted or something. I managed to figure out it’s just my nose, stop panicking, and fix the situation. I eat more pills and I’m ready for bed and ready for all this to be over. Soon.
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Im 19 years old and just had all four of my wisdom teeth pulled out. I did it the traditional way of just novacaine, the good old fashioned shots in the mouth. All 4 of my teeth were still under, so my dentist had to make incisions in order to pull them out. I never was really in that much pain. They said i would be and provided me with penicillin and vicodin, however i never used the vicodin. i took motrin instead. the most pain i felt was probably the hour or so after the numbing wore off, but it was not bad pain at all. and when my face swelled it hurt a bit from the pressure, but nothing too terrible. by the 3rd day i would take 1 motrin before i slept. i hope all future widom teeth exractionees have as painless an experience as i did. also, sleep with your head elevated, it helps keep the pressure down and the swelling. and no sucking, you don’t want dry socket!!
I can’t symphatize with you yet, but near.
One question if u or anyone else can answer. I was told I have no wisdom teeth. The last year or so, I have had an ache on left side. Now for past two weeks, it is a dull ache to a throb, going down my neck and into my right arm. No tingling, just darn hurt. Is arm pain due to this..Looking for dental insurance. This is not fun….Have gone through 3 tubes of ambesol, heating and cooling…tylenol does not work…..HELP!
U needto go to the er and let them refer u to a dentist.. They have to see u and bill u… Good luck
I got all four wisdom teeth out and the next day I felt good, but dang you went to work? Wow haha thats funny. I took off a Friday and had it done in the morning and then recouped all weekend.
I had batman-dreams, too!! What’s up with that?! I think mine was because I got laughing gas instead of the knock-out stuff…So it was like I was under siege by the Joker himself!
Thanks for the article.. Really needed some feedback because I have to remove 2 of mine… thanks
God bless you
What a great story! I read it because I am getting two of my wisdom teeth out today. While it sounded very honest it also made me laugh which helps lighten the mood this morning before I go under for the first time too. Thanks for posting!
Omg Im only 17 and my 4 wisdom teeth are bothering me so badly. My cousin said that it’s infected and that I need to get them pulled out because she noticed my jaws are already swelling. I’M SO SCARED!!!!!!
I’m only 17 years old and I got all four of my wisdom teeth pulled out just last night. All night was pretty much just letting my spit drip out and replacing my gauze frequently. I didn’t sleep that well and I took tylenol 3 (which was prescribed to me) just before I went back to bed. I’m not sure why but I can’t really close my jaw without any discomfort in the surgery area so my mouth is always slightly open. I started applying ice packs on both sides of my face to prevent swelling. I’m also hungry and I don’t know what to eat. I try to be very careful when swallowing; I try not to suck in too hard because I’m trying to avoid as best I can getting a dry socket. I’m hoping to be recovered in 3-4 days. but for now I’m just going to stay in bed or lie down on my couch to play some video games or watch tv.
it’s going to be my virgin wisdom tooth extraction and i was thinking of doing all three at 1 go… i’m excited and equally nervous… what if i never wake up… i’m worried abt the aftermath…. becuz i will be all alone at home… and i’m afraid what if the blood chock me… i had an incident of chocking during a cough as the plemge got stuck onto the windpipe.. and i couldnt breath for 10 secs..
Hello,
I got all 4 of my widsom teeth pulled yesterday and have been taking my pain medicine religiously. Something that has really been helping me out has been keeping the ice on the outside of my face. This will help to keep down the swelling and also aids in numbing my face. I would strongly suggest that you ice the outside of your face for at least a week after the surgery.
I have to get two removed tomorrow at 12:15, then be to work by 330…No pain pills for me :/
Hey. My first Wisdom Tooth is starting to pull through on the bottom right. Any suggestions on what I should do, till it decides to pull through.
Hi everyone, I had 3 wisdom teeth taken out on the 22/11/11 ( I had the other removed 4 years ago). My top 1 was totally through however my bottom 2 were partially erupting. I had them removed whilst having IV sedation (didn’t do alot- I knew exactly what was going on). The dentists had trouble getting the bottom 2 out as they were growing sideways rather than upwards I was told after. I was taken home by my mother & aunt & the local anaesthetic wore off about 2 hours after the procedure & I felt like death! As soon as I could feel my to tongue I gobbled my prescribed painkillers (co-codamol 30/500) which didn’t help as much as I’d hoped with the pain. I didn’t eat at all for the 1st 2 days, I only drank squash & took painkillers (too many in fact, as my usually very good painkillers didn’t cover the pain!)
swelling arrived on about the 3rd day which lasted about 2 days. As the days went on I could gradually open my jaw wider & wider. Its now 11 days since my surgery, the sockets have healed well, I’ve had no infection as I’ve taken antibiotics for something else. However I’m now experiencing sensitivity in my lower gums which is annoying! & the teeth nearest the sockets on my lower jaw hurt when I eat. I’m glad I’ve had them out however I can’t believe people have gone to work after like 2 days post surgery! I would say you’d need at least a week to recover! 
Maria,
I’m so glad its not just me! I just had all four out, and they were very deep and near my sinus cavities and facial nerve, so they warned me beforehand that it might be risky. I had no idea how much pain I would be in! I took motrin and vicodin that first day and was still crying! Its day 2 now and the pressure from my cheeks blowing up is terrible! I can’t open my mouth more than half an inch – I drank a can of lukewarm soup today, the first I’ve eaten since Sunday eve. before the surgery Mon. morning. I was concerned abut not being able to op my jaw because lots of other people seemed to eat soft solids the first day – it’s difficult for me to even push the pills into my mouth. After reading your comment, I feel better, because my symptoms are probably just intensified since the procedure was more complicated than usual, as was the case with you. I’m supposed to go back to work Thursday, but I don’t see that happening. Thanks for making me feel better, hope your sensitivity is gone!
Janelle
Im leaving in about 2hours to get all 4 yanked..i have not slept yet tonight nor eatin in a while..i took a bunch of adderal and my body is hungry..but my mind is full..i hope sleep and food deprivation dont affect anything lol..question..i am a pack and a half a day smoker. I am an alcoholic (new years eve tomorrow) and i have a minor addiction to cannibus. Im gunna be a disaster. And i need to know how long i have to wait..as far as im concerned i have 30 hours i can chill before i get all insane for new years..any advise or tips on how a young a striving lad can be in party mode like 36 hours after they do their thing….i assume i should be good by then i would sure hope.
GOOD ARTICLE
I’ve got to be at the hospital at 6:45am, and it’s 3:33AM. I’m a bundle of nerves, I’ve been under twice before and one of those was for removing 5 teeth back in high school. I’m still SO anxious.
Thank you SO much for posting this. It has given me some ideas for coping tomorrow. I can’t stand the feeling of going under, so I’ll try visualizing stuff!