Wisdom Teeth removal

[my2girlsmama]

Hello

Hs anyone had them pulled out while NOT sedated, or *knocked out*?

I ask because technically I should have mine out at some point. I'll be 32 on Monday (yes V day) and I've been told eventually the lower ones that are impacted though not causing pain or issue, might cause gum disease or decay down the road to aging. The uppers are in but sideways. I've no issues with pains or the like, but I'd like them out.

My problem? I am TERRIFIED of being unconscious. I mean phoobic. I have been told I don't HAVE to be but some family have scared me into thinking I'll freak hearing/feeling them being yanked out.

I have a great threshold for pain (homebirth, other dental issues) so that isn't the problem. I just want to know from those who have done it.

[beanma]

oh sure. i don't know about your situation, but i had all four of mine out with lidocaine (the regular shots you get when you get a cavity filled). i can't say that i enjoyed the feeling, but i didn't freak out. i didn't have any that were impacted, but one that was kind of sideways and the crown was just even with the gum line. it was the worst. i imagine they would have to dig a little which is not so fun. if you're not having trouble with them, though, i'd wait a little while, personally, 'til your littlest is older. i had mine done btwn kids/pregnancies. the recovery wasn't too bad, but it wasn't fun either and it was easier when dh could take care of dd1 and i could just worry about finding soft food to eat...

hth

[shelbean91]

I had mine out with just novacaine. I had them done 2 at a time and it was easy. ?The first 2 I had done a few days after I graduated high school, was eating (carefully) that night and drove with my bf 1 1/2 hrs to see his mom right after.

The 2nd 2 I had done fri morning a few years later- went back to work on monday morning. My job at the time was telephone customer service, so I was talking a lot w/no problems. The worst part the 2nd time was I got a canker sore from where the stitch rubbed the inside of my gum. Now THAT hurt!!

[shelbean91]

Oh, and a benefit of not getting knocked out for me was money. My out of pocket w/just novacaine was $80, if I had gotten put under, it would have been $400-500.

[my2girlsmama]

What is Novacaine? Is it the numbing?

It's just you hear people talk about getting knocked out for it like it's a vacation.

I wont' do anything until baby is not needing me for nursing............which could be another 6-12 months. I am leery of doing much while nursing.

[shelbean91]

Novacaine is just the local injection to numb the gums. I think I recovered faster b/c I wasn't knocked out. It was sort of funny- they put so much of the novacaine in the top of my mouth- my eyebrow went numb. It went into my sinuses and migrated up.

[lauren4521]

Originally Posted by my2girlsmama

Hello

Hs anyone had them pulled out while NOT sedated, or *knocked out*?

I just want to know from those who have done it.

I just had a wisdom tooth pulled on this past Monday! I just had the novacain (numbing) injections (love my dentist, I never even feel the needle). We had to do a bit of tugging. As it ends up the root of my tooth had a little hook on it. Stubborn thing. No pain but a bit disturbing to feel the pulling. Recovery is a snap. The dentist doesn't even give anything but tell me to take OTC pain killers if I need them. I didn't. Just give yourself a day of not running around afterwards to allow your body to heal.

Good luck!
Lauren

[momileigh]

It is hard for me to talk about this because I had a really horrible recovery from getting my wisdom teeth out. I had been having pain for a while and it was getting worse, so I went ahead and did it. I was not knocked out, and the worst part was getting the shots in my gums. The surgeon I went to was clearly used to dealing with patients who are knocked out because the shots were very painful, and I don't think they have to be. Plus, he ignored my request to keep me updated on what he was doing. (I wanted him to say things like, "OK, I got the first one out, now I'm going to work on the next one..." and asked him to do that, and he said OK but then didn't do it.) So advice #1, get an oral surgeon that you like.

Second, if you're not having pain and can wait until you don't have babies, I would do that. Maybe I'm just a big baby (yet, a big baby who had natural childbirth and handled it pretty dang well) but the recovery was hell on earth FOR TWO WEEKS. I bled for a long time. I got two dry sockets despite all my efforts to avoid them. Eating and drinking was miserable. I was on all the narcotics I could take plus motrin and tylenol, and this while I'm nursing a 10-month-old! I was a worthless person as a wife and mother, a total drain on the family, and I must say I was depressed for even a week after the pain stopped. I spent days crying, wishing I had not done it, feeling like I would never be OK ever again. It was the worst thing ever to happen to me physically speaking.

SO, you've probably heard all the stories about how its no big deal... just know that it can be, a very big deal. I'm not saying don't do it... you've got very good reasons to have it done, and it is true the longer you wait the worse it can be. But there is no guarantee that you'll have as easy a time as a lot of people will promise you. Everyone told me that it was so easy, hardly any pain, back to normal within a day or two. My husband insisted that he was playing baseball that afternoon. So I hope you have it that easy, chances are you will. But not everyone does.

[my2girlsmama]

Leigh thank you for your honesty. I am happy you are ok.

I am planning to wait as long as I can. And yes, I plan to seek out a decent surgeon and grill him on it all prior.

[DoctorMark]

If the uppers are in and not cleansible then extraction is indicated. They should come out quick and easy with a local shot of 'novacaine'. I do not generally recomend to have asymtomatic impactions out...especially lowers. There can be too many complications. Especially at 32.

[amnesiac]

I had my uppers out with just the injections & it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. My dentist will not touch the lowers because of the curvature of the roots, he says an oral surgeon will have to do it. I have no idea what type of anesthesia that might involve because I haven't persued it since they don't bother me.