Wisdom teeth

[saintshar]

I found out the other day that i have to go into hospital to have two wisdom teeth removed, as the dentist says "they are well and truely stuck." I have had quite a few infections and it can be VERY painful.
I wondered if anyone else has had this done? I only know two people who have, and they both had complications after the op, and i have never had a general anastetic (sp?) before, so i am terrified!

[popsycal]

had one taken out but at dentist and under local anaesthetic....not really exactly the same...sorry
there will be someone here who has though
i was fine with no complications

[LIZS]

dh had his taken out under a general a few years ago. He was only in overnight and, although he needed strong painkillers afterwards, he soon felt the benefits and realised just how below par the infections, most of which were low grade, had made him feel. He didn't have any complications.

I took ds to visit him shortly after he had come around from the anaesthetic but he doesn't remember anything about our being there. Also it can take a few days to feel yourself after a general so give yourself time and plan help with the kids.

good luck

[tabitha]

I've had one taken out under local anaesthetic at the dental hospital - no complications but a bit of swelling and pain afterwards. Not too bad though. I do know quite a few people who've had them taken out under a general anaesthetic and haven't heard any horror stories from them. If you're really concerned about having a general anaesthetic, why not see if it could be done under local. Maybe even one at a time, if you could bear it.

[udar]

Had all 4 out under general. Only one was ready to come out but they dug out the others at the same time to get it over and done with.
I wasn't in overnight, it was a day surgery in NZ. I didn't eat for 3 days, just lay in bed with a moon face with ice packs around my jaw eating flavoured iceblocks on sticks. Make sure you have people around to wait on you hand and foot if you can. Some people recover really quickly, others don't so prepare for the worst I suppose.

[udar]

Some pain but just kept thinking - that's it they're gone.

[CookieMonster]

I too had all 4 taken out under general anaethetic and had no complications. I had a swollen face for a few days and remember being quite cross that I wasn't able to eat much of the fab food I was being offered (went private through work).
I was single and childless at the time and really appreciated somebody being round for a couple of days afterwards - just felt a bit wobbly.
My advice would definitely be to get it over in one fell swoop and make sure you and your child/ren will be looked after afterwards.
Good luck ... CM

[prettycandles]

If you can, avoid having a pre-med. It makes you more wobbly afterwards and can slow down your recovery from the general. I requested not to have one both times I had GA (once was for having all 4 wisdom teeth out) and the anaesthetist had a chat with me, decided that I was quite calm and not likely to make a fuss when being put under, so I wouldn't have to have one. I had also never had a GA before and my biggest fear was that I would vomit and/or be in agony when I awoke and unable to tell anyone. Neither of them happened. My surgeon said that if I think of my personal pain-scale, with 0 being no pain, 1 a niggle, and 10 being the worst I could possibly tolerate without desperatly needing pain relief, then the worst it would get would be 7. And he was absolutely right. Another thing that helped, was that the surgeon explained to me that when I came round, there would be cotton pads tucked into my cheeks and I would be able to feel the strings (a bit like tampons! ) hanging out over my cheeks, and that way I would know that the op was over. Again, spot-on. It really helped to have a way of knowing that it was over, because you really are utterly unaware between going under and waking up. It also helped having someone waiting for me when I was brought back to my bed. I'm really groggy and uninterested after a GA, just chilly and want to sleep, but having someone there (parents once, and dh the other time) is very comforting. Oh, and don't talk to those two you know! Not if they want to give you a blow-by-blow of their ops! Advice is OK, but you really don't need scare-stories right now.

[prettycandles]

ps I don't have a scare-story! Everything went fine for me; I did have an infection afterwards, but antibiotics cleared it up pdq, no problems thereafter.

[tallulah]

I had all 4 taken out in hospital aged 19, under a general. That was 20 years ago (so things might have changed) but I was in hospital for 3 days & off work for a week with a swollen bruised face.

I came round from the anaesthetic & heard this awful screaming- realised it was me!!!

Not wishing to scare you but it was the worst experience of my life

Since then I have had 2 grow back! (the top ones). The dentist pulled the left one out in 1990 & the right one last month.

[tallulah]

Forgot to add, no post-op complications at all.

[Zerub]

I had all 4 taken out under general, about 10 years ago. It was day surgery. I was a student at the time - went home to mum to be looked after for a week but could have left after 3 - 4 days really. I had to live on soup and paracetamol for a bit. My gums hurt and I was tired and couldn't eat but that was all.

The general anaesthetic part was fine - you're lying on a hospital bed, they stick a needle in you, you wake up a second later in a bed on a ward and its all over. MUCH nicer than sitting in a dentists chair with your mouth held open wider than it was intended to open, and feeling a dentist digging around for ages!

I had two big bruises on my jaw from where they held my mouth open whilst digging my teeth out, and had to have my passport photo taken before they'd faded - a lovely 10-year reminder!

[saintshar]

Thanks everyone.
I am still terrified though! Tallulah, i didn't know they could grow back, that's weird!!
I am going to have to get it sorted though, i am on antibiotics ATM for yet another infection. I can't keep putting up with this. I just needed someone to say it's not always THAT bad.
Thanks againxx

[JanH]

I think growing back is unusual, saintshar. I had mine out (only 3 - dunno where the 4th went) over 30 years ago and they haven't come back yet. Had GA, felt lousy coming round, sore mouth for a bit but no big deal really.

[iota]

A friend of mine in the NHS told me that it's better to have a local if poss, as a general makes you feel ill and it takes longer to recover.
I had 2 out at once under a local and was fine (apart from the usual pain and swelling)

[jasper]

They don't really grow back as such; what can happen, rarely, is that a fourth molar can be present in one or more quadrant ( the normal number is three molars per quadrant) and as the 4th molar develops later than the third molars ( the wisdom teeth) if the wisdom tooth gets extracted, the 4th molar can come into the mouth some time later, in the same general area behind all the other teeth. SO it looks like the tooth has regrown. It is very rare though.
Not having a third molar(ie not even visible under the gum using x-rays) in one or more quadrants is fairly common.

[saintshar]

Jasper, are you a dentist, or work in that line of work? (i think i have seen you give advice on teeth before.) Should i have the op done? Will i really keep on getting infections if i dont?