Can anyone explain what it's like after having teeth out ( wisdom ) when coming round form GA?

[marne2]

Sorry for posting again but I'm very anxious.

Having 6 teeth taken out in hospital tomorrow including 3 wisdom teeth (2 bottom and one top). I have never had a anaesthetic before so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm worried that I will wake up with a mouth full of cotton wall ( which will make me gag) or a mouth full of blood, also worried about how much pain there will be ( I am a wimp ). I am taking arnica in hope it helps me recover quickly, I have 2 dd's with autism so I can afford to be out of action for more than a day or 2.

Can anyone explain what to expect when I come round?

[LIZS]

When dh had his out he was spaced out for most of that evening and needed several days of heavy duty painkillers. Also it looks quite bruised so had several days off work .Sorry but perhaps better to be prepared.

[marne2]

Thanks LIZS, I would rather know the facts and expect the worse. Dh has 2 days off so he can do the school runs, so I may just hide indoors for a couple days. I am worried about the pain because I cant take codeine, my pain threshold is quite low . The teeth are causing me pain now so was hoping it wouldn't feel much worse once they had been removed. Did yours bleed a lot? I am having stitches on the bottom 2 but not the other 4. I had 2 out a few years ago and bled a lot .

[marne2]

meant 'did your dh's bleed a lot?'

[LIZS]

It was about 15 years ago so memories are a bit hazy but don't recall much bleeding.

[shouldnthavesaid]

I had several out under ga when I was 15 or so, no cotton wool and only a teeny bit of soreness. Tiny bit of dry blood on my lips. I had them removed from under the roof of my mouth and under my tongue, so not wisdom teeth but still
impacted. I was given a lot of painkillers -
codydramol and ibuprofen - and an antiseptic mouthwash. Ice lollies, sorbets, custard and fromage frais will help a lot in first 48 hours or so :)

[SweetFelicityArkwright]

I had all 4 wisdom teeth out about 25 years ago, the bottom 2 teeth were impacted. I can't remember much blood and no cotton wool, but I was woefully unprepared for how bruised and swollen I was. I'd told my boss I would be back at work the next day and was surprised when he said 'I don't think so' and I think I was off for about a week in the end, mainly because I did look a bit frightening being all swollen, although after the first day or two I don't remember it being very uncomfortable. It did take ages before I could open my mouth fully though, so for the first few days was on liquids only and can remember melting chocolate in desperation to get it in my mouth. On the upside I lost quite a lot of weight.
Extremely pleased I had it done though as the pain from my teeth had been awful and that can never return !

[marne2]

Thank you , I have been stuffing my face with food all day (making the most of it) and have stocked up on soup, milk shakes and yoghurt. I have had loads of fillings done over the past 2 weeks and last week I could barely open my mouth due to the pain from a filling and a abscess on my wisdom tooth, im sure dh and the kids will be pleased if I cant open my mouth to shout at them, hopefully the swelling wont last too long as I will need to be doing school run on wed.

Losing a bit of weight would be a bonus and I'm looking forward to being pain free (have had tooth ache for many years).

How many hours after surgery were you allowed to return home?

[Canus]

After GA my head felt a bit 'hollow' and headachy. I had to be helped to the car and house.

My mouth wasn't sore at all though.

I drank chocolate milk through a straw, then had shepherds pie for dinner.

I was breast feeding at the time, and it was fine.

[SweetFelicityArkwright]

I think I was kept in overnight but mine was quite an extreme case as they had had trouble getting my teeth out as they were badly impacted and they left the teeth ( complete with bits of my tissue still attached ! ) in a bottle by my bed to show me how hooked the roots were ! This was a long time ago though so they probably can't leave your teeth for you to wake up to now for health and safety reasons :)

[LIZS]

dh stayed in overnight.

[fridayfreedom]

Dd had four big molars out two summers ago.
No packing in her mouth but she did spit out a bit of blood.
Very drowsy for the first day after the GA.
Needed back to back paracetamol and ibuprofen for a few days then gradually reduced these.
Straws made it easier to drink. No hot drinks initially do as not it dissolve the clots.
Needed mashed food. Lots of cheesy mash!
Hope it goes well.

[Sparklingbrook]

Hi, I had all four wisdom teeth out in 1995 so may be out of date. I had an overnight stay in hospital, was very bruised and spitting blood for a while after I got home IIRC.
They wouldn't let me go before I had eaten anything and brought me a bowl of Rice Krispies for breakfast.

[marne2]

I don't think mine are badly impacted, they have done lots of xrays and dentist said it should be easy but will need stitches, he's put me done for a 30 minute op for 6 teeth (imagine them yanking them out quite quickly), in a way I wish I was staying overnight, the hospital is an hours drive away so I'm not looking forward to the trip home whilst feeling rough .

I'm going to the hospital alone as I need to be there at 8am, have got a lift in and dh will be taking the kids to school and will come in when I am recovering. Just read through all the paper work and says 'surgery will be between 9am and 12.30am' I am hoping I go in early so I don't have to hang around waiting on my own all morning.

[FoxSticks]

I had four impacted wisdom teeth out under GA about 9 years ago. I was very disoriented when I came round from the GA, I accused the nurse of lying to me when she said it was all done, she rattled my pot of teeth as me to prove she was telling the truth

I was kept in overnight and found eating very difficult for a few days. I couldn't really open my jaw and it took me half an hour to eat half a slice of toast the first morning! Soup and yogurt is good to begin with. To echo some of the others the bruising and swelling was pretty bad and I looked like I'd been a few rounds with Mike Tyson. I used to buy those cooling strips you can get for headaches and stick them to my cheek to sooth them as I found frozen peas too cold and painful. I had stitches so it was important to try and keep them clean to avoid infection. The consultant gave me a syringe and bent the end of it, I used to fill it with water and squirt the holes left by the teeth to get trapped food out - grim but oddly satisfying.

I think I was signed off for two weeks? Maybe it was only one but once I could open my jaw a few cm's which was a couple of days I was fine. Just remember to keep on top of your pain killers.

[CottonbudCatastrophe]

Sore throat, sore jaw, sore gums.

You need soft/semi liquid food, like jelly, yoghurt, mashed banana & custard, smooth soup, etc.

Make sure they prescribe pain relief to take home.

Good luck.

[moonegirl]

very painfully, not so bad the first evening as the drugs they give you still work.
but the next few days are really painful, I spent them in bed off my face on codeine.
be prepared to get an infection too which is very common, cue more pain

[annabanana19]

I had 2 taken out under GA & when I cam round I had those tampon things in my mouth. Felt like a hamster. Woozy, confused and desperate to go home. They will let you go only after you have a pee & a poo.

Once home, relax. You may get some odd feeling the next day like I did . Shivering cold, could not warm up then an hour later & was half naked sweating like a pig. Called a mate who is a paramedic & he said it was the GA in my body! Odd feeling but it was over in a few hours.

Eat a lot of yogurts & drink plenty. Soft sandwiches are a must & soup!

Take the pills they offer you then again you might not need them. I didn't & I wasn't swollen.

[marne2]

Thank you annabanana, gives me hope , one of my fears is waking up with tampons in my mouth as it will make me gag. If they won't let me home until I have done a poo then a maybe there a while I may have to lie so I can go home.

Have just checked the dentists notes and it says about 'symptoms after surgery' and the dentist has scribbled out 'problems opening mouth' so he doesn't seem to think that will be a problem, I am hoping they will come out easily without having to be broken int several pieces.

I am taking arnica in the hope it will help me heel quicker.

[MissBattleaxe]

You will be very dopey for about 24 hours- so opt out of any expected duties or child care, but mine didn't really hurt and I didn't use the painkillers in the end. I wasn't bruised either. Good luck!

[Fathertedfan]

Had mine taken out under GA three weeks ago. I was really scared beforehand, but the waiting to go to theatre was honestly the worst bit. Had a chat with the anaesthetist who asked medical history, then I was wheeled into the room outside the theatre to get the GA set up. The anaesthetist and two theatre nurses were there. I was really scared, but honestly didn't feel the needle go in my hand. Nurses chatted to me whilst the anaesthetist did his thing and last thing I remember was talking about my children and feeling sleepy. Woke up in post op with a wad of cotton wool in mouth. I was very shaky but not actually in pain. Nurses removed the cotton wool and I was taken back to my room. Within an hour I was brought a sandwich and yoghurt, which I did manage to eat somehow, had a coffee through a straw and had a wee. Once I'd done these three things, the nurses were happy to let me go home (with DH). Went into hospital at 2.30 and home in my bed at 8.00 pm. Was given ibuprofen and paracetamol. Slept right through and pain was manageable with the drugs. I was very sleepy for 2 days after, but pain was fine and back at work on the Monday. Healing nicely now and I took out the stitches myself after 10 days. Good luck!

[marne2]

Thank you, I am petrified , I'm sure it will be fine and I will be pleased when it's all over! I am hoping I won't have to wait too long once I get there and then I can get home for when the dd's get home from school. I will get the hospital to phone dh as soon as I get out of surgery as it will take him a hour to get to me ( by then I should be feeling more human and almost be ready to go home ).

[Fathertedfan]

I can't tell you how much of a whiny scaredy cat I was about having mine done. It was honestly really not bad at all. Come back and tell us when it's all done and you are back home safe and sound x

[wundawoman]

I had 4 wisdom teeth out about 7 years ago. I was terrified too!

Went into hospital around 8.00am back home by 2pm. When I woke up from GA I was ok; couldn't believe it was over!!!

I had hardly any swelling and no bruising or bleeding. Just took panadol later that evening and obv just ate soft food for a few days.

But honestly OP, getting them removed was the best thing ever; I should have done it years earlier but was too scared; would have saved me a great deal of discomfort and pain . I was 42 when finally I was so sick of recurring wisdom teeth problems that I booked it in!!!

Good luck you'll be fine - the anticipation beforehand is worse than the aftereffects IMO!

[SweetFelicityArkwright]

Hope all goes well today Marne. You will definitely be better off without those pesky teeth.

[marne2]

Just got home, one side is completely fin and the other is painful and very swollen. Trying to eat mashed banana mad a yoghurt. Has to be the best way to lose weight as it's taking me ages to suck on a frube .

Hospital was a nightmare, hade to wait 4 and a half hours before I went in, was then rushed to stand up which caused lots of bleeding.