Wisdom teeth...I'm a wimp, help!

[Drywhiteplease]

Ok, I'm tough in most areas (2 c sections.....regular waxing, not on my legs !.) but the words " wisdom tooth" and "extraction" in the same sentence reduce me to a quivering wreck and make me want to pass out.

My dentist referred me to the hospital because the wisdom tooth ( upper right) has been giving me problems for the last year and is too fiddly for him to take out.
" phew" I thought, " a general...!"

But today, when I had a pre whatever appointment the surgeon said what would be better would be a local ( feels. faint....feels sick) with sedation

" it will be like I've injected vodka into your veins" ( wtf.....how could I refuse???!!)

She said ( in a very matter of fact, Londoner meets Yorkshire straight talker way ) that having a GA to get a tooth out was a bit " like using a hammer to break a nut" and of course the recovery time would be quicker, I'd be out in half an hour. So I agreed....idiot!

Then......I went to the lovely admissions lady who said ;

" most people have a GA for this" .

She kindly suggested I have a pre whatever appointment about GA in case on the day I change my mind.....

What the hell do I do?

I'm terrified, agree that local and sedation sounds good, but I can hardly change my mind half way through. I've heard so many wisdom tooth horror stories.
The surgeon asked me what I was afraid of....and I guess it's just being awake when they're coming at my mouth and pulling a tooth out ( have never had a tooth out).

If there are any dentists out there or people who have had wisdom teeth out.....what would you do?
I understand that a GA takes longer to recover from. Would sedation do the trick.....will I really not remember anything? How out of it will I be (hoping a lot!)

Help ..... I'm not normally this pathetic.thanks for reading.

[Drywhiteplease]

I'm feeling braver [bsmile]. Sedation sounds great. Keep the stories coming.

[jollymollie]

I had 2 out and a filling with Iv sedation on Wednesday. I was sort of aware of what was going on but couldn't care less....it was fun! when dentist said both extractions were done I happily told her to take out all of my teeth i was so out of it!..... luckily she ignored that request. I was tired after but I would recommend sedation to everyone!

[TeaandHobnobs]

I had a wisdom tooth out in November, and only had LA as if I had sedation I wouldn't have been able to bf DS for 24 hours. I was really worried about having it done while I was aware of what was happening, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I had feared (and my tooth had to be broken into 3 to get it out) - it was over really quickly, in and out in 20 mins so the procedure must have been less than 10.

The worst part was 3 days later when I managed to miss an entire dose of painkillers out, and boy was I paying for that the rest of the day!

[Flisspaps]

Sorry, I forgot to say - the appointment isn't for a couple of weeks yet

[Drywhiteplease]

fliss how did it go?

[Flisspaps]

Ragwort Yes - they're big kids so not little ones who need lots of entertaining, they just want a comfy seat and some food!

[Reenypip]

Hi, I haven't read the other replies. Just responding to your first post.

I had a GA to take 2 impacted wisdom teeth out as one was growing underneath a molar and the other was growing into my cheek. There was no room for them to come up.

I was under GA for 2 hours! There is no way I could have stayed still for 2 hours with my health problems and spinal injury.

After I came around was a little painful. But unfortunately the pain got worse and I had a post op infection and took a couple of months for it to go.

I'm glad I went for the GA.

[Drywhiteplease]

Oh my god the DoctorsWife46 sooooo sorry......she did say that as she was looking at the X-ray of MY teeth though.....yours may be different

[Tinkerisdead]

Arghhhh mine is a bottom one!! Wish I hadn't read that about nerves and jaw now!!

Faint.

[Ragwort]

Flisslaps - if your's is like mine you will be fine, I had to walk a couple of miles home afterwards (due to snow & ice) and I genuinely had no discomfort. Can you put your mindees in front of the tv ?

[Drywhiteplease]

Thanks everyone ESP ragwort* .im also one whe elected to have c section second time round (first time " emergency" csection.....was fantastic!)

I think I'll try the sedation. Spoke to a friend who had an endoscopy (yikes....maybe scarier than a tooth) with sedation and she said she can't remember anything. Another had sedation and LA for an IVF thing and said the same.

artful the surgeon said it was a straight forward tooth ( she would say that though) and that upper wisdoms are easier because they aren't as stuck in the jaw or near nerves.

I asked a collegue ( straight talker and qualified nurse) what she thought and she said that there are risks with a GA " basically you could die"... true!!!

I'm just scared about being conscious when people are tugging at my mouth......I think I will be holding hands with the nurse, that worked when I was having my first epidural....second time the nurse thought I was a bit peculiar when I asked if I could hold her hand!!!

fliss a belated good luck....when you feel up to it could you let me know how you got on

[Flisspaps]

I'm fucking shitting myself now, I'm having a wisdom tooth out with LA at 12.30pm, then working at 3.20pm (childminder)

Is that unlikely to happen?!

[SmethwickBelle]

I had sedation with Local Anaesthetic and to be honest I didn't feel as woozy as I'd been led to believe I would. Having said that iIt was a tricky one where the tooth broke in the socket and needed two dentists to have a go at getting it out.... but it didn't seem too dramatic at the time so maybe it did work OK! I remember walking almost straight out chatting to my dad.

My tippiest top tip is getting the painkillers in your system before the LA wears off so get to the pharmacy ASAP with your clutched prescription and don't piss about with small pharmacies as I did, they didn't have the hard stuff in so ended up having to go to a different one by which time the LA had worn off and it was ahem smarting a little. Get the pain relief in and quick and keep taking it. All will be fine.

It's lovely having a nice smooth pain free gum where once there was an annoying hurty tooth and gum. Good luck.

[ArtfulAardvark]

I am the biggest coward when it comes to tooth stuff, cant even watch the teeth falling out on tom & jerry.

I had a hideous experience with a multiple extraction when I was a child, it went on forever and was just horrendous.

My first 2 wisdoms I had out with the injection in the arm and remember nothing about.

By the time it came to having my 2nd two out LA was recommended (I actually stopped going to one dentist over it) eventually I found my current dentist who explained that wisdoms, unlike other teeth, are no problem to pull out in general and just "pop" out. I had them done under LA and it WAS no problem at all and I recovered really quickly.

I would find out what the xrays are telling them, if you have problems and they are going to be a bitch to remove then you need to not know about it. If they are straight forward extractions then for health/recovery stick with the Local.

[Ragwort]

I had one out this week - I too had been referred to the hospital for sedation as I was terrified but because I met the lovely, lovely dentist over four separate appointments (for fillings etc he really gave me loads of confidence and I just had it out with the normal injection............... I really am a coward but I promose you IT DID NOT HURT, I was in and out of the appointment in less that 30 mins. There was a tiny bit of grinding noise, and I kept my eyes closed and held hands with the dental nurse . Hardly any discomfort afterwards (apart from being told to avoid alcohol that evening!).

I really, really am a coward, I seem to be one of the few people on mumsnet who was absolutely delighted to have had a EMCS, if I can get through a wisdom tooth extraction I am sure you will, good luck.

[LazyMachine]

"Is this really happening?"

[LazyMachine]

Go for the full knock out - I had 6 removed (yes, six wisdom teeth) and was very grateful for the heavy stuff. Just have someone with you to take care of you when you're coming-to. Imperative.

And watch the YouTube clip 'David After Dentist' Sorry no link - on phone.

[TinyDiamond]

oh one more thing, not all hospitals do sedation, I wanted local with that but it wasn't an option

[TinyDiamond]

I've had both. the local was traumatic because I have a very bad needle phobia but it wasn't painful as such but the GA was a whole lot worse as I nearly died and woke up in the ICU.... what happened to me was incredibly rare though as I have a genetic condition that nobody had any idea I had. I have another infection now bottom right and I am so worried now about what to do. don't think I can go through either again.

for you though, as you're nervous, go for the GA. day surgery, you'll need the day off work and possibly the next day but the hospital will sign you off for 7 days if you think you need it (yoiu won't) the hole afterwards is not that bad

[Tinkerisdead]

Oohim watching this too. I had my consultation on the 10th and lady said she'd cut the tooth free, drill the bone and breakthe tooth to get it out. "We can do this under a local yes?" I said no way and asked for sedation and she said no!! I was given time to go away and think about it. Im back next month and i'm going to have to agree as it needs to come out.

But its the fact i'll hear the crunching sounds etc i think i may pass out. I'm really scared....and i used to be a dental nurse!!!

[kinelle]

My dh had a hip replacement last year, with sedation rather than a ga. From what I understand, you feel no Pain because of the anaesthetic, the sedation puts you in a lovely dreamy state, and you have little or no memory afterwards. Recovery and chances of bleeding are quicker with sedation i Think. Good luck whichever way you go op.

[ChuffMuffin]

Also watching with interest! Just been to the dentist this morning, I've got impacted wisdom teeth and an infection, if it doesn't clear up it's gotta come out. I'm not bothered about the extraction, it's the LA.. never been anaesthetised in my life!

Also somebody told me you can't just have one out, you have to have the other on the same side out as well. Is that true or a load of feck?

[QueenOfCats]

Drywhite, yes, please do let me know how you get on!

[Drywhiteplease]

lovelynailsand town just what I want to hear. Perhaps I'll try the sedation.
queen my op is 2/3/4 of March....can't remember, in shock(!!) pm me if you want me to tell you how it goes.

[townbuiltonahill]

IV sedation - that's the one.

Prick in arm (lying down) - anaesthetist engaged me in conversation about one of my pet subjects - bye, bye .....!

Woke up - all done - went home.