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Original poster

Should i have my Wisdom Tooth out? I mean surgically removed?

30 replies

LoveMyGirls · 03/01/2007 19:27

Its been hurting for about 6 months, i've had a couple of courses of anti biotics in that time. i'm due to see the dentist tomorrow but wanted to hear from anyone who has had their wisdom tooth surgically removed - when i went last time they did x-rays and said if it didnt come through properly that is what would happen because of the way it is growing. It's irritating my inside cheek and affecting how i talk, its swollen and painful

How long are waiting lists, how bad is the pain, how long does it take to heal........lots of questions........sorry!!

TIA

OP posts:

buktus · 03/01/2007 19:32

i had mine out under a local it wasnt too bad - having no pain after was nice and i looked normal again instead of having bulging cheeks it didnt take long to heal and you have to take anti biotics as well

TheArmadillo · 03/01/2007 19:34

I had mine out after a second infection, and they didn't really want to give me antibiotics a second time because I was pregnant.

They took it out under local and I felt woozy for the rest of the day. But it was fine and not as much pain as the infection had been.

SpookyMadMummy · 03/01/2007 19:35

Have it out. Its usually a hospital job... day surgery I think. I know here the list is anything between 3 and 21 weeks waiting but it varies region to region. If you phone hospital they should tell you how long list is and you can go on cancellation/short notice list.
hth

BuffysMum · 03/01/2007 19:35

dp had all of his out - 2 one side then a few months later the other, they were really badly infected etc so it wasn't pleasant. He had it done under local at the hospital so it was free. It made a huge diff the 2nd time when he took arnica starting the day before he had them out. He was miserable for quite a while because he comfort eats and he couldn't.

After a 3/4 days he was fine although I'm sure it still hurt.

LadyTophamHatt · 03/01/2007 19:39

OMG, I'[m going to be totally honest here. It's will probably scare the living daylights out of you though.

I had 2 wisdom teeth out as out patient last january(upper and lower left side) and it was horrendous.

The pain when the numbness wore off was quite possibly the worse pain I have ever felt.

With Ds1 I cried when in labour, but mostly through being pigheaded and stubborn because I didn't want an epidural, yes labour hurts but I've never cried in pain like I did after my wisdom teeth were taken out.
I sat on the sofa and sobbed for about 3 hours.
It was awful.

My jaw and cheek swelled up and TBH it looked like I'd been beaten up because the bruising was so bad(which was horrible because we'd only just moved here so god only know what people thought).
I was supposed to go back 2 weeks later and get another one removed.
I didn't go. I'd rather suffer than go through that again.

I had the upper right taken out yrs ago which wasn't too bad. the normal tooth next to it was smashed to pieces trying to get it out so they had to remove that too but it wasn't nearly as painful.

SilverLining · 03/01/2007 19:59

I had all 4 out in one go in October this year and do you know what?? It was fine!! Had a general anaesthetic and felt a bit groggy but one night in hospital and was fine. Had to smile as the surgeon offered to sign me off work for a week but as a SAHM I was up the next morning with the children and my pain killers!! I had no swelling at all but my surgeon is renowned for being gentle!

I had a very traumatic lead up to this with DD2 in hospital with meningitis and I had a constant toothache, the day she came home I was in absolute agony - pacing the floor crying and would have pulled one out myself if I could!! I had both children with no painrelief and would have done it over and over again instead of this pain. Turned out I had an abscess the size of a house on one of the teeth - even my dentist winced and told me I was very brave!

So its a personal thing but for me they could not have come out soon enough!!!

Original poster

LoveMyGirls · 03/01/2007 20:14

i dont think i have any choice, i cant continue with this pain. I've had 2 kids and a breast reduction i think i'll have to cope with having it done. thanks for all your stories. i won't look forward to having it done but i will feel better knowing this pain will stop.

OP posts:

buktus · 04/01/2007 06:50

you will be fine, in my experience i had one out each side at the top i didnt find it any different than having a normal tooth out

sandcastles · 04/01/2007 06:57

Yes, have it taken out...it will only give you more problems.

When you say surgically, under GA? Hospital waiting lists for this can be long, but if your GDP can refer you to a dental clinic it can be done sooner.

The pain will be no worse than what you are getting now, as long as you follow post op instructions & should even be less severe that what you are experiencing.

Healing can depend on you. But generally you should be back to normal in a few days.

If you leave it you will get further problems, which will ny get worse.

throckenholt · 04/01/2007 08:28

I have to have two (the top ones) out - my dentist said they are at an odd angle and useless and rotting (ugh). He said he would take them out at the normal dental surgery - presumably with a local aneasthetic. I have never had teeth taken out before and have not yet been brave enough to book an appointment.

Can anyone comment on the pros and cons of his method rather than those mentioned previously (out patient at the hospital) - I am clueless as to the differences.

twelveweekstomaternityleave · 04/01/2007 08:32

Whatever pain you feel after having them out is completely nulled by the relief you feel not having that awful pain of them being in there.

I've had an upper removed (whilst sill half in the gum) by an emergency NHS dentist under a normal dental local anaesthetic. Uncomfortable, but ok as I was in SOO much pain before, I was relieved it was gone.

Had remaining three out under local, but with sedation by a dental surgeon. Went private to get it done quickly and it was a few hundred quid, but worth every penny. They can give you some sort of injection (steroid perhaps - not sure?) which stops swelling after the op. I have seen people look like hamsters for a few days after the op.

Good luck. It is completely worth it to have them out if they're giving trouble.

twelveweekstomaternityleave · 04/01/2007 08:41

X-posted there throckenholt. I was told top ones are less complicated than bottom as there aren't any major nerves running through the top jaw. As per my first post, I had a top one taken out under normal dental local. (It was also rotting and crumbling in my gum - disgusting.) It was fine. Although sedated, I can remember feeling the dentist tugging the bottom teeth out, but the top ones just popped out easily.

If it's just your top ones you need out, I can't see why you'd need to see a specialist unless they were very impacted perhaps? Not a dentist so obv can't say. That's just personal experience.

throckenholt · 04/01/2007 08:42

that is my problem - they don't actually hurt yet - and I have a tendency to ignore dental problems until they hurt (not the best approach !).

I am going to have to be brave and book it - ugh.

LoveMyGirls - hope it goes well for you today.

Original poster

LoveMyGirls · 04/01/2007 08:46

Mine is my bottom right, its half way through and according to the x-ray it is trying to come through my jaw bone??!! as its growing outwards i think, anyway its all swollen and im constantly catching my cheek with my top wisdom tooth (which came thorugh with no probs) and getting ulcers, infections, it is so painful. i hope when i go to the dentists today they dont just fob me off with more antibiotics..........

OP posts:

Original poster

LoveMyGirls · 04/01/2007 08:48

i forgot to ask how much will all of this cost? i have never paid for the dentist before and im dreading the cost as we have no money at all.

OP posts:

twelveweekstomaternityleave · 04/01/2007 08:52

I went to a ridiculously expensive dentist in the City (out of desperation) and it cost about £400, but they seem to charge double what everyone else charges there. (Like £90 for the hygienist, for example).

This website might help you get an idea, as it varies wildly depending on where you are. Whatprice

oxocube · 04/01/2007 08:53

LMG, I had a top right wisdom tooth taken out at the dentists a few months ago. I just had the normal novocain injection and didn't feel any pain at all. It was just a bit uncomfortable as it took about 10 mins to get the tooth out. I think it cost about eu150 so about 100 pounds. Well worth it in my opinion

Original poster

LoveMyGirls · 04/01/2007 08:56

eeeeeeekkk looks like its going to cost about £100 do you have to pay or can you get refered to the hospital and get it done free?

OP posts:

oxocube · 04/01/2007 08:56

throckenholt, I would go to my normal dentist because I like and trust him, he treats me DH and the kids so knows us well. He also has a clearer picture of my dental history, having done lots of work (crowns, bridging etc) I just feel more comfortable with someone I know.

throckenholt · 04/01/2007 08:57

oxocube - that is just the sort of story I want to hear

twelveweekstomaternityleave · 04/01/2007 09:00

You can get referred, but the waiting list is long if it's a surgical removal. Depends on the dentist as well. Some NHS dentists are happy to do complicated extractions on NHS, but some are not. One told me that he wasn't comfortable with doing it as he didn't feel qualified, for example.

Top ones, you might be able to get done on NHS with regular dentist as they shouldn't be too complex. Perhaps then just needing to pay a dental surgeon to do the lower ones?

Judy1234 · 04/01/2007 09:32

I had 3 out when I was about 23 in the dentists chair on the NHS. I had the last one out this summer again on the NHS local anaesthetic. The last one tis summer I got a condition after called dry tooth which basically means really awful pain for days but once it was done it was all finished and that's it. It was like Ladyth describes. I should have bought much stronger pain killers for afterwards. We were in Greece by then that didn't help. But always get them out because until you do there will be those problems again and again.

Mine was completely free in local NHS hospital. I did wait but I wasn't in pain from it so the waiting wasn't a problem. Wait was about 6 months. If I had been in pain I would have paid to have it done sooner.

GodRestYeMerryNORTHERNERs · 04/01/2007 09:50

I had all 4 out under GA last year in hospital, and as Xenia and LTH have said, afterwards I expereienced the mosr horrendous pain. I was sobbing with pain and walking the floor all night as I could not sleep. I thought I was going mad.

Turns out I had dry sockets which means the sockets do not clot and heal so you basically just have a huge throbbing hole x 4 in my case!

Noone warned me about this so I thought the pain was part and parcel of teh op. I dealt with it for 24 hours that had to get prescription painkillers which made me woozy and sleepy but it was preferable to being in pain.

So basically the op is worth it, I'm gald I had it done. Just be aware of dry sockets afterwards!

Original poster

LoveMyGirls · 04/01/2007 09:52

so how many days would you advise booking off work? does someone have to go with you to drive you home.........i am clueless....

OP posts:

Lucycat · 04/01/2007 09:53

I had all 4 of mine out in one go when i was 16, under a general I hasten to add. The pain afterwards from the teeth removal wasn't too bad, but I did have a huge bruise on my ribcage where the 'surgeon' had leant on me to pull them out and I did look like a hamster for a week! Nice.

Mine were coming through at an odd angle so that was why I had to have it done!

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