Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Impacted wisdom tooth coming out on Weds. How much is it going to hurt?

44 replies

meglet · 18/11/2007 19:44

I am having my lower right wisdom tooth out this week. Its impacted and twisted, hasn't hurt for a few months but when it does its agony.

How much will it hurt, will i be drugged up for a few days? When i am likely to be able to eat again. I love my food and am dreading having to eat soup. I'm going to be a right old grumpy cow for a few days I think .

OP posts:
scienceteacher · 18/11/2007 19:47

You should be fine if you take your painkillers as prescribed.

utterlyconfused · 18/11/2007 19:48

Take arnica tabs before and after.

milfAKAmonkeymonkeymoomoo · 18/11/2007 19:49

I had no pain at all and didn't need painkillers (had four out and two were impacted and needed cutting out) when I had mine out. I ate soft foods for a few days but was back to proper food quite quickly.

CodDickinson · 18/11/2007 19:50

i had valium for mine

hayCHingleBells · 18/11/2007 19:56

Mine was pretty hoific, but i didnt know they were gonna take it out then and there at the emergency appointment.
I wasnt at all prepared, which is why i think i was kind of in shock for a few hours afterwards.
Becuase id been up all night the night before, hadnt eaten anything and was generally run down with it i was far more sensitive etc.
They gave me extra local becuase i could still feel the pain, and i think this is why i had a bit of a wobbly event afterwards.

It was fine though, after the initial wobbly bit. It was all just a shock, the actaul extraction was ok too, much as you might expect, it doesnt come out easily but i was sooo numb from the extra local - all i felt was tugging.

Itll be fine.

I wouldnt worry as much if i had to have it done again.

LadyTophamHatt · 18/11/2007 19:57

Honestly??

It was agony. I sat on the sofa, sobbing because of the pain.

I was meant to go back 2 weeks later to get the other one taken out.....its been a very looooong 2 weeks (almost 2 years now)

LadyTophamHatt · 18/11/2007 19:58

the actually task of getting the thing out was ok though, concidering I had stitches etc.

it was after that was bad.

figleaf · 18/11/2007 19:59

I've had 2 out last year - no probs. Got to have another out in a couple of weeks - not worried. Take the pain killers and you'll be fine.

scienceteacher · 18/11/2007 19:59

DH used to work on analgesics R&D, and used wisdom tooth patients in all their clinical trials. They did this because the pain was predictable and similar in most patients - oh, and it was generally intense. But all manageable with OTC analgesics at dentist-recommended doses (2 - 4 times the package instructions).

LadyTophamHatt · 18/11/2007 20:02

figleaf, did you have top or bottom ones out?
My top one came out in a fraction of the time the bottom ones did.

Original poster
meglet · 18/11/2007 20:05

ooooh. Thanks for all the quick posts! Even the scary ones, I'd rather know the bad stuff in advance.

My mum is going to give me a hand with DS on Weds evening so I'm not battling with him on my own (DP is at work). I will try and make some decent soup on Tuesday so I have something yummy to cheer myself up.

OP posts:
pointydog · 18/11/2007 20:12

ar you just getting it taken out at dentist's with local? Or in hosp? I think it depends if they actually need to chip away a bit of your jaw to get it out, no? And often they can't tell till they get in there.

Painkillers, scrambled egg, yoghurt, very swollen. Dh had a more difficult extraction than me but wasn't too awful for more than a couple of days.

madambutterfly · 18/11/2007 20:23

just make sure your dentist checks you are fully numbed up and that you are sure you are too. it will give you more confidence. i am sure it won't be something you volunteer to do every day of the week but it should be fine. maybe take an ipod with you to listen to some relaxing tunes to help distract.

Elk · 18/11/2007 20:24

I don't remember much pain with mine at all. I took co-codamol (but not OTC I had stronger ones) and was fine. I had all four out at once - bottom two were impacted and top two were out but in the wrong place.

Afterwards I ate soggy weetabix, spaghetti hoops, baked custard and then moved on to avacado (not all at once).

MoreSpamThanGlam · 18/11/2007 20:27

Meant to be having mine out tomorrow.

Am so frightened, am going to canel 1st thing.

Sorry - I am a wuss. Plus my dentist is all very matter of fact - like everyone should just get a grip...

pointydog · 18/11/2007 20:55

oh don't cancel. Mine came out very easily indeed.

frazzledbutcalm · 18/11/2007 20:59

I had 3 out at dental hospital. They had to cut my gum to get 1 of them out and chisel it away as roots were all twisted! Pain wasnt bad, could hardly open my mouth but dont remember how long that lasted

MrsSlocomb · 18/11/2007 20:59

Mine was an absolute nightmare. It wan't the operation itself, I had intravenous sedation so wasn't aware of anything really.
Afterwards for a good week my face was blown up like I'd been in a terrible fight.
Then for months afterwards I had constant infections in the socket and dreadful jaw problems where my jaw had been forced so widely open. Infact 4 years on and I still get problems with my jaw.
Sorry , don't cancel though. The tooth has to come out. You'll probably be fine

pinkteddy · 18/11/2007 21:00

I had 2 out and then the other 2 a month later a few years ago now. First 2 was an awful experience. It took 45 minutes to get one of them out! My face was all bruised and I ended up having a week off work. I couldn't eat solid food for over a week and was in a lot of pain. Also I needed someone to help me get home from the appointment which I hadn't thought about. I went in for the second two all prepared but wasn't nearly as bad and healed much more quickly as they were much easier to remove.

Tipex · 18/11/2007 21:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pointydog · 18/11/2007 21:03

look you lot, you are really puttin gpeople off

mazmack · 18/11/2007 21:04

I'm sure the pain from an impacted tooth which was NOT taken out would be far worse in the long run!

TheDullWitch · 18/11/2007 21:15

It's far, far less scary than you think. Much less dreadful than the months of toothache I endured before, cos it infected another tooth which also had to be removed.

They made a little incision, then a bit of tugging, but not in anyway knee on chest. Afterwards, just bruising on my face which was a bit swollen. Take the big fat painkillers they give you and have a supply of Neurofen for later, which you prob won t need.

Praise the lord, for living in the age of modern dentistry!

MrsSlocomb · 18/11/2007 21:35

I think it really depends how impacted the tooth is. I had 2 wisdom teeth out earlier and that wasn't too bad. I think the sockets became infected but it was nothing compared to last time.
The tooth had to be cut into 4 pieces and the dentists was kneeling on my chest. I was warned by a previous dentist that it would be a very difficult extraction. But it had to come out and I'm glad that I went through with it.

manchita · 18/11/2007 21:43

I had a wisdom tooth out after terrible toothache throughout my first pregnancy.
To be honest, it was a relief and it came out quite easily.
Hurt a little bit the day after, then it was fine. No problem at all.
Don't worry, if you coped with labour pain, you can definitely cope with this
(and if your tooth is really decayed and rotten the dentist won't even have to pull a lot)Hurray!