Having all 4 wisdom teeth out in 2 weeks, totally petrified and need some POSITIVE advice/ experiences to help me get myself to the hospital and get them OUT!!!!

[Roseblade]

As the title says, after putting off having the blighters out for seven years, have now accepted that they are affecting my health, with pain, trapped food, disgusting taste/smell in mouth etc etc.

Am having them out under GA in two weeks.

The problem is,I literally start to shake and feel panicky and unable to cope every time I start to contemplate it.

have never had a GA before and have a morbid fear that I will not wake up. Am also utterly afraid of the pain afterwards, having heard so many horror stories.

But must get there and have them out, as being in constant pain is affecting how I am with my little one and thats not on.

Can anyone tell me, how will I feel when I come round, will painkillers be able to keep the pain down to a reasonable level? How long before I am semi ok again?

HELP!!!!

i would have been happy with ga i had mine out under local and when they couldnt get iv in they asked if id maind no a i nearly ran and didnt stop

luckily they found it and all went well it was fine under local so would imagine under ga much better as you dont know whats going on and dont feel any tugging

go for it would have preffered that option myself so much better once they are out its sore for a few days then its fine jsut sleep and take plenty pain relief you'll be back to normal self in no time

local was good though as back on feet straight away and it was done quick enough

I've had 2 out, just under local though, but it was absolutly fine. I'd heard all the horror stories too, but what happened to me felt very minor. It was a little bit sore after, but not too bad, and not even remotely like the pain of childbirth. I was given some strong painkillers to take away with me, but i didnt even bother to take them. I had the afternoon off work but that was all(I had thought I would be off for days, looking like a hamster with big swollen cheeks!)

My DH had his out last year and the surgeon recommended taking arnica - which he did and had v little bruising or swelling. Not sure if that was becasue of the arnica or not, but might be worth a try...

Thank you all soooooo much for your replies,
the bloody things (well two of them) have been giving me pain all day again and between that and reading your replies I am doubly determined to hsve this done.

Heartmumtojamie, wishing you good luck and no pain, will you be getting sedation.I think most wisdom extractions ARE done under local with sedation nowadays, so you should be great, its just I am too anxious thats why i'm having the GA.

Dh had his done under GA years ago, and then I had mine done under local anasthaetic by my ordinary dentist. It was rather good as dh saw it as my having a major operation, while my experience, if I have to be honest, wasn't much worse than having a filling done. But I milked it for all it was worth

Roseblade, my DS1 is having his out in March and he is not worried at all. I hade mine out at the dentist and I wish I'd had them out under GA!
Is there anything that is worrying you about the before and during procedure bits?
I hate needles, so I ask to be knocked out by the gas first, before they add the 'extras'.
You won't regret doing this in a few months time and wish you would have done it sooner.

Had mine out and was back up on my feet the following day, the GA had more of an effect upon me than having my teeth out. Just food getting stuck in the gaps was a pain.

Had mine out a few years ago after many years of trouble. GA in day surgery , absoulety fine no major swelling or brusiing , was glad to have the rest and be 'pampered' as I had an 8 month old at the time !

Drank slimfast for a couple of days and had a few days off work.

Was given painkillers when left hosiptal but didn't really need them .

Really milked it with DH though , well he would if he had then out !

Haven't had teeth out but have had several GAs in the last couple of years. Honestly, it's just like having a lovely sleep! Anesthesia is fantastic these days and the docs really believe in not letting you have any pain at all so I second the advice about letting them know if you feel at all sore when you come round.

Hi there - had mine out under GA when I was about 22, a long time ago!! Had a major chipmunk face for about a week and was quite bruised and sore, as one of the other posters said but it was not really painful as such more of a dull throbbing. Coming round from the GA was not too bad and they give you a sedative beforehand to help you relax. Painkillers definitely kept the worst away afterwords although I did have to eat soft foods for a while as chewing was tricky.

One interesting side effect was that I was unable to provide my DH (who was then my boyfriend) with, er, oral pleasure for about six months afterwards - every time I tried my jaw would lock (thankfully not in a wide open position but I found I couldn't open it beyond a certain point without it locking!). That side effect wore off, eventually!

dh had his out following my suggestion that he should have more frequent dental check ups...ie more frequently than every 20 yrs
He hates hospitals but was a real trooper and had all four out under GA. He was on a limited diet initially and took antibiotics as a precaution. He gargled salt water too. But the upshot was that he lost a truck load of weight cos he wasn't sllowed drink beer for a month and never felt or looked better!

I had mine out when I was 18 - all four, under GA, same as you.

They were crowding my lower teeth as the bottom ones were growing horizontally along my jaw (the stupid fuckers!).

I had some swelling and bruising on my bottom jaw (which went an attractive shade of yellow), but I can honestly say it was not that bad. I took the painkillers they gave me religiously. I ate a sandwich a couple of hours after the operation as I was starving.

I was very scared of having it done, as I was phobic about the dentist (I have recently decided to overcome that and in a fortnight I'm having my horrible front crowns drilled off and replaced!).

Good luck with it - and you won't regret it, I'm sure.

I had all 4 out under ga about 20 years ago. The operation itself was fine and nothing to worry about. I was very bruised and swollen afterwards {even my chest was bruised as I think the surgeon must have knelt on it for leverage } and couldn't open my mouth properly for several days and needed a week off work, not least because I looked so scary. My teeth were impacted and had hooked roots so I think I was probably a fairly extreme case.The pain though was manageable not as bad as the pain I had been suffering before the op - but definitely accept any pain relief that is offered. Try not to worry - it obviously needs doing if you are in pain and as others have said get lots of soft foods to eat and think of all that weight you will lose.