Tooth removal - straight back to work or not

[Dramateacher1]

Hi, I’m having a lower molar removed at 9am on Monday. Will I be ok to go back to work after? I’ve never even had a filling before so no idea what to expect… thank you

Erm no I doubt it.

Should be fine. Wisdom teeth not so much

No I wouldn't because your face will be numb, you could be bleeding and when the injection wears off you could be in pain.

What do you do for work

It depends how quickly the swelling goes down and if any of the pain meds affects you driving if you need to get there. I've done it before with a molar, but if you feel you need the time to recover take it.

No - I had a lower molar taken out in October and had to keep a gauze pad in the gap for as long as possible. You need to make sure the clot forms properly to prevent dry socket and infection so it's best to rest and keep still I think. When the local anaesthetic wears off it's quite painful too.

I've only had wisdom teeth taken out. I was off work for nearly 3 weeks (all 4 taken out and then infected).

Probably not the best idea to go back to work straight after as you’ll probably be in some pain once the anaesthetic wears off. In an ideal world, you’d be better off having your appt later in the day then you can go straight home and rest.

I had a lower molar mouth in January and took the rest of the day off. Mine was a morning appointment. I felt absolutely worn out afterwards and just wanted to rest. My dentist did advise me to go home and do nothing for the rest of the day.

No, you'd be better off resting.

Should be okay.

My dentist tried to fill a wisdom tooth for me. It cracked under the drill. I was told to come back for an extraction the next morning.

I taught my Period 1 class, nipped up the road for the extraction and returned to take the rest of my classes.

Side note: my then HoD who was notorious for taking time off work had the nerve to complain to the Headteacher - "Should a teacher really be taking time off for a dental appointment?"

My HT told me not to worry. I was only in my 20s...wish now I'd had the guts to give the HoD a piece of my mind.

I had 4 of my wisdom teeth taken out under GA at 9am in the morning. I was fine by the afternoon with no lasting effects!. So I guess it varies.

You will feel really washed out plus you do have to rest. Stay home.

I had a tooth and a wisdom tooth taken out and went back to work. I do a manual job so pretty physical. I took it easier than usual but felt fine. I think it affects people in different ways. If you can, I'd give yourself both options.

I’m a teacher. Feel really guilty that the appointment is on the first day back after half term but it was the first they could offer me and I’ve been having recurring infections since October (3 lots of antibiotics) so it needs to come out.

As a teacher you are public facing all the time. Avoiding dry socket is important. Take it easy go home and rest.

I've just read that you're a teacher. I used to be. I would have struggled after mine if I was still teaching because of the talking. Your mouth will be numb. In my current job I don't have to talk much! Try to not feel guilty (I know it's tough). You're having a medical procedure and people take time off for a lot less.

I wouldn't . I always feel a bit woozy after any dental treatment and after a tooth extraction feel groggy.

No.

As a teacher, maybe not. I went back to work after I had an upper molar and a wisdom tooth extracted (not at the same time lol!) but my work involves sitting quietly at a desk and I can manage without speaking to anyone!

When I had the molar out, I was still numb from the anaesthetic for ages after, because it really is such a quick procedure (the appointment was 20 minutes, but the actual extraction itself like 30 seconds) and I guess maybe there is a minimum amount of anaesthetic that they need to give, so I was numb for about 2 hours in total. So that’s the main issue is numbness from that, with difficulty speaking and eating, maybe some drooling.

When I had the wisdom tooth out, it was the end of a much longer appointment so I’d already been numb for ages and the anaesthetic was already starting to wear off. So it wasn’t an issue to get straight back into things.

No, not doing teaching, if it had been a quiet office job just sitting at a PC then maybe, yes, you should be fine next day though.

My extraction started bleeding again in the afternoon having had it done first thing. I wouldn’t have wanted to go back and teach for the day post extraction as you feel like you’ve gone a few rounds and talking for hours after isn’t what you’d want to do

I had a wisdom tooth out and tried to go back to work afterwards. My job is lecturing, so on my feet and lots of talking!
I had more problems with my gum brushing against the socket than anything else, it was really uncomfortable, and I ended up going home after a couple of hours.
I'd take the day off and rest up if I was doing it again.

I had a wisdom tooth removed last year, and could easily have returned to work straight afterwards (I didn't as I'm retired). I just took paracetamol and was fine so I don't know why people keep banging on about pain. I certainly wasn't drooling and I don't remember the numbness causing any issues, I could speak normally the whole time.

I've had a couple of molars out. You will have a gauze pad to bite on straight after and usually given at least one spare which you need to bite down on for at least 20 minutes but I found I still has some residual seeping/ taste of blood for a few hours afterwards.

You mouth may get numb for a few hours afterwards and sore especially if the tooth has been infected and you need multiple painkilling jabs. I'm not sure you would want to be stood talking in front of a class afterwards. Next day would be fine

I had my left lower back molar extracted. My face was swollen and it was very sore indeed afterwards when the anaesthesia wore off. You also wouldn’t want to be talking a lot. I wouldn’t recommend going back to work that day at all.