Wisdom teeth...the devil

[37BBL]

I'm home! Still numbed up, anesthetic was put either side of the tooth so feeling like the roof of my mouth is missing!

It wasn't as bad as I thought at all. My heart was pounding though when I got in the chair. I didn't feel any pain, the creaking sound wasn't pleasant but that was about it. I went in at 205 and I was out by 225. I've been told to put some more gauze on if it bleeds and to chomp down on that. No straws or spitting etc and nothing to raise my blood pressure for the next 2 days.

I'm going to take pain killers regardless for the next 24 hours to try and keep on top of anything.

Ladies thank you so much for all your advice, it definitely helped me and I'm really glad I've done it now

 

[Bogwoppit]

My wisdom teeth started growing in when I was early 20’s, woke up one night with awful jaw & earache, went to the doctors to be told I had a build up of wax & get syringed, in the meantime the pain got worse & I went to the emergency docs & given antibiotics for an ear infection, it cleared up I then had my ears syringed & the nurse discovered I had a perforated eardrum, roll on a few more yrs & being fobbed off by the dentist that my wisdom teeth would grow in, more ear infections, headaches, neck ache, toothache, sore tongue, ulcers but all that’s normal apparently, plucked up the courage to ask my dentist (different one) to have them taken out, suffered 17 yrs at this point, he said yes, the hosp did x-rays top teeth were growing out not down, bottom teeth impacted so would never grow in! Had all 4 taken out under general anaesthetic, went down at 9am, came back at 10am, discharged at 10.30am, best thing I did after all those yrs of pain!

 

[Lunamoon22]

I had all 4 of mine out at the same time couple of years ago under general anaesthetic at hospital. I had one tooth which was a impacted and bitch to remove so had a bunch of stitches from where they had to slice the gum open.

When I went back to the dentist for a check up he went “oh, they did they not take out the second set?” .....errrr....wut?

Apparently I have an extra set of wisdom teeth (extra wise over here) Praying they won’t ever need removing (they haven’t come through) I don’t think I can go through the whole ordeal again

 

[Kim Mild]

One of mine still isn't through. I read somewhere once that wisdom teeth are meant to be a replacement for teeth that have been lost, we aren't genetically designed for them to be in our mouths along with our full set . I don't know if it's true but it's sounds like a sensible theory to me

 

[trudyjudy007]

Hi guys - it’s over!!! I thought it might be helpful to share my experience.

The actual procedure itself was zero pain, I’m so surprised. I had injections to numb my mouth which I barely felt and they let that kick in for a few minutes. Then he just cracked on and it was done so quickly! Truly amazed at the lack of pain, not once did I feel any sort of pinch or sharpness. The only advice I could give is to be prepared for a bit of noise, the tools and drills obviously make noise which I just didn’t consider and it made me jump at first! 🫢 other than that I just closed my eyes and focused on counting my breath in and out through my nose. Before I knew it he said ‘all done’ and I didn’t even think he had really started/gotten into the thick of it so I was delighted.

I’m a few hours post-extraction now, I did 2 rounds of the gauze for 45 mins each until the bleeding stopped & I took 2 nurofen as soon as I came home. Small bit of tightness in my jaw but I couldn’t even call it pain. Ice cream and ice pack for the evening with some telly now

 

[Welshgal]

Today’s my day. I had the worst pain Tuesday and Thursday and luckily someone had canceled their appointment today so it’s all happening super fast. I’ve just had my last meal and my last glas of pineapple juice (2.5l in total now since yesterday) so I’m hoping the swelling won’t be too bad and I’m all stocked up with Ibuprofen, ice packs, soups and ice creams .

I thought I would be more nervous but I’m actually really excited for the anesthesia (getting a half-sleep sedation which many say feels like a really nice long nap) and for it to be finally over! Will report back.

And @Hann98 I hope you’re feeling well again x

 

[Notothefakes]

I had two out at the age of 35. Bottom one was impacted. The actual procedure was fine. It wasn’t marvellous after I won’t lie. Constant stream of painkillers for about 5 days then slowly I was able to reduce it. I took cocodamol which didn’t actually help the pain but it helped me to sleep. I lost 10 pounds in the process but I’ve had no trouble whatsoever since having it done 3 years ago. So it was definitely worth it as I was constantly getting infections which were painful.

 

[Thechubbymoaner]

So..all my wisdom teeth grew through in my late teens and I thought I was done with them but in the last few weeks...at 36, they've decided to move a bit and I'm in grief...am I too 'long in the tooth' ...has anyone else experienced this

 

[37BBL]

Honestly, I was probably one of the most nervous patients my dentist had, my heart was beating so hard I could hear it
It was the best thing I've done though, no more tentative chewing on that side and no more flare ups. My recovery was great, I didn't do much at all that was strenuous- even bending down I was super careful as I didn't want any blood rushing to my head.
If anyone is nervous then honestly just go for it and remember it will definitely be worth it.

 

[clueless]

My bottom two started to come through in my early twenties, not pleasant. I'm 31 now and they're both still only partially through, wondering if they'll ever come fully out!

They're fine right now (touch wood) but every so often one side flares up and it's awful, thankfully both sides don't seem to flare up at the same time, not sure what I'd do as I have to chew on the other side when it does, and even opening my mouth hurts. It's the pits. Makes me think no wonder poor babies cry sore when they're teething

 

[Gym&Tonic]

Only one of mine has ever come through and I had to have it removed as it kept getting infected. One time it was so bad the whole right side of my face swelled up and I couldn’t even open my mouth.

 

[Skalle]

I had my top two removed in January - I was absolutely pooping myself beforehand and actually rescheduled the appointment twice as I was so nervous! Mine were rotten so had to come out, dentist said it would be a simple procedure so it was done with just the numbing injection. That felt abit scratchy going into my gum and it wasn't pleasant but the actual procedure was actually fine and I didn't really feel much pain. The worst thing was the noise though!! I spent the week eating mac and cheese and yoghurts but my recovery was fine. One side didn't hurt in the slightest but the other side was a bit achy for a few weeks. Bit scared the first time I ate crunchy food though!!

 

[Rose18778]

I have to find a new dentist now. Don't think I would have if she hadn't retired! My wisdom teeth will be the first thing I talk about witj the new dentist

Good luck this afternoon! I hope it goes well and not too painful.

Thank you! My tooth is now out! Best £200 I’ve ever spent!! it wasn’t pleasant and was quite tough to remove as he said it has become embedded in the tooth in front of it! But there was no pain, just a lot of pressure. Expecting to be quite bruised tomorrow! But so relieved to have it out!!!

 

[Suzesnooze]

I had 2 out age 19/20 under anaesthetic. About 5 years later I had another one out at the dentist, it came out easily then about 2 years ago I was having trouble with the remaining one and it used to wobble. I don’t really like injections so I suggested I have it out with no anaesthetic and i felt a bit of a tug and it came out. This was in my late 40’s. I have gum disease though and lose bone so this is how they become loose.

I hope the dentists open soon as I need two more teeth out due to my bone loss. I have considered pulling them out myself as they’re quite loose!

 

[under the ivy]

I had my impacted wisdom tooth out in December 2019, personally speaking it is fine under local anaesthetic. You don’t feel a thing. I think it’s really rare they would do it under general anaesthetic?

I was told horror stories by my old dentist that my wisdom removal would cause nerve damage - it didn’t happen. I needed mine out also due to decay (it was really hard to keep clean due to it being impacted and partially erupted). I got mine done on the NHS also as it was causing me severe pain and gum infections. Best of luck x

 

[newtoyou]

Ok, I need some advice and hopefully some positive stories! Had my dental check up this week and they did routine xrays which have shown that I need a upper right wisdom tooth removing. It has been bothering me on and off for a while but I assumed it was just coming through, they've shown me that its growing to the side and is putting pressure on the teeth next to it and they recommend extraction.
I'm at a private dentist so the cost is high, £280 to be exact. I am hoping for that price it's going to be as painless as possible. I'm terrified of having a tooth removed, its always been a fear and I would rather go through labour again!
Please give me your stories to help my fear! I haven't even booked the appointment yet as I can't bring myself to. I've had three root fillings, and the pain before each one was horrific - abscesses and infections which apparently went to the bone. I'm thinking if I can manage that, surely it cannot be too bad?!
Its the post extraction that worries me, the dry socket sounds hell.

I had a lower one taken out (which are supposed to be worse than upper). Honestly it’s not that bad, not just saying this to make you feel better. The most painful part of the extraction was the needle to numb the area. Not horrendously painful or anything, just unpleasant. If you don’t like needles, ask them to warn you before they get it out cos the needle is a lot longer than a regular one. That way you can close your eyes. The extraction doesn’t hurt with the anaesthetic, just feels like pressure on your cheek. Use your finger now to press as hard as you can on your cheek where your tooth is (maybe best to do it on a tooth that doesn’t hurt)! That’s how the pressure feels.

I did get a dry socket and yep it was painful especially when the air hit it because the nerve was exposed. But honestly after a few days I just went back and they packed in this AMAZING stuff that tastes like cloves and it was the most instant pain relief ever. What you described with the abscess sounds a million times worse than the dry socket.

You’ll be fine just do plenty of salt water gargling and have a box of ibuprofen ready. It was all worth it for not having that tooth paining me every few months.

 

[kev1974]

Has anyone had a partially emerged wisdom tooth removed? Mine on one side is impacted and partially emerged, causes me grief about once a year but this last time was just horrendous, the worst pain I've ever felt. Dentist prescribed antibiotics for infection (without actually looking at it, still no face to face appointments) and advised to take painkillers, but it's only a matter of time before it bothers me again.

They're really reluctant to take it out if they don't absolutely have to, it would be really difficult (cutting gums, shaving bone) and apparently there's a risk of damaging nerve endings due to the position and I could permanently lose feeling in lips/tongue, which obviously I don't want. I just wondered if anyone has had a similar experience, and whether maybe going private/getting a second option would be a good idea?

I have had two problematic wisdom teeth removed, one was done in hospital under general anaesthetic maybe 8 or so years ago, and was months of pain waiting in the NHS queues; the other one was this time last year, my own really good but one man band dentist didn't want to do it for many of the reasons you mention (something like that they like to have another fully qualified dentist in the next door room who can come and advise or assist if something gets tricky like the tooth breaking).

So I had it done at a private practice near Waterloo with super modern equipment who do them all the time, so it was routine for them and all done inside a half hour visit, also because it was routine stuff for them the bill wasn't much at all. I was really pleased with it. I got the same scare stories from them about losing feeling in my tongue and indeed that did happen to a small area of my tongue, but it did gradually come back, over about six months, and is now completely normal. Felt like I had burned my tongue on hot tea or something, but just didn't go away after a few hours like when tea is too hot.

If I had the pain again with another one I'd go straight back to the same place and just pay to get on and have it whipped out, no question. However if the pain isn't too bad and indeed goes away I'd hold off, you don't want too many teeth out if you can help it. Can lead to other problems in years to come as a full set of teeth sort of holds them all in place and minimises the gaps that food can get stuck and decay. Once you lose a few then over the course of several years the remaining teeth can start to spread ever so slightly into the gaps, leaving slight gaps between the remaining teeth. Where food can get stuck and cause various other problems.

To help with the pain you can try switching to sensodyne toothpaste; try brushing your teeth with slightly warm / room temp water rather than cold; try rubbing a small amount of the sensodyne toothpaste on the gum by the affected tooth with your finger (I found this would numb it just slightly, enough for me to stop getting angry with the pain and fall asleep); and if you can track it down try Corsodyl SPRAY (has to be the spray one) which also has a numbing effect. Boots sell it on the shelves or your dentist can prescribe it. You can also ask your dentist if they will prescribe Colgate Durophat which is a high fluoride toothpaste (too high for the ordinary shelves, has to be prescribed). Brush with that for a week and it can "fill in" any tiny cracks and buy you some time from the pain. Please note I'm not a dentist and you should check all these suggestions with your own dentist. I'm just passing on some of the things that mine suggested and which worked for me.

 

[rainbowlemon]

So I know I have an impacted wisdom tooth. Have had another removed which was over two years ago, but I've always just left the other as It wasn't causing any problems though and I wasn't in pain.

It was mentioned at my last dental appointment 7 months ago, but I would be travelling soon. Decided to finally just do it even if the timing isn't perfect. It will never be at this rate. I have an appointment with a new dentist for tomorrow. General check up first then I will arrange something.

 

[Welshgal]

Hey all, thought I would give a brief update one week post removal. Have to say I was really lucky and apart from a bit of pain on Friday evening my whole experience was really positive! The removal itself was completely painless and even though my bottom tooth was a bit more complicated it all healed really well. I had quite a bit of swelling but I think my 6l of pineapple juice and contentious icing helped quite a bit. I also was very strict with only eating soft foods and no coffee/tea/alcohol/exercise etc.

Got my stitches out today (which also didn’t hurt one bit!) and was cleared to go on my first short run which also went really well.

I’m so glad I finally got them out and hope that my positive experience will help some of you who are a bit nervous! It does not have to be a horrible experience

 

[Rose18778]

I have two impacted wisdom teeth that have been like it for years (must be at least 10) and my dentist always just says something like 'oh isn't it crowded - they've got nowhere to go!' And asks me if it's painful and to be careful because if they got infected it would be horrendous. I always ask is it possible to have them removed and she just says only if they get infected.

In the New Year I really need to register with a new dentist as my private dentist decided to retire during the first lockdown. It will be interesting to hear what someone else has to say as I have had the same dentist my whole life. I would like then removed really as they are horrid and I think they will only cause me more trouble in the future but the idea does scare me

Yes definitely think about changing dentists! I’ve suffered a lot with 2 of my wisdom teeth and my old dentist said I would have to get 3 consecutive infections before he would consider taking them out! I had 2 infections and went to him crying with pain and he still wouldn’t remove it! So changed dentist and my new one took it out straight away. That was a straightforward removal as it was top one. I’m getting my bottom one removed this afternoon, a bit scared now!!