NWR: Wisdom teeth removal questions

Pinker26 · May 2010

I'm having my wisdom teeth removed Friday morning. I'm getting full anesthesia, so I'm not too worried about the procedure itself but I am kind of anxious about what the recovery will be like. For those of you who have had this done:

What was the recovery time like? I didn't take Monday off from work so I'm wondering if giving myself Saturday and Sunday to recover will be fine.

What kind of painkillers did they give you? I think the mentioned vicodin in my consult, but I can't take it because it makes me nauseous. I would kind of like something stronger than ibuprofin and I'm wondering what other painkillers might be typically perscribed.

My wisdom teeth are fully emerged (not impacted) and aren't near any nerves, it that makes a difference.

goldiegirl423 · May 2010

I had my wisdom teeth removed on a Friday and was back up and running on Monday. They gave me percocet, which made me nauseous so after a day I just switched to ibuprofin. The day off and next day were a little rough, but it wasn't that bad. The worst was trying to eat afterward.

As for the swelling, invest in some bags of frozen peas. They were the best thing I got for my recovery. I barely swelled thanks to them!

Krystalynne21 · May 2010

I had all four of mine taken out at the same time about 8 years ago. Every single one was impacted!! Afer the anesthesia wore off and I realized there weren't doubles and triples of everything I saw, it wasn't too bad. In fact, I ate nachos that night! You definitely need to avoid hot foods like soup until your stitches dissolve (if you are getting dissolving stitches). I was actually given Percocet, which worked fine. I never really needed more than the first days worth. Quite honestly, every one has different experiences, so I can't say mine was normal. I think it depends on a lot of different factors, and definitely depends on the surgeon who performs the extraction. Good luck and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

jonchrissy · May 2010

I've never had mine out, but FI did when we first started dating and icing your cheeks are definitely a good idea. I've heard of people with bruised cheeks because of it.

vtbm · May 2010

ICE ICE ICE! So important. I agree with bags of frozen vegetables. Because they're not impacted, your recovery should (fingers crossed) be easier. Avoid straws too!

backbaybride · May 2010

I also went under anesthesia so I don't remember a thing about the actual procedure. I got it done on a Friday and went back to work for a half day on Monday. I stopped taking the percoet on Sunday night, but I had pain on Monday still so I went home so that I could take more. By Tuesday I was fine.

That weekend I pretty much tried to sleep as much as possible (with ice packs) and only ate pasta and ice cream.

snoangel79 · May 2010

I had mine out when I was 18 so 13 years ago, they were fully impacted all 4. I was on Percoset for about 4 days eating soup broth. I would see how you feel Sunday but may take Monday off.

emilyinboston · May 2010

I had my bottom two (impacted) taken out last year on a Monday and I went back to work that Friday. I mostly ate pasta and rice...it was really painful to open my mouth a chew. My doctor gave me vicodin and it was my bff.

jkepros · May 2010

I had all 4 taken out when I was 24. 1 was impacted. I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia/percocet and got really sick. Actually the nausea/sickness was way worse than the wisdom teeth mouth pain! I had them done on a Monday, went back to work on Thursday, was at work for like an hour, and my boss said, "you look like sh!t--go home!"--I didn't go back to work until the following Monday.

A couple funny things:
(1) I was totally knocked out too. They had me pay on the way out and I had no memory of this until I found the receipt in my pocket. If you owe anything for the procedure you might want to pay ahead of time!
(2) One of my friends came with me at the time to drive me home afterwards. He got lost on the way back to my apartment. I started to "come to" at some point in the car and he was like, "thank goodness! I have no idea where we are!" My dentist was only like a 10 minute drive from my apartment, but it took us over an hour to get home!

I ate a lot of soup, ice cream, yogurt, baby food--but was dying for solid foods after a day or 2. I think by the 2nd day I was nibbling on solid foods.

Good Luck!!!!

DirtyWater · May 2010

I had 3 impacted. They had to take some of my jaw it was pretty bad. I cant really tell you about the pain because I had perc's and vics. I was supposed to alternate because I get sick with meds. Due to being so out of it I just kept taking my first dose that was 2 perc's. Needless to say for almost 3 days straight I was out cold with my dad's belt around my head. Every time I woke up there was ice or a hot pack on my face.

Thank goodness for my Mom and Dad because my Fiance at the time sucked at life and was more concerned with going out with his friends and getting drunk.

noodle_oo · May 2010

I had all 4 taken out under full anesthesia (also not impacted). The first day was the worst. Vicodin also made me sick to my stomach (couldn't move) so I just took ibuprofen, but I only needed it the first day. After that I was really swollen and had to eat soft foods (soups, yogurt, mushy stuff) for a few days, but it wasn't too bad. I think you'll probably be okay for work on Monday. But just see how you feel. Good luck!

One piece of advice: they told me not to eat after the anesthesia because they gave me IV fluids, so I woudln't need to. I wasn't hungry but my mom felt I should eat so she kept giving me food. I could NOT keep it down. It would have been better to just wait until the meds wore off and I was actually hungry.

ShaboAE · May 2010

I only had 2 teeth to remove, so I got really lucky there. I got totally knocked out too (mostly because I didn't want to have to be awake and bored while they did their thing). Just so you know, when they tell you not to eat or drink anything beforehand, they mean it. Not even a little water! I got really sick after the surgery because I had a 1/2 cup of water that morning.

I came to in the dentist's office and had a friend drive me to the pharmacy to get my drugs. While there, get some gauze to help stop bleeding.

I had the surgery done on a Friday. I did not use any painkillers, only because I couldn't keep them down. But I really only wanted them on Friday. I felt fine by Saturday. I did get a sinus infection that showed up on Sunday, so I had to get different antibiotics, but that was really the most painful part of the ordeal because I waited until that Thursday to talk to the doctor about it.

Good luck!

BluValkyrie · May 2010

When I had all four of my teeth out, I was up and running the next day (I had a doctor's appointment, so I kinda had to be). I had Tylenol with Codeine, but it made me sick, so I just took extra strength Tylenol.

For me, it wasn't that bad at all; and three of my four three had to be broken to get them out. I had a hard time opening my mouth, and was religated to soup for about a week or so, but I didn't find it that bad at all. But people react differently to things like this.

I suggest warning your work that you're getting your teeth out on Friday (if they didn't already know), and depending on how you feel, you might have to take a half day on Monday.

killian09 · May 2010

I had four impacted wisdom teeth out, under local anesthesia. I went swing dancing 2 days afterwards, and the activity didn't bother me, and none of my friends could even really tell that my jaw was slightly swollen. So clearly my recovery wasn't that bad. I didn't have much swelling either. Honestly, I would talk to your doc about why they are recommending general anesthesia. There are risks associated with undergoing general anesthesia, so if you could avoid it, I would. It's not super risky, but I would just ask why.
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/tc/anesthesia-risks-and-complications
They prescribed me valium to take right before the surgery and it had really strange effects on my mood. I was crying and crying even though it didn't hurt that much. Weird.

jenwindy · May 2010

I had my 1st wisdom tooth removed last month. Hopefully your recovery will be better than mine! The procedure itself was not painful but not plesant either.

I now have a taste of what it feels like to depend on drugs. I literally required Motrim PM and Advil pills to get through the nights. I took a Friday off and was still in major pain the following Friday. It turns out I had an infection. I was given vicodin & penicillin, the latter helped a great deal.

jacquikev · May 2010

I had them all taken out at once and they were all impacted underneath my other teeth. I couldnt eat hard food like chicken or steak that you need to bite good with for 3 days but then I was fine. I got percoset, but you need to take it with food or it will upset your tummy because of the acids in your stomache. A good thing to take it with is something basic like milk/ yogurt. (pharm girl here lol)

arllinma · May 2010

I had all mine out at once- had an extra one in there so that makes 5! It was awful for me since I basically have *No* pain tolerance. My face was swollen and turned several shades of black and blue and then yellow. I got liquid pain meds- i forget what, but it was prescription. I normally can't swallow pills without food, so I knew I wouldn't be able to chew and take tablets. It was hard to sleep because of all the gauze packed in my mouth. I couldn't eat a thing for several days and basically lived on those Boost/Ensure shakes until I could eat pudding and jello and applesauce. It probably took me almost a week to be back to normal.
Good Luck! At least you know it will only be a few days of hell! :-)

NWR: Wisdom teeth removal questions

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