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I shouldn't have waited so long

O

ooncha

Junior member
Joined
Jun 23, 2017
Messages
16
Been putting off getting my wisdom teeth removed for years since they weren't bothering me. Also I was afraid of the surgery. A wisdom tooth was starting to give me some discomfort so I found an oral surgeon that would see me. At the consultation, I was shocked that the OS had to make sure I understood that I could be getting numbness. Possibly permanent. The x-ray showed there was a nerve is on the tooth. I expected pain and long healing time since I'm 30 years old, but didn't expected or knew the risk of getting nerve damage. OS didn't tell me any estimate days of possible numbness nor did I think to ask. If I don't take it out, it could cause serious infections.

I have the surgery scheduled for next month, and I am filled with dread and regret. :shame:
 
I waited and got all for of mine out when I was 30. I had incredibly long roots and the bottom 2 were severely impacted. Nerve damage is always a possibility with these types of extractions, but it is generally not permanent. It did not happen to me and I think, even though it's possible, it's not likely.

It's good to remember that it's not an option to leave the tooth because that will definitely cause issues. So, worrying about possible complications is only going to make things harder for you. I also found it helpful to remember that I only had to get through having my wisdom teeth out once - once they're gone, you never have to think about them again. I know it's easier said then done to not worry, but try to remind yourself that this is what you have to do and that the end goal is to prevent more pain from the tooth in the future.

Best of luck to you!!
 
I waited and got all for of mine out when I was 30. I had incredibly long roots and the bottom 2 were severely impacted. Nerve damage is always a possibility with these types of extractions, but it is generally not permanent. It did not happen to me and I think, even though it's possible, it's not likely.

It's good to remember that it's not an option to leave the tooth because that will definitely cause issues. So, worrying about possible complications is only going to make things harder for you. I also found it helpful to remember that I only had to get through having my wisdom teeth out once - once they're gone, you never have to think about them again. I know it's easier said then done to not worry, but try to remind yourself that this is what you have to do and that the end goal is to prevent more pain from the tooth in the future.

Best of luck to you!!

Thank you for your nice reply! I am feeling a bit better after going through some older threads. Though the image of my xray of the nerve in the middle of the tooth is still in my mind. I wish I can take all four out at once to get it over with, but OS suggest to focus on the nerve one first. My top wisdom teeth may end up staying because extracting them may risk damaging the crowns I have.

Also I see that you're in Massachusetts which is where I'm living too. I had to drive an hour away to the nearest OS that takes MassHealth.
 
I haven't gotten my wisdom teeth out yet, but thought I come and update about my situation. Both my lower wisdom teeth are horizontal and I think full bony impaction with nerves at the roots. They will be difficult and tricky to extract, so I have been given the option to have coronectomy (partial odontectomy) on them which lowers the risk of nerve damage due to my age. They take the crown part of the tooth and leave the roots behind.

Coronectomies does have its own risks which include having the roots become infected, or it will just grow more roots. But since it can be possible for the remaining roots to move away from the nerves, I think its a good alternative. Unfortunately there isn't enough info on this procedure to give statistics especially for its long term effects.

https://puu.sh/wDWsg/ade2ffc904.jpg Here is my xrays, and I hope my posts can help those who are similar situation as me. Also my OS didn't think CBCT scans will make a difference so I do not have any to share. I will update again after I get my surgery done.
 
Forgot to mention in my previous post that I am getting the surgery done by a different OS than the one I talked about in my first post. I'm getting two surgeries done, one on each side. Had my left side done a few days ago.

They gave me laughing gas so I was asleep the whole time. I was rather nauseous when I woke up, and threw up even. Had to be in a wheelchair to get to the car since I wasn't able to feel better enough to stand on my own. There was a complication during the surgery or something that the doctor had to take the whole tooth out instead of just the crown. I got nerve damage so I am numb on the front bottom gums, lip, and chin area. Thankfully its not totally numb, and I am getting feeling back slowly day by day. It is bearable enough that I can talk and eat without much trouble. Hopefully things will heal fully soon as I still have surgery for the other side to do. Not looking forward to having to go through this again, but I rather get it over with as soon as possible.
 
Its been about one week since the surgery on my left side. Day by day for the first few days I was getting less dizzy. I am still numb in the gums, lip, and chin area. My left side has been getting a variety of weird sensations, and it was worse at night so it kept me up. My ear also ached and my left temple ached but not as much as my ear. I knew this is the nerves reacting to the surgery, but it was quite annoying to deal with day and night.

I had a teeth cleaning scheduled not long after the surgery so I was able to have my regular dentist look at the extraction site and my numbness. He says my numbness wasn't bad and figures its probably bruised from the inflammation. He prescribed me some sort of steroid to deal with the inflammation which helped. Within about a day taking the steroid the weird sensations have mostly died down and the ear ache is less noticeable. I wasn't seeing improvement in my numbness before the steroid, but after the steroid I definitely feel noticeable improvement in regaining feeling. It helped me regain feeling faster than I imagined.

The oral surgeon didn't give us a post op appointment so I have not seen them about the numbness. When I get the surgery for the other side down I will be sure to make a follow up appointment in case I may need these steroids again.
 
Hi Ooncha,

I just had 4 wisdom teeth removed last week 8/17 and I am experiencing the same thing as you. Has your numbness went away yet? Also what kind of steroid treatment did they use?
 
Hi Ooncha,

I just had 4 wisdom teeth removed last week 8/17 and I am experiencing the same thing as you. Has your numbness went away yet? Also what kind of steroid treatment did they use?

Nope, it has not gone away yet. I have gain some feeling back, but its not 100%. The box says Methylprednisolone 4 mg tablets. You will have to see your oral surgeon or dentist to see if you need steroids or not. My brother had numbness and his gone away faster than mine. He didn't take steroids.
 
Updating again since it’s been nearly two months since the surgery. While I’m not totally numb anymore, parts of my front bottom gums, and under the lower lip area still feels a bit weird. These areas have been the slowest to recover. It’s so slow that I can’t even really tell if it’s really getting any better. So I am waiting on B-12 supplements to arrive to see if they will make a difference.
 
Three months update. I have been taking the B12 supplements but it is hard to tell if it made any difference. The same areas are still feeling weird but I think they are getting a little bit better. They’re not as sensitive as they were before. It still feels like cotton balls or gauze is stuffed into my corner lip area. My gums feels fine for the most part. Only when I brush my teeth with my sonicare that my front teeth and gums area feels sensitive.

I am being referred to see another doctor to take a look at my nerve damage next month so I will update again about that. I am being advised to not get the rest of my wisdom teeth out until the nerves are back to normal since t is highly possible I might get nerve damage on that side as well.
 
Five months update. My lip area is still feeling weird and stuffed but probably slightly less than my previous post. It is still a bit sensitive. It’s honestly really hard to tell if there any improvement these days. My gums feels relatively normal now. I had insurance issues so I wasn’t able to see that doctor that I was being referred too but I’m trying to fix that.
 
How the time flies! This is the 8 months update. Sadly my lip area is still not back to normal. I do feel sensitive when I poke the area with a toothpick but the feeling isn’t the same as the other side. It’s been like this for awhile so I really can’t tell if anything is healing, but I hope there is still healing.
 
Thank you for the update! Hope you can see the doctor soon and that the nerves get back to normal. From your posts it seems that there are changes, so keeping my fingers crossed for you to get full sensitivity back one day. All the best and keep us updated. :clover:
 
Thank you for the update! Hope you can see the doctor soon and that the nerves get back to normal. From your posts it seems that there are changes, so keeping my fingers crossed for you to get full sensitivity back one day. All the best and keep us updated. :clover:

Thank you! I hope I can eventually see that doctor. I need permission from my primary doctor to see to him, but I don’t have one. Been on the waiting list to get a primary doctor for months now. It’s frustrating but I’m doing my best to be positive!
 
Been awhile since I did an update. It’ll be 10 months next week so it’s nearly been a year since the surgery. Unfortunetly my nerves aren’t fully healed but they are healing. The stuffed feeling and sensitivity has lessened. It’s hard to describe how it feels, but I want to clarify that I do have feeling though it’s not as much as the other side of my face. It is getting close!
 
Healing has been so slow that I’ve forgotten to update this thread for some months. I am still unfortunely not fully recovered of my nerve damage. The area is slightly less stuffed feeling though. My lip is feeling more normal it’s just the area beneath it that’s still hasn’t felt normal. So I still have to continue to wait for it to recover more before I can take the remaining two wisdom teeth out.
 
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