Has anyone here had their wisdom teeth out over the age of 40???

[tabatha7]

I'm 44 and my dentist is insisting that I have my bottom wisdom teeth out. They are not impacted but one is a little angled and the other is not able to fully come up being block by the jaw bone. They are so crowded. Anyway, as you can imagine i'm very scared about it. I had my top wisdom teeth out a couple of years ago but it was no big deal. The bottom ones will be a little more difficult so I always chickened out. However, now it has to be done, or so I'm told. I'm don't think I have really long roots or anything but I'm still very scared about the whole deal. I think my 2 greatest fears are pain and/or perm nerve damage. Can anyone here share their story or give me some peace of mind?

 

[littlestar88]

I'm not over 40 but my dentist told me the best was for everyone to minimise the risks is to be the healthiest they can be. Try to eat right before the extraction even if you feel too stressed to eat and after try a meal replacement drink so you still get all you vitamins and stuff. Also I was told to avoid alcohol for a few days either side of the extraction and if your a smoker avoid smoking for as long as you can before and at least several days after. If your dentist is recommending this he obviously thinks you'll be fine! Good luck, but it's honestly not as bad as it seems!

 

[tabatha7]

Thank you. That's what I keep hearing is that its not as bad as it seems. I guess it's just hard for me to wrap my mind around. I hope I will be numbed up properly as to not feel any pain. I have a little trouble with my right side numbing up good.

 

[littlestar88]

I honestly had no idea how easy it would be. I made myself ill worrying to the point that i have only just started feeling normal again 4 months on despite the fact i was eating in a cafe (eggs and soup and stuff!) within 3 days and feeling back to normal within a week! The 6 weeks I waited for my appointment were some of the worst of my life. I was so worried I snapped at everyone, cried all the time and couldn't eat. So i know what you mean about not being able to wrap your head around how it can possibly be OK, but please know that you'll cope so much better than you think you will. And you are in control, if you find it hard getting numb let the dentist know to numb you more, or look at IV sedation as its easier to get numb under IV as your heart isn't racing, washing all the anasthetic out of the area.

 

[tabatha7]

I'm sorry you had to go through all that. The wait is so horrible! My consultation and xrays aren't until Nov 8th with the os. I couldn't sleep last night and I think it will probably be that way for a while. When I even think about it, I get physically ill. Knots in my stomach, sweaty hands, panic. I'm miserable. I wish I could just get it over with. I told the receptionist that but she said they didn't have anything sooner but she put me on a waiting list in case they have a cancellation. I'm so scared it's ridiculous. I don't even have fear of fillings or cleanings anymore but this has me beside myself. I do plan on requesting iv sedation. I have had it before with an unrelated procedure and I love the "i don't care" aspect of it. I'll be so glad when this is over with. I'm a mess.

 

[helwardman]

I had three of my wisdom teeth removed last week at the ripe old age of 44

I'm in the US (Although I am English) and I opted for oral sedation and nitrous oxide. They sedated me with Halcion and it worked quite well. I have very little memory of any of the procedure apart from the very beginning and the very end. The complete procedure consisted of the three teeth removed, three fillings and a scale and root planing of my entire mouth. I was in the chair for over 6 hours.

Afterward, the dentist admitted I was difficult to sedate and suggested I take more Halcion next time. I'm going back in 2 weeks for two crowns and 5 more fillings.

Recovery from the extractions wasn't really too bad......I was sore for about 4 days. Do the salt water rinse regularly and eat only soft food and you will be fine

 

[tabatha7]

So you didn't feel any pain during the extractions? Were any of your wisdoms impacted or anything? Wow, 6 hours .... !!!

 

[helwardman]

So you didn't feel any pain during the extractions? Were any of your wisdoms impacted or anything? Wow, 6 hours .... !!!

The only pain I felt was right at the end. He was having trouble getting the lower right wisdom tooth out and I think the sedation and numbing agent were starting to wear off a bit. I felt a sort of "detached" pain, like I could tell it was hurting but it wasn't really a big deal. I started to moan my disapproval, but then it was all finished. I was aware of some pushing and pulling but that was the extent of it.

For the record, I'm a pretty squeamish person who hates anything even vaguely medical. I highly recommend oral sedation as it was definitely the only way I could've ever gone through all that

 

[KP]

Hello tabatha7. I had my lower left wissy removed a couple of months ago and I am 53 so I think age is of little relevance.You should make sure that the Dentist knows about your fears and if he is prepared to offer you sedation either orally or IV then I would take it but you need to tell him not the receptionist write or email him. He may not know (or as in some cases, care) how nervous you are.That's the only advice I can give you, I know what you are going through I have been there for the past 40 odd years and have all the T-shirts.Do you have someone you can talk to i.e. significant other half some times talking about it helps as then you may not feel so alone and if that someone was prepared too go with you on the day even better as a little support from a loved one can be reassuring.Follow the advice in the previous posts and don't forget 'you are the important person' here, not the Dentist. I will be thinking of you and good luck, let us know how you get on.

 

[tabatha7]

Thank you so much for the support, KP. I appreciate it very much. I understand just what you are saying. My consultation and xrays are Thursday. I fully intend to let him know all my fears and concerns. He is an outstanding oral surgeon and is the one that extracted my upper wisdoms a couple of years ago. However, this does not keep me from being scared out of my wits! lol I also intend to request iv sedation. I have thought it over and over and i think it's the right way to go for me. I will also get his opinion on the necessity of having them out as a 2nd opinion. It gives me a little bit of comfort knowing that since they are erupted that it will make them easier to extract but they are not straight extractions. They will have to be sectioned to remove as they are angled. Thanks again.

 

[tabatha7]

Just a side note.. You asked if I have someone to talk to... Well, that's why I spend so much time here. Nobody in my family wants to hear about it anymore. They are all sick of hearing about it. That is why I have such an appreciation for this site. There are so many others who understand and have been there.

 

[KP]

Hello tabatha7. First of all I apologise for asking that question, it was very insensitive of me. My wife who has no fear of the dentist was not very understanding of my fears so I sort of had to ask the question and I too came to this forum for much the same reason as you and the support and help I have received is incredible and not just for the 'dental' bit, great people.When you have sedation for this dental work you will need to have someone drive you home and even if you are walking I think you should have someone with you as you may be groggy and could trip on steps or on the edge of the path so keep that in mind, again apologies for the 'question'.Very best wishes from 'me'

 

[tabatha7]

No need to apologize, KP. I didn't mind. None of my family seems to understand my fear and anxiety about it. My husband will be going with me and drive me home so no problem there. I really wish I didn't have to use the iv sedation but with all the fear I have built up in my mind I feel like I have to.

 

[Bloody_Mess]

Male, Age 49, upper right wisdom tooth removed yesterday morning. Thankfully, I had only one wisdom tooth come in. I was a nervous wreck for a couple days prior, especially the night before when I didn't sleep. I spent half the time trying to figure out why I was nervous. (Perhaps repressed memory from root canal at age 16.) Part of me was looking forward to nitrous oxide for the first time. Now for the procedure.

When you are asked about your medications, please remember to include non-prescription drugs such as Aspirin. I take asipirin and failed to mention it. Recovery is bad enough for those over 40. Don't make it worse! (I'm thinking of a line from "Cool Hand Luke.") The first two novacain shots were easy, didn't feel a thing. But the shot to the roof of my mouth <insert expletive>! The nitrous had no effect on me that I could tell. I was very much aware, very nervous and still cared. The actual extraction took about 2 minutes. After that, the dentist inserted gauze and sent me home with several prescriptions. Five hours later, I was still bleeding very heavily; more than normal. Had to go back in. This time I told the doc about the aspirin. That was the culprit for the excessive bleeding. He inserted some type of surgical gell (it hurt), packed more gauze and sent me home. During the evening I replaced the gauze several times, including adding in a large tea bag. By 1130pm I was still bleeding heavily and getting the shakes. By bleeding heavily I mean that I spent a lot of time over the sink letting the blood ooze out before I switched gauze. This time (0145 today) I used a regular, small compact tea bag. That did the trick and I was able to finally get some uninterrupted sleep. It's now noon and I removed the tea bag, hopefully for the last time. I haven't not eaten anything for over 40 hours. But after the bloody mess, I'm still not hungry.

 

[tabatha7]

I hope you get to feeling better. Yes, it was pretty much the same for me when I had my upper wisdoms out. They were pretty easy though. I only had gas but I don't think they gave me any because I couldn't tell any difference at all. It was just like breathing normal air. I was scared too. The shots were not too bad even though he did not use any numbing gel. I don't remember getting a shot in the roof of my mouth but it felt like it was on the inside of my gum near the tooth. It stung pretty good. I don't take aspirin but thank you for the heads up. I will tell them everything I take otc also.