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They're Gone! Finally! (Wisdom teeth out via General Anesthesia)

  • Thread starter reallyveryscared
  • Start date
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reallyveryscared

Junior member
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
Messages
5
Location
Midwest
I've been waiting forever to finally post my own success story and now I can! This is for anyone who is petrified and gripped in fear of getting them removed, especially via an I.V.

I'm 23 years old and live in the Midwest and for the longest time, both my dentist and orthodontist recommended I get my wisdom teeth removed because two of them were deeply impacted and laying on their sides (the bottom two) and the top two hadn't burst through yet but were vertical, and on top of that, I have a very small mouth and they said that it would cause issues in the future. I was 16 at the time and terrified at the idea of any sort of surgery or anything that had to deal with needles, so of course I put it off for future me to deal with in hopes that maybe future me wouldn't be as scared of needles.

Fast forward to a month ago when my wisdom teeth were REALLY starting to bother me, pain every other day, clicking in my jaw, the whole nine yards. So, I decided to go ahead and get some X-Rays and see what was up. Of course, it was the wisdom teeth causing all the problems and I knew that I had to get them out now or else I would have worse issues in the future. So i met with a very kind and understand oral surgeon who was actually really funny and personable, which was something I was really looking for in an oral surgeon. So, we went ahead and scheduled the surgery about two weeks out (if you can schedule earlier, the better.)

For two weeks I was paralyzed with anxiety and fear. During both work and school, I could only think about the surgery. What would happen? What would go wrong? I'm so small, (at the time I was roughly 105lbs, but due to anxiety I weighed around 100lbs the day of the surgery) would the general anesthesia kill me? Would they mess up the IV too many times and be unable to go through with the surgery? Every single question plagued my mind and about a week in, I stopped sleeping. I would pace my apartment for hours, lay on the couch, get 30 mins of "sleep" and then repeat. I was miserable. Luckily, I live in a state where cannabis is legal and I have a medical card for it, so I utilized CBN (a cannabinoid that aids in sleep) to help me sleep through the night. It was my saving grace.

The biggest fear for me was the IV. Ever since I was a kid, i had been terrified of them and of course I have piercings and tattoos, but it was mostly the psychological idea that there was going to be a needle in my vein and that wigged me out. I had no prior bad experiences with the dentist or even with needles, it was just a weird fear that took hold of my brain.

Well, the day finally arrived ( my appointment was at 8;15am) and both my mom and my partner took me to the oral surgeon. I was sweaty, chilly, clammy, everything you name it, I felt it. We arrived and I was the first patient of the day, so it definitely helped speed things up. I couldn't believe I was sitting in the waiting room, moments away from having a needle in my vein. I paid my bill and waited maybe 2 minutes and a really nice woman called my name and brought me back.

Immediately, i began to explain my fears and my nerves and she was more than happy to talk me through everything and oddly enough, i began to feel myself calm down. We talked about our significant others and the pets we had (she had chickens!) and then I asked about the IV and if she thought I would have good enough veins. She told me that she wouldn't be the one doing it, the oral surgeon would, so I asked her if he was good and finding veins and she told me that it was 50/50 and she didn't want to lie to me (I really appreciated that). Then, after signing the consent forms and getting the blood pressure machine up and going as well as the little finger monitor, she left the room and another assistant came in to situate the laughing gas. At first, i did panic so we turned the gas down and then I was on the road to feeling good. I was strangely calm when the oral surgeon entered and didn't even freak when the rubberband was put on my arm.

Then the IV came. I honestly barely remember what if felt like. Maybe a tiny pinch, maybe a lil scratch? It was NOTHING like what I thought it was going to be, but in a positive way! They were quick and efficient and taped it down, letting me know everything they were doing. Then, one of the assistants told me she was going to place a block in my mouth and that was the last thing I remember.

I came to in my mom's car while we were driving to get my prescriptions. I was obsessed with the fact that I had been able to put my flannel back on while high and kept asking if it even really happened. My partner filmed me of course and I said silly things like begging my mom to take me to Barnes and Noble, asking if I could keep my teeth, and then just me staring at my reflection in the car mirror.

For the rest of the day I would nap off and on and I got to watch whatever I wanted which was nice lol. My mouth was pretty much numb until the evening. I was given hydrocodone and ibuprofen 600mg and took those intermittently as well as salt water rinses the second day.

The one thing I wish I would have known is that anesthesia may feel like it's left your system a few hours after, but its residual effects are the worst. For prior knowledge, I deal with very high anxiety (duh) and depression. The anesthesia made me feel more depressed and hopeless. I was utterly confused because I should be happy! I had been stressing about this forever and it was finally over and I survived! But I still felt like there was nothing left for me. A giant void in my head, a hopeless feeling. It's now been five days since and I've only started feeling a little less depressed, but of course, don't let this put you off. Without anesthesia, the surgery would have sucked and I'm extremely thankful we have this kind of medicine. I just have to keep reminding myself that I won't feel like this forever, it's just a brief moment in a large span of time. So i've been keeping myself busy to keep the negative, depressing thoughts away.

Alright, I should wrap this up lol, it's already super long. I think, if you need to get your wisdom teeth out, do it! Go with general anesthesia, but be aware that if you do suffer from depression, it might make it a little more prominent for a few days after, but drink that water and do some breathing exercises to flush that shit out of your system! I don't regret it one bit!
 
That’s awesome I’m so glad you had success! You had General Anesthesia instead of Conscious Sedation?

Thats what I’m having for extractions soon. I’m very nervous.
 
Yep! Good ole GA, they had me check off the box for General Anesthesia instead of the Conscious.
Good luck with your extraction! It will be a breeze, I promise! :)
 
So you had GA? Instead of Conscious? I wish I could!
 
Hello @reallyveryscared, I just wanted to thank you SO much for posting this story. It has calmed me down and put my mind at ease... We have so many similarities that cause me to think I'm reading about myself! I'm 24, have both horizontal bottom wisdom teeth, top two having grown in at all, stuck under the gums and have been so afraid for my surgery which is scheduled in a few days. I also happen to be 100 pounds of so, having lost a few pounds from freaking out... Didn't eat, didn't sleep, kept myself awake all night trying to look for positive stories only to find scary, painful horror stories (mostly about the recovery process.) I felt so alone in this because I genuinely felt like my case of teeth positioning are rare and I felt even more scared about the recovery since my teeth all require surgical removal. There was a lot of "what if" thoughts I had, like what if I get an allergic reaction to the sedation/meds, what if the painkillers don't work, what if I feel sick from them, etc.

I'm glad your procedure went well, hope you have a speedy recovery! I'd love to hear your updates if you stick around a bit. Thanks again for spending the time to share your story!
 
Man, we are really similar! It’s like I’m listening to me from the past! I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have! And I would love to hear your updates for after the surgery!
 
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