Wizzie removal success stories Mega Thread

[Ink]

Unlike many people who are terrified of being aware during oral surgery, I am terrified of not being aware. Sedation creeps me out. It took me 15 years to work up the nerve to get any of my wisdom teeth removed because I was so scared. When my tooth started bothering me a few months ago, there were a few moments when I felt it'd be easier to die than deal with getting them out.

I also used to be afraid of locals - scared of side effects - so I had many fillings done with NOTHING. I am ok with locals now.

So, anyway the surgery. I'm 30. I was getting 1 erupted upper and 1 impacted lower (partial bony) removed. I took 1mg Ativan beforehand so I could get to my appointment because I was *freaking out.* My (amazingly kind and compassionate) oral surgeon and I agreed to a very light dose of Versed. I'm not afraid of IVs or needles at all, but I can tell you that all I felt when the needle was inserted was a quick little pinch. Nothing bothersome to me. He injected 1mg Versed, and nothing else was used in my IV except a dose of amoxicillin. I didn't use any nitrous. I was alert and aware the entire time but relaxed. Just how I wanted it. Before he started the surgery he put in another 1.5mg Versed.

The surgery itself was awesome. The Versed relaxed me so I was able to just enjoy the experience. First he gave me a shot of epinephrine-free carbocaine on the upper gum and cheek and then the lower. Like I said, I have no fear of needles so the tiny pinch didn't bother me a bit.

The upper tooth came out in a minute or less - I felt nothing. He pretty much just pulled it right out. The lower required an incision which I didn't feel, and a bit of bone removal. I suppose the drill was a bit loud, but it certainly didn't upset me a bit and it was totally painless. Bit of painless yanking, tooth popped out. I got two stitches over the lower site. I found it all completely painless. They gave me my teeth to keep after.

I spent years absolutely terrified of getting my wisdom teeth out, but due to the magic of Versed and local anesthesia, it was absolutely nothing and while in the recovery room I texted to my mother that the experience had been "awesome." Imagine that!

Left for home with my family, after I'd rested 15 minutes or so.

My tips: Wear cargo pants to surgery so you can put an iPod in one of the side pockets and listen to relaxation music/nature sounds. Also, if you are afraid of dry socket, buy the "Red Cross Toothache Kit" from any drug store. It contains clove oil packing, which is what oral surgeon use to pack dry sockets. From all accounts I read online, it provides INSTANT pain relief, so it gives me peace of mind to have it on hand.


Update regarding recovery: I had very little pain the first two days, and ibuprofen and tylenol were more than adequate to cover it. Day three and four were a little rougher, as warned by my surgeon, with soreness, pain in adjacent teeth, and a very stiff jaw. However, at no point did I feel any need to take anything other than OTC pain relievers. On day 9 the pain dramatically receded. After that I was annoyed by the huge holes in my mouth but not in any pain. At no point was the pain severe; only annoying or bothersome at most.

Edit 2: At three weeks I started to feel a sharp stabby pain in the gum around my lower socket. It was probably more intense than the original surgical pain. It hurt even to move my cheek. Finally I looked in there with a flashlight and saw a leftover, very sharp, bone shard working its way out of the gum. I pulled it out with tweezers. Sweet relief! Apparently this is a fairly common occurrence and once I got it out I was just fine

Edit 3: At week 5 I noticed two more small bone shards emerging around the socket and pulled them out with tweezers. These ones didn't hurt though. The socket itself is filling in nicely though a hole remains and there is no pain left.

Overall the surgery was a total snap, and recovery was not fun but not miserable.

Hope this helps someone. It helped me to read all your stories beforehand

 

[Jroberts109]

4 impacted wisdom teeth extracted yesterday morning

Good morning all! This site has been so much help in calming my nerves I just knew it was only right to share my story.

So I am 25 yrs old had braces twice as a teen pretty decent teeth overall but hadn't been to the dentis or doctor in over 10yrs.(we all know how the fear of the unknown makes it worse!) my wisdom teeth didn't start bothering me until probably the age of 20. I kept pushing it off until the paint was becoming more frequent and damage to my adjacent teeth was starting to occur. Being someone that always dreaded needles in the forearm only made matters worse. I thought to myself how am I ever going to get through this!!! Well last month with the help of friends and family I made an appointment to the local dentist for a checkup! Let me just start by saying if you haven't been to the dentist in years things have changes dramatically, everything is state of the art and they make it as comfortable as possible. A panoramic X-ray confirmed that my trouble and discomfort was from 4 impacted wisdom teeth( my worst nightmare. Other than that my cleaning went well and I only had one small cavity after over 10 yrs which was somewhat of a relief. 2 weeks later I was able to summon the courage to see the oral surgeon for a consultation. I was extremely nervous going in and didnt know what to expect! The only thing they do that day is get some medical information from you and ask about your symptoms. They took my blood pressure which was extremely high! The nurse said it could be nerves but was still something to get checked out because of my age I believe it was 186/120. The surgeon came in and introduced himself and didn't seem to happy that I waited this long. He confirmed all 4 were impacted, 2 deep in the bone on the bottom and 2 entering my sinus cavity at the top. I explained of chin numbness and lip quivering that I had been having and they both made a face of "that's not good". He then explained to me there was a 10% chance that the bottom roots during extraction could cause nerve damage that could be PERMANENT and that the tops could leave temporary holes in my sinus cavity. So I left the consultation scared to death but what options did I truly have. I kept putting off scheduling my surgery then decided I needed to find a local doctor and let him know of my high blood pressure. They too were alarmed at the readings for my age so he started me on a low does of hydrochorothiazide and ordered a lipid test(great something else to stress about!) a friend went with me for my blood test and let me tell you it was nothing! I literally felt a little bit of pressure! I immediately said all "all of this worrying for that!" they gave me a lolly and I was on my way. I got my results back that confirmed my cholesterol was high along with my tryglycerides being in the 400's!!! Was it ever going to stop?!! I started eating better and taking my meds and finally decided this had to be done feeling like all of this was somehow related to my teeth. Ears ringing, ear draining, jaw tightness and numbers, neck pain the works. I scheduled my appointment and my dad agreed to take me. Weeks prior it got to the point I was depressed and having panic attacks every other day! KEEP YOUR HEAD UP! I promise there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The Friday before my surgery I called the office to confirm my appointment and make them aware of how nervous I was and the meds I was currently on. She explained they could give me some Xanax for my nerves but didn't think it would help much. I said well at this point I'll try anything so go ahead and order them. So here I am 25 never taken ANY prescriptions before other than for colds when I was a kid. They have me on high bp ,meds, niacin and now I have to pop some Xanax!! Here I am WORRIED about taking the pills that are supposed to make me STOP worrying!!LOL that's me. I spent Sunday getting my house ready and heading to the store for soft foods and I stayed generally calm. It got worse as the night progressed knowing the dreaded blue pill was coming up. I ate a small sandwich and took the Xanax. About 30 min later I started to feel very relaxed and a little buzzed nothing scary and nothing overbearing, when my head hit the pillow I slept through the entire night! Woke up feeling a little groggy but best sleep I've had in a long time!! I was instructed to takes another 1mg Xanax 2 hours before surgery which I was excited for knowing it was going to help! I had a good convo with my father on the way to the office no anxiety at all. Paid my dues and they had me back in the chair within 10 min! Checked my booth pressure which was still a little high? Clipped a hr monitor on my finger and some clips to my ankles and wrist! I explained that I wasn't nearly as nervous and actually excited to get it over with. They knew I was nervous about the IV so she made small talk with me as the surgeon came in and spoke to me. She put the rubberband on my arm found the vein and it was in and over with no flinch! Just don't look!!! Its easy I promise I am terrified of needles and this kind of helped my fear. She asked me a few things as she said she was putting medicine in to calm me and I was out!!! This was the part I was scared about but it wasn't a room spinning knock out ears ringing feeling it was just like drifting off to sleep!! I barely remember her walking me to the recovery room and then I woke up In the chair. The nurse was shaking my shoulder and i woke right up! No pain at all! They let me lay for a min then sat me up to get adjusted and out the door we went!!! I tooke the pain pills last night and sat up the ENTIRE time! Try not to lay down the clots will form better sitting upright. Changed my gauze a few times drank some sprite and ate some jellow

 

[Jroberts109]

I ended up eating some tomato soup and chicken broth last night. I didn't have any nausea but I think the key is eat as much as you can along with liquids!!! I know how scared I was and how serious my complications were and I see, to be having the easiest recovery honestly no pain at all just a little sore and stiff! Here I am 7am the next morning just took some ibuprofen and waiting on breakfast!! I know it's hard to understand before you've experienced it yourself but I promise it's not even close to the horror you are imagining! Keep telling yourself you can do it!!! This has made me so much stronger as a person and on DAY 2 I've felt better than I have in a long time already) well sorry for the length I just wanted to give some encouragement to everyone out there!! YOU CAN DO IT!! Look forward to a happier, healthier pain free life

 

[xKansan]

I got all 4 wisdom teeth out earlier today, and had to do it under IV sedation. I'm scared of any kind of anesthesia, but the process was amazingly easy. I genuinely don't remember ever drifting off or even feeling drugged in any kind of way. I literally blinked my eyes and I was at the end of the surgery, telling the nurses that I loved them. I got out of my loopy phase (when they put me in the wheelchair, I for some reason couldn't help but pretend that it was a NASCAR car lol) very quickly, and I was not groggy at all when I came to. No nausea whatsoever, either.

So far, the worst thing about the whole process has been trying to keep the gauze in, despite my massive gag reflex. INFINITELY better, from the anesthesia to the recovery than I had ever hoped.

 

[EllieLED]

Hi everyone, I've been reading this thread and many others like it over the last few days while panicking massively over having to have a molar extracted under IV sedation, and now after having it done i thought i'd just come back on to say how totally brilliantly it went in case anyone in the future is doing what i was doing on here last night! Basically my worries were that the local anaesthetic wouldnt work and i'd be in pain but unable to tell the dentist due to being out of it, or that the procedure would indeed be very painful and that the dentist would rely on the amnesia effect as I wouldn't remember the pain anyway. This is definitely not the case! Lots of people are saying they remember nothing of the procedure, I was vaguely aware of what was going on and could hear the team talking and occasionally was aware of some slight pressure on the tooth (but no pain whatsoever!), and the 20 minute procedure went by in what seemed like less than 5. My mum was there the entire time, so although my memory of the event is a tad foggy she has assured me that at no point was i distressed or in pain, but that i was completely relaxed. From what I remember of it, I know that i was totally OK with what the dentists were doing, but that i was definitely with it enough to tell them if there had been any pain or problems, so if anyone is worried about not being able to communicate with the dentist if you are uncomfortable while under sedation, this just isn't an issue as although i was really relaxed i am totally sure that had i wanted to I could have spoken up and got the dentist to stop/give me more LA at any time. The after effects haven't been bad at all for me either, I was a bit silly (giggling incessantly but not knowing why, which my mum found amusing!) for about 5 minutes, then totally fine but still numb from the LA for about an hour, then after that i was a little drowsy so i slept it off for a while. When i woke up the LA had worn off and i had quite a bit of pain in my jaw, but this was soon alleviated by some painkillers (codeine is brilliant, properly gets the pain away!) and and ice pack pressed to the cheek, which is brillliant for taking down both swelling and bleeding from the socket, though i havent actually had much of either. Basically the whole thing was fantastic and i really think that anyone who is very very anxious about dental work/has had bad experiences with not getting numb enough under LA in the past would really benefit from it. Good luck to anyone going for it soon! Ellie xxx

 

[Patti]

My dentist prescribed Ativan for me too. I was no stranger to Ativan, though. I've been prescribed Ativan for sleeping disorders and anxiety before by my GP. I've never heard of the IV drug you used but I used niterous for an extraction and it made me totally relaxed. I knew where I was and why I was there but beyond that I didn't care about anything. Like you, I DO NOT want to be knocked out. So the niterous, to me, was kind of like being knocked out without being knocked out totally. And the niterous and Ativan combo was niiiiice.

 

[letsconnect]

We have started this separate forum for wisdom teeth (and wisdom teeth removal) because there were so many posts about them.

Most people who are having wisdom teeth removed have a sense of trepidation or intense fear, not just people who suffer with dental fears or dental phobia! You will also find that a lot of questions are about complications or pain after wisdom teeth removal. This is not because complications are exceedingly common, but because the people who don't have problems with healing don't post here (also bear in mind the vast amount of wisdom teeth which are removed around the world - apparently 10 million in the U.S. alone each year!).

If you are scared of an upcoming wizzie removal, you can find lots of success stories by others who have been through it in our Success Stories forum. Here are some links:

Finally got it pulled!

I DID IT!!!! WOO HOO! 4 wisdom teeth GONE! YAY!!

Wisdom tooth extraction

Wisdom teeth removal under IV sedation

Wisdom teeth removed - it went great!

All four wisdom teeth with IV sedation - please read

Wisdom Tooth removed: a walk in the park

There are many many more wizzie success stories in the Success stories section if you scroll through the pages!

 

[carole]

What a good idea

 

[hiccupod]

Yep. This morning I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted under GA. I've been incredibly stressed about the op for weeks, and have been crying a lot leading up to the actual appointment. I hope my story helps some others go and get the procedure done. Once it's over, thankfully it's OVER and you won't ever have to do it again.


So my partner and I got to the office exactly at 11:30 for my appointment. They took me IMMEDIATELY back, which was good and bad. Good because yay getting things over with fast, bad because ugh anxiety levels went through the roof. I get in the back and start crying. The two nurses were SO NICE TO ME. I can't even. They were amazing. They explained things every step of the way, asked me if I had questions, asked if I was comfortable, and talked me through what was going on.

As soon as I was in the chair, I closed my eyes. I told them, "Just do whatever you need to do. I can't look." The nurse put a rubber band thing around my arm and told me to squeeze a foam block. She said, "Wow, you have big veins!!" which was awesome. We talked a bit about my job while I cried. Another nurse put a paper bib over my chest and abdomen and told me I'd be completely fine and that it was all going to be okay. I think she pet my shoulder a bit too. They put some heart monitoring things on me on my hands and ankles. No pain. I didn't even know they were there. I think they also put something in my mouth to keep it open, but I was so distracted by fear that I can't even remember.

At that point, the doctor came in. I couldn't look at him. I started to cry more, breathing deeply to try and calm myself. He tightened the rubber band and told me to make a fist and then pump it a few times and asked how I was doing. I laughed through my tears and said, "Nervous!" He spread some ointment or something on the inner elbow, then said, "This is going to be cold for a second," and he sprayed some really really cold stuff over the area. I knew what was next, so I must have seemed tense. The nurse told me, "Don't forget to breathe!" and we both kind of laughed. The doctor said, "You'll feel a little prick in a second," and he put the IV in. Barely a prick at all. Nothing to worry about. Way easier than when I had my blood drawn. Once it's in, there's no agitation or pain at all. It's just there. It's funny how quickly the body adjusts to weird things like that.

The doctor said, "Okay, we're administering the sedation." The nurse said, "You're going to start to feel relaxed very soon, and all this anxiety will just melt away and you'll feel great! You're doing really well!"

I didn't feel the stuff go into me. The nurse said, "we're going to put this mask over your nose. It's just oxygen. Just breathe normally." And at that point, I started kind of panicking with the "what if this doesn't work on me and I'm awake during the procedure??" I breathed deep a few times, tears rolling down my face.

Then I woke up.

Seriously. I don't remember falling asleep at all! No pain. No knowledge of the experience whatsoever during the time I was out. IT WAS THE BEST SLEEP OF MY LIFE! I woke up just wanting to go back to that kind of heavy, authentic sleep.

I woke up and had a moment of panic thinking "oh god, they're still operating on me, I need to tell them to stop because I'm awake!" but by the time I could speak, the nurse was saying my name and "we're going to sit you up slowly, okay? We're all done." I think my panic was because she was putting the gauze in my mouth.

After, they walked me (I was soooo drowsy and had a hard time walking) to the recovery room. I couldn't feel my mouth or chin at all, and that was kind of freaky. Actually it was really freaky to me. I don't like losing my ability to feel my face. I kept reaching up to touch my lips to ensure my mouth was closed, because I couldn't tell. As I sat down, my partner came in and the nurse went over EVERYTHING for post-op care, gave my partner a huge sheet with instructions, and stressed to call if ANYTHING was wrong. It took about 30 minutes for me to be able to come around fully. I was just really drowsy and wished I could go back to sleep but knew I had to stay up. The nurse put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me to my car, and we went home.

Taking the pills after was INTERESTING. Like, how do you swallow water AND a pill when you can't feel your tongue/mouth/lips?? I managed but I actually had to have my partner check to ensure I'd swallowed it lol I had no idea! I ate (very slowly) a container of yogurt. It was awkward, but I just spread the yogurt on my tongue and swallowed. There was some blood at this point, which was kind of gross.

That was....wow, 12 hours ago! Since then, I had a small bit of pain, but I took extra meds just when it started so now I'm all good. I've been taking them every 4-5 hours to stay ahead of the pain. I've been sleeping sitting up in bed, watching TV and dozing off since I got home. My partner has been helping me change the gauze every 30-45 mins or so. My right upper and lower have slowed the bleeding a lot. Left side is still bleeding a bit, so I tried the teabag under gauze thing (soak a black teabag in warm water, place the gauze over it, put it where you put the gauze and hold there lightly for 15 mins, then switch to a clean gauze pack again). Idk if it helped. My left side still bleeds when I remove the gauze. My trash can looks like I've murdered some people and am too dumb to throw away the evidence.

The worst parts thus far have been things I didn't concern myself with beforehand due to the fear of other crazy thing. Worst things include: THE GAUZE. It's just annoying. I don't like having it back in my mouth, and I hate changing it out. I also don't really care for biting down on it. There's no pain; it's just an annoyance. The other worst thing was the NUMBNESS! Oh man. I hated that. I freaked out thinking I had nerve damage because my tongue and lower lip were numb for about 8 hours. To the point that talking/swallowing was difficult. The dry mouth that accompanied all this (due to the gauze keeping my mouth open and my inability to tell when my mouth was closed) was ICKY as well. All I wanted was to drink water, and even that required me to do it carefully because of my numbness.

I'm hoping by tomorrow the blood clots will have formed so I can stop with all this gauze! That's currently the only bad thing on my radar. Am also maybe a bit concerned with waking up sore since I will have taken the pain pills at 11pm and probably not again until 8am or so. *fingers crossed*

Anyway, a success so far! I'll keep posting, because I know before I went in, I wanted as many details as I could get to make things less frightening.

 

[kittykat]

I need to get mine out, but I'm so worried about the pain afterwards

 

[hiccupod]

Kittycat, so far there's no pain at all. Just a light discomfort from the swelling but no pain whatsoever! The anxiety leading up to the procedure was way worse than anything tha has come after. I know it doesn't help hearing others tell you not to worry, but so far it's been a breeze. I hope yours goes just as smoothly I'm sure it will!

 

[hiccupod]

Okay, I'm well into the second day, and all is still well! *fingers crossed* I've been eating a lot but in small doses. Lots of yogurt, ice cream, mashed potatoes, soup, mac n cheese, pudding, jello. I've been very careful about what goes into my mouth, so no salt or pepper and no big pieces of food. Also, I'm not chewing, which is actually quite annoying. Have you ever tried to eat mac n cheese without chewing?? lol It wasn't nearly as satisfying. But apparently I can start chewing if I feel up to it today/tomorrow. I may wait a few extra days if I can, just to ensure there's no risk of dry socket.

Bleeding pretty much stopped this morning. I put one extra piece of gauze in my mouth on the left side after breakfast while I napped, because I started tasting a bit of blood again. But I've been gauze-free since 1pm this afternoon (10 hours now!). I've been taking my meds every 5-6 hours still, and ohhhh man they are making me TIRED. I haven't slept more than 6 hours at a time due to having to sleep sitting up, but I basically take 2 catnaps during the day + real sleep at night. It's kind of nice.

Swelling was the only "issue" today, and that wasn't even bad. Mild discomfort and such. I put ice packs on almost all day just to ensure tomorrow is a bit better.

Also did my first rinse with salt water today. GROSS. I can't stand the taste! I basically held the salt water in my mouth over the extraction sites, rolling my head slowly from one side to the other, then bent over to let the salt water dribble out of my mouth (not attractive at all) and repeated until the small glass was empty. Not looking forward to more of that, but I want to be sure my mouth is as clean as can be!

Day 3 is tomorrow. I've heard that's the worst. I'm praying for no dry sockets. Just going to be super super careful and hope for the best!

 

[kittykat]

Have you ever tried to eat mac n cheese without chewing??

FUNNY STORY: I actually never chew my mac and cheese. I know that's weird, but I just swallow it whole... I think the main reason I keep avoiding doing it is because my biggest fear is that I won't be able to eat anything and I'll starve to death. Also I've heard the post-surgery care is annoying\sucks so I'll just keep putting it off until I start being in alot of pain I guess...

 

[hiccupod]

LOL That is weird about not swallowing the mac n cheese!! I ate it all, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying as that squish you get biting into it. I also love topping mine with garlic salt, which I obviously didn't do today.

The post-op care is pretty much just about timing. All you really have to worry about is taking your meds! The rest is pretty natural - changing gauze as needed, eating and drinking enough, sleeping whenever you feel like it. The salt water is not fun, but I'm a huge baby about tastes (I'm a pretty picky vegetarian who hates onions, mushrooms and celery and gags at the scent of vinegar!), so I think that's mainly just me. And I'd rather clean my mouth than get infected. Anything I can do to speed recovery, I'm doing.

You'll definitely be able to eat a ton! ALSO I realized today what I could eat if I get really hungry for old foods I can't have - BABY FOOD!! It's all mushed, very healthy, and pretty damn cheap. Seriously. I am considering some if I get bored with what I've got now. But also soups are great, mashed potatoes (I put a little sour cream in them and yum!), shakes/smoothies, ice cream!!!!, yogurt, pudding, jello. Anything soft you can swallow works like a dream. After the numbness wears off, it's super easy to eat too.

 

[kittykat]

Still not convinced I should have them out yet even though the dentist tells me I should. They're not causing me any problems or pain so I'll wait it out... and baby food sounds repulsive LOL

 

[kittykat]

I'm wondering that if I do have to get them all out, could I do it one at a time? Have you heard of anyone doing it? I feel like it will be less painful afterwards if I do that and less traumatic for me!

 

[hiccupod]

kittykat, a ton of people I know do 1 or 2 at a time. I only did all 4 at once because I have more anxiety of actually GOING to get them done than the after effects. So if you do decide to go in, get 1-2 removed on the same side, then heal, then do the other. I almost wish I'd done it that way, just so I could be eating pizza right now. And sushi. God, I miss chewing!

 

[kittykat]

kittykat, a ton of people I know do 1 or 2 at a time. I only did all 4 at once because I have more anxiety of actually GOING to get them done than the after effects. So if you do decide to go in, get 1-2 removed on the same side, then heal, then do the other. I almost wish I'd done it that way, just so I could be eating pizza right now. And sushi. God, I miss chewing!

The anxiety before hand is always bad, but I feel like hurting all around that much afterwards would be worse. If it's recommended that I do this, I'll only do one at a time

 

[hiccupod]

Just an update: I'm crossing into my 5th day post-extraction, and everything is going unbelievably smoothly!!! I'm so impressed with my body right now. It's crazy how fast things heal.

Supposedly, I'm beyond the risk for dry socket after 3 full days, but I'm still being overly cautious with what I eat, how I sleep, and my no exercise rule. I'm probably being paranoid, but the idea of having to get things out from my extraction sights grosses me out! So I'm doing the salt water rinse after every meal, brushing twice/day, and eating only soft foods I can pretty much swallow whole.

I have my follow-up appointment today at 3:30pm, so I have my fingers crossed that everything looks good back there.

 

[kittykat]

I'm really glad everything has worked out for you I've heard from many people that it's the worst experience of their life, and it's nice to know that someone can say otherwise! I actually don't have to worry about this, as I found out today that I've only one wisdom tooth and it doesn't look like it'll cause problems in the future! (You should have seen the look on my face when I looked at the x-rays and said "OH MY GOD THERE'S ONLY ONE!?" ) Glad you're feeling ok and recovering well!