• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Wizzie removal success stories Mega Thread

Hi everyone!

I've been reading this forum for a week in anticipation of my surgery yesterday. I am 30 years old and had all 4 teeth deeply impacted...got them removed with IV sedation. I got lucky with having a great surgeon and team who were all calm and soothing and encouraging. It was really scary for the 5 ish minutes they set me up especially cuz I have tiny deep veins that are notoriously a hard stick. But they got it after 3 tries and none of them hurt more than a little pinch. The valium they prescribed me 30 mins before surgery Def helped. For the pain afterwards I'm only on 600mg ibeuprofen. I woke up from surgery feeling good and giggling and excited that everything was over. When I got home I napped with the gauze in for a couple hours. I was somewhat numb for a good 4-5 hours. The worst part is biting on the gauze and being numb for that time. At that point I stopped with the gauze and I was able to eat some pudding and cold mashed potatoes. Man I never thought cold mashed potatoes would taste so good haha. Today is day 2 and I feel really good. I took my dog for a walk and really don't have much swelling compared to what I expected. I'm just trying not to open my mouth too wide at this point and do everything how I'm supposed to so that I heal up quick! Good luck everyone....the anticipation is worse than the procedure at least in my case.

Kristina
 
What a great success story owlnuggest/Kristina :) !!

Glad to hear everything is looking good now and it went so well!!
 
Hello all,

I am a 41 year old male. I had a lower wisdom tooth removed yesterday morning. It was a healthy, fully erupted wisdom tooth and had plenty of space (I only found out I had my two lower wisdom teeth last year when I asked my dentist), but I was unlucky and developed a crack under the gum line so it had to come out. It was meant to be removed in March but Coronavirus put a stop to that. In my pre removal consultation in February they told me it was quite badly infected.

I opted for local anaesthetic. When I arrived at the hospital I was told that the complication with my tooth is that it is so decayed that the surgeon is worried that the tooth might break apart and the procedure might then turn into a surgical extraction with lots of cutting and stiches. The surgeon was very nice and explained everything to me.

I sat on the chair, the surgeon used numbing gel before putting the numbing injections in. The surgeon explained that there are three nerves that they need to numb. I had (I think) three injections. To be honest the second injection hit a nerve and I got an unpleasant shock but it lasted less than a second.

After ten minutes the surgeon checked I was numb and poked the blunt pokey tool into my cheek and gums - didnt feel a thing and we were good to go.

The surgeon started by pushing my tooth outward and then she really was shoving or doing something. I couldnt feel any pain. Anyway she walked away and said 'That's it - the tooth is out. The whole thing!' I had no idea. It had taken maybe 30 seconds.

I have not eaten solids since then or drunk any tea or coffee and I slept propped up last night. I am a bit paranoid about protecting the hole so I am looking forward to the recovery being complete. Having said that my pain and discomfort has not been higher than a 2 out of 10. I have no swelling or bruising and there has been hardly any bleeding, some yesterday, none today. I haven't even bothered with painkillers today.

Also, I specifically asked the surgeon about my age. She said she doesnt consider 41 to be old at all and that she extracts wisdom teeth in people in their 70s and 80s weekly, increasingly recently which she didnt explain.

Anyway, thats my experience and like almost every other experiences it wasnt nearly as bad as I thought and certainly not worth the worry beforehand.
 
This forum has helped me so much so I wanted to share my story. I had my 4 wisdom teeth removed yesterday at the age of 32. One was impacted the others were fully erupted. I had delayed my appointment on 3 different occasions due to anxiety but my coworkers encouraged me to get it done.

I originally planned for general anesthesia but learned that nausea and vomiting are common side effects. Im terrified of throwing up and already have a queasy stomach, so I switched to a different surgeon that offered oral sedation (halcion + nitrous) which I used before successfully. Fast forward to surgery day and the halcion was just not kicking in at all. We waited around for close to an hour and I still felt nervous and was quite alert. My doctor was very helpful and suggested we switch to iv (twilight) sedation. I said okay and they got the iv hooked up. The only thing I remember after that is waking up and walking to the car to go home. The recovery is honestly the hardest part and the worst part is feeling hungry but eating a soft/liquid diet. The procedure was a piece of cake. I have only used over the counter pain reliever which doesn't take away all of the soreness, but works well enough for me. My gums don't bother me at all, just my jaw is very tender and my face is pretty swollen on day 2. If I can do it, anyone can!
 
I chewed today for the first time in a couple months, after experiencing lot of pain for at least 10 years. Mostly my lower right wisdom tooth, but occasionally the lower left tooth. Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen wouldn’t touch the throbbing and I ended up just drinking a lot. Every time I tried to get sober, the pain turned me back around.

In September I started noticing a sharp pain when I opened my mouth, tried to say words like plastic and six, or tucked my chin to chest/shoulder. I stopped chewing and drank a lot of sipping soup and Slimfast. :whistle:

Beginning-mid October the gum around that naughty tooth started to get red and yucky. The first dental places I called told me they weren’t accepting new patients because of COVID, and another told me I should call every morning to see if there was room for me. The last place said they had an appointment for me but it would be about a week. I took it, and cried when I hung up the phone. I’m typically a very collected person... blood, pain, other grossness... doesn’t phase me much. I was so scared for the appointment!

I went to my GP 10/12 about the pain in my chin/neck, concerned about infection, and she prescribed antibiotics, told me to definitely attend my dentist appointment.

10/16 I went in for a cleaning/treatment plan for the first time in maybe 20 years. They told me my teeth actually look pretty great for not having visited for so long, and that it would be 3-4 weeks before I could get an appointment with the oral surgeon to have my wisdom teeth out. At check out they told me I was lucky, it was totally FATE... there was a cancellation the next day and if I wanted that appointment with the oral surgeon it was mine. :ROFLMAO: I accepted because the hygienist told me they would only use a local anesthetic and I’d be able to drive myself home. Part of what took me so long was fear of sedation!

I had four wisdom teeth out 10/17. When the assistant noted my blood pressure was a bit high I started tearing up and she told me I had to calm down so the anesthetic wouldn’t wear off too fast. Helpful! lol They left me for about 40 minutes while I listened to headphones and tried to stop my feet from shaking. I was also embarrassed because I wore the wrong shoes.:toofunny:

The local anesthetic worked fine for the left side. A lot of pressure/pushing but not painful. Top right was a bit more painful... bottom right (trouble tooth!) was just no fun! Doc stopped and asked if it felt sharp, he gave another shot when I said I didn’t know... but it didn’t help. I don’t think it was a sharp feeling, that tooth just didn’t want to be disturbed at all! I squeezed my eyes to just got through that last one, and I’d like to think he made a point to get it over with as quick as he could. The most amazing part has been the discovery that the pain of healing is SO much better than the pain of infection! Mild swelling and discomfort during early recovery. The worst part was that I was sleeping terribly for a few nights.

Almost 20 days post-extraction, I got a crown on the tooth next to the ex-wisdom tooth and a couple fillings today and am good to go until April, and I’m so relieved. I chewed some chicken nuggets tonight and realized that I haven’t chewed without a lot of care and thought in YEARS. Trying to just chew normally is going to be an adjustment. lol
 
4 Wisdom Teeth Extracted - So Much Fun I'd Do It Again!

It was Summer, 2001. I was having the time of my life at an internship in Boston when my wisdom teeth decided to make an appearance. I could feel a few snaggly crags erupting way back in my mouth and my gums were red and inflamed. But I wasn't cutting short the most awesome summer in my 21 years up to that point - it wasn't an emergency, but it needed to be done.

I convinced my parents to schedule the appointment over Thanksgiving break, which was the next time I'd be home. I don't remember the consultation but I remember the appointment very well. The night before, the oral surgeon told me to take 4 Advils (twice the recommended dosage). I was nervous about this but nothing bad happened.

I received oral sedation (not the IV). The doctor told me to count to 3 but I think I only made it to 2. The last thing I asked him was - "Will I be able to eat?" and he said - "You'll be able to have lunch!" Then I was out like a light. When I woke up I vaguely remember being walked into the sitting area where my mother was. She said I wouldn't stop talking. She said it was so unlike me! (I was shy as a teenager).

When I got home I went immediately to my bedroom to take a painkiller and lie down. I felt no pain at all but I was told to take one just in case. I think it was like an extra strength Tylenol or something like that, definitely not Vicodin. I remember resting all afternoon in bed but I couldn't sleep. I wasn't able to open my mouth very wide but I felt no pain at all. My mom brought soup and made milk shakes, it was great. I loved being babied like that!

A few hours later the oral surgeon called and asked how I was doing. I couldn't believe the doctor was courteous enough to follow up; he was so kind. I told him about a "crackling" noise when I pushed on my cheeks and he said - "Don't worry about that - that'll go away." Then I remember saying "Thank you" to him and he said "You're welcome." I know this sounds like a simple thing but I particularly remember it being very heartfelt because I was so glad he did this for me - he saved me a lot of trouble down the road.

Over the next day or two I was able to open my mouth wide enough to eat Thanksgiving dinner. They gave me a water irrigator thingie which was like a large syringe that I used after brushing. You're supposed to squirt water into the holes at the back of your mouth to avoid the dreaded "dry socket". I followed all my oral surgeons instructions to the letter and I had no complications or pain AT ALL. The whole thing was entirely PAIN FREE. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
 
Four Removed Under IV Sedation (Two Horizontal Impactions)

Hi everyone, sorry this is long, but I really want to share my story because reading other people’s really helped! I’ve ducked out of getting my wisdom teeth removed twice before (once at 20, once at 25) and now at 27 I decided I wanted this BEHIND ME.

My top two had fully erupted by my mid-20s. My bottom two, however, were COMPLETELY sideways (horizontal full bony impaction), buried underneath both gum & bone. Man, they looked so stupid on that x-ray just laying there like they were asleep. By this point, they had grown roots & were as large as the rest of my molars. I have a tiny jaw, and was also freaked out by how much space they’d leave behind and the possibility of getting injured during the surgery. None of them ever caused any pain, and I really wanted to just leave them all alone, but recent panoramic x-ray showed that the bottom two were RIGHT up against the roots of my second molars now. If they moved forward any more, it was bye-bye perfectly good second molars. I’d also get inflammation of the bottom gums if I disturbed the area too much with chewing.

I went to a reputable oral surgeon with great reviews and a modern practice. She seemed relaxed and confident about the procedure, but I was so petrified of dying/brain damage from cardiac arrest under anesthesia, and I also hate the idea of anything being done to me while unconscious. She said it was an option to stay awake and wanted me to feel comfortable, but that she *strongly* recommended I go with the IV deep sedation. At the end I didn't feel particularly good or safe, but I guess it was enough, because I went ahead and scheduled the procedure for three weeks later.

Btw — I DON’T recommend scheduling the surgery that far out if you can avoid it Way too much time to worry.

I spent the next few weeks with a near-constant feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I’m sure a lot of you know what this feels — like I couldn’t enjoy normal life the same way. I wasn’t focusing at work. Intellectually I knew it’d probably be fine, but emotionally I was a mess. I flip-flopped between wanting a second opinion, wanting to call it off, and wanting to go ahead with just local & nitrous I watched surgery videos and read reviews of the surgeon’s practice (even searching multiple sites to seek out bad ones), medical articles about wisdom teeth removal, and forums. I’d read accounts of people who said it was no big deal/totally painless/super quick, only to see that they had gotten fully erupted teeth removed in like 10-20 minutes, and then get disheartened because that’s much less invasive than what I needed done. It’s strange, but obsessing over it was the only way I felt even slightly in control. Thankfully, I’m very very lucky to have had the constant reassurance of my family and friends.

In the end, I decided on IV sedation because I have a history of vasovagal syncope (fainting or near-fainting from stress or shock, especially after experiencing pain; I even went to the ER in an ambulance once because my heart rate got so low as a result) and didn’t want to risk having an episode. I also never, EVER wanted to worry about my wisdom teeth again — so all four it was. I didn’t care at ALL about the possible pain afterwards or the annoyance of the healing process. I just cared about surviving the surgery. I even went to a cardiologist beforehand to get the all-clear for the GA, lol.

I stocked up on soft foods, used some Afrin that morning to make sure my sinuses were clear, and woke up that morning nervous but ready….OR SO I THOUGHT.

The oral surgeon’s office called at 7am THE MORNING OF SURGERY morning to tell me that my surgeon felt “under the weather” and had to reschedule all her appointments for that day. After all the mental preparation I did, it felt like a big slap in the face. But I tried to look at it as an opportunity — there was another practice, much closer to home, who’s oral surgeon appealed to me a lot more. I cancelled my original appointment, called this new office nearby, and by some miracle was able to get a surgery slot for three days later. In a weird way, I felt SO much better. I really thought I was going to white-knuckle it through the doctor I didn’t like, but circumstances out of my control gave me a chance to do otherwise. Guys, if you’re able to, just shop around until you find a surgeon you really, truly feel comfortable with. It’s worth it just to diminish the anxiety.

Anyway, I woke up the morning of the REAL surgery, and went to have my consultation immediately before the surgery. I met with the doctor, he reviewed my panos, explained the recovery process to me (I'd be getting a bone graft for the sockets left behind by the bottom two teeth as well), and left for a few minutes while I got payment sorted. Shortly after, three assistants came in to help me get ready, followed shortly by the doctor. This is when I really felt freaked out because it was FINALLY HAPPENING. My heart was racing. They put EKG stickers on me, a pulse oximeter, and a nasal canulla with pure oxygen. They were also considerate — they helped me tie my back back in a net, provided a blanket when I asked, and the doctor gave me the heads up when he was about to insert the IV needle (which didn’t hurt whatsoever). He said that’d be the hardest part, and that in a few moments, I’d begin getting sleepy.

He was right. There was maybe 0.5 seconds where noticed the room spinning and thought “well, here it goes”…and I was out.

I vaguely remember waking up in the recovery room exactly an hour later, and getting my phone so I could text my husband & mom that I was okay. The doctor popped in to say it had gone great. When we were ready, I was gently escorted by one of the assistants into our car which was waiting outside. Oddly enough, I remember the recovery room more than the ride home. But from pretty much the moment I got home, I’ve felt perfectly lucid. “Groggy” is the best way to describe the aftereffects of the IV anesthesia, as if I’d had a few drinks and was ready to fall into bed, NOT “out of control” or totally blackout drunk. And it dissipated very fast -- within an hour and a half post-surgery, I felt totally lucid and back to normal.

Now that I’m home I have an ice pack on my face, took my first round of antibiotics & painkillers, and am sipping on a yogurt smoothie. The local anesthesia feels like 50% worn off at this point and the most annoying part is having to keep biting down on this gauge. There’s a little blood, but nowhere near as much as I’d expected. The dissolvable sutures probably help with that. Fun fact: I am already in FULL chipmunk-cheek mode. I thought it’d take a few days or that I’d be able to avoid it, but NOPE.

Overall, I do still understand why I was so freaked out about this for so long, but I’m so happy to report that the experience itself was as painless as it possibly could’ve been. And more than that…I’M SO HAPPY IT’S OVER. Literally the only discomfort I’m in right now is from biting down on the gauze.

On a side note, I get both chronic migraines and nasal congestion, and I’ve heard (very very rare!) accounts of wisdom teeth removal curing those problems. So that’s a possible silver lining…I’m not very hopeful, it’s a long shot, but we’ll see. :p

Anyway, YOU CAN DO IT GUYS!! This caused me legitimate angst for almost a month of my life and it was over in two hours. You'll be okay, I promise.
 
Hello everyone! Like many of you I am a terrified dental patient. I've taken two separate 5 year absences from seeing dentists in my life. I just ended the second 5 year absence in January 2021. When I went back I only had two small cavities to fill so pretty good, but the scary part was I needed two wisdom teeth removed and a molar that one of the wisdom teeth severely damaged, too damaged to fix. I knew I had wisdom teeth and should have had them removed earlier, but anxiety won for many, many years so I put it off.

Yesterday I had my two wisdom teeth and the damaged molar removed without being sedated. My two wisdom teeth were through the gumline so they were able to be pulled like regular teeth, didn't have to cut into my gum or anything. He numbed me up, waited 15 minutes until I was fully numb and plucked them out. I am pretty sure he had all three out in less than 5 minutes. It took longer to get numb than it did to get them removed. It was completely painless and so easy. I am kicking myself for letting anxiety win and putting it off so long that I had to lose a molar, but I did it. It's over and want everyone to know I had a great experience and encourage everyone that needs them out that is putting them off to please, please, please make the appointment before they damage your other teeth. If you need to be sedated do so, if you think you can do it awake like me do so, but please get them out if your dentist says they need to come out, don't wait like I did.

I was in some discomfort the day I got them out, but it's the next morning and I have very, very little pain. I only took a couple OTC pain pills. I didn't get the prescription pain pills filled, I don't think I'll need anything that strong.

Now that I conquered that huge fear, I feel like I can do anything right now!
 
Hi guys!

This is my second time posting here. This morning I went in again at 8:40AM for the removal of my left wizzies. I was panicking on the outside, but I think internally I was so fed up with the fear so I was a bit calmer on the inside. I went in and the anaesthologist cracked a joke with me - saying that I was much calmer last time - he even allowed my boyfriend to hold my hand while I was receiving the needle for my IV. Once the needle was in, I began to feel lightheaded and felt sleepy. I didn't even know when I fell asleep and a few moments later - I woke up! I knew I was done and literally did not feel anything. The clock was 9:20AM. I would like to thank everyone who had supported me on the forum! :)
 
Reading the success stories have been so helpful. Its good to know we arent alone. I envy those that have no fear of dentists, I wish I was like that. 3 wizzies coming out tmrrw under anesthesia, I live alone and hope recovery is as easy as everyone on this thread. I need lots more dental work done im hoping I my fear gets less with each dental procedure.

Im thankful for this forum & all the good evoveries posted here
 
I had a wisdom tooth removed at the dentist,it was really quick and easy ,I was lucky .It was harder to get a normal tooth out ,but this wisdom one was not that bad ,I was really nervous before .
 
Like many here, I’ve spent days leading up to my wisdom teeth removal reading this forum. I am a 38M who for years have put away removing my lower, full bony impacted wisdom teeth for no specific reason. They never bothered me, but finally checked in with oral surgeon and 3d scan showed that my third molars are starting to affect my molars next to them. It was time to get them out. Top ones came out when I was 17.

This was the first procedure where I was put under. Frankly, the biggest reason for my worries. I knew the recovery would be unpleasant, but not something I particularly was scared of. IV sedation though, yeah I didn’t want to have it.

Upon my arrival for the procedure, nurse set me up with all the monitors. Heart rate was high, clearly from the nerves. I asked a few follow up questions and when the doctor came in I continued with my “do I really need to be sedated”? After a brief chat, he just said let’s take the edge off a bit and we can control how sedated you will be. I was worried about having allergic reaction, heart issues and who knows what else. Dr asked me about what was growing up in Siberia like, and as I started getting into the part about how cold the winters were, room spun and next thing you know I was cracking jokes with my wife while we drove back home. Just like that, as if no time passed.

I’m writing this 24 hours post op. Shocked, surprised and amazed that my pain is only maybe 2/10 at most. I’m only taking 600mg ibuprofen and 500mg Tylenol (together) every 6 hours. Yesterday I was able to eat slowly, lightly brushed my teeth and started with salt water rinses.

Dr followed up later in the day after the procedure to recap how things went and ask about local anesthetic wearing off, which was timely as my lower lip and chin finally started to get the feeling back, a concern I had after reading about nerve damage.

He mentioned that although it was a challenging case, it went a lot smoother than what X-rays were showing. He saw the nerve and had no concerns at all about any damage to it. I did get bone graft to help with bone healing, after 35 we don’t heal as fast. Also, doctor did say that I got a steroid via IV, probably why I’m feeling so well.

Looking forward to day 3, as I understand this is when things start to peak, but hoping it follows the current pattern of being “better than expected”.

Good luck on yours, I can officially say it’s not anything to be afraid of.

Alex
 
Back
Top