That's it . I have a deep cavity in one of my wisdom tooth, and the doctor has to remove it.
I'm so scared, not only because of the operation, but for the post-operative as well.
I don't know how many days I won't be able to eat, play whistle/flute, etc..
I had all four pulled back in my mid twenties to make room for braces.(No I'm far from vain, just wanted to be able to take a bite of stuff like pizza, tomatoes, etc. that required the upper teeth meeting the lower at some point)
Anyway, it wasn't horrible. That's not to say that dental work can't be awful, believe me, but don't worry too much. You may feel crappy for a few days, but you can eat, .....just carefully.
"Let low-country intruder approach a cove
And eyes as gray as icicle fangs measure stranger
For size, honesty, and intent." John Foster West
I had all my wisdom teeth out, one side at a time. The top were severely impacted, and they were facing toward the back of my mouth. The recovery wasn't really a big deal, nor was the extraction, except that THE ANAESTHETIC (NOVOCAINE) DIDN'T REALLY WORK!!! I swear, the dentist, knowing novocaine didn't work that well on me, gave me about four shots before starting, but as soon as he put the scalpel to my gum, I jumped about a foot. Then he gave me a few more shots, it was okay, he got the top one out, but then the bottom wasn't numb anymore. Three or four more shots, then that wore off before the bottom one was out, then a couple more shots, then finally I was going home. Then, of course, it wore off before I could open my mouth to take the codeine, so I was crying for a couple of hours before finally deciding to screw the pressure bandage and took a codeine and a few aspirin and was okay after a little while.
And I did this one side at a time, so it was basically repeated except for maybe one round of shots and the period after -- I took a codeine before the second round of extractions (saved from the first round) and also pretty soon after. Didn't suffer for it.
Charlie Whorfin Woods
"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
Congratulations wrote:Are you having them take the rest as well? Because it might be a good idea just to ditch the whole lot.*
*This is not medical advice. I have no idea what I'm talking about. I still have all of my wisdom teeth.
No, I will only have this one pulled out, because of that deep cavity. I've never had a trouble or pain due to my wisdom teeth (I'm 21 years old), so, I don't want to suffer unnecessarily!
I was a college senior - don't remember any pain - I lost count of the amount of Novocaine, but the dentist used me as a teaching dummy for some intern. Took all four, but that was the plan from the beginning. My sweetie nursed me back to health, but I also don't remember too many jello and milkshake days. You'll be back on your feet and whistling in no time!
pastorkeith
"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love."-- Mother Teresa
I've had one out so far, and the other three getting pulled soon. The procedure itself was a breeze... I felt no pain. The recovery sucked, though, because my gums got infected. I ended up needing antibiotics.
Good luck with it... be sure to follow the directions for care. You'll be functional again in no time!
anniemcu
--- "You are what you do, not what you claim to believe." -Gene A. Statler
--- "Olé to you, none-the-less!" - Elizabeth Gilbert
--- http://www.sassafrassgrove.com
I haven't been to a dentist in nearly 30 years. I am very fortunate that my teeth are in very good condition - because it is abject terror that has kept me away.
Last time I went the dentist told me that my wisdom teeth should come out. I was never keen on going to the dentist, but the bloody silly tales that my friends told me while I was waiting for my appointment (a load of made-up nonsense) scared me so much that I cancelled and have never been back.
Absolutely irrational, but dentists and flying are two things I just can't cope with. The furthest I dare fly is Ireland.
I guess I'll have to go to a dentist eventually, but the prospect brings me out in a cold sweat.
Still, I have my protective dentist-mantra perfected. It's a set of magic words one intones to the dentist just before treatment. It goes like this:
"We're not going to hurt each other, are we?"
And whether the blood be highland, lowland or no.
And whether the skin be black or white as the snow.
Of kith and of kin we are one, be it right, be it wrong.
As long as our hearts beat true to the lilt of a song.
buddhu wrote:I haven't been to a dentist in nearly 30 years.
Wow I thought I was bad (pushing 10 years for me). It's not fear that's kept me away though, just a mix of laziness and a chronic shortage of the effin dentists in the first place. It's impossible to get on the books of a NHS dentist up here.
I had all of mine pulled at 17, and have trotted 2 of my 4 kids off for the same within the past couple years. It's a nuisance, but really won't take more than a few days before you're back up to speed.
I only have two wisdom teeth that ever emerged. The others are hiding somewhere. My dentist is pretty good, but tight-fisted. She wanted to charge me extra for damage to her chair when the drill went through the back of my neck.
djm
I'd rather be atop the foothills than beneath them.
I had the good sense to have my wisdom teeth pulled out one side at a time. That way you have one good side to chomp on while the other side is healing. I don't know whether you can expect to have only half as much pain though.
I remember that I had recently gotten dental insurance from an employer, so I looked through the provider book and found a group of dentists that were accepting new patients. What they didn't mention was that the dental office was in the mall basement underneath a department store. When I arrived for my early appointment, I had to knock on the glass doors of the department store so that the security guard could let me in. I walked through the darkened store and took the elevator to the basement. Kind of creepy actually. When you have a dental practice that is searching for patients, I think that says something about the quality of dental care that you may receive. In my case, other than the fact that my dentist was a little strange, I was satisfied with the quality of care.
Last edited by Doug_Tipple on Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
. I have a deep cavity in one of my wisdom tooth, and the doctor has to remove it.
