Wisdom teeth... why why why why?!?

[weekend warrior]

I've been dreading the day, and now it's nearly here. D-Day! the Day of DreaD! :( Time to pull wisdom teeth - bad positioning so they tell me, only leading to more and more problems down the line they say :frown: What in the Devil's name inspired this marvel of evolutionary adaptation anyway? grrr... :evil:

Be brave weekend warrior... 8-[ 'fear is the mindkiller'... heh

So how many of you have had any of your wisdom teeth pulled? How did it go? Any suggestions you can give? Do you feel any less 'wiser' now than before? ;)

[raublekick]

had mine pulled when i was 18, and it went really well. in two days i was doing whatever i normally would do. i hope your recovery goes smooth.

[prizrak]

I apparently evovled beyond the need for wisdom teeth. I'm 23 and have no sign of them whatsoever.

[jdong]

Ugh, my wisdom teeth are starting to come in, too... it won't be long till I have to yank them....


Worst of all, I've had to use an extensive amount of ******* to manage the pain from my arthritis recently, and already it's starting to be an ineffective painkiller for me :(

[weekend warrior]

Thanks for the good wishes raublekick :) I do wish now that I had done this when I was younger, it probably would've been easier. I will say this to anyone getting wisdom teeth pulled - don't read the Wikipedia entry on wisdom teeth! It's scaring the livin' life out of me - Bleeding and oozing, Dry socket, Swelling, Nerve injury :shock:

heh, fear is the mind-killer...

[blackened]

prizrak: Give it time. I'm 29 and mine are just starting to surface.

[OffHand]

All of them and it was hell. One of them they couldn't find as they were digging deeper and deeper wondering loudly if they had the right picture.
Just keep your painkillers ready. On the other hand some did got removed pretty easily. Just hope for the best :mrgreen:

[mips]

Had all 4 removed about 8-10yrs ago. They were impacted and whatever else so they had to come out. Could not be done in the chair so I had to go to hospital/surgery.

Gave me little pill before surgery, think to relax you. Wheeled me into surgery and got onto the frigging cold table. Aneathetist put a needle into my arm and connected a big syringe with white stuff in it. I still asked her how long does it take for the stuff to work, she replied that I won't be able to count to 3. I got to 2, but those two seconds were absolute bliss, felt like I was floating/flying.

Afterwards when I woke up I was in the passage outside surgery and froze my *** off fealing groggy from the drugs. Went home later that day with a box of Myprodols for pain. Never really felt any pain to be honest and I stopped the myprodols on the first day. Only had slight swelling on the one side the second day. Had occasional bleeding the first two days or so. The stitches really anoyed me until they fell out. I ate solid foods on day 3 but sometimes it felt like it was going to get stuck in 'empty' spaces.

Really not a bad experience if you ask me.

[sanderella]

All depends. If they are growing the right way they should come out easily.:D

Mine grew from the back forwards and I had to have a general anaesthetic. They dislocated my jaw and I couldn't open my mouth to eat for 4 weeks. The good news is I lost 20lbs.

[Reshin]

I had two removed two years back. Both were so badly positioned that the first operation lasted A FULL HOUR and the second one nearly as long. And let me tell ya, it was hell. Anesthesia did work but for some reason I felt the pain in my chin also when he tried to turn them in place. It felt like they he was trying to put some freaking screws through my jaw. It was MOST displeasing and took a long time every time. :evil: All that sawing and screwing and cutting and... ](*,)

The first time the doctor didn't remember to tell me anything about treading the wound aside from painkillers. I had no idea I had to bite those cotton-or-whatever-thingies in place so that it would close in peace. Because of that I was spitting blood 3 days straight. Almost lost consciencenes one time from blood loss and the fact that the pain killers were too strong for me :(

[weekend warrior]

Luckily, mine aren't too badly positioned and clear through the gumline, except for one which is half in, half out - vertical impaction I think it's called, and that's the bugger that's causing me problems with infections and the like.

[Biltong (Dee)]

You REALLY shouldn't read this my friend... :-)

Had mine taken out in the mid-80's. Can't really remember much apart from the audible crackling sound I heard as the dentist twisted them free - without anesthetic.

Staggered back to work (it was lunch time) and my boss hit the roof as he had recommended the man.

Dentist soon had a very bruised jaw and was in about as much pain as I was.

Good boss I had. Worked for him until he retired 12 years later...

[kripkenstein]

I had to have all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed when I was 17 because they were 'crowding' the rest of my teeth. It wasn't that bad. It hurt for a few days, with which painkillers helped, but not completely. Still, just a few days.

Good luck with your procedure!

[weekend warrior]

Oh Lord! :o can't say you didn't warn me though Biltong ;) that had to have been absolutely brutal! Hope that "dentist" isn't still around 'crackling' teeth!

My doctor prescribed me some pain-killer pills he said were really good for this sort of thing and I should take them an hour or two beforehand and the dentist said local anesthesia should do the trick.

Interesting side-note, this dentist I go to is rather high-tech - has a flatscreen mounted on the chair so he can see x-rays, photos, history files and whatnot, pretty impressive sitting there looking at all your teeth like that. Was Windows by the way, any serious Linux apps for dentists?


Thanx kripkenstein :)

[K.Mandla]

I've still got all mine, and they're in perfect shape.

When I was 17 a dentist told me I should have them pulled. I was entering the military only a month later, so I decided to wait for the military dentist. When he saw them, he said not to worry.

That was almost 20 years ago. Since then, two other dentists told me I should have them taken out, but I began to wonder if it was really important, or if they just wanted to pay for their BMWs.

Now every dentist I visit is amazed that I have them. The last dentist said I was only the second person he knew of who still had their wisdom teeth.

Either way, good luck. Think happy thoughts. ... :mrgreen:

[prizrak]

prizrak: Give it time. I'm 29 and mine are just starting to surface.

Neither of us are very wise :)

[slougi]

I also have my wisdom teeth. I am only 20 but have absolutely no problem with them, my dentist tells me people of arabic descent have some deviation wrt to teeth growth, were we lose our baby teeth sooner and usually have no problems with wisdom teeth. Kickass :D

[weekend warrior]

Thanks K.Mandla - will do that, and try not to have any nightmares tonight - thanks for those horror stories people... no really ;) hehe


Couple of practical questions...

Have to do shopping tomorrow morning before I go in. What sorts of food and drink are good to have for after the procedure? I'm guessing anything I can suck through a straw, eh? mmm.. astronaut food :-|

Anything I should be wary of? aside from the blatently obvious of course - things that at first thought one might not suspect as being bad?

[Biltong (Dee)]

Soup with those tiny pieces of veggies is a no-no. Soups nice, but the soggy shards of vegetable disappear into the gums - you know what I mean?

[skymt]

I had all 4 out in one 20-minute operation. Local anesthesia rules. I was so out of my mind, I saw the dentist pull out the teeth, red with blood, and thought "Why are they red? Did the saw heat them up?"

For around 15 minutes after the operation I couldn't focus my left eye. That's a pretty strange side effect.

Ask your dentist if you can have music. I did, and Switchfoot made it much easier to go through.

You won't want food after the operation. You'll be spitting blood for the rest of the day. Just eat a huge breakfast.

[frrobert]

I was blessed.

I had them out about 9 years ago. I went in at 5:00 some shots of novacain, denist yanked them, and out by 5:30. I even ate supperat 6:00 that night.

May your teeth come out as easy.

[plb]

I wonder what is the point of these teeth if most people have to get them yanked....surely they must have some purpose.

[ice60]

i had mine taken out, i decided to go to hospital and have a general anesthetic. there's no way i'd be conscious for something like that!!

i remember reading that some girls have had their wisdom teeth out because it accentuates your cheek-bones lol

[TravisNewman]

stupid insurance won't pay for wisdom teeth removal if you don't get them out early, but you can't tell if you'll need to get them out until later. I never got mine out, they grew in perfectly, and they really DO help a lot later on when they grow in fully. I can eat faster now, more chewing surface :)

[BWF89]

My wistom tooth on the upper right of my mouth is already half in and my other 3 i can feel with my finger are below the surface.

My dad never had to have his wisdom teeth pulled, so hopefully I won't either.

[majesticturkey]

I had mine pulled a few weeks ago. One was a bony impaction and had to be broken a few times. Unlike some people I know, I didn't have to go surgical, although I did end up with some stitches.

It's not as bad as you think. If you're really all that nervous, conscious sedation costs a bit, but you essentially take a nap, wake up, feel good, go home, sleep it off, and in a few hours you're good as new minus a few teeth.

Once they're out, there's absolutely no pain. As long as you follow your dentist's guidelines, you won't get infection or dry socket, and you won't even miss those suckers.

Of course, now my extraction sites are healing over, and that's such a weird thing to have a hole that disappears :P

[weekend warrior]

I wonder what is the point of these teeth if most people have to get them yanked....surely they must have some purpose.
Been doing some reading on this since I wanted to know too :-? hence the thread topic ;) and from what I gather one of the going theories is that wisdom teeth developed at a time in human evolution when diet was changing and it was common to lose several molars to decay in the late 20s to early 30s, which for that epoch would have been "old age". So wisdom teeth basically took over the role of missing or badly decayed 2nd and 3rd molars.

Of course now, decay that severe isn't an issue so wisdom teeth aren't really needed (vote's out though with healthy wisdom teeth, like K.Mandla experienced) and often cause problems with the existing and still in good form molars or by way of infections or whatnot as in my case. That's the theory anyway.


Thanks again for the good will peeps. Looking back at the comments, they break fairly evenly 50/50 with a slight advantage to good experiences over bad. Well, those are better odds than you'll get at the casino anyway. ;)

Feeling positive this morning and hoping it'll be a brisk in-and-out affair with no complications and a quick recovery time like some have said here. Heh, now it's just the waiting around part til it happens... T-minus 6 hours....

[fuscia]

i was so gassed up, fear was replaced with idiotic giggling.

[Titus A Duxass]

Still got all mine at 44yrs.

[slimdog360]

its not as bad as veryone says. Ive had all 4 wisdom teeth out, and a couple in the front taken out(the ones next to the middle two on the top. Ive been extremely unlucky with teeth. Wisdom teeth being taken out are a walk in the park compared to getting the front ones out, or the ones next to them I should say.

But yeah you needent worry about that with the wisdom teeth, they put you to sleep and dont feel a thing. I can honestly say that even after they were taken out I didnt really feel to much pain. More just sleepy then anything else.

[hizaguchi]

I think wisdom teeth are like crooked teeth. There's a slight chance that they'll cause you problems down the road, so oral surgeons have capitalized on this fact coupled with irrational fear (of later physical and/or social suffering) to create business for themselves. Nobody I know has naturally straight teeth. Not even my dogs, and their teeth are their livelihoods. Likewise, we have all evolved wisdom teeth, indicating that they've not been that huge of a problem for millions of years. I find it hard to believe that dentists are more fit than natural selection to determine what is best for my mouth, so I have kept all of my crooked teeth... and my money.

[weekend warrior]

Right, just about time for me to go in and do this... took the painkiller/anti-inflammatories my doc prescribed me, feeling a little lanky-sluggish now so methinks it's working, hehe :)

wish me luck lads

[slimdog360]

I think wisdom teeth are like crooked teeth. There's a slight chance that they'll cause you problems down the road, so oral surgeons have capitalized on this fact coupled with irrational fear (of later physical and/or social suffering) to create business for themselves. Nobody I know has naturally straight teeth. Not even my dogs, and their teeth are their livelihoods. Likewise, we have all evolved wisdom teeth, indicating that they've not been that huge of a problem for millions of years. I find it hard to believe that dentists are more fit than natural selection to determine what is best for my mouth, so I have kept all of my crooked teeth... and my money.

my wisdom teeth were growing in sideways (yes I didnt believe it myself until I saw the xray), if they weren't removed they would have f***ed up my other teeth. And like the other guy said, Wisdom teeth evolved for a reason but now with better dental health they are unneeded. Thus proving your theory wrong.
Sorry to be so abrupt but until you have gone through what Ive gone through with your teeth, you wont know what Im talking about.

[der_joachim]

wish me luck lads

Probably a bit late, but good luck. :)

Had mine pulled out two years ago. Although it was horrible (at one point, a second surgeon was called in. Oh yes, and I fainted because of the drugs...), I did recover very quickly and I was back on my feet in one day. I did miss a race though, which I could not run because the anast.. annasth.. uhm.. the drugs were too heavy.

Never had much wisdom anyhow. ;)

[weekend warrior]

Jiminy Christmas! you don't know what pain really is until you go through this! ](*,) Can't be coincidence that torturers go for the teeth when they want quick answers. I feel like I've done my Hajj to the Mecca of Pain now. One hour of good times just for one tooth! So add me to the list of negative experiences with wisdom teeth.

I look like Rocky after the prize fight now :-# *Adrienne! Adrienne!!* even have a bit of a fat lip - heh, I scared a little tyke who was staring at me and my icepack with my bloody grin on the way back to my apartment. :twisted:

The problem tooth where I had the infection just would..not..come..out.. cleanly. In the end, the dentist had to break it, leave the root in there and stitch it up. The upshot to that is no gaping hole and possible dry socket. I was upset at first but what can you do? If it wouldn't come out, then that's that. Preferable I suppose to him digging in deeper until he hits a nerve and paralyze half my face or something. :shock:

Lord knows he tried, I felt it! and that was after they gave me enough shots to probably put down a horse. It's not really the pain though, it's the intense pressure. It feels like they're ripping one half of your face from the other.

So I've got the problem taken care of anyway. I'm certainly not ready to take that joyride again anytime soon - one will do me for now and a long time to come hopefully.

At least I'll take some comfort from this...



"Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain"

William Faulkner

~

[weekend warrior]

lol, thanks nonetheless der_joachim :) it could've been worse I suppose, I should count my blessings.

oh and thanks skymt for the suggestion to bring my own music, that does help to disconnect even if they're already piping in music - it's not the same. Anyone listen to Madeleine Peyroux? She has a divine voice that could calm a rabid dog. I should email her a thank you. :)

[cstudent]

I had all my wisdom teeth removed 12 years ago. I was 35 at the time. I also smoked at the time and the dentist told me I shouldn't smoke for several days, so I took that opportunity to quit. I haven't smoked since. I don't remember it being too awfully bad when I had my teeth removed. I was knocked out while they did it and they gave me some good drugs for the pain afterwards. I'm sure you'll do fine. :)

[sanderella]

Well done Weekend Warrior, you earned your stripes. Welcome to the club of toothless wonders. Hope you feel better soon.
Tip for good pain killers: 2 paracetamol, 2 ******* and a large glass of something alcoholic. (against all the rules :D , but very effective.