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vonk, your story is giving me possibly the worst expression I have ever had on my face ever ever
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Imagine it. It's like I was on a submersible and accidentally found R'lyeh, right? And as I'm checking it out, Cthulu pops out, graps me with a tentacle, and starts dragging me mouthward as I gaze into the maddening abyss of his coal-dead eyes. THAT expression. Except instead of eating me, he takes me to an air-filled temple where he seats me in a chair and starts telling me about the bloody, gory, nightmarish affair of having his wisdom teeth pulled.
I try to curl up into the fetal position but I'm still stuck upright in the chair since my hands -- out of pure horror -- have each curled over my head to clutch the jaw on the other side and I'm all like CTHULU STOP TELLING ME THIS I HAVE TO GET MY WISDOM TEETH OUT SOON OH MY GOD OH MY GOD but he just keeps talking and says "Hah, and then came the part where I was vomiting up blood all night long!"
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Lyrhawn - They grew BACK? Now see, if we can just figure out how that happened, losing teeth won't be such a big deal anymore. Your mom isn't part shark, is she?
Posts: 471 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Well, Monday's the day. That means tomorrow morning, I have to start taking diflunisal, the anti-inflammatory. I can't eat or drink after 8pm tomorrow night. Then I take a valium, go to sleep, wake up and take a Triazolam at 7:30 to be at the dentist's at 8. They're going to put me in a chair and let the pill take effect before they start the fun at 9:40am.
I've been having nightmares all week. I need to get my new ativan prescription filled tonight so that I can get to sleep. I'm scared!
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I still have all four of my wisdom teeth. They came in when I was 14 and I was lucky; they didn't push my teeth out of place and there was nothing wrong with them.
I do mean lucky though. My mother had two wisom teeth which were hollow, (which she discovered when she brushed holes in the enamel) and two which were impacted. I was really scared I would inherit them from her.
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I was put to sleep and got all four taken out. I was sobbing uncontrollably when they woke me up but it was only for a minute.
The bleeding stopped before we got home and I was able to do pretty much anything I wanted.
I took one painkiller that night to get to sleep and they had me take ibuprofen to keep the swelling down. I had very slight bruising on one side (along the bottom of my jaw).
That was the first day of spring break (Friday)and 10 days later I was back in band class playing a wind instrument.
The only thing affected was I had to keep my embouchure very precise so that air wouldn't get in the holes. I would get the feeling they were going to explode. This only lasted a couple of weeks.
But other than just enough pain to keep me awake that first night I didn't have any problems.
It was rather uneventful.
I have an aunt whose wisdom teeth grew back and she refused to get them out again.
Good luck, hopefully yours will go smoothly.
Posts: 96 | Registered: Sep 2006
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arrrgh! That stinks! I don't have to have mine out because they're coming in straight. I count myself EXTREMELY LUCKY. Hope you're feeling better soon!!
Posts: 1006 | Registered: Jun 2006
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Do they make you sick when they come in, Libbie? One of the doctors told me that a lot of times, even wisdom teeth coming in normally can make you feel sick.
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Okay, it's almost time for the next pill, and the first dose is still making me nauseous. The doctor said to eat. I did that. I still feel sick. I was gonna go to the gym! Maybe I'll just spend the day wallowing on the couch.
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I had all four of my impacted wisdom teeth taken out Tuesday, after having put it off for a good two years. Finally they started causing me pain and I went in.
I was prescribed a valium for before the surgery, and then had novacaine and an IV sedation. The trouble began when the dentist took a good five tries to insert the IV. It finally worked, and I was out in the clouds for a while, but when I woke up they were still digging around in my mouth. I freaked out until I realized what was going on, then I stayed awake for the rest which I couldn't really feel anyway.
The first few days after were what I suspect was a normal amount of pain. It hurt, but was not completely unbearable (especially with the drugs).
By Thursday night the pain was not so bearable, and my entire jaw and all my other teeth were just throbbing in pain. I went back in to the doctor on Friday, to find out I did in fact have two dry sockets. No idea what I did wrong to get them. He shoved some nasty tasting gauze in them which made them feel better until the next day, when I went in for more nasty gauze.
Apparantly the second dose of nasty gauze didn't take or something, because for the last 24 hours my jaw, all my teeth, and what feels like the entire bottom half of my face up to my ears has been throbbing with the most severe pain I remember ever having. It's truly horrible. It beats the pain I experienced having my gall bladder out last year hands down and then some. I already took what few pain pills I had left, and now I'm just trying to deal with it until I can go back in tomorrow morning.
I am really very curious as to why the medicated gauze didn't work the second time around. I hope it just got dislodged or something silly and it's nothing more serious.
pH: Yeah, the medication made me feel really nauseous too. It seemed to get better after a couple doses, especially when I ate more.
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It took at least twice as long as he originally said it would. He almost didn't take two of them at all because they were so hard to get to, they were so far up in my jaw.
I don't remember most of it because they gave me like five of the little blue pills. I do remember him telling me that I was going to feel a little mosquito bite, and me yelling at him because if that was a moquito, it was a GIGANTIC RAZOR TOOTHED MUTANT MOSQUITO THE SIZE OF A DOG. I don't remember much else, though. I know I was awake; I just don't remember. Thank God.
I'm all swollen and can't open my mouth wide enough to take my medication without severe pain. And I'm not allowed to start taking the real pain pills until 8pm. I also can't really close my mouth, either.
But at least they're all out, and I told the school in advance, so I have the week off of both class and work.
My boyfriend is out getting more gauze (the use of which also causes much screaming) and hoopefully some vitamin water and mashed potatoes. He's been spoon feeding me a partially-melted smoothie, but I'm afraid to eat too much because I feel nauseous.
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That really sucks. Hopefully you'll have a nice, long, medicated nap and wake up feeling a lot better!
Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Oh pH, you definitely have my sympathies. Now I'll tell my story . . . just one little old horizontally impacted tooth. The doctor didn't even offer me unconsciousness, but I requested it nonetheless, and I'm SO glad I did or I think the scene vonk described would have been what I remembered. I was told that there was much hacking and so forth to get that stubborn thing out.
I remember coming to and my friend standing there and then escorting me out of the office and into the waiting room, where there were children. I was still extremely unsteady on my feet, and swimming through a haze of coming to, but I did know that I must be a frightening sight, so I think I attempted to tell the children not to worry, that this was not going to happen to them. I don't know what else I said but my friends later told me that I was cracking them all up the whole time. (It's a good thing I don't drink or who knows what the result would be . . .)
I also remember the gauze and the taste of blood and the nausea and just wanting to be in the dark and live on pain meds. My roomies later informed me that the room smelled of blood. Good. Someone else had to suffer, too.
Anyway, hope your recovery is quick. Wisdom teeth ARE evil.
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I had to have a small cavity dealt with and the doctor asked me if I wanted anesthesia. I asked him "Does it really hurt?"
The dentists words, "No I wouldnt call it pain, its more of a cold chilling sensation."
It hurt so bad that I had to grip the sides of the table as hard as I could and even though I was trying my best not to cry, I had tears going down my face regardless, Ill never listen to that crap ever again. If I am at the dentist for ANYTHING other than a cleaning, I am turning the nerves off.
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My sympathies pH
try to drink fluids through a straw, especially cold ones. A smooth shake might work well as the coldness helps calm the swelling. I think you are over the worst of it, just keep on trucking!
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Drinking through a straw increases the risk of dry socket. Sipping liquids from a glass or cup is good, though.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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The medicine mae me puke last night, and it looks like the swelling on one side has gotten much, much worse. I've been running a low-grade fever, but the doctor says that's normal.
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You'll likely know if you get dry socket... it's like someone jamming an ice-pick repeatedly and continously into the place one (or more) of the wisdom teeth used to be.
Posts: 1368 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Grah. What's bothering me most is the swelling right now. I mean, I can't drive anyway, but the way I look now, I dunno. It looks like it's just swelling more and more. And I took all the anti-inflammatories already.
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What's the best otc anti-inflammatory? I'm out of the ones the doctor gave me. I've started taking Aleve. One side of my face just keeps swelling bigger and bigger. Ice doesn't seem to help, either. I'm going to call the dentist tomorrow, I think. Would aspirin be better?
quote:Originally posted by pH: Do they make you sick when they come in, Libbie? One of the doctors told me that a lot of times, even wisdom teeth coming in normally can make you feel sick.
-pH
No, not at all...although they hurt like any other tooth coming in. Didn't make me feel ill at all, though. A little cranky from my mouth aching.
Posts: 1006 | Registered: Jun 2006
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It hurt so bad that I had to grip the sides of the table as hard as I could and even though I was trying my best not to cry, I had tears going down my face regardless, Ill never listen to that crap ever again. If I am at the dentist for ANYTHING other than a cleaning, I am turning the nerves off.
Uh, yeah. My dentist tries to tell me every time that I don't need anesthesia to have my permanent crowns seated. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. I make him numb me every time, and once he tried to seat the crown when I wasn't quite fully numb yet. It was miserable. I was so very unhappy. He knocked a little off my bill, though. He felt badly about it. He's a pretty good dentist all in all. Mostly because he doesn't screw around with recommending me to the oral surgeon to have my wisdom teeth removed since they're coming in just fine. He COULD get a nice referral fee for sending me to the other doc.
pH, I agree about being over the worst of it. The day or two after is always the worst, or so I hear. Hang in there!! Soon you'll be back to normal.
Posts: 1006 | Registered: Jun 2006
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pH - Just relax for a while... Call the dentist tomorrow if it seems to be getting even more swollen but relax. Just chill on the couch, throw in a movie, zone out to it with some frozen peas on your face. If the swelling is just swelling, so be it. Your jaw's probably just furious it was messed with so dramatically!! If you get some crazy pain that won't go away despite your taking the meds as prescribed, let the dentist/ortho know that when you call tomorrow... could be dry sockets. Otherwise, I'd just take the next few days to chill as much as you can. I'd almost not mind getting mine out again if I could have the week off from work to veg on the couch! : )
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quote:Originally posted by pH: What's the best otc anti-inflammatory? I'm out of the ones the doctor gave me. I've started taking Aleve. One side of my face just keeps swelling bigger and bigger. Ice doesn't seem to help, either. I'm going to call the dentist tomorrow, I think. Would aspirin be better?
-pH
I think it's Aleve that is naproxen sodium, which is a really good anti-inflammatory. As far as I know, aspirin is a pain killer but not an anti-inflammatory. See if the Aleve helps you. If not, call your pharmacist (not your dentist) and ask them what their recommendations are. Pharmacists always know waaayyy more about the drugs and how to get the best use out of them than docs do!
Posts: 1006 | Registered: Jun 2006
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This is ironic as I just had mine out today. PH we are in the same boat!
A few weeks back I got a terrible infection from an impacted tooth and it turns out all four needed out.
I was supposed to go to sleep but because of my asthma, I only got a little sedative and mostly nitrous, and I remember bits and pieces of the procedure. The doctor told me that I would feel pressure when he took them out and I did, but it was in no way painful.
I was able to walk out and have been clear-headed all day. The pain meds I'm taking as prescribed and they are fine-every now and then I get groggy but it passes quickly. I haven't been any more tired than usual.
The swelling is okay. I went out and no one gave me funny looks. They say it might worsen tomorrow.
The biggest problem so far has been the blood. I ended up spewing blood all over the car because my gauze shifted and that was the story of the next few hours. Eventually it died down, nothing unusual. I was just surprised at how much there was (and how bad it tastes).
Wow, reading about dry sockets makes me REALLY not want one. As I only have had chicken broth to eat, I am going to continue to follow the instructions to the letters...
But, in general, this entire thing hurts WAY less than my infection. It's totally manageable. Not comfortable (especially on the impacted side), but not distracting pain.
Posts: 484 | Registered: Feb 2006
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My family has a tooth-removal story that's been passed down:
When my mom was little, her family lived in a second-story apartment. When they had just moved in, my grandmother had to have ALL of her teeth removed, so they decided to do it in four stages.
The funny part of the story is that the neighbors who lived right below them (and who they later became good friends with) felt just horrible for those children upstairs. as they saw it, every week or so for a month and a half, the wife would go out drinking, and the husband had to beat her black and blue to get her to come home.
They decided this based on the fact that she would come home acting totally drugged, with huge bruises all across her face--from the removal.
Posts: 368 | Registered: Dec 2005
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Going back to the dentist today. One side of my face continues to swell. I woke up this morning and realized that the view from my left eye was partially obscured.
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Ice doesn't do anything. The dentist said it's probably an infection because of the pain and continued swelling, except that I can't open my mouth for them to take a look. So I get stronger antibiotics. It turns out, the side that keeps swelling is also the one that had more complications. Anyways, bah. Pain.
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Have you asked for stronger pain medication? At the peak of my pain I was taking 1000mg of Vicodin (plus 800 mg of ibprofin at different times) and that was quite literally knocking me off my feet, at least for a couple hours. Or perhaps a different kind of pain medication would work better for you...
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They actually gave me the strongest one they could think of already, since there were so many complications. So pretty much, I take pills, sleep, wake up to take pills, sleep, and so forth. Unfortunately, I can't open my mouth wide enough to get much food in there. I can't even eat out of a spoon, only a fork.
Hopefully the stronger antibiotic will work quickly, 'cause right now, even if I felt well enough, I wouldn't leave the house.
When I call my friends, they all ask me if I'm drunk.
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Golf-ball-sized hard mass inside my left cheek. I have to go back in tomorrow. In the meantime, though, it hurts so bad. Fortunately, the dentist said that the medicine they switched me to is just the right kind to treat this kind of thing (clindamcycin).
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I'm really sorry pH, sounds like your experiencing one of the more worse case scenarios for wisdom teeth. My wife has perfect teeth and never needed braces, I am BEGGING that my kids get HER teeth and not mine. Not that mine were horrible but wisdom teeth/bracers=$$ Ill never see.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Went back in to the dentist today. They said the knot in my cheek is probably a GOOD thing - a sign that the clindamycin they gave me is fighting the infection. I can open my mouth about as wide as the height of my index finger. They think I have at least one dry socket (especially since I've vomited), but they're going to wait until Monday to do anything about it, since it would be hard to treat with my jaw having so little range of motion. But they did manage to get a little mirror in there, and they say that the color of the tissue is good, and it's probably healing well. They switched me from meprozine to vicodin for the pain. Supposedly it'll help the muscles a bit, and it isn't as strong a painkiller, so I won't be a zombie who needs people to help her not fall into the toilet when she needs to use the bathroom. I've been asleep most of the week, and I don't remember much of the times I've been conscious. And I'm hungry! I never realized how many food commercials there are.
My sense of taste is wonky. I tried eating soft french fries, and they tasted like egg whites. Mlikshakes taste like stale french fries. I have trouble tasting the fruit in yoghurt. And there's a patch on the back of one side of my tongue that doesn't taste at all.
I'm rubbing capzacin into the hard knot thing on my cheek. They said moist heat would be good. I have a water bottle to use, too.
I need to be better by Monday! Or at least not look weird. Send prayers and happy thoughts, please.
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I need to get my new ativan prescription filled tonight so that I can get to sleep. I'm scared!![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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