Oh no! Need wisdom teeth removed 1 week before we leave for Disney!

[emma'smom]

Help...I have just discovered that I need to have two of my wisdom teeth removed on Friday. They are infected and one is impacted. They are very painful and the Oral Surgeon says it shouldn't wait. I'm having it done as early in the day as possible so that I can start healing. I'll have 8 days from the day of surgery until we leave for Disney....am I in big trouble? I've never had wisdom teeth removed....will this ruin my trip?

 

[jaycns]

I would tell him about your vacation and ask him if you can be put on antibiotics to clear up the infection until after the trip and then schedule it to be done upon your return.

Of course, he may need to rule that out for a medical reason... or that may not be a possibility because it would not alleviate the pain if it is the impaction causing the pain and not the infection with antibiotics alone.

I would say try (and maybe you already did this) talking to him about what is going on right now in your life (ie big, long planned, expensive vacation plans) and see if he (or she) feels that you would be able to safely wait out your return on antibiotics and or other meds.

If they feel that is not in your best interests...then maybe see if they could bump you up a day or two?? The more time the better as far as healing will go. And having a wisdom tooth pulled stinks...I had it done...but it is not half as bad as what I imagined it to be.

I think I could have gone to a park the next week with no problem (other then maybe not wanting to dine on any nachos )...however, I remember having follow ups to get stitches out...make sure you check that you could have your stitches removed before travel. Also, double check about using straws. I know you cannot use them right after...I don't remember how long that is prohibited.

Our babysitter went to the zoo with us (and we spent all day from 10:00 AM until 6:30 PM there) the day after she had her wisdom teeth out. Me, I curled up in a ball and sipped shakes for at least 3 days straight. I am a wimp though. TOTAL mouth pain wimp!

It's a real bummer that this happened to you right before your trip. I would ask the oral surgeon this question. Pixie dust headed your way !!!

 

[DisneyGuy77]

I would say don’t wait. I had to take a trip to New York City around the time that my wisdom teeth came in, and were really hurting. The trip could not be postponed. One was impacted as well. I was miserable. It was a shame too, because it was my first trip to New York.

I had them taken out shortly after I got back, all four of them, and was fine with in a week. As the previous poster stated, everyone is different though. Explaining your situation, and trying to get an earlier appointment, is definitely a good Idea.
I hope it works out for you.

 

[Clotho]

Healing time varies widely. My hubby healed fast. I took a while. I couldn't eat the same foods for several weeks due to tenderness. That would likely be the biggest pain--you will likely be fine for your trip, but may have to eat differnently. And you will have to bring a toothbrush and your little water-injector with you to the parks, to clean out the back of your mouth where your stitches are.

I would also ask about if they need you to come in to have the stitches removed in the time that you will be on vacation. That may be a stumbling block...

In short, talk to the doc.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

I'm currently at day 9 post-removal of wisdom teeth. One was no problem, the other was impacted and required cutting of bone to remove. I felt absolutely horrible for 4-5 days, but Monday (7 days after) felt pretty normal and was able to sleep on that side last night. I could probably eat anything right now as long as I chew cautiously. This side took much longer than the other to heal - I was eating everything with no pain only 3 days after those were removed - so I tend to think of my most recent experience as on the "tougher" end of the recovery scale. I think you could pull it off as long as you're realistic about not being able to eat peanut brittle and such! I'd also recommend getting off the heavy-duty painkillers as soon as you can (switching over to Tylenol or whatever) so that you're not all dopey on your vacation. I do know that I'm so thankful to have those teeth gone - it was so worth it, so I wouldn't wait if I were you. Good luck!

 

[pixiepower1971]

I just had one taken out yesterday. I was able to go about everything I normally do yesterday except for eating and exercising. I have no stitches and I do not have to use the syringe to clean the area. Most docs do not use that anymore(as far as I know). I am limited on exercise(to include walking) for 7 days...mat just be my doc. I would move up the surgery and still take your trip!

 

[stczt]

I had mine taken out a couple of years ago. 1 was impacted and another was on its way. And since they put me to sleep he went ahead and took out the other 2. I went home and slept for a couple of hours and was fine. I ate pasta and swent swimming the same day. But everyone is different, and it probably wont be as bad as you imagine.

 

[seashoreCM]

IMHO you will have no problem having the wisdom teeth taken out and a few days leaving for Disney.

Except meals shall take more minutes.

Since you said they were infected and painful I say take them out NOW.

If bone surgery needed to be done, don't chew hard on anything, cut up food into tinier pieces.

Health hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/health.htm

Had all mine out, two at a time. Amazingly no pain afterwards.

 

[dizzienoodle]

I think it all depends on the person. I had all four of mine out on January 10th of this year... Three of them came out without any issue whatsoever, but the third was so badly impacted that the dentist had to pulverize the tooth and take it out in pieces... While the one side of my mouth healed with a day or two the other was horrible swollen and bruised for over a week...

 

[alloyd1170]

Dont wait, and if possible do it asap. I actually broke off a piece of a wisdom tooth. One of mine was infected too and the dentist wanted to take it asap. I told him to pull them all at once, which he did. You might want to see if you can have them all done at once. Why go through it twice?

alison

 

[NotUrsula]

The biggest issue is the possibility of a dry socket. If you get one you could end up in an enormous amount of pain. I've had it happen twice -- nasty beyond belief.

Just in case, I would have your doc give you a copy of your operative records and the name of an oral surgeon in the Orlando area who could treat you if a d.s. developed. They tend to develop between 3-5 days post-surgery, and usually treatment for them requires you to visit the surgeon's office every other day for at least a week to have the dressings changed and more pain-killer packed in. (You can't take oral meds for this pain; you would need enough to knock out a horse. The pain meds need to be packed directly into the socket.)

 

[jlovesee]

I would have them taken out before you go... you won't have the pain in Disney with your teeth and it will be a huge relief. I had mine pulled about two months ago (Dec 30th), I had two impacted on the bottom and two that were not on top, all four were pulled. It was not as bad as I expected.

My dentist "prescribed" me to take 3 200 MG advils, 3 times a day starting about a day and a half before the surgery (I am a small sized person), I did this and I think it helped tremendously. I only had to take one pain pill after surgery, and of course several Advils, but overall not to bad.

I had my surgery in the morning, and was out most of the day, didn't eat to much, I stuck to soft, bland foods for about 4-5 days afterwards, and then started eating more regular foods, I was pretty much on a normal diet about a week and a half afterwards.

What everyone is saying about dry sockets is true, DO NOT SMOKE, DO NOT USE A STRAW, DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL within atleast 48 hours afterwards, I did not experience them, but I have a friend who did and they said it is the most terrible pain you can experience. As long as you are careful you should be fine though.

Hope this helps!

Jennifer

 

[vhoffman]

Go ahead and get it done--you have plenty of tiem to recover. It would be better to have them removed now rather than after the trip. Walking does put a stress on sore teeth, you don't want to waLK around with impacted wisdom teeth on antibiotics.

You might talk to your dentist and get the appointment moved up a little. Just give yourself time to recover, don't think you're going swimming the same day! Take the day of the appointment off and the following day, try to do it on a Friday if possible to have the weekend to rest up. Its really a very easy proceedure, the worst part is anticipating it. I did find it difficult to chew anything for the first 24 hours, including pasta, so you might want to get a supply of soup, pudding, jello, etc.

You'll be fine, have a great trip!

Oh., here's another little tip--get 2 bags of frozen peas or corn to use as ice packs. They mold to your face so make a great pack--need two to keep them rotated.

 

[emma'smom]

Well...it's decided...I'm just having two pulled (doctor tried to encourage all four since they are doing general anesthesia anyway). However, I figure this will reduce the odds of complications with only two being done. Right now, even with Vicadin, I am in severe pain. I'd rather eat soft food the entire time I am in Disney than suffer like this.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I had mine out on a Friday afternoon and braces put on the following Thursday. Before my braces went on, I was able to eat almost everything, and the pain was gone, may have taken a Tylenol occasionally. You should be fine by the time your trip rolls around, and what better medicine than WDW?