Wisdom teeth removed - Any advice?

[chrismiss56]

DD 23 had hers out last week (Monday before Christmas)

She had all 4 impacted and little to no swelling with a bag of frozen peas on one side and frozen corn on the other side

She did have a problem with the beginnings of a dry socket - went to the doctor RIGHT AWAY and was given a med inside the pocket for it.....whew.

Overall did much better than we thought since she is our DRAMA QUEEN

Best thing ever happened - all 4 at once and she was put out.....the only residual is a nagging ache in the front of her teeth - doctor says that is the nerve and may take a awhile.

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Princess Row]

I had all four of my Wisdom teeth removed the first week of OCtober. IT was my fifth mouth surgery and I didnt have swelling or pain. At my seven day check up I had the worst pain shooting down my neck, I couldnt sleep at night or anything. I told my mom and we told the surgeon. He said I didnt look to be in pain so he assured me the pain would go away and perscribed me more pain killers. Another four-five days went by and I still hadnt slept so we called I told him I thought it was dry socket from the sypmtoms I read online. He AGAIN assured me it was not because I didnt "look in pain". AGAIN I WENT BACK! He finally said maybe it is dry socket (Its from the medication I take) and stuck four medicated strips stuck in my holes. 2 strips in each of the lower holes. Pain was gone within 25-35 mins. Sure enough it was dry socket.
I went back seven days later to have them removed he pulled the two strips out of the right hole and only one out of the left. He said that the left one must have fallen out because he couldnt find it. I left.

It is now January and my holes still haven closed. About three weeks ago Green oozy stuff was coming out of my left hole and I cleaned it out and it wasnt hurting. Then about a week ago we found a lump on the left side of my body and the doctor said it seemed I had an infection somewhere. I then felt something a few days later on my left side. I cut a piece of it and I believe it was my root that had been left in there. Monday night I pulled it out and it was the GAUZE STRIP! My mouth is now severly infected due to the strip being left in my mouth and the hole still hasnt closed.


MAke sure your DD dont spit, or use a straw because those both cause dry socket. Other than that my surgery was fine and I had no swelling. Make sure your also well stocked on soup!

 

[SookieStackhouse]

I had all 4 of mine done when I was 16, completely knocked out for it. I remember waking up and it hurting a lot. However, I recovered quickly...within 3 days I was able to go to the mall and the movies.

Seemed like for a long time I would get food stuck in the holes it left.

 

[SueM in MN]

I had all 4 wisdom teeth removed at the same time, 2 were impacted, just using the local anesthetic (the oral surgeon was more concerned about that than I was).

The information I got from the oral surgeon said to alternate putting ice on each side every 20-30 minutes.
I talked with a friend who was a dental hygienist ahead of the procedure and she suggested putting the ice on both sides at the same time for 20-30 minutes, then leave it off for 20-30 minutes. That way, I had some time each hour where I was not trying to juggle ice and do something else. I suggested the same thing when my DD got hers out and she said it worked very well. I know other people who just gave up on the ice when they were trying to alternate sides. They were groggy and could not keep track of what they were doing.

 

[trip]

My DDs liked the bags of frozen peas - they form nicely to your face.

Instant mashed potatoes and applesauce were their favorites during the recuperation phase.

 

[pennymom]

I second the applesauce and mashed potatoes...comfort food after having wisdom teeth out. And tell her to NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT USING A STRAW! (I wasn't thinking and went out to dinner the next day with a new boyfriend to meet his sister, and accidentally picked up the glass WITH the straw ) Dry socket was by far the worst pain I have ever experienced, including childbirth and then a shattered ankle with an ambulance driver who tried to find every pothole in the southern part of my state! Keep the straws away at all costs!!!!!

 

[christineann]

Both of my kids had their wisdom teeth out in late high school and had different experiences. My son was eating gummy bears that night. My daughter had a much more difficult time, and we couldn't get the bleeding to stop after a few hours. We soaked tea bags in ice water for a few minutes, and she held them gently over the areas. That worked great!

Best of luck to all of you!

 

[GraysMom]

I had 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed at the same time about 18 years ago in a hospital. I was completely under (thank goodness since I have a huge dental phobia!) and it was honestly the easiest dental procedure I have ever had done (probably because I was totally unaware of what was happening!). I used ice packs the first day and amazingly didn't have any bruising or swelling (the oral surgeon thought I would have lots of both because I'm very pale skinned). I was sent home with Motrin 500 pills I think, which was insane because they were these huge horse pills . I just took regular Tylenol for the first day to stay on top of any pain and then I stopped them since I wasn't having any pain. I was eating potato chips the day after surgery (which I don't recommend but that's what I was really hungry for). I was back to all normal activities the day after.

DH had his 4 non-impacted wisdom teeth removed in his dentist's office and he was given Tylenol with codeine to take at home. He was loopy but not really in pain that night and had Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, extra crispy no less! He just took regular Tylenol the next day and was back to normal in a few days.

Good luck to everyone whose child is having their wisdom teeth out .

 

[lakelandgal70]

Had two of mine removed when I was 20 and all I remember is the pain and how much I bled afterwards. Don't think that probably was normal.
And it was 20yrs ago. Good luck to your daughter she will be fine. Ice is very good advice. BTW love the weinerdog in your pic. We have 3!

 

[Geoff_M]

Our 17 year-old had all four pulled at once this last year. He found that he could wear a hoodie, put up the hood, put a bag of frozen peas on each cheek, and pulled the draw strings to hold them in place.

However, he developed a bad dry socket and we had to take him back in to the oral surgeon. If the pain persists more than a day or so, take your kid back in. Our son was miserable, even on Tylenol w/ Codine.

 

[Callie]

I had mine out this spring, I was 18!
1st Tip - MAKE SURE SHE IS FULL OUT
I was suppose to be, but for some reason, they had me mostly with it. I could hear everything, see things, feel the pressure etc. It was a nightmare, to the point I was crying for my mom. They had to bring her in, and she helped calm me down somewhat.

2nd - Make sure the pain meds don't make you sick, mine did, and the day after I was puking all over. I've had numerous surgeries and never had this issue before, so try and go with a pain killer she had tried. Being sick and in pain was horrible!

3rd - Make sure you have lots of soft foods in different flavors etc. I couldn't eat normally for almost a week

4th - Make sure you have a mini medical syringe to help clean out food after she does start eating. I used mine for over a month after! It was a life saver, nothing is more annoying then a piece of meat stuck in your holes

Good Luck!

 

[crusoe2]

DS had all 4 of his out last summer and he said the procedure was no big deal and that the pain wasn't actually that bad. He managed his with Tylenol or ibuprofen cause the prescription pain meds made him sick to his stomach. That had been my big concern beforehand because I had the same problem when I had mine out years ago. DS switched to the over the counter stuff after the first time that he threw up and he said it worked just as well for the pain as the prescription stuff. So he was fine in that regard.

What turned out to be a major issue for him was that one spot started to bleed again a couple hours or so after the surgery and we couldn't get it to quit. We don't have an oral surgeon here in town and had to take him to one about an hour or so away. They told us to take him somewhere to get a milkshake immediately after they turned him loose and to give him his first dose of pain meds as soon as he'd gotten the milkshake down. We did as instructed and everything seemed to be going great but the bleeding had not completely stopped by the time we were ready to head home so we put some more guaze in place and hit the road. Right after we got back home, he spit out the gauze and apparently pulled out one of the blood clots that had formed and that spot started bleeding heavily again. We followed all the instructions they had given us - tried the teabags and everything - but nothing worked so we had to get back in the car and drive back to the oral surgeon's office to have it seen about. DS's surgery had been first thing that morning and we ended up back in the surgeon's office just as they were closing for the day so that was a really long and miserable day. And after all that, it took them all of about 10 seconds to solve the problem with a tiny wad of cellulose (I think it was). So, long story short, be aware that if the clot comes out that soon after surgery that you can end up with heavy bleeding instead of a dry socket and it can be difficult to get it to stop. I would recommend being prepared with some teabags and plenty of extra gauze pads. And if you're having to travel to a surgeon like we did, you might even consider getting a hotel room and staying nearby for the first 24 hours after the surgery. I almost planned to do that to begin with but everyone thought I was being silly. We ended up doing just that after all was said and done tho - we were just too exhausted to get back in the car and drive home AGAIN. And worried that something else might go wrong.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Ice and ibuprofen.

I went through it twice as the first time, I did not have insurance and couldn't afford to do them all at once since the ONE (yes, only one) got infected and had to come out - under anesthesia. It stunk, which is to be expected, but seriously, the ice and ibuprofen helped right away. The ibuprofen calms the inflammation from the "attack" of the surgery. Couple that with the pain meds, several good movies and a comfy couch, chair, or bed, and she'll be just fine.

Round 2 for me was very similar, but I looked like Chip and Dale's cousin for a few days since we did the remaining 3 - only of which ONE (yes one) was actually out... and surpise... infected The top two weren't down, but they could get to them to cut them out. I actually used frozen peas and corn for ice packs overnight - they hold a little longer, but are only good for 2 nights before they start to smell... again with the ibuprofen, helped immensely.

They told us to take him somewhere to get a milkshake immediately after they turned him loose and to give him his first dose of pain meds as soon as he'd gotten the milkshake down.

Did he use a straw or spoon?

My oral surgeon and assistants told me not to do any type of sucking for at least 72 hours post surgery. No straws, no smoking (I didn't smoke, but it didn't stop the warning), nothing that required me to use my mouth muscles to pull inward toward my throat.

While I completely agree with the use of excessive amounts of ice cream post-wisdom teeth surgery, the question of the straw makes me wonder if that triggered the adverse effects. Poor guy. I can't imagine what he was going through!



And ITA with Callie over the medical syringe to flush out food particles. I used Listerine for several weeks after. I kept a mini bottle with me that I refilled in the evening.

 

[MoniqueU]

i have heard good and bad stories. One friend of mine had them out and was back to work that day. My son who is a touvh football player just had his out in october. He was put under and it was super fast. I was going to walk a couple of buildings over and get starbucks but if I had I wouldn't of been there when they called me back. My son had it done on a monday, did the ice, vicodin and tylenol thing and was still out til friday but was able to play in his football game on friday. He is really into football and thought he would be back sooner and was bummed he wasnt able to be back at school and practice.

I had mine out years ago and was put under heavy anesthesia. It didn't go well for me and I won't post the whole story but we went to Vegas the next day and I was on heavy duty narcotics, like 3 of them. I don't care if I am dying I can not tolerate ice so I didn't even bother. I don't handle pain well and those narcotics weren't doing the triick. I was drugged beyond beliefe, couldn't eat and was higher then a kite. I ended up finally being able to eat at the end of our trip and getting up to the buffet and finding that the pancakes had blueberres and throwinh a huge loud hissy fit with profanities and tossing the pancakes back into the buffet thing with my bare hands. Not a good trip of run time. So please don't have any firm travel plans LOL.

 

[bfeller]

My DD had her wisdom teeth out when she was a freshman in high school. The one thing that saved her was a "jaw bra". Not all oral surgeons use this and we have loaned ours out to several people. It is an ice bag that is long and narrow and you wrap it around your face, under your chin and back up. It ties at the top of your head. It looks like you are wearing it. It was wonderful because it kept the whole are iced with no discomfort. Ask your oral surgeon about it. Yes, it isn't a fashion statement but she had very little swelling and everyone we know who has used a jaw bra have all had the same outcome.

Also, we bought one of those little snow cone machines for her. She loved having snow cones to melt into her mouth.

 

[libraryfreak]

I brought 2 bags of frozen peas with us to the appt in a cooler, and as soon as we got to the car I had DD put them on her cheeks. I had 2 more bags in the freezer at home and switched them all day.

I made jello and pudding the day before, and had Gatorade on hand (something about electrolytes). I bought Scope because she couldn't really brush her teeth well, and I bought a baby sized toothbrush cuz she couldn't open her mouth too far. I also bought a baby spoon, but that was more a joke than out of necessity.

The doc prescribed some pain killer, but she only wanted Tylenol. I think he said no aspirin because it thins the blood.

 

[crusoe2]

Ice and ibuprofen.

I went through it twice as the first time, I did not have insurance and couldn't afford to do them all at once since the ONE (yes, only one) got infected and had to come out - under anesthesia. It stunk, which is to be expected, but seriously, the ice and ibuprofen helped right away. The ibuprofen calms the inflammation from the "attack" of the surgery. Couple that with the pain meds, several good movies and a comfy couch, chair, or bed, and she'll be just fine.

Round 2 for me was very similar, but I looked like Chip and Dale's cousin for a few days since we did the remaining 3 - only of which ONE (yes one) was actually out... and surpise... infected The top two weren't down, but they could get to them to cut them out. I actually used frozen peas and corn for ice packs overnight - they hold a little longer, but are only good for 2 nights before they start to smell... again with the ibuprofen, helped immensely.


Did he use a straw or spoon?

My oral surgeon and assistants told me not to do any type of sucking for at least 72 hours post surgery. No straws, no smoking (I didn't smoke, but it didn't stop the warning), nothing that required me to use my mouth muscles to pull inward toward my throat.

While I completely agree with the use of excessive amounts of ice cream post-wisdom teeth surgery, the question of the straw makes me wonder if that triggered the adverse effects. Poor guy. I can't imagine what he was going through!



And ITA with Callie over the medical syringe to flush out food particles. I used Listerine for several weeks after. I kept a mini bottle with me that I refilled in the evening.

Nope, no straw - he ate the milkshake with a spoon. By the time he was done, the bleeding had almost stopped but since we had an hour or so drive home we put in some more gauze. We're pretty sure the gauze was the problem. Most likely when it spit it out it pulled the blood clot with it. And yes, it was an awful experience. As soon as we realized how heavily he was bleeding we called the surgeon's office and they told us to try teabags on the site and if that didn't work to pack him with plenty of gauze and apply pressure. This went on for about 2 hours before we they told us to bring him back and then he had another hour or more before we actually got back to their office and they got the bleeding stopped. So the poor kid spent all day with gauze pads stuffed in his cheek and gum. He told me later that his mouth was more sore from that than from the surgery. Plus the whole thing was scary and upsetting - DS lost a lot of blood that day and the whole family was just about to the point of tears by the time it was over. I could have kicked myself for not following my instincts and booking a hotel room for that first night after the surgery and just staying put near the surgeon's office. It would have been much less of an ordeal and he could have been resting comfortably much sooner.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Crusoe2 - what a horrible ordeal!

 

[crusoe2]

Crusoe2 - what a horrible ordeal!

Thanks. It was bad and I kind of hesitated to share what with so many people posting on this thread that their child is about to have their's done. But if I'd had any idea what we were in for I could have been better prepared. So maybe my experience will help someone else. It turned out to be no big deal to stop the bleeding once we got back to the surgeon's office. If we'd just stayed put in a hotel nearby we could have dashed back over as soon as it became apparent that the bleeding wasn't going to stop on its own. But since we had such a long drive, they wanted us to try everything possible before we gave up and headed back. Made for a very long day.

 

[Callie]

My swelling wasn't horrible, but it stayed for a long time. I also had some bruising you could see. I think part of that was because I was throwing up so much from the painkillers. Ended up having to take a suppository (gross!).
I ended up using Advil Liquid Gel Migraine Pills. They worked Wonders for pain!