I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out next Friday, June 30th. Friends, family and co-workers have given me my fair share of horror stories (as well as some success stories). It doesn't matter. I'm still nervous. All of my teeth are impacted and I'm going to be completely knocked out during the procedure. Does anyone have helpful hints for a speedy recovery (I will be off work for five days), as well as what to expect? Much appreciated.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Answers

I can offer two choices : Voodoo or suicide. Good luck.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

What fun! (NOT!)

Be prepared for "chimpmunk cheeks". You'll have them for at least a week after your surgery, due to the swelling in your mouth. And you'll look in the mirror and think (between the pain), "God, my face is fat".

But it will go away.

However, for recovery... hmmm... once the pain meds wear off from the surgery you will honestly be very uncomfortable and you'll probably want to kill any living thing that moves. I know, I did. So I suggest Advil. Lots of Advil. Advil is your friend.

And lots of rest.

And for Pete's sake, the less talking the better. (which includes any movement of mouth, so load up on applesause and milk shakes!)

Good luck Megan!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

You'll most likely be totally fine. I had all four of mine out at once - I was in high school. I just remember being totally stoned for a long time after it was over.

Your face, I'm sorry to tell you, will swell up like a pumpkin. This is a temporary thing, however.

Just make sure someone is around to take a little care of you. I don't think I had any real pain afterward. They give you some kickass drugs but, I didn't have to take them as I recall. You have to do this salt-water thing to keep your sockets cleaned that isn't fun but, you will survive.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

My face didn't swell much. Had four out after one growing in managed to push my gums over my back teeth. (Had to get it cauterized before tooth-removal surgery was scheduled since I'd irritate this displaced tag of gum and bite it all day long (yow), and the smell of burning gum-flesh was revolting.)

I'm drug-resistant. Worst thing about the surgery was that I didn't want an IV drip (because I also bruise easily). They stuck me with needles (didn't hurt) and gassed me, and I was supposed to beout and they kept upping the dose and upping the dose and finally, when I was still mentally alert but my toes were numbing to match my gums, they got tired of waiting for the gas to hav an effect and lied and stuck the IV in. I was put out long enough for them to get two teeth out, then resurfaced--felt no pain, was just aware of the tools that being used in my mouth, which wasn't fun but also wasn't painful or, while I was stoned, particularly bothersome--and they put me back under and finished the job. Wasn't a big ordeal, except for my resistance to the painkillers. Most people go out easily and feel nothing.

Was put in sleep-it-off room and they asumed I'd be there for four or five hours, but within 30-45 minutes I was alert, albeit with bloody gums, and went home. Truly wasn't so bad. Was able to sleep fine, and the stitches or whatever didn't bother me. I bleed profusely (anemic) and even so, didn't bleed too much afterwards.

Worst was the stretched-feeling around my mouth, because I have a little jaw and the dentist had huge hands. My lips got a bit cracked and I felt a little tender. My jaw is abnormally narrow, though.

You'll do fine. The dentist isn't fun, but it isn't going to be as awful as you might think.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

fuck advil..

percoset. make sure they give you percoset.

(advil? advil honey, come back.. don't be mad, I need you to love me once a month 'kay? you just don't have the oomph to deal with wisdom-tooth-pain)

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

I had 2 wisdom teeth (1 impacted, both on same side) removed not long before Thanksgiving years ago. The younger you are, the smaller the roots are, and the easier it is. I had general not local, and it was fine. The worst pain for me was the IV going in my arm. The stitches taste bad when they dissolve, too. Just be careful not to get any food stuck in your sockets while they are healing - I was paranoid about that, and careful, and I still got a minor infection that was treated with antibiotics. Relax, it's not that bad!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

i'll second the percoset (sp?) idea... i had all 4 taken out the week before prom (my one and only high school dance). this is my advice- make SURE someone drives you there and back. have it be someone that won't make a "gee you look like yer hoarding acorns" comment. you will look goofy. that's part of the fun.

second, it's NOT NORMAL to have horrific pain several days later. i was fine for two days after the event, then the most seering pain in my entire life- things were WAVY. i had ONE dry socket. go to the dentist IMMEDIATELY. they can fix you up real quick. just remember: a dry socket is when bone is exposed to air. it's unnatural, but they can treat it. no need to suffer.

if you ARE going to take advil, take at least 4 every 6 hours.

and no straws. no way.

things will be fine. enjoy the drugs!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

I am the biggest dentist phobic on the planet. Anyway I had 4 wisdom teeth and a molar removed a couple of years ago. I fell asleep, I woke up, I took pain medicine that night and ate french fries the next day. Nothing to it, really! Please don't be scared it's not horrible. I'll tell you what though, whatever you do DO NOT smoke! That's where the pain comes in.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Ice packs or bags of frozen peas (or whatever) - hold them to your cheeks for as long as you can as often as possible after getting the teeth out; it'll help to reduce the swelling (it does work! - I did it and my face didn't swell at all and there was very little bruising). The hot salt water gargling is disgusting but probably worth it; my gums got infected just after and it was nasty (especially as the reason I got them out in the first place was to stop getting infections...) It's not a nice experience but at least you can watch TV (??!)

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

I had all four wisdom teeth out at the same time and all of mine were impacted. Not only did my cheeks swell, but I had huge yellow and greenish blue bruises. It was not pretty.

The worst part of the experience for me was having to sign the release paper before surgery. The paper that says, "if they should happen to severe a nerve, or break anything you are not allowed to sue". That actually happened to a friend of mine, she eventually got feeling back in the front of her mouth, but for two years the front of her mouth felt like she had been shot with pain killers.

I know everyone is talking about the great drugs, and I can tell you they did help me the first couple of days. However, I continued to take my pain killers and they made me feel like shit. I felt all drowsy and sluggish and nasty. Once I stopped taking them, I felt 100 percent better.

I agree with whoever was talking about the salt water rinse, and I will add something to that. The doctor who removed my wisdom teeth provided me with a little syringe. He instucted me to fill it up with warm salt water and squirt it into the holes where my wisdom teeth were removed. He told me this helps to remove food particles and what not, and helps to prevent dry socket and infection. I squirted religiously and I did not have any problems. You might ask your dentist.

Good Luck!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

My mom came up with this little hint. Of course, you want to apply ice as much as possible to reduce swelling and bruising, but it sucks having to hold ice on your face, right? Right. So she fixed up this little contraption of one scarf, two dish towels, and two ziploc bags of ice. Wrap the bags in the dish towels, place them on either side of your head, then use the scarf to hold them in place. Loop from under your chin and tie at the top of your head. Voila!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

i am a complete and total baby. all of mine were impacted and so they had to totally dig. all went well though.. and yah, percoset or vicadin is the stuff. fuck that advil crap. and it really isn't that bad. especially with the drugs. i had very minimal swelling. i guess i lucked out. good drugs and no swelling ;) hope you are as lucky. be brave little one!

Caitlyn

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

I didn't have much trouble with mine. The dentist said I had the "easy" kind to get out. The worst parts were:

-When the UberMotrin wore off and I had been too drugged to stop to get a refill. Luckily, I found a pharmacy that delivered.

-The dentist left a huge chunk of tooth in my mouth, which scared the shit out of me, because I thought he'd cut an extra tooth.

-The dentist sending me the bill for unnecessary X-rays. I went to the oral surgeon my dentist recommended without checking him out much because I was in such pain and wanted the teeth out fast. The oral surgeon's office was like a tooth-excising factory and they whisked me in and out of rooms so fast it didn't really sink it how odd it was for them to take a full head X-ray for four wisdom teeth. Review the proceedure with your surgeon and check with your insurance company about what they cover.

-No waiting room after. I wrote my address on a piece of paper for a cabbie, but I don't know what I would've done if I had been in the suburbs and had to drive or take the bus.

Otherwise, the surgury itself was over before I realized I'd gone under. I agree with the person who said the drugs make you sick after a while. Try increasing the time between doses to see if you really need the hard stuff (I had Vicodin) after a few days. It started to make me nauseous and I spent that entire weekend dozing off, which got old.

Though I'm fat to begin with, I do have a bit of "pumpkin face" in that day's journal photo.

Good luck!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Ack! I have to have my wisdom teeth taken out this summer, too. I'm not at all looking forward to it, but they are making my bottom teeth so crooked it will be worth it. There just doesn't seem to be enough space in my mouth. :)

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2000

Three things that are REALLY helpful while recovering

1) Stay well off from anything funny, because any little grin will hurt and any laughter will be painful for some days.

2) Brubaker. You know, the film with Robert Redford as a prison manager ? No kidding, it helps ;-)

3) Okay, I'm having some trouble explaining this, as I don't even know the correct german term for it, but I'll try to give you an explanation, maybe you can guess what I mean:
There are those plastic containers about 2*5*15 cm filled with some liquid. You put them in the freezer, and when they are cold, you put them in a special kind of bag to keep the contents of the bag cool. No clue what they are called. But having two of them really helps cooling you face. Use one for cooling and put one in the freezer. Swap as soon as the first starts to get warm. They are the best cooling you can get. But take a towel or something in your hand when you hold them, because they will cool your face, but definetly freeze your hand after a while ;-)

My dentist was quite funny. I had 4 removed in 94, 2 in the summer holidays and the other half in the autumn holidays. When I came in in autumn he said something like 'how are you today' and I muttered 'uh, well'. He looked into his files and said 'Oh, I see you've already been here, you know, we can change that' *grin*. Now I'd say he tried to make a joke, but back then, sitting on the chair, I would have liked to choke him for that remark ;-)

First time I was afraid because I didn't know what to expect, second time, I was afraid, because I knew. But don't worry, it will work out fine. After all, what is a week compared to the rest of your life without having to worry about that again ?


-- Anonymous, June 24, 2000

I have one tiny hint, which may or may not apply to you. Both my husband and I had violent reactions to the anesthesia they used (or something). Weird thing was, we had ours out about 10 years apart -- I'm not even sure they used the same drugs -- and we both had the same reaction. We both had the IV drip, and after we got home and it wore off, we were both violently ill. I mean BAD. And I'm tellin' ya, puking your guts out is bad enough, but when you're in that kind of pain, with gauze stuffed in your mouth -- man! I know this is way gross, and it probably won't happen to you, but I thought I should warn you that there's a small chance it could. Be prepared with some kind of anti-nausea drug, like Imitrol (which you can get at the drugstore, or ask your doc for something Rx, just in case.

Also, have someone who you trust take you to have the surgery, who can stay with you after they take you home. (The trust is important for one thing because I know I must've looked pretty scary after I had mine out, and I know my husband did! He's so tall and lanky and was so unsteady on his feet I was afraid he was just going to keel all the way over!) Have them stay with you at least for a couple of hours, until the anesthesia has worn completely off, so you're sure you're not having an adverse reaction or anything. You may not really want the company, but it's a good idea, especially if you live alone.

The good news is, after I stopped puking, I was fine in a few hours. My husband even had chips and salsa the DAY after he had his out, but I'm not sure I would recommend that!

Good luck to you -- and have fun on your pain meds!

liz

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2000

I had my wisdom teeth taken out about thirteen years ago. All four at the same time, plus one extra tooth that was coming in behind my lower front tooth. All of the wisdom teeth were completely impacted, and all of them had to be broken apart to be removed (which was kind of sad, since I was really looking forward to making a necklace out of them).

I had absolutely no trouble with the procedure. I didn't even need the codeine that they had prescribed for me; it never hurt at all. But I did have endless fun playing with the ends of the stitches that came out of my gums. :)

You'll be fine, Megan. Best wishes!

The Chronicles of Richard

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2000

I had mine out about 6 years ago. when they came in they pushed all my other teeth together and actually *crushed* one of my molars so I had to have 5 teeth pulled at once, and at least a couple of the wisdom teeth were impacted. but the procedure was a breeze. I felt so stupid for having put it off and living with the toothache pain so long. they didn't even give me a prescription, just sent me home with a couple pills not much stronger than tylenol. I didn't even need em (but I took em).
I remember waking up afterwards and they took me into a little room to recover before I went home and my husband (then my fiance) sat with me.. I thought there was a big wad of cotton or something in my mouth so I was pulling on it saying "what is this?" and he was smacking my hand saying "leave that alone!".. turned out it was my *tongue*.. hehe.
one bit of advice.. AVOID POPCORN for a few months. seems obvious, I know. :)

-- Anonymous, June 25, 2000

Megan, how old are you? If you're about 18, you'll be fine. If you're about 30, you're in for a world of hurt. Or so I hear....I haven't had mine taken out yet (I'm 27). I'm a big chicken and I'm still trying to convince myself they don't need to go. My bottom teeth are all crooked, but I don't think that needs to be corrected (or is even correctable) now.

-- Anonymous, June 25, 2000

I know this isn't totally on the subject, but has anyone ever had a root canal and would you like to share your stories/comments on those too? I'm supposed to get one of those done this week :(

Megan.. if you're going to be off work for 5 days, you might want to check out the post from a few weeks ago regarding good summer reading!!

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

ah, i was the victim of a root canal... probably the longest one in history- i had SEVEN visits over the course of five months to complete the damn thing. strange, but true. of course the irony is that i only had one cavity at the time, and three years later it needed a root canal.

get lots of vicodin. check out "howthingswork.com" to find out what happens when they do a root cana- it made me feel better.

if you doc doesn't have (laughing) gas for the procedure, LIKE MINE DIDN'T, it IS possible to make it through with visual imagery. i'm a total wuss, and managed to get a billion long-ass needle shots without freaking out. of course, i was climbing a mountian in my head...

good luck!

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

don't work yourself up about getting wisdom teeth removed. If you go into the dentist all tense, the more difficult it will be for the anesthesia to take effect and the teeth will not come out as easy.

I had 5 wisdom teeth removed at one time about 4 years ago. I know you are only supposed to have 4, but lucky me had 6. The dentist could get to 5 of them and he just said to hell with the 6th one. It would have required surgury to remove. It was a little stunted and wasn't going to impact my other teeth since the main wisdom tooth was removed. I had the twilight sleep - not general anethesia. The only real pain I had was soreness from keeping my mouth open for hours while the dentist was doing his thing.

I left the dentists office and went to lunch and had a milkshake. I took one day off work, but really could have gone back the next day.

Same holds true for a root canal. I've had two done. The first time I had one done I had just worked 24 hours straight, went to the dentist had the root canal and then went right back to work. Noone at work knew I had had it done.

I just had another one done this past January (I've got real bad teeth). If the dentist puts enough novacaine then you are good to go. The worst part is keeping your mouth open for an extended period. both times I had them do the whole procedure in one sitting. I've heard that the can also split it up in to two parts. I would recommend just getting it all done at once.

Relax. Follow the dentist's instructions. You'll be fine.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

thanks to everyone for your helpful advice. keep it coming! the more "good stories" i hear, the less anxious i am. i've heard that age is definitely a factor in wisdom teeth removal, too. my mother had hers at out at 45 and was miserable. my 18-year-old sister had hers out six months ago and was fine (no swelling!). i'm almost 25 and i'm hoping i'll be somewhere in the middle. thanks again!

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

I had mine taken out a couple of years ago and yes, it was hell. I only had one that was impacted but only 3 had grown in so I might have to go back later in life when the 4th one grows in. (very strange). Anyway...it was bad. The main thing that you need to remember is that they are going to give you pain medication but DO NOT take that medication on an empty stomach. Because then not only will your mouth be hurting like the devil but you will be sick to your stomach and want to throw up...not a good combination. try to find some soft foods or something that you like that you can drink without moving your mouth too much and stock up on it so that you will have something on your stomach when you take your Tylenol 3!

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

I was in training as a dental assistant for 2 years, and each of those years we would visit the university hospital as "interns". When we would observe in the oral surgery recovery areas, nausea was quite usual, as well as swelling. Discomfort from the surgery shouldn't really be evident for a couple of hours, in most cases. And I second whoever said that you should have someone drive you home, a lot of places won't let you leave unless you do. Hope this helps!

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

Forgive me if this has already been said--I didn't have time to read all the responses so far. What I really remember about recovering from Wisdom Teeth Take-Out was throwing up after having swallowed blood.

My advice, then, of course, would be to keep up on changing the cotton. When it gets soaked, the blood has nowhere to go but down your throat. And if you fall asleep while this is going on, you're going to wake up yakkin'. And you are going to fall asleep, so keep that in mind. :)

Vampires are fun to watch, not fun to be. Change. The. Cotton.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

This was mentioned above, but I just wanted to emphasize it. The doctor gave me the little syringe, but I thought my gums were plenty clean. Until I got a nasty infection and my gums got swollen and painful and I had to take antibiotics. After that I started using the syringe, and I was surprised and disgusted by how much food really was trapped in those holes. Get the syringe. And use it!

Whoever above had six wisdom teeth, sorry, I think you had one of mine! I only had three, and two of them had erupted and basically just had to be pulled normally. I got novacaine and nitrous while they cut them out, and I don't think I had anything stronger than mega-tylenol after. You should be fine. Good luck!

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

(Homer Simpson voice) Mmmmmmmm. Vicadin. I didn't even need it afterward, but man, I enjoyed it long after the surgery.

I'm 30. Some dentist told me at 23 I should have my wizzies out (they're impacted) but they never bothered me. Still don't. I don't get it. Am I safe now? Ha. Is it safe?

I did have two root canals recently. The worst part was the novacaine shots, one of which hurt like a mofo and made me bleed. Ow!Ow!Ow! Doc! The noises and the pressure of the drilling don't really bother me. If it freaks you out, I know some people have found help in their walkmans.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

I was around 27, the lower teeth were impacted, and all kinds of hammers and chisels were required. However, it only took about a day to recover. Nausea from the huge doses of local anesthetic, and soreness from having my tiny little mouth wedged further open than it ever had been before, were worse than the actual procedure.

I didn't have to take time off from work. My brother had them out at 21 under general anesthesia and was flat on his back for a week. Do you have to have a general?

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

Megan, when I had my teeth out, I heard all the horror stories too and I was really nervous, so I only had two out at a time. First one side, then the other side a couple years later. The bottoms were impacted, the tops were not. I only had local anesthetic and drove myself home, after first going to the grocery story for pudding and yogurt.

Someone else mentioned the syringe. Yes, Keep it clean! I had a dry socket in the bottom the first go round and didn't know it. I thought it was *supposed* to be that painful. DOH! You don't want that, girl! The second time, I expected it to be not as bad since I knew what to expect but the bottom one was still really bad.

My coworker had all four out at once, they were all impacted, then ALL of them got dry sockets. YoW!! Just do whatever you can to avoid that, rest, rest, rest and keep on the pain pills! Good luck and let us know how it goes.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

I forgot to mention that a gel-filled face mask was a wonderful thing to have on hand after the surgery. I had the kind that could be either chilled or heated. I used chilled for my wisdom cheeks and on my forehead. Also, I had pain radiating from my teeth, up the entire right side of my face. The post-extraction pain wasn't as bad (probably because I had better drugs).

I don't know about the age thing, I guess I was lucky. I'm 28 and my "peakaboo" wisdom teeth were coming in and out since I was 18 (my now-ten year old brother was also teething at the same time, oddly enough). Mine weren't nearly as bad as all the horror stories I'd heard about wisdom teeth. I took a half day off work on a Friday and was back to normal by Monday (weened myself off the drugs on Sunday).

My post-extraction diet for several days was soup and mushy crackers.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

Deciding to be knocked out was a wise move on your part-- they knocked me out when they removed all four of my wisdom teeth at once, and it was easy as pie. I was really, really lucky, though, because my face didn't really swell up at all, and my mouth didn't hurt at all afterwards. I didn't need my pain pills, or anything. Everyone else who had had their wisdom teeth taken out was really mad at me because I had such an easy time of it.

Don't worry, it won't be as bad as you're probably thinking it will. I was totally freaked out beforehand, too. Don't sweat it.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2000

Just remember... the downside to taking Vicodin for more than a day or so, is well, uh.... well, let's just say, you might need Metamucil to make you regular again.

Wheeee!

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

Megan,

I also had all four removed at once and ALL FOUR were impacted. I'm not gonna lie to you - this is the worse scenario for removal. Not one impacted, or two, but all four.

They usually don't even GIVE you the choice of if you want to get knocked out or not, they just do. So, while you're under, they cut your gums, break the teeth into pieces and pull the pieces out. They only "lightly" put you under, so I came to while they were doing it, remember feeling a horrible tugging sensation and the nurse saying "she's coming to.." then they knocked me out again.

Afterwards, I started crying (for no reason) and they said that was common after being "put under". You WILL need the painkillers and will need to constantly be changing the cotton gauze they give you to soak up the blood. I missed work 3 days straight, when I thought I would only miss one. It's more major than most people think!

Good Luck! Breathe and relax..you'll be glad when their finally out!

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

I had mine pulled 2 at a time...one side then the other. The bottom two were impacted. I heard of a pharmasutical company that needed guinea pigs for a new medication, and since I knew that mine had to come out, I went to them. I was awake durring the entire thing, just under a local anesthetic, and it took all of 15 minutes each.

The only part of it that was bad for me is the fact that the nurses that were taking care of me afterwords didn't pay attention to my chart. The company makes you stay in the clinic overnight so they can judge how well the medication works, and they have all of these nurses that take care of you. Well, I think I got a hold of a placebo pain killer, so I asked for some real painkillers. She brought me back two little white pills, and I didn't even think to aske her if they are asprin, because it was written plainly on my chart that asprin makes me sick. I had been drinking some fruit punch all day, and about 20 minutes after I took the asprin I proceeded to throw up an amazing amount of red juice. The nurses were horrified. It's kinda funny now, what with the immediate freaking out of the nurses, but at the time, throwing up after major surgery really sucked. I made $525 by letting them take my teeth out and test the drug on me, and the surgery was completely free.

Don't worry about the pain or the swelling. The doctor will give you a little pill that will help with the swelling (it does help a bit), and then he will give you a prescription for the good stuff, probably Vicodin. You won't be feeling much of anything!

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

Vicodan. Extra strength Vicodan. Worship Vicodan. And load up on soup, applesauce, puddings and cheesecake. The cheesecake is one of those "I'm hurting so leave me the hell alone" kind of delicious treats that would perk anyone up. Oh -- and it's soft, too! -- but it won't do much for the actual problem.

The above suggestions in this forum about the ice will help so much. Between lots of rest, Vicodan, ice and soft foods, you'll be fine the next day. Just rinse with warm saltwater to keep the gumline from getting infected and all's well that ends well.

Good luck, Megan! :o)

Meghan from Strangely Enigmatic



-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

I just has all four pulled at once back in April, and it wasn't so bad. My bottom two teeth were impacted, and I vaguely remember waking up when the dentist was pulling the bottom right tooth that was turned and facing forward.

The first day is the worst. Make sure to have someone around who loves you and doesn't mind the sight of blood because those gauze pads fill up quickly. Make sure they give you some good drugs that will make you sleep all day. Second day, not so bad, and it gets better every day after that. I had it done on a Thursday, and Monday I was back at work.

My bottom jaw ached for two weeks afterward, but now (what, two months later?) I'm fine. Unless you count the holes. Make sure they give you a syringe so you can clean the holes. They heal after a while, too, with no pain.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

I had 3 of my 4 widsom teeth taken out, and all were impacted. (The 4th was all the way through, and therefore left in due to insurance company b.s.--LONG story!). Take the pain meds they give you, and ice, ice, ice as long as you can stand it. I did so, and had very little swelling and barely any bruising. I had my teeth out on a Thursday, and Sunday afternoon drove myself back to college, a 4 hour drive. I was a little loopy, even though I didn't take the pain meds before I left because they had a tendency to knock me out, but I made it there just fine. Follow the post-op instructions the oral surgeon gives you and avoid using straws! You'll be fine, I'm sure. I was able to perform in a concert the week after (I'm a flutist), and although it was a bit uncomfortable because the necessary practice had aggrevated the swelling, I don't think anyone noticed a difference besides me.

As for the root canal, I had one when I was 12. Um, it pretty much sucked, but only because the novacaine WORE OFF in the middle of the procedure because my dentist had given me the shot and wandered off to clean someone else's teeth or something and not come back for almost 45 minutes. So not only did I feel part of the procedure, I had to be given another shot. I refused to go back to that dentist after that experience, which caused my mother all kinds of grief.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

In comparison to some of these stories, my experience was equivalent to an all expenses paid holiday. My God, I am lucky for my experience. Ick. Ouch.

I had all four out in one shabang, bottom two were impacted, the top two were VERY impacted. I should have had them out three years earlier but the dentist's office had misplaced the names on mine and my brother's X-rays. So they told him that he needed his out for a very long time. Luckily, he procrastinates and never had it done and the problem was solved. He didn't need his out at all. Mine, however, had become pretty painful.

I was knocked out for my procedure, which I prefer. I was given a script for Percoset which worked okay. I didn't swell at all and considering I ignored the dentist's advice and smoked the next day, I was lucky not to develop dry socket.

One piece of advice, to avoid the puking from swallowed blood horror story:

Tea Bags.

Has noone ever heard of this? A couple of times a day, soak some teabags and put them over the bleeders in your mouth. Suck on 'em for a little while. It will stop the bleeding. It really, really helps.

Maybe it's a Southern thing. I dunno.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

Hi! I'm getting all four of mine out in about a week. I came here to look for some good advice. Found some but a little bit of it scared me even more. All four of mine are impacted, and they are gonna knock me out, even though I'm terrifed of needles. To be honest I'm more scared of the needle then getting the teeth pulled. And of course the pain afterwards. Some people have told me the worst pain ever in your life, others have said no big deal you will be fine in a day. Yeah right, you talking about the super dooper chicken over here. I'll repost once the bad babies are out.

Thanks everyone for the advice over here. Peace.

-- Anonymous, November 04, 2001

Hi, I made it as if you can all tell. It really wasn't that bad. The worst part was the pain for about four days. Besides that it was alright. I wouldn't do it again. So for all of you out there don't sweat it. :-)

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2001