wisdom teeth.

Expect a good time. I've never felt better!

Originally posted by distance:
i've never been put under so i'm not really sure what to expect personally.

58 is the new 38!

I will run a marathon the year my kid graduates high school.

Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
I always wanted to name my kid "Super" growing up. Alas, as I've turned 40, I've backed down on that desire. Just in time.

have you given any thought to the fact that you will be _extremely_ old by the time your kid graduates from high school?

Miss P … speaking from my own experience and that of a mom playing nurse to a teenage daughter who had a quadruple impacted extraction a few months ago …

Here are my basic thoughts for you to keep in mind …

What I found was that since it's your first time having oral surgery, the pain/discomfort afterwards may be worse from the initial stretching of the jaw/ligaments than from the actual surgery per se … it took about a week for me to even be able to open my mouth wide enough to, say, eat a cheeseburger (no such problems after the second set of extractions though). Advil/Aleve will probably help that but hey, if you can go for the gusto, get the Vicodin/Percocet etc.

Dry sockets, I hear, are absolute hell but reasonably uncommon. Your dentist will give you tips to avoid them (don't use a straw, rinse GENTLY, etc.) I never had one, nor did my daughter (my husband did but he's never been one to follow the rules).

Before the surgery go to the supermarket and fill your fridge with soft stuff you love. Indulge yourself. We had shelves full of pudding, smoothies, milkshakes, etc. I think ice cream is not a good idea because it's really cold, so try to go more for room temperature or warm rather than extremes.

MAKE SURE you have someone there with you at the DDS to help you home. Not just to drive but to help you stagger out of there. You'll be out of it and won't remember much anyway. That's what friends are for …

After you sleep for a few hours, have on hand some good books, good movies, Grey's Anatomy on DVD, what have you. Allow yourself at least 48 hours to just stay in bed with your favorite tunes, drugs and maybe some hot bubble baths.

Finally, compresses and ice packs. You know the old-fashioned ice packs that you see old guys wear in the cartoons, that you stick on your head and fill with ice chips? Those are great. Get two … you're not supposed to have the ice on both sides at once, they suggest you shift back and forth and not have it on for TOO long at one time for the healing process.

The anticipation and dread is probably going to be worse than the reality, so indulge yourself to offset the discomfort/pain.

In my daughter's case, she was back to school in two days and never in agony … at worst, she said, severe discomfort and even that was for a day at most. (Yay, she didn't use all the Percocet!)

Hope this helps and good luck!!!!!

I had mine removed when I was 18. Last thing I remember was listening to Stone Roses on my walkman, which was hot at the time. The drugs they gave me were very, very good. They tell me I laughed alot going down. Afterward it wasn't bad at all. A little discomfort, but nothing horrific.

I SURVIVED!
they gave me laughing gas + some IV sedation + novocaine shots. so now my puffy face is taking an ice pack and im watching 'freaks and geeks.'

i really want a milkshake :)

thanks for all the words of support and stories to scare the shit out of me. luckily, i didn't have an experience like mrpee. in fact, they escorted me out of the back of the building where my mother had the car was waiting for me…

Originally posted by miss pretentious:
where my mother had the car was waiting for me…

the side-effect of the drugs: loss of proof-reading skills… ;)

I hope you brought enough for the whole class.

Glad you pulled through…..we had a candlelight vigil for you down here in West Palm Beach.

I had my tooth ground down and a temp crown fitted yesterday….am I weird or does anyone else like the odor of burning tooth enamel?

Originally posted by Roadbike Mankie:

I had my tooth ground down and a temp crown fitted yesterday….am I weird or does anyone else like the odor of burning tooth enamel?

i don't know about enamel, but i've got some pretty positive mental connections with the smell of my own burning flesh if that makes you feel better.

Originally posted by Roadbike Mankie:
Glad you pulled through…..we had a candlelight vigil for you down here in West Palm Beach.

I had my tooth ground down and a temp crown fitted yesterday….am I weird or does anyone else like the odor of burning tooth enamel?

you are weird

Oh man, I had 2 wisdom teeth pulled and 2 cut out all in the same day. As with most, I was loaded up with good drugs during the surgery and afterwards. I think they gave me Haldol for the surgery but then they gave me Percodan afterwards.

Unlike a lot of others, I do not at all get nauseous from the drugs and it has this great affect on my appetite. Just after the surgery, I came home only to eat a giant juicy rare stake, a big salad and all of the trimmings. Took me hours to do so but I ate every last bite and enjoyed every bit of it. The next couple of weeks I ate like crazy! The only thing I had trouble with where sandwiches and that was only because I couldn't open my mouth far enough to cram them in. Of course, with the appetite I had on those drugs, that sure didn't stop me. I just used a knife and fork or found some other way to break it down.

A little after the fact eating advice: Learn to chew using your front teeth and allow your saliva to break down drier foods. Your eating time will be much slower but if you try, you'll be amazed at what all you can handle.

congratulations! getting the wizzies pulled ain't so bad. the antibiotics were the worst for me…

and all mouth smells are bad. I've been assisting my dad/boss/dentist for the past couple weeks while the assistant was out, and while I don't mind doing it a couple of days…now I'm absolutely sick of teeth. didn't help that the last procedure we did was yanking a huge, decaying molar…one of the most disgusting things I've seen. I swear, my dad rarely does extractions, but whenever he does, I assist him. it's some strange unwritten universal law. BLEGH.

Didn't you go to FIT? I know they have a toy design major, but I was unaware of the dental school. Can I assume then that your scrubs are the height of fashion? :D

Originally posted by Samantha:
I've been assisting my dad/boss/dentist for the past couple weeks while the assistant was out

heh, I went to a couple summer classes at FIT, yeah, but I haven't been to college yet.

I work the front desk at my dad's dental office, and I basically fill in for anyone who's out…past two weeks filling in for the dental assistant, I'm trained for that from working here so many summers.

Gotcha. Not to stalk or anything, but it struck a chord with me when you said it. My wife went there, and prior to meeting her, I had never even heard of it.

Originally posted by Samantha:
heh, I went to a couple summer classes at FIT, yeah

whatever man I see you peeking through my window. I hate having the window desk.

oh, and my scrubs are the ones I bought when I was like 14…I don't bother with the pants, and the tops are close to being corsets. "stylish" isn't the right word

Attn: Vansmack.

Originally posted by Samantha:
I don't bother with the pants, and the tops are close to being corsets. "stylish" isn't the right word

I wear jeans.

Originally posted by vansmack:
Not only do I have all of my wisdom teeth fitting nicely, I still have two baby teeth in my bottom jaw taking up space.

I learned a harsh lesson today - never go to the dentist on Friday the 13th. Looks like the "fitting nicely" part has expired and I'm having two yanked soon. Few things get me anxious, but the dentist is one of them. I am notorious for novocaine not working long enough and waking up/not falling asleep with the recommended dosage. This is going to suck.

Originally posted by Samantha:
oh, and my scrubs are the ones I bought when I was like 14…I don't bother with the pants, and the tops are close to being corsets.

Therefore, it looks like I need the address now, and maybe I'll get my wisdom teeth removed while I'm there too.