I have an appointment to have two of my wisdom teeth extracted. Eek!

I had to go to the dentist this past Monday for an emergency appointment. I had been having some gum and jaw pain over the last week and it was progressively getting worse. And, since my last experience at the dentist was a wisdom tooth and molar extraction due to an infection, I was concerned about waiting any longer than necessary. But, since I was very unhappy with my last experience, I did not want to go to the same dentist. Therefore, I made a new appointment with a new dental practice and had a new exam and x-rays taken. Thankfully, I did not have an abscess this time, but I was told that my three remaining wisdom teeth need to be removed. I also have a couple of small cavities in between teeth that require fillings, but they told me that I can wait a bit on those and the deep cleaning/scaling I need done. But, the wisdom teeth need out as soon as possible. Thus, the appointment for their extraction is next Monday.

On Monday, I am going to have my upper and lower wisdom teeth on my right side extracted. I would love to have the third tooth extracted at the same time, but the dentist doesn't want to remove them all at once. And, even if he would be willing to do so, the expense all at once would be too difficult to manage. Before April, I had never had issues with my teeth. Never a cavity, never a filling, never an extraction. But, apparently, my wisdom teeth are causing all sorts of issues inside of my mouth. I have a very small mouth and, while the teeth have erupted, there is no space for them. And, that is causing them to wreak havoc in my mouth. I am grateful to be able to have the two teeth removed (the third is not as serious), but I am also anxious. When I had my two teeth extracted in April, I felt nothing since the roots were deadened by the infection. This time, I am expecting it to be painful. And, since I have a weak immune system, the fear of infection or dry socket is not unreasonable. But, I know something needs to be done and I am thankful to be willing and able to have the two wisdom teeth extracted.

I'll be starting preventative antibiotics on Friday to help resist infection and am also rinsing with warm salt water multiple times daily. I am also taking extra precautions by not eating foods that are likely to get stuck in the gum pockets that have formed over my wisdom teeth. I have good oral hygiene and so I'm not concerned on that front, but it is painful going through this nonetheless. I am really just afraid of the procedure. It will be more involved than my previous extractions and I may even need to be sedated if the teeth are difficult to remove (they have broken through the gum tissue, but have since been covered over by new tissue). So, I'm a bit scared. I usually do okay with medical procedures and the like, but my lack of experience with dental issues is apparent. So, please, if you can spare some advice, support, or vibes, they would be most appreciated.

Yeesh, you sure have seem to be making up for a lifetime of good oral health! Poor Alison.. it doesn't sound like fun, but knowing that getting the wisdom teeth out will make your mouth better in the long run should be some consolation.

Best of luck! Here's some vibes for a quick recovery and no infections!!

I had all 3 wisdom teeth extracted at the same time. Not a problem at all. I woke up from the extraction with barely any swelling and pain. I wanted to leave right away and he told me I needed to stay a bit to make sure I didn't have any post-surgery or drug reactions. I honestly felt like they put me to sleep then just woke me up without doing anything!

I had to ask the dentist to show me the teeth he extracted since I didn't believe he did anything! I used no drugs and was eating normal food by the 3rd day.

Make sure you follow a strict cleaning/rinsing schedule. This will make a world of difference. Do get an irrigation syringe. Here's the cleaning method I used when I had my operation:

Wisdom Teeth Post-Op Cleaning

I had mine out one at a time...I was chicken My last one comes out July 12th. My dentist takes about 10 minutes and then he is done..and it is painless! He is a miracle worker

I agree with the waking up and not remembering a thing! I have a very small mouth too and my wisdom teeth were causing so much pressure they caused a cavity to fracture a tooth in half... so I had 5 teeth removed at once. no fun!
I ate lots of mashed potato's and pudding lol!
I did have a lot of swelling that lasted for about 2 weeks actually, but no major problems !
Big hint that I did though, buy a toddler toothbrush! It was so much easier than a regular tooth brush!
The medicines I was on made me extremely dizzy so I took a few extra days off work and laid around the house, but by day 4 I was eating a cheeseburger lol! I craved them the entire time!

That does not sound fun AT ALL! Vibes for a speedy recovery hun.

One more piece of advice, if you smoke, DON'T. Dry socket is not fun.

Also do not drink out of straws.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Good luck with everything! My husband had it done a few years ago and I felt so bad for him after

Ugh, I know how you feel about having not enough room for wisdom teeth! Mine are just starting to come through but I already have an preliminary appointment with an oral surgeon on July 19th. I'm hoping everything will go well for you!

Very few people have room in their mouths for their wisdom teeth. It's not necessarily because one has a small mouth, but because humans in general have evolved smaller jaws.

I still have mine I need to get out. It's a matter of our dental insurance not being that great and not having the money to cover the rest of it. I had a dentist that was all gun-ho to just pull mine under locals (which would be cheaper than using general anesthesia and a surgeon) but there's a little problem with that. No sort of pain control really works on me - locals only get rid of about 60% of the pain and feeling. So I would feel pain from cutting and pulling. I'd have no pain control after and a heavy course of antibiotics could put me back in the hospital - I've actually had three doctors outright tell me, don't take any unless you have a serious infection.

Hopefully no one else has those sort of problems to worry about!
I do suggest the OP take some probiotics and keep doing so for a couple months in order to build up the GI flora that all the recent antibiotics (over the last year or two) will have destroyed. Since it's been one thing after another for you health wise the last thing you need is to be hospitalized with a serious (potentially deadly) infection.

I had mine removed a little over a year ago. I went in on Thursday and returned to work on Monday. However, I wish I had taken one more day off (I couldn't without filing FMLA, which is required when you take more than 3 sick days off "in a row" from my employer), but other than that things were OK. I did try to wean myself off the medication early, and that didn't go so well.

Also, find out what OTC pain relievers you might be able to take along with what they give you, in case you need them. I had to take extra, because I have TMJ and other jaw issues and the surgery inflamed things a bit.

I'm sure you'll do just fine. Good luck!

I had a similar problem! I went to the dentist last weekend because my mouth was hurting really badly on one side. She said one my wisdom teeth needs to come out, there's also a big cavity in it. I'm scared to get it done though... I had two wisdom teeth out a long time ago and I had them sedate me that time but I am probably going to be awake for this one.

Oh fun! I had all four of mine taken out at once - and I am glad I did. They were causing me so much pain as they were growing outwards. I thought I would freak out because of the thought of needles in my mouth (I hate needles!) but they weren't too bad and they didn't even hurt. It was a lot of fun afterwards with a swollen mouth.

Good luck with the appointment - I am sure you will be fine

I had all 4 of mine extracted at the same time a week before my sixteenth birthday. (They were comming in sideways). It wasn't bad at all! Sending lots of vibes that everything goes smoothly for you!