[soilman]

I had a very positive experience having my wisdom teeth extracted. Severe pain lasted only for a few hours, later in the day. Started about 6 hours after the operation and lasted about 8 hours. I took tylenol w codeine #4, 2 or 3 tabs, and that, along with apirin, handled about 2/3 to 3/4 of the pain. Wasn't all that bad. I had zero swelling. The wasp sting i got to my face, under my eye, was much much worse than having a tooth extracted. I had huge swelling from that, and several days of pain that wasn't helped much by tylenol with codeine and aspirin.

Next day I took plain aspirin as needed. After about 3 or 4 days I was able to eat fairly normally again, just being careful not to get food in the extraction area, when chewing.

Hurts more to have more than one at a time. I had one at a time.

The operation itself was practically painless. Not even the needle hurt -- got a topical anesthetic first. Felt pressure, pressure, pressure, but not really pain, as the dentist pried the tooth out, the boom it was out. No pain.

Afterwards, years and years of nagging low-level pain, that I had had in each tooth, was finally gone.

Yes I had orthodontia, which is why I may have needed the extractions, since moving my teeth back left inadequate room for the wisdom teeth to come in.

 

[soilman]

One or more of mine needed to be excavated first. But all were done by a general dentist. One broke and he had to spend 45 minutes picking out little pieces of root with a special puller. But I had no more post-op pain from that one, than from the others.

Local anesthetic was quite adequate. The pain is afterwards, not during. I experienced it as "good" pain because I sensed that it was a sign that the constant low-level pain was finally gone.

 

[soilman]

Just make sure you find a good dentist. There is a big difference between individual dentists.

An oral surgeon would have cost me about $600 I think; general dentist I think charged $120.

 

[soilman]

What is predicted to be a simple extraction could turn into a complicated extraction. that is why it may be better to go to an oral surgeon to begin with.

I mean, for example, the dentist may find when he pulls an upper, that he's yanked out a big piece of bone along with the tooth and left a hole into your maxiallary sinus. A small hole may close over by itself, but if it is a large hole you may want an oral surgeon who can do a bone graft right away, instead of havng to go to an oral surgeon the next day, and end up having 2 operations, when if you went to an oral surgeon to begin with, you would have needed only one operation.

 

[soilman]

You are better off, in my opinion, not being knocked out with drugs -- if you want to avoid post-operative pain. General anesthetics may make the discomfort during the operation slightly less, but they will make the post-operative pain and discomfort a lot worse.

 

[soilman]

My experience with orthdontia was very negative. My face looks worse than it did before. I probably wouldn't have needed my wisdoms extracted if I didn't have orthodontia. My bite is real bad, and was fine before they started. They though I looked better, but I thought I looked worse. And my chewing ability was definitly degraded.

I think except in extreme cases of bad bite where chewing is impaired, and teeth are at really awful, and abnormal angles, it is best to avoid orthodontia.