Monday 10 March 2008

Day 3

It's 48 hours after the op now, so the pain and swelling should hopefully start to go down from now. Still no hideous complications yet. I still can't open my mouth properly, and I still haven't been able to clean my teeth. I'm pretty sure my breath is about as bad as you might expect for someone with 3 open wounds in their mouth who hasn't cleaned their teeth in over 48 hours. My mouth tastes like a morgue.

Something I forgot to say before was, I really, really would recommend that anybody having their wisdom teeth out has it done under sedation. At the place I had it done, it was only £25 extra to have it done privately under sedation than it would have been to have it done fully conscious on the NHS, and it was so worth it. It would have been worth it even if it had been twice the NHS charge. There are so many benefits of sedation for anyone, whether dentist-phobic or not.

  • Fear = pain. Pain causes anxiety, and anxiety worsens pain. Take out the anxiety and it will be much less painful.

  • If the procedure is particularly painful, you'll be too off your face to scream, hit people, climb the walls and throw various dental instruments at your surgeon, etc. This sounds bad, but it means it will be over quicker, and it's likely that you will have at best a very vague memory of it anyway.

  • Sleep is the best medicine. I attribute the massive diminishment of pain on Day 2 to the fact that I spent most of Day 1 asleep, which I would not have been able to do without the drugs. If you do have this done without sedation, dose yourself up on sleeping pills, or see if your GP will give you some oral sedatives to take before and after the procedure.

  • You don't know what your pain/panic thresholds are. This is the most unpleasant dental procedure you can have both in terms of pain and in terms of the surgeon having to use loads of implements that look like instruments of medieval torture. Don't be a hero, take the sedation - if you're lucky you won't remember anything about it.
  • 10 comments:

    Unknown said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Unknown said...

    I just came across your posting while doing post-wisdom teeth surgery research. I have to wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment of sedation. I say don't go under EVER unless it's entirely necessary -- and I've been through some pretty gnarly surgeries under local anesthetic.

    I had all four teeth pulled three days ago after a few hearty shots of Lidocaine. I was anxious out of my little brain moments prior to the extraction, but the process was a piece of cake. 20 minutes later I shot the doc two thumbs up and hopped out of the chair. No recovery time coming out of the anesthetic, no nausea, nothing. SO glad I went local. Although, undoubtedly, different people have different experiences, I think it's wise to try local first. Going under is risky business.

    Word to the wise: You can always start out with local and bump it to general if it becomes too much.

    Rachel Bunce Films said...

    In response to Wordsmith858, I think you're confusing sedation with general. They are two completely different things. When you are sedated, its thru an intravenous injection and you are not unconscious, it makes you extremely drowsy and you can barely remember what happens during the procedure - its brilliant! I just had it 3 days ago, and i couldn't have done it otherwise. General is risky, and unnecessary thanks to sedation.

    Definitely recommend sedation to anyone that has the option - if nothing else, its hilarious for about an hour afterwards :) make sure you film yourself!

    Unknown said...

    Hi!

    I considered your post informative. There are lots of people struggling from dental phobia for different reasons. I remember what my dad told me that you can only overcome your fear if you face it alone. One of the common phobias is dental phobia. Sleeping dentistry is really helpful for children and adults. Using this procedure, pain can be avoided during the operation. But it would be a great achievement if you overcome your phobia by passing through the painful procedure. Usually, dentists Collierville-based let their patients feel comfortable before starting the dental surgery. My sister's dentist in Collierville is very kind and friendly that's why she didn't encounter dental phobia on her first tooth extraction.

    danakscully64 said...

    I'm on day 3 of recovery and overall, it hasn't been too bad. I was terrified of being put under, but that was the easiest part. I was given the IV, got a tiny bit dizzy, then I remember waking up just fine. I was calm and not in pain. Stopping the bleeding on day 1 was hard because holding the gauze in place is hard with a sensitive gag reflex. Eating has been difficult because I'm so grossed out by eating with my mouth in its current condition. I managed to sip down from Spiru-tein yesterday, then some Amy's No Chicken Noodle. I'm swollen today, but not too bad. I'm just terrified of developing dry sockets, so I'm being very careful. Overall though, I'm saying this while still recovering and day 1 fresh in my mind... it hasn't been too bad.

    Réya said...

    I had my surgery Monday, May 14th around 10am. Its currently Wednesday, May 16th @3:10 on the morning. Just took some more pain killers. They haven't really done much. I'm so sick of eating soup && jello. I NEED real food.

    Day 1) had a local anesthesic. I really wished I was put under. That was the longest 30 minutes of my life. I absolutely HATE dentist!! All 4 wisdom teeth extracted. post surgery I was great until my licodine wore off. The gauze is horrible. I have a sensitive gag & damn near thru up every time. I was glad @7pm i stopped bleeding. I swelled only slightly but was in excruciating pain. Sleep thru it everyone said. Yea, if only! High, VERY, tolerance to pain medication. Finally got to sleep around 3in the morning && slept til 6am the next day.

    Day 2) OMG! I look a chipmunk, a cabbage patched doll && sloth from the hookiest all mixed together. I couldn't believe the swelling I had. I look horrible. Pain was moderate. mostly sore. I've been rinsing with warm salt water && using ice packs on && off. The swelling hasn't gone down. I threw up today. Too.many pills, not enough food. I'm in pain now. Not very fin throwing up when you can barely open your mouth. At least I can kinda brush my teeth.

    Day 3) still in pain && sore. I'm convinced the swelling got worse. Mamí says its less. Boyfriend says its the same. Best friend says worse. I feel like a monster :( Now when I rinse with the warm salt water I'm bleeding a little. Idk why. I've called my dentist multiple times. For stronger pills. For oral sedatives. To see me. To answer questions. Each time he said the sane thing: relax. Sleep thru it. Yeaaa? I'm trying to! I mean shouldn't the swelling be going down now?? && the pain subsiding? Well it's only 3:30 am on day 3. Going back to sleep. Update later?

    Reybies said...

    I had a general to have my bottom impacted teeth removed and I'm glad I did as I was in there for an hour and a half. I.e. also not in favour of going under unless necessary, but I asked the surgeon what he recommended and took his advice. I'd always suggest taking their advice. They know how long and complicated a procedure it might be according to your individual circumstances. They won't put you to sleep if they don't think it's worth it- it's more risky.

    Anonymous said...

    wisdom teeth extraction
    It feels awesome to read such informative and unique articles on your websites.

    Dante said...

    Going to get the rest of mine out here soon! This is a good blog, but my bottom left wisdom tooth was all infected and impacted. My upper ones i feel like are making my 2nd molars shift around! If you could get back to me about what to expect with upper wisdom tooth removals that would be awesome! (:

    Charles C Hagaman said...

    Learn everything you need to know about Wisdom Tooth Pain in Jaw. If you are suffering from Wisdom Tooth Pain in Jaw, then this guide will help you overcome the jaw pain by recommending you various tips & remedies that are helpful in Wisdom Tooth Pain in Jaw wisdom tooth removal