mlktwins Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 If you child (mine is a 11.5 year old boy) has had several teeth extracted while under anesthesia (not just laughing gas), can you tell me what they were like upon waking up and how they did that first and second day? I know everyone will react differently to anesthesia and having teeth extracted, but I'm curious to hear your experiences. My son has anxiety dealing with medical procedures and is supposed to be having this done Friday morning. We are all set, got his meds, his favorite soft foods, etc. I have promised him several meals of his choice when he is able to eat well. DH will be coming to the procedure with me and will be my son's rock during all that (when I am not at my best). I am the one that will hang with him, amuse him, and spoil him afterwards. This past weekend, I had a fever for 3 days. The fever is gone and now I have congestion, cough, and am losing my voice. I am resting, but am so concerned I won't be 100% for this poor kid on Friday and the weekend. Everyone is talking about how bad the viruses are this year :-(. I also don't want it hanging over his head for another couple of weeks before I would make the next appointment. He is in the regional spelling bee in March and I would not reschedule it before then. I have been wearing a mask and doing my best to wipe everything down so no one else gets it. I wouldn't normally go to the mask extremes, but know this procedure is coming up. He is my lovey, cuddly kid and it is killing me not to be able to hug on him and make him feel calmer. I know you all can't tell me what I should do, but I would appreciate any input from those that have been there and done that. I'm feeling a bit whiny and stressed so go easy on me :-)!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Well, I can only tell you how I felt. I felt ok. A bit tired. Took about a day to kinda shake that off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 Well, I can only tell you how I felt. I felt ok. A bit tired. Took about a day to kinda shake that off. How many teeth and were you totally under? Did you have any nausea? I appreciate your response :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 (edited) My disabled dd has had to be put under to have teeth extracted by an oral surgeon twice. Unfortunately she's nonverbal, so she couldn't really tell me what was going on. I know that my main learning after the first time was to stay ahead of the pain. Give the meds as scheduled from the beginning--don't wait until the child expresses pain. The second time I did that and it went better. I know from her behavior that she was pretty miserable, but there was no way to prepare her in advance for that--she has no understanding of explanations of why something is necessary. ETA: no nausea. Edited February 22, 2017 by Ali in OR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Nephew had 4 teeth removed under anesthesia. He cried a bunch coming out of the anesthesia - this is normal. He was sleepy the first day, but his mom kept pushing the pain meds. Mouth was pretty sore the second day, but again - mom kept on top of the pain meds so it was just a bit uncomfortable. By day 3, he was outside playing. Nephew didn't have any nausea, but that was one of the things SIL was watching for. Nephew was 8yo when he had the teeth removed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East Coast Sue Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Are they pulling adult teeth or baby teeth? That can make a big difference in the child's experience. My son had 2 baby teeth pulled at 9 years old. The teeth were pulled with local anesthetic only and he did fine but felt sore for a day or two. The dentist had a lot of tugging and pulling because the teeth were hard to get out. One of my daughters had 4 baby teeth pulled with just gas and local anesthetic and she was a bit nauseous for a short while but otherwise fine- not sore or in any pain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 How many teeth and were you totally under? Did you have any nausea? I appreciate your response :-) I had a broken wisdom tooth pulled, a root canal, several fillings, and a deep cleaning all while totally under. Took them about 3 hours. I did not have nausea. They numb you on top of that and that doesn't wear off for quite some time. I didn't feel like eating until that wore off. They did tell me to take it easy for the rest of the day and I did. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East Coast Sue Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 If possible bring something like applesauce or yogurt to get food into his stomach as soon as possible and of course give pain medication on schedule for the first day or two without waiting for the pain to hit. The pain meds and anesthesia can cause nausea but it will help to have food in his stomach. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 Are they pulling adult teeth or baby teeth? That can make a big difference in the child's experience. My son had 2 baby teeth pulled at 9 years old. The teeth were pulled with local anesthetic only and he did fine but felt sore for a day or two. The dentist had a lot of tugging and pulling because the teeth were hard to get out. One of my daughters had 4 baby teeth pulled with just gas and local anesthetic and she was a bit nauseous for a short while but otherwise fine- not sore or in any pain. He is having both. He has had baby teeth pulled with a local and laughing gas. It was stressful, but he did it. His dentist recommends going the oral surgeon route for these. He has baby teeth that have grown up towards his gum instead of coming down and out and they will not come out without extraction. will we are in there, they will do the permanent teeth so he doesn't have to go through this again. He is going to feel yucky and faint before we even leave the house -- at least that is his past MO :-(. Poor guy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 When I had dental work at age 18 I woke up crying. I thought that was odd, but the dentist said it was normal. I didn't feel upset or sad or in pain. I was just crying. So don't be alarmed if you see that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 (edited) DS had four wisdom teeth out under anesthesia as a teen. He took a long time waking up after the procedure and talked funny nonsense. He was a bit wobbly walking to the car, but went straight to play computer games when we got home. He needed only prescription strength Ibuprofen the first day, then some narcotic painkillers the second day, and I think was back to sports on the third. I provided a lot of ice cream and smoothies - he was sick of it after a few days :) Edited February 22, 2017 by regentrude 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Two of my children were put under anesthesia for wisdom teeth extraction and braces preparation. They were groggy and loopy when they woke up and came home and slept for several hours. Then everything was fine. They were a little swollen but that went down after a couple of days. They ate their soft foods for 2 - 3 days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East Coast Sue Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I think sedation with an oral surgeon will go well for your son. It really eliminates much of the anxiety since he will not be conscious at all during the extraction. Expect that he will cry when he wakes up but he won't be in pain. You can probably get him to take yogurt or applesauce and get food into his system quickly this way. I only have one child who is really anxious about dental/medical things and when she had her tonsils removed it was very, very hard to get her to take any fluids or food when we got home from the hospital. I say this only so you can be prepared to get some food into him as soon as he wakes up, if possible. Looking back, I think that my daughter (4 years old at that time) was on empty and it might have been easier if we had been able to get something into her when she first came out of surgery. They offered her a fruity popsicle but she absolutely hates them so that didn't work out. They discharged her too quickly and she wouldn't eat or drink at home. You are very prepared and your son is old enough to remember the food you have planned for him at home- that will all help a lot! I think this experience will be far better than local & laughing gas that he had previously. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 DS18 had conscious sedation anesthesia to have four wisdom teeth removed last summer. He did fine. He was groggy when it was done and didn't remember the twenty minute ride home. I bought him a milkshake (dentist's orders) on the way home. He consumed that (it was really more soft serve ice cream than shake) and then took a nap for a couple of hours. After that he was fine although he took it easy the rest of the day. Per dentist's orders he took 800 mg. ibuprofen before we left home that morning and continued that on a strict schedule for several days. He was able to eat fairly normally (but carefully) the next day. Of course he did avoid anything very hard or crunchy. Oldest DS had the type of extraction I think you're referring to when he was around 12 or 13--he had a couple of teeth growing up towards his nasal cavity rather than coming down through the gum as they're supposed to. He had them removed by an endodontist with just numbing and laughing gas. He did fine, it really wasn't a big deal at all. I'd say he has a medium tolerance for things. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I have a child who had teeth removed with local anesthetic though. She was fine afterwards and did not even have pain and could eat normally afterwards once the numbing wore off. It was baby teeth though and that probably is an easier recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 (edited) You might consider asking the oral surgeon if it is possible to premedicate with a benzodiazepine the morning of surgery to help reduce anxiety. I highly recommend asking the oral surgeon for a prescription for zofran to reduce post-anesthesia nausea and vomiting. Edited February 22, 2017 by trulycrabby 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 Oldest DS had the type of extraction I think you're referring to when he was around 12 or 13--he had a couple of teeth growing up towards his nasal cavity rather than coming down through the gum as they're supposed to. Yes, it never dropped fully down and now it is going back up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 My son was about that age...maybe 12? when he had some extractions under anesthesia. It went really well. He was cuckoo for most of the day (slurring his words, laughing at the incredibly hilarious jokes he was telling that no one could understand), and slept all night. The next day, he was fine. Frankly, I was a little concerned because he asked when he could get more teeth pulled...."that was cool." :0/. NEVER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 Thank you all so much for your quick responses! I am feeling more calm and feel I have a little better understanding of what to expect. I'm so glad you mentioned he might be crying!!! I will take both an applesauce and yogurt. If he wants a milkshake on the way home, I'll do that too. I already filled a prescription for nausea medicine and the Dr. is going to give him some in his IV too. He is freaked out about throwing up! I told him we will need to stay on top of the pain medication so that he doesn't end up in pain. Thanks again for all your help!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 FYI no straws after extractions, so that milk shake he can eat with a spoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 My son had two teeth extracted at 9yo and several cavities filled. He is an aspie and could not handle without going completely under. He woke up very agitated and was hallucinating. He thought there were flying doors and other things that upset him. he was groggy for the rest of day. Now when we tell him he has to go to the dentist he makes me promise that they won't make him go to sleep again. 😔 He also had a single (half) tooth extracted with just the gas and he was agitated during that too. I could hear him in the lobby. It was very hard to not be allowed in. However, this treatment didn't have lasting effects on him. He doesn't mention it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted February 25, 2017 Author Share Posted February 25, 2017 (edited) Just wanted to write an update and thank you all so much for sharing your experiences with this! He did super! It's just been his past 2 dental visits where he didn't scream during the cleaning, etc. He also was about to pass out after having his flu shot in the fall. He just wigs out easily. He walked back with the nurse without either of us. He did great and was ready to go home ASAP. He had 4 permanent and 8 baby teeth pulled. Yes, we did it all at once because we thought it would be more traumatizing to have to go through it again. Just for perspective though, he had 4 baby teeth that were growing back towards his jawbone and not coming out. They were not going to ever come out on his own. While we were doing that, he had 4 permanent teeth pulled for his 1 phase of braces in a couple of years. The other 4 were baby teeth that had lost their roots and just hanging on. His permanent teeth came in either in front of or behind them so they weren't pushing the baby teeth out. He hates to wiggle loose teeth so they stayed in. Those are the 4 baby teeth that we called the bits -- LOL. Anyway, he took the nausea medicine once when he got home and we have been keeping ahead of the pain. He did not vomit (thank goodness) and he is eating ALL THE TIME. We are trying mac n cheese for lunch. Thank goodness for Minecraft -- his brother is keeping him busy playing that. He is doing so well, it is back to school work on Monday :-)!!! I think half of it was the fabulous doctor we had and the other half was that he is growing up. There is hope :-)! Anyway, I just wanted to give a few details as maybe this will help someone else down the road. Again, thank you so much! Edited to fix my math :-) and some bad sentences LOL. I am still pretty sick and have not slept more than a few hours a night for over a week. I am running on fumes! I'm surprised I wrote what I did the first time!!! Edited February 25, 2017 by mlktwins 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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