wisdom teeth removal?

[AngieW in Texas]

The dentist urged that I have my 17yo's wisdom teeth removed soon. He said that the earlier it is done, the easier the recovery is.

 

I had it done at 18.5yo and it was miserable. I couldn't even close my mouth all the way for several days because of where the stitches were. All 4 of my wisdom teeth were impacted and I was warned that my case would be relatively complicated going in. It was a full week before I was able to carefully eat solid food.

 

My dh had it done at 16yo and was eating normally the very next day. All 4 of his wisdom teeth were impacted also, but his was not considered complicated because he was younger.

 

My dd has only 2 wisdom teeth (top left and bottom right). We actually have her scheduled to get the teeth removed on Monday morning. She will be sedated at an oral surgeon's office which is next door to a hospital. The oral surgeon came highly recommended by the adult dentist that my dh, 17yo, and I go to and by the pediatric dentist that my 12yo and 14yo go to.

 

What do I need to do to prepare for afterward? I figure I should have pudding and mashed potatoes available. What other soft foods are good?

 

What was the recovery like for your 17yo kids getting their wisdom teeth removed?

[Sandy in Indy]

I think it really depends on the kid. One of mine was miserable for a week; the other was better after a couple of days.

 

I don't remember what we had for soft foods but I do remember that you can't use a straw for several days. (It can dislodge the healing clot.)

 

Hope all goes well. It's not a fun process!

[Jane in NC]

My son had his wisdom teeth removed a year ago. The next day he was back on an archaeological dig (although instead of eight hours, mean mom only let him work six) with a cooler of yogurts.

 

My advice is to have her "swish" salt water in her mouth several times a day for a week or so.

 

Of course, every mouth is different. Further, my son had had oral surgeries before so he did not have any anxiety going into this one. He just wanted to get it over so he could return to the dig!

[Frontier Mom]

I'm watching this thread for ideas because my 15 year old ds is having his removed on June 29th. They told me it is easier when they are young because the roots are not down into the nerves yet. He has to have his out because there is no room and we don't want to undue the thousands we spent on braces already.

[Giraffe]

Clean the incisions! I didn't get proper instructions from my oral surgeon when mine were removed while home from college (all four, bony impacted) and they got infected and the infection exploded into my mouth when I was back at school. Found out THEN that I should have been swishing salt water every few hours to clean the incisions. I could have killed the original surgeon. No one said anything to me or my mom at the time!

 

Soft foods - pudding, jello, yogurt, milkshakes. Don't remember what else I ate. I looked like the Godfather's daughter for about a week (all jowly and swollen) but it didn't hurt too badly. Even the infection didn't hurt, just freaked me out. I think the dentist I went to at school gave me a little syringe to squirt the salt water into the incisions to make sure I really got them clean.

[Parrothead]

I had mine out after 30. The first, the bottom left, was pulled. No problem after the bleeding stopped. No pain at all. I was eating normally later that day.

 

The next I was closer to 40 and had two, bottom right and top left, removed surgically. That was more difficult. The surgery left me groggy for two days and in a bit of pain. Then I had a reaction to the narcotics taken for pain relief. I would have much rather have had those teeth pulled out if it had been possible. I think if I had been able to have them extracted instead of surgically removed I'd have been in much better shape.

 

I've got to have the last one left out because it broke about a month ago. And since it broke it is going to require surgery to get out.

[*Jessica*]

I think recovery is entirely dependent on the individual. I had my impacted wisdom teeth removed last year, at age 30, and I had no problems. I had no appetite to speak of, but when I did eat I just had Jell-O. All of the soft foods I had stocked were wasted on me, though the family enjoyed the ice cream and mashed potatoes! lol I slept for most of the first day, and on-and-off on day two. The pain meds made me very tired. I was back to eating regular foods on day three, I just made sure to take very small bites. Make sure not to use a straw and to keep the mouth very clean with salt water or the medicated rinse they may prescribe.

[Gooblink]

I had all four of my impacted wisdom teeth extracted in my early 20s. I don't remember it being terribly uncomfortable, but I ate fried shrimp a few days after the surgery and got some of the breading stuck in one of the wounds and it caused an infection. The oral surgeon had me brush the sutures with peroxide on a toothbrush until the infection drained. Yucky!

 

But, all in all, had I just waited on the shrimp it wouldn't have been a bad experience.

 

Best wishes!

[Orthodox6]

My eldest sons (now 23 and 21) had their wisdom teeth removed while in their late teens (I don't remember the exact ages). Not one single problem during recovery !

 

I don't know how being younger affects matters. Strange though it be, I did not have any wisdom teeth (X-rays documented this fact) until I was 31 years old. They were removed when I was 31, after first child was born. Not one single problem for me, either !

[The Girls' Mom]

I had mine out at 20 something (I can't remember exactly, but it was pre 24) I wasn't sedated, and I had zero trouble. It wasn't even that sore afterwards. One was slightly impacted, the other wasn't (only had 2) The worst part of the whole ordeal was hearing the noises the extractions made. :ack2:

[hoosiermom]

dd (14) is scheduled to have all 4 wisdom teeth extracted first week in Aug. We also got the warning about not using a straw, and she will be given a syringe to help w/ cleaning process. DH had his pulled in his 30's w/ only laughing gas for sedation and went to work after w/ no problems at all. My teenage niece said she napped and watched movies for first couple of days, drowsy from pain meds.

[Entropymama]

I never got my wisdom teeth out.

 

When I was a teenager I had braces and my ortho told me as soon as they came off I'd need to get the wisdom teeth out. They never broke through, but they're there on my jaw. Is that impacted?

 

Anyhow, the braces came off, but not until I'd turned 18 and was no longer covered by mom and dad's insurance. Without insurance of my own I couldn't afford to have the teeth out, so I left them.

 

I'll be 30 soon and they're still there. I mentioned it to the dentist a few years ago and he said as long as they don't bother me they should be fine. But hearing all of you say the older you get when they're removed the worse it is, should I have them out? Does it hurt anything to just leave them there?

[KidsHappen]

I never got my wisdom teeth out.

 

When I was a teenager I had braces and my ortho told me as soon as they came off I'd need to get the wisdom teeth out. They never broke through, but they're there on my jaw. Is that impacted?

 

Anyhow, the braces came off, but not until I'd turned 18 and was no longer covered by mom and dad's insurance. Without insurance of my own I couldn't afford to have the teeth out, so I left them.

 

I'll be 30 soon and they're still there. I mentioned it to the dentist a few years ago and he said as long as they don't bother me they should be fine. But hearing all of you say the older you get when they're removed the worse it is, should I have them out? Does it hurt anything to just leave them there?

 

I still have all of my wisdom teeth as does all of my children who are old enough to have them. I have four that are out perfectly and one that is slightly impacted but it does not caused me any problems. I am able to clean is easily and well. I have one child who has one growing in sideways into the bone so I know hers with have to be removed but everyone else's is fine so I see no reason to remove them.

 

My question is why dentist automatically remove wisdom teeth. My brother had his removed (they were not bothering him) and he got dry socket which was extremely painful and difficult to resolve. What is the reason for this?

[AngieW in Texas]

UPDATE:

My 17yo got her wisdom teeth removed 4 days ago. Today is her first day off of the pain meds. She took an ibuprofen this morning, but that's all. She is feeling much better. The pain meds worked wonderfully on the pain, but she was awfully dizzy. She needed assistance to walk around much. Today she has become more alert and steady as the day has progressed.

 

She still can't eat much. She just moved up from pudding/yogurt/mashed potatoes/soup to mac&cheese yesterday. She's afraid to try anything harder than that yet.

[Kristine in VA]

I had my wisdom teeth taken out when I was 19. They were cut out, because they hadn't come through yet. I don't remember how long I was in pain, but I do remember that chocolate milkshakes really helped!!

 

Kristine in VA

[edithcrawley]

UPDATE:

 

She still can't eat much. She just moved up from pudding/yogurt/mashed potatoes/soup to mac&cheese yesterday. She's afraid to try anything harder than that yet.

 

 

Let her take her time in introducing harder foods. I know a few people who started eating 'normal food' too soon and ended up getting infections or being in a lot of pain. If you are worried about her not getting enough calories in a day, give her one of those meal replacement shakes-no straw!

[AngieW in Texas]

She's very intent on not having anything too hard too fast. Mac&cheese was suggested at the oral surgeon's office, so I know that's pretty safe. She's just getting mighty tired of the few foods that she can eat right now.

 

The only soup she's had is a chicken noodle soup that's just chicken broth with noodles. She has ramen noodle soup in all flavors, but hasn't had any yet.

[PollyOR]

My question is why dentist automatically remove wisdom teeth.

 

I have my upper two which came through shortly after I started having children. My dentist pestered me to have them taken out. He told me that they would continue to grow longer, etc. I've had no problems. I don't understand why people have them taken out if they aren't causing problems.

[Ravin]

My bottom two were removed shortly after I joined the service, I was 18. It was pretty miserable, but then I didn't have mom to coddle me. I had one of the uppers (which the Navy dentist SWORE would never come in or cause problems because of the way they were impacted--but came in in my mid-twenties after I got out of the service) pulled last year because I kept getting sores where it rubbed the lining of my mouth. The other one's still there. The one that was pulled when I was 31 was MUCH easier recovery, maybe because it wasn't below the gumline. I didn't have anything but local anesthesia for either one--the civilian dentist kept trying to talk me into antianxiety meds for several days beforehand and I was like, "um, why?"

Edited May 29, 2010 by Ravin

[Cindyg]

I had a horrible experience with this. I'd get a second opinion.

 

Are all dentists in agreement that wisdom teeth have to come out?

[kalanamak]

What do I need to do to prepare for afterward? I figure I should have pudding and mashed potatoes available. What other soft foods are good?

 

I loved vanilla ice cream whirred up with the cloudy crushed apple juice. The cold helped.

 

Keep some MOM on hand in case the vicoden or percoset constipates the patient. Use early if no BM arrives as expected.

[annandatje]

I had a horrible experience with this. I'd get a second opinion.

 

Are all dentists in agreement that wisdom teeth have to come out?

 

No, they are not.

 

http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/EM/em32.pdf

[annandatje]

My bottom two third molars are partially impacted. The upper two are "shorter" than the other molars. I have never had a problem keeping them clean or cavity free.

 

In my early 20s, I was told that all four wisdom teeth should be removed because to prevent future excruciating pain. I was also told that the wisdom teeth would "crowd" my other teeth. My teeth were nicely aligned then and now 20+ years later.

[courtney.byrum]

I had mine out as a teenager - my Dad had me go through it twice. The top 2 were removed the first time the day after I got my braces off if I recall correctly (for sure it was within days). I remember that the only reason I didn't play field hockey the next day was I couldn't put the mouthguard in.

 

The bottom 2 were removed the next year and I don't recall anything bad about that time either. All 4 were impacted so I was put under for both surgeries.

 

ETA: my father was my dentist but an oral surgeon did the surgery

[courtney.byrum]

 

My question is why dentist automatically remove wisdom teeth. My brother had his removed (they were not bothering him) and he got dry socket which was extremely painful and difficult to resolve. What is the reason for this?

 

My dad didn't recommend having them removed unless they were going to cause problems. In fact that is why he had me have only the top 2 removed the first time - they were coming in at an angle AND there was absolutely no room for them. I guess they were very close to pushing on the other molars but the bottom 2 hadn't moved at all yet so he waited on those.

 

I believe most dentists watch them over the course of several sets of xrays before making a decision on whether they should be removed or not. Removal is always easier if it can be a simple extraction as opposed to them being impacted still.

[dancer67]

My 17 yo daughter is having all 4 wisdoms removed on the 28th. All impacted and in the gums.

 

I had all 4 of mine out when I was 20. All in my gums as well. It was AWFUL. I was out of work for two weeks. It was the worse thing I have ever had done.

 

I understand that things are better nowadays(dissolvable stitches where mine were not)

 

I just hope and pray my daughter does not go though what I went through.

 

I have been told ICE ICE ICE under the jaw, and that helps with swelling. Swish with salt water. Sleep with your head partway up, preferably in a recliner. And day three is the worse. And def. NO STRAW for at least 5 days. And lots of pain meds.

 

We are not looking forward to this. I feel so bad for my baby who has to have this done. I promised her lots of ice cream, and her favorite movies. And mom lying with her in bed if she needs me to:)