REGINAROADIE'S BLOG

reginaroadie

Wisdom Teeth Pulled Today...discuss
Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Hey all

In January, I went to this oral surgeon place to get an estimate on getting my wisdom teeth pulled. I had gone for a check-up a few months back, and along with a filling, I found out that one of my wisdom teeth had a cavity. They said it would be easier just to pull it instead of drilling it and putting in a filling. So I go to this oral surgeon and he tells me that it would cost about a thousand bucks (the health care plan I'm on at the university should cover about half that) and that the earliest I could get in was May 12th. It was this date that bummed me out because it would mean I'd have to take a day off of work from whatever summer job I got. And we all know that if you're gonna take a day off, it should be near the end of your time, not your beginning.

Anyhow, the place called on either Monday or Tuesday to say that they had a cancellation and that I'd could get in today. I had a lab today around the time they could get me in, but I decided "better now than later" and went for it.

So this morning, dragging my brother along with me (you can't drive yourself after the operation. You need someone to drive you since you'd be pretty out of it), I got all four of my wisdom teeth pulled. When I got out, the bottom half of my face was completely numb, I had gauze shoved in my mouth to bite down on and a bunch of pills to take. As of right now when I type this, I feel pretty good. The numbness and swelling is completely gone, the bleeding's stopped, I can move my jaw around a bit, not sure about the talking, but I can move my jaw around pretty well and was able to talk on the phone. I just have to lay off the solids for a few days and try not to tounge the stitches too much (the stitches themselves are degradable).

But this is the thing I'm most miffed about. At the estimate, the doc told me that I could listen to music and that I'd be under anesthesia. He said that I wouldn't actually be asleep. I got excited, since I figured that this would be probably the only legally sanctioned drug trip I'll ever be on. So today, I came prepared. I had a "psychidelia" playlist on my iPod with The Beatles, Pink Floyd and a bunch of other stuff on there to mix it up. I start the playlist when he administered the anesthesia. I wasn't even done with the Beatles song when I was out like a light.

Or maybe I wasn't. I don't remember a single thing. I remember him taking my glasses off and putting on some bigger ones, looking into the overhead light as I was listening to "Within You Without You", I blank for like a second, I'm on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", the guy is taking those glasses off and putting my actual glasses back on, there are two things of gauze shoved into my mouth and that's it. The nurse got me up and walked me to a room where I slept off the anesthesia. I don't think I was there for too long, and then they gave me a prescription and I waited in the car while Matt got it from Shopper's Drug Mart. I felt more out of it and trippy on the car ride home than the operation.

I know he said that I probably won't remember a thing, but I was determined to remember and to make the most of it. And that I don't even have a trace of a memory of it is what ticked me off. That I slept through a whole Pink Floyd album while on drugs.

So how about you guys. Any horror stories (or stories in general) on getting your wisdom teeth pulled.

COMMENTS

Thursday, March 23, 2006 8:13 AM

KAYNA


High rr. I haven't actually hand my wisdom teath pulled (they aren't bothering me so why bother) so I don't know about the recovery but I've been put under before and I've had some "interesting" experiences at the dentists. Can I still join the discusion?

There was a rather large gap in my visits between about age 10 and age 16 and I don't have the best oral higiene so there were some cavities to fill. The problem was that I seem to run through anasthetics at an excellarated rate. About half way through, I could feel everything he was doing. He was, of course somewhat startedled and gave me another shot. He finished just in time too cause I was starting to feel it again. I've known people who were numb for half a day off of the regular dose. It took me a couple of hours to run through a double.

Thus followerd the singular excperience of having him experiment with how much and where had the most effect everytime I showed up. The inside of my mouth felt like a pin cusion. And just for the record, it really suck when you mouth starts to wake up during a root canal.

As for the being put under, I had my tonsil removed when I was a kid. You really do drop off fast so I don't know why your dentist said you could listen to music. I mean, you can, but there's really no point. Apparently, I came too part way through (your body seemes to wake up before your mind with that stuff so I don't really remember it) and completely freaked out.

So yeah, now every time I go to the dentist or doctors for something that nedds anasthesia I have to warn them to give me extra.

Thursday, March 23, 2006 8:09 AM

COPILOT


I need my widom teeth pulled but I'm scared. I'm afraid I'm gonna be in that one percent that ends up with premanent paralasis. So yeah I'm kind of waiting untill the pain is so bad I can't justify my fear any longer. It's close just a few more weeks and I won't be able to talk.

Thursday, March 23, 2006 4:06 AM

MAL4PREZ


I feel for you! I was going to get gassed once for a molar getting pulled but when I got there the gas room was taken. I got the tooth crunched and pulled with just novacaine, it was really NOT fun!

My wisdom teeth were all in when I got them pulled, so I didn't get good drugs then either, but it turned out to be a pretty cool experience. My dentist said he worked Bruins games - like sat on the bench until someone lost half a tooth, then he'd patch them up enough so they could get back on the ice!

So he told me hockey stories till I got numb and then he yanked my teeth, which took 5 minutes and didn't hurt. Not like I expected!

Sigmanunki - I think I'd have had some very bad words and possibly threats to say to the anesthegiologist !

Thursday, March 23, 2006 2:47 AM

NUCLEARDAY


Yeah, I had about the same experience when I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled. This during my heavy drug-using phase back in college anyways, so if I was worried about anything, it was that they wouldn't make it strong enough and that I'd still be drug-conscious ;p

Went for the whole package, too. I remember sitting the chair with a gas mask and an IV, listening to Creedence on the radio, and that was about it. There was a point in the middle where I think I came to, 'cause I remember having some terribly uncomfortable metal apparatus wedged into my mouth, but that's about it. I guess it was mostly the amnesia stuff they gave me (can't remember the name off-hand.)

Actually, most of the rest of the day was pretty blurry after that. My problem is that they told me I couldn't smoke cigarettes for a week. I lasted about three hours ;p So a few days later I had dry-rot in three of the four holes, and bad case of lock-jaw that didn't go away for about a month ;p (So the moral of the story: don't smoke cigarettes :)

Wednesday, March 22, 2006 8:32 PM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


Oh, reginaroadie...can I ever sympathize;)

Back in Summer '01, I visit my dentist and get told that I finally can get braces to fix my improperly aligned teeth (dentist had wanted to wait till I was "done" sprouting teeth...but I kept getting some till I was almost done high school).

So I get a consult with my current orthodontist and go through the screening process....find out that I need my wisdom teeth and a couple of others pulled to make space for the alignment work (sounds like I am car, doesn't it?).

Long story short...late October, on a Monday morning, I wake up and get driven about 70 km away to Cambridge (Ontario, about midway between where I live and Toronto) in my PJs...gotta be comfy ya know?

I sit around till I am called into the prep room for the procedure. Get plonked down on a gurney...where the nurses proceed to Niska me in the act of trying to find a gorram vein for an IV (drugs, nutrients, etc.). Finally have to grunt out where they could find a suitable vein and get pig-sticked for a final time before a big honking mask is lowered onto my face.

Sufficed to say, was out before I counted to 10. Woke up seemingly mere moments later with heavy gauze in my mouth and on a recovery gurney in some room. I feel like I was still under the influence and freezing. My mom drove me home and I spent the next 3 days on the couch only eating apple sauce and Tylenol 3, trying not to bleed heavily on a towel used to protect the pilows. Then came the fun of getting braces.....:S

You got off lucky, mi browncoat amigo....just remember that;)

BEB

Wednesday, March 22, 2006 8:24 PM

SIGMANUNKI


From the description of one of my ex's, it's better that you don't have any memory of the actual "event." Though the wife didn't have any problems with it. I guess it depends on the doc and the person *shrugges*

When I got mine done, I went under general anesthetic. I went in for 9 or 10 am and the next memory is being in my bed with the TV on at around 3 or so pm.

I think that you're lucky that the swelling is down because mine took somewhat more that just a day. Colour me jealous I guess ;)


But my horror story. Well I don't like needles. So, when I talked to the doc, I told him so and he informed me that that wasn't a problem, they could gas me before hand. Shiny.

But, shortly after I went in and sat in the chair, one nurse velcro strapped one of my arms down and two others held down my other arm.

I looked at the doc who said to the anesthegiologist something like, "We talked about this." The anesthegiologist said something like, "Gas is for children." To which to doc looked pretty pissed.

At this point, I knew it was pointless to struggle (and potentially harmful). So, I looked up at velcro nurse and said, "I hate you all."

She started to laugh and that is the last thing I remember before TV in my room.

Perhaps to get me out quickly, I got a larger dosage than normal. Would explain the extrememly longer memory gap.


At any rate, I'm happy things went smooth for you. Knocking on wood that it says that way *knocks on wood*.

Oh, and from experience, listening to Dark Side of the Moon in a lightning storm is really cool. Even if you aren't all wacky (I'm assuming that you're not naturally wacky ;) ).

Wednesday, March 22, 2006 8:24 PM

SIGMANUNKI


From the description of one of my ex's, it's better that you don't have any memory of the actual "event." Though the wife didn't have any problems with it. I guess it depends on the doc and the person *shrugges*

When I got mine done, I went under general anesthetic. I went in for 9 or 10 am and the next memory is being in my bed with the TV on at around 3 or so pm.

I think that you're lucky that the swelling is down because mine took somewhat more that just a day. Colour me jealous I guess ;)


But my horror story. Well I don't like needles. So, when I talked to the doc, I told him so and he informed me that that wasn't a problem, they could gas me before hand. Shiny.

But, shortly after I went in and sat in the chair, one nurse velcro strapped one of my arms down and two others held down my other arm.

I looked at the doc who said to the anesthegiologist something like, "We talked about this." The anesthegiologist said something like, "Gas is for children." To which to doc looked pretty pissed.

At this point, I knew it was pointless to struggle (and potentially harmful). So, I looked up at velcro nurse and said, "I hate you all."

She started to laugh and that is the last thing I remember before TV in my room.

Perhaps to get me out quickly, I got a larger dosage than normal. Would explain the extrememly longer memory gap.


At any rate, I'm happy things went smooth for you. Knocking on wood that it says that way *knocks on wood*.

Oh, and from experience, listening to Dark Side of the Moon in a lightning storm is really cool. Even if you aren't all wacky (I'm assuming that you're not naturally wacky ;) ).


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