I see the oral surgeon tomorrow. I am nervous but ready to get this overwith

[greenbriar]

I have two teeth that will come out


I don't know when the actual surgery will be. Tomorrow is just the consultation


Our insurance will be another hassle

[47of74]

1. I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 18

It wasn't actually that bad. The anticipation was worse than the actual surgery and recovery. Sleeping through the surgery helped a lot, and I healed up pretty quickly.

[greenbriar]

2. they asked me if I wanted this done awake or asleep

I said definately asleep

[eleny]

7. You won't even know it happened

You try to count backwards from 100 and hardly get past 98. Then you're waking up and thinking, "When will they get started?" After that, they let you sleep for a while.

Asleep is the best choice.

[tabasco]

45. Damn straight.

I was only put under once in my life - for wisdom teeth.

It was so weird. Like that part of your life never existed.

Out like black in 2 seconds with IV.

I said "dayummm!"

[Tangerine LaBamba]

57. It's like time stops

That will always make me crazy, whenever I think of how the anesthesia works.

I had to have some major orthopedic surgery. It took lots of hours.

I can't remember the two days before the surgery, the day of the surgery, or the three days after the surgery.

I was concerned about this lapse, but the surgeon assured me it was normal.

"It's better than you don't remember any of it," he said, and I quit thinking about it.

Still, I wonder how many brain cells I lost.

[eleny]

59. Same here - 4 wisdom teeth out in one sitting

I blinked and thought it was strange that the surgeon's round tray looked different with a stack of gauze that wasn't there a second ago. The IV was the best.

And honest to god but two evenings later I went to a hockey game. Hey, we had tickets! :D

[47of74]

8. Yes, you want to be asleep for this

Of course, with my gag reflex the oral surgeon said he wouldn't even try going with a local, he was going to have me out for this. I found out after my surgery from a teacher that he tried the local route and that didn't work too well for him. I think the surgery goes a lot better if you're not awake, I fell asleep and before I knew it the surgery was over already.

[MiniMe]

19. I just had a tooth pulled, I was asleep

They put in an IV and you wake up when it is done. Definitely the way to go. You do get good drugs afterwards, they tell you to take one before the novacaine wears off. You won't be able to drive afterwards, so make sure you take somebody to drive you home. Good Luck!

[DeepBlueC]

35. good choice

I go to sleep for all my dental work. Consequently, I love my dentist. You'll be fine. Ask about pain control for after the procedure. Can't hurt to have a few narcotics around the house.

[inna]

41. i have a good dental insurance but they do not cover general anaesthesia...

... in fact, not even nitrous (i.e., laughing gas)


iirc, it's about $300 for general anaesthesia. what a racket.

Delta Dental is racket anyway. :grr: :grr:

[DeepBlueC]

47. actually I had to get an "exception" for coverage

My insurance only covers IV sedation for dental surgery, so I had to submit a letter from my dentist attesting to my "dental phobia" so now I am covered for anaesthesia for everything.

[shraby]

54. Check with your regular insurance for the anaesthetic.

Mine paid for the anaesthetic and the dental for the dental work.

[PCIntern]

63. My friend...

anyone can put you to sleep for cheap: it's kowing how to awaken you that's worth the $300.00.

[TahitiNut]

43. I had all four extracted ... awake ... but feeelin' gooood.

Recovery was a lot easier than I feared ... 3-4 days.

:shrug:

[pansypoo53219]

56. i was awake for my 3.

2 out. 1 still coming, but close. not bad at all.

[Mz Pip]

3. Good luck!

Hopefully it won't take long. I had a tooth pulled a couple of years ago and it was over in about 5 minutes. And that was that. No more pain, even after the novocaine wore off.

It coast $250. For 5 minutes of work. What a racket.

[blueknight]

5. yes, the pain goes

from your mouth to your wallet

[Sarah Ibarruri]

36. ROFLMAO! Absolutely. nt

[Tangerine LaBamba]

I love that

"It coast <sic> $250. For 5 minutes of work. What a racket."

I guess the person who pulled the tooth didn't have to go to college and four years of dental school and rack up incredible debt with student loans and then serve an internship and then pay to set up an office and maintain that office and take care of patients.

Your comment is so thick. What do you think, the dentist just woke up one day as a dentist?

Get a grip.

[sandnsea]

13. It was $25 just 20 years ago

I guess those dentists weren't as qualified.

:shrug:

[47of74]

21. Mine was 16 years ago

And to get my wisdom teeth out cost my parents almost $1,000.

[sandnsea]

27. Not the same as pulling a tooth

Wisdom teeth is usually oral surgery and it costs more. 16 years ago was also, what, 1993? Health care was inching up in the 80s, climbing in the 90s, and just blew sky high the last 10 years. Kind of like housing did. No real rhyme or reason for it, except too much profit in the health care companies themselves. Stocks. Just like everything else that ends up hurting the people and the economy.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

31. How much did gas cost

twenty years ago?

The absolute inanity of some people................

[sandnsea]

42. How much was minimum wage? $4.00 hr?

The absolute inanity of some people..........

When those charging the outrageous rates finally get it through their head that their well-being IS relative to the well-being of those earning minimum wage...

then we'll stop having these economic meltdowns and class warfare arguments.

[blueknight]

26. big deal, he went to school

if he makes 250 for 5 minutes work, thats 3000 dollars a hour.my wife went to school for 8 years and has a PHD, and she dont make 3000 a week!

[Tangerine LaBamba]

32. She also

failed to teach you proper English.

As I said elsewhere, the incredible inanity of some people never fails to amaze me.

Are you saying that the dentist earns $3,000 an hour by pulling a tooth every five minutes?

I must save myself.

<click>

[blueknight]

40. that was the example

unless you been living under a rock for the past 20 years, medical cost have skyrocketed. but you probably havent noticed, you are too busy critcizing other peoples grammer. BTW, they recently had a story on the news in cincinnati about a surgeon that makes 100,000 a DAY! i guess you think thats ok as well. must be great to live in your world.

[greenbriar]

38. please don't fight in my thread

I am scared enough

[47of74]

53. Don't be

It's not that bad. It sounds worse than it actually is.

[blueknight]

4. im going through the insurance part now.

my girls had some teeth cut out a couple weeks ago. still going to cost me a arm and leg with insurance. insurance companies suck. im already getting bills on what they DIDNT pay. but i hope all goes well for you, the dental and insurance part.

[47of74]

18. I've had my fun with my health insurance

A couple years ago I decided to take advantage of the free vision exam we got through work - we could go anywhere we wanted and not pay a cent for the exam. Well, imagine my surprise about three months after the exam when I got a bill in the mail from the optometrist for about 80 bucks. The insurance company had gotten it in their collective heads that I had not gone in for a routine vision exam, but instead I had gone in to get a detached retina fixed. The optometrist resubmitted the claim and then got paid like they were supposed to.

They changed the policy so now there's a $15 co-pay for out of network places, which is what the optometrist I go to is. I still pay that however because I'd rather go to her because she knows my family's complicated vision history and she knows that she has to do a couple extra checks when it comes to me just to make sure I don't develop the same conditions my mom or grandma developed. And they're now very careful about making sure the insurance company can't do their fun and games anymore.

[marybourg]

6. Oral surgeons are very skilled. Relax and it'll go well.

I had a wisdom tooth and a large molar removed (at different times) and although I had some swelling and tenderness for a couple of days, I had no pain at all, not during nor after.

[wroberts189]

9. ask him for a seditive like valium n/t

[FreakinDJ]

10. Think NitrousOxide - and think Happy Thoughts

[sakabatou]

12. I think they use an IV drip nowadays.

[spanone]

14. not my doc....he's got the gas...it's like a big fat doober

[FreakinDJ]

17. They don't call it "Laughing Gas" for nothin

[MiniMe]

24. That is the difference between an oral surgeon and a dentist pulling it

[FreakinDJ]

15. Nitrous and Oxygen have all kinds of building requirements

Tell you Dentist to get the hell out of the low rent space and give you the good shit

[47of74]

22. Mine was an IV drip

Even 16 years ago the oral surgeon used an IV instead of gas. I think I'd rather have that than gas.

[sakabatou]

11. I have to have 4 teeth removed some time in the future

[Imalittleteapot]

16. Not to worry. They have many ways to sedate you.

I was offered an IV and accepted. I'd take an Oral Surgeon's extraction over a regular dentist any time.

[Dreamer Tatum]

20. Getting teeth yanked is pretty cheap and low-impact

You go in, they dope you, they yank, they monitor the blood supply and your vitals for a bit, and off you go.

This, compared to other nasty things, like root canals...

[greenbriar]

25. that was my other option...root canal. I said heck NO

IV

in and out

with good drugs afterwords!

[DeepBlueC]

48. root canals are not bad if there is no abcess

Of course I have slept through them so I can't testify to the process itself, but the recovery was uneventful, completely so. They said to watch what I ate for a day (although the first time I read the instructions a day late & it did not matter a bit), rinse with salt etc. I had drugs but I did not need them.

[JerseygirlCT]

69. The worst part is really sitting there for that long with your mouth cranked open

And my root canals have almost all been b/c of an abscess - the slight pain of the root canal actually felt GOOD compared to the pain of the abscess. It was actually a relief. That's how bad those things hurt!

I had two wisdom teeth abscess - and they were pulled. One during a pregnancy - so definitely nothing but novacaine. Then a couple of years later, I had to get the other two out - or they would have kept growing, I was told! Never knew that. Again, though - no biggie. One was tricky, and he literally had to put a foot on the chair and tug for all he could. It was so strongly into my jaw, he ended up cutting away a bit of bone to get it all out. But other than a little soreness - all done in minutes and fine.

[TheCowsCameHome]

23. The extractions will be a snap compared to the insurance hassle

I'd choose having teeth pulled over dealing with insurance claims any day.

[walkaway]

28. Ask for VICODIN!

And have it done on a Friday if you can so you can sleep all weekend. Have tasty drinks and soups on hand. Tell friends so they feel sorry for you and treat you special.

[greenbriar]

37. I can only take lortabs

everything else upsets my stomach badly

[TahitiNut]

44. Vicodin and Lortab are both combinations of hydrocodone and acetaminophen.

:shrug:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

58. I'm partial to just plain oxycodone

Less wear and tear on one's liver.

Acetaminophen does a number of that very important organ.

[DeepBlueC]

65. only if you exceed the dosage

and especially if you take it with alcohol in your system.

[Warpy]

29. You'll kick yourself for not doing it sooner

Extractions are not a big deal and most can be done in the dentist's chair under local anesthesia, only.

The worst part of having my wisdom teeth out was when the novocaine was wearing off. Once those twinges stopped, it was a breeze.

Take the drugs for that first day. You won't need them the second.

[applegrove]

30. I had mine out when I was 18 or 19. The stitches hurt more than the teeth or jaw.

Piece of cake. You'll be fine.

[47of74]

51. I remember when the stiches came out

It was so nice being able to open my jaw all the way again after about a week of not being able to open it more than a couple inches.

[applegrove]

62. My stitches didn't keep my mouth sorta closed, they just closed over the holes

where the wisdom teeth used to be. And they were tied tight. Boy did that hurt.

[Stephanie]

33. Haagen Dazs

that is all

[Sarah Ibarruri]

34. Have you had teeth taken out before? It's usually no big deal.

Hopefully, if you're one of the *usuallys* you'll just go home and rest, drink fluids, eat soft food, and watch TV. That's all.

[greenbriar]

39. years ago I had my wisdom teeth out but they could not find one of the 4

now the 4th one has appeared at age 42


and the root is wrapped around another tooth

[Sarah Ibarruri]

68. OMG how odd LOL! I'm sorry for laughing but that's unique! I hope it comes out okay....

Mine had a nasty curved root that the dentist thought would "touch" my nerve and leave me with no sensation at all in my tongue, etc.

[47of74]

52. That was pretty much my day after the surgery

I went home, slept for about four or five hours, watched a couple movies with the family, and went back to bed.

I do remember now that my mouth was a little bit sore the following day, and that my surgery was about when they started selling Pepsi Clear. I was well enough the following day - a Saturday - to drive myself to church that evening and after church stopped at the neighboring gas station to get something to drink and I decided on the Pepsi Clear. That actually helped a bit. Nice thing about the surgery was it got me a Saturday off from work.

[tabasco]

46. Be thankful you have insurance.

A lot of us have Visa / Mastercard for insurance.

[NiteOwll]

49. I had all four wisdom teeth pulled at the same time

about 5 or 6 years back. I didn't want to be put to sleep so they just numbed my mouth. It wasn't bad at all -- even when two of the teeth broke off and required some extra work. I only had to take a couple of pain pills after it was over. I was really nervous going into it, but the actual experience paled in comparison to the "horror" stories I heard. Don't worry, you'll do fine.

[Nye Bevan]

50. My suggestion: get Novocaine only, no sedation

I had 2 deeply impacted wisdom teeth removed with only Novocaine and no IV or sedation. I felt no pain (only pressure), was able to help the surgeon since I could cooperate, and did not have that horrible woozy feeling the rest of the day. And I could drive myself home afterwards.

[sakabatou]

64. The thing is, they're not impacted

They've only come just above the surface of my gums.

[JerseygirlCT]

70. This would be my choice every time, too

The anesthesia is the worst for me. Nausea, woosiness.

[Mugu]

55. After the fact you'll wonder why you were frightened.

I have a bottle of Valium that I saved for situations like yours because I won't even consider a general. But, when I'm leaving the dentist's/surgeon's office I always wonder why I worked myself up into a frenzy because it wasn't that bad.

Modern dentistry techniques are very good. The dentist has been down this road many times and understands that you're frightened.

I'm positive that tomorrow night you'll be telling us that the procedure wasn't that bad.

[Lindsey]

61. I've had so much dental work done I could write a book...

it may be a good idea to take something for anxiety (like Xanax) if you continue to be nervous. The Dr. will probably ask you questions to help you decide if you should have a general, or just numbing (personally, I LOVE the gas). It seems to me like it'd be a good idea to have some kind of pain medication (that you're not allergic to) on hand in case there's a little pain after the numbing wears off. Every one has different pain tolerance levels and the outcome of procedures are different. I know how nerve racking stuff like this can be but I'm sure it'll be fine..keep us posted! :-) Oh yea, make sure the Dr. is sensitive and isn't a jerk. That can make a HUGE difference.

[bluedawg12]

60. Good luck!

:hi:

[cboy4]

66. It'scrazy how fast the IV knocks you out.

Had to have been three seconds when I had my wisdom teeth out.

But I'm not sure if they'll be giving you local or general.

[JerseygirlCT]

67. Are they impacted, or grown out?

The latter - no biggie at all. Have done that, well, with all four wisdom teeth, and just some Novocaine.

If it's going to be more than that - the first day was the toughest for my son when he did this. He was sick from swallowing a lot of blood. Take your pain meds, stay ahead of the pain for that day - and you'll be much, much better the next day.

You'll be fine!