Does the idea of getting erupted wisdom teeth extracted make you want to hide? Even if you are considering anesthesia to “be put out” during oral surgery, so many online testimonials depict the recovery after wisdom teeth extractions as dreadful with stories emphasizing pain, headaches, dry sockets (dislodged blood clots), infection, pain medication, and antibiotics. In reality, not all oral surgery of wisdom teeth is followed by pain or complications.
Before I got my two upper erupted wisdom teeth extracted, my biggest fear was that I would experience excruciating nerve pain and muscle spasms in my sinus cavity hours after surgery when the anesthetic wore off. I had this misconception after reading an online testimonial that warned patients to take painkillers before the pain came in since it takes a while for the painkillers to take effect. Fortunately, this advice did not apply to me after my surgery. I experienced absolutely no throbbing pain and did not have to take painkillers. My only symptoms were slight nausea due to the IV sedation and a raspy voice. During surgery, I was given nitrous oxide that made me feel like I was melting. This was followed by intravenous sedation causing me to be completely unaware of the procedure. I awakened peacefully to the sound of people talking.
Many of the testimonials that I read involved former patients who had gotten four wisdom teeth removed, both impacted and erupted. To get an accurate picture of the after-effect of wisdom teeth extraction, it is important to distinguish between impacted and erupted teeth. During my consultation, my oral surgeon informed me that getting my lower impacted teeth extracted would result in swelling and jaw soreness, but I would not experience this following the extraction of my upper erupted wisdom teeth. Moreover, based on research, a person getting lower impacted teeth extracted has a 20% chance of developing dry sockets where blood clots are dislodged prematurely exposing nerves and resulting in intense pain; while, the likelihood of experiencing a dry socket in all tooth extractions combined is one to three percent. Dry socket can be triggered by smoking, blowing, and sucking or could occur for no reason at all. Other factors that should be considered before you can know what to expect include age (your jawbone becomes more dense with age making your teeth more difficult to pull); and the condition of your teeth (decayed teeth are harder to pull than healthy teeth).
The main idea is to research and listen carefully before judging the experience of wisdom teeth extractions. Testimonials should not be viewed as “one size fits all” but instead be perceived on an individual basis. If all you need or want is the extraction of erupted wisdom teeth, you are under 40 years of age, and your teeth are in healthy condition, do not let scary testimonials turn you away from getting it done. Take it from me, you will be fine as long as you follow the simple steps of resting a couple of days after surgery; eating soft foods such as bananas, mashed potatoes, yogurt, and pudding; and rinsing with warm, salt water. Even, if you are getting your impacted, lower wisdom teeth removed, be assured that there is a low risk that you will develop a painful dry socket.
