Wisdom Tooth Surgery

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I found out at the dentist today that I have an ingrown wisdom tooth that will need to be surgically removed or the tooth next to it will be lost.

I've been too frightened to even sleep now because of this. I don't want to be put under while doing the surgery, I can't stand the thought of going numb and then being unconscious and completely helpless for two hours. Having two hours go by and not even feel like a few seconds have past is terribly frightening.

The other options are just as frightening. I'm worried that being aware through the procedure will be uncomfortable and painful. Have some random person cut a hole into my jaw while awake is just as terrifying.

I wish I didn't have to go through with this at all. I don't want to have my jaw cut into. I'm so freaking scared and every option feels bad.

I felt the same way before I had surgery on my face. I rationalized with myself that it needed to be done and that if anything went wrong I was in the hospital anyway. Sadly my dad is a pro at having surgerys so his company comforted me greatly.

Words of advice: Don't watch the the drip. It only makes the waiting worse.

Sometimes having a wisdom tooth out can be entertaining.

I had a wisdom tooth that was growing sideways and putting pressure on the next tooth. As I recall, (it was 25 years ago), they just numbed me up well and thoroughly and went ahead. They got the gum open and expected to just pull it out but there was an irregularity of the shape of it that didn't show up on the X-ray so it was harder than they expected to get it out. It was so funny. The old dentist that was doing it had to ask the younger dentist in to help. He was pulling, and my head was following along, and finally they had to open the gum up a bit more to get it out. I wish I had video of that younger dentist yanking away! It was kind of like a comedy movie.

They did an excellent job of numbing the area up, so it didn't hurt at all, and I could appreciate the comedic aspect of the whole thing. It healed up without any problem and while it was healing I didn't use most of the strong pain medication they gave me.

Don't hesitate to get that rascal removed. You will be glad when it is over, you will save your other tooth, and who knows, you may get an anecdote of your own out of it.

I think you usually have a choice between general anethesia (unconsciousness) and local (numbing). I preferred being awake because it's less risky, takes less time, and avoids the unpleasant after-effects of general anesthesia. You just have to endure the needle sticks when they inject the numbing agents. Then you don't feel anything. No pain or discomfort at all, just some tugging as they extract the tooth. You just try to relax and focus on something on the ceiling, and cooperate when they need you to. If the situation is really making you anxious, consider getting a prescription for klonopin or some other kind of anti-anxiety to take before the procedure.

It's not bad at all, he can slam a hammer into your jaw and you won't feel a thing. All you have to do is remember not to chew your mouth where it's numb, as you'll regret it later on.

It doesn't hurt to have it removed.

If you haven't had the surgery yet, I can say it's a lot more frightening thinking about it than it is to actually go through it. The worst thing is going there, getting in, and sitting in the chair right before they start. I'm not too brave with things that I'm afraid of, and most of the time I tend to not handle things with fear well, so this should give you an idea hopefully.

When you wake up you just feel like you slept for an hour or two and feel really crappy.

Afterwards you just go home and more than likely sleep. The two biggest pains are the fatigue and the lack of ability to eat solid or crunchy foods. Honestly, I found it to be more of a major inconvenience than traumatic or terrifying after I had the actual surgery.

My advice to you, (which I hope helps in some way) is to be set with video games (if you play any) and food before-hand. Plan things to do that way you're not sitting there dead-tired wondering what to do. I played an MMORPG with a friend the first couple of nights after I had mine out. Grateful I had somethin' to do and someone to do it with.

My secondary advice is to go to a local health food store and look for a supplement called GABA. It's an acronym and it's not a drug and it has no side-effects. It just mellows you out and makes you feel like you just meditated for half an hour or so all throughout the day. (Obviously don't forget to check with a doctor if you have any health issues or concerns). That'll take care of some of the fear and/or anxiety you may be having.)

Can't really think of anything else...*Rubs chin* Hope I was able to help in some way, best of luck with handling it ^_^

Btw, protein, Zinc, and Vitamin C will help the healing process significantly.

GABA, gamma amino butyric acid, is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that acts as a clamp on brain impulses. The more that is in the brain, the slower the brain will act with a feeling of calmness as you stated. Alcohol and a lot of drugs stimulate GABA.

However, apparently, if you get too much of this stuff within the brain, your synapses will grind to a halt and apparently you will die.
Not to be alarmist of course.
I expect that manufacturers of supplemental GABA think that most of it will not even make it past the Blood brain barrier.....although apparently the BBB is not always perfect........

Your brains mileage may vary.

I tried GABA and felt no different at all.. typical eh? Then again, I tried suntheanine in massive dose with no difference as well....what a weirdo

I spent 25 mins looking for a suitable link and I did not want to grab a wiki link, as that's a bit unoriginal, even though wiki is my first port of call as its on my quick search.

I think its a reasonable article with some balanced comments.
http://www.healthvitaminsguide.com/aminoacids/gaba.htm
http://www.healthvitaminsguide.com/aminoacids/gaba.htm
(It's so good I linked it twice er for those with dual displays)

I was terrified to have this done..but it was no big deal at all. it didn't hurt or anything, and i had hardly any swelling.

the pain killers are wooonderfuul weeeeeeeee

i preferred being given niotrogen oxide because it made everything go faster. You just go into slightly less concious state with the gas. generally bleeding lasts for a day or two.

If it were me, I'd go under, being conscious for that kind of thing won't be calming when it actually happens. It's personal decision, of course, but to me the idea of just waking up and it all being over sounds better.

General anaesthesia isn't that bad, side effects like vomiting are rare, and any really bad effects are extremely rare. There's detailed info here.

I'm actually having surgery myself soon, and I will be under the general anaesthstetic, so let's hope I come out alive, I can't die before I've even made my first million!

I'm on a waiting list to get all four of mine removed and I don't think any of the anesthesia options sound appealing either. I once got a tooth pulled and was given an itravenous sedative although they had to give me 5X the normal dose to get me sedated and then afterwards I was so drugged up that I tried to reach over and grab the stearing wheel of the car on the way home. Apparently I almost made us crash into the side of a bridge. I'm not getting sedated again. It's either a local anesthesia or a general for me, but that's not my decision to make.

i got put under for it. i dont know what its like to be drunk or high but thats how id describe it. Afterwords my teeth didnt hurt, they just bled like hell for a couple of hours then stopped. the worst part is u have to keep a bandage or teabag in ur mouth and clamp down so it can absorb the blood.

When I got my wisdom teeth removed, they used a topical numbing gel where they put the needle in and then they put me under. When I woke up, both my roommate and my best friend were there to take care of me (I don't live at home with my family anymore). The worst part of it was the anxiety right before they did the procedure.

If you do have anaesthesia, just make sure that you follow all the instructions that they give you beforehand and let them know if you're on any medicines (including OTC stuff).

For me, the bleeding wasn't that bad and I was feeling well enough to go to class the next day (but my roommate wouldn't let me).

Just make sure that you have people around you that can take care of you. You'll need to eat lots of soft foods (if you like ice cream and still live at home, this is a good bargaining chip to get your parents to let you eat ice cream for meals!) and follow the instructions that they give you as well as you can.

When I had to have general anesthesia for my surgery, I was terrified, just like you. I couldn't take my mind off of the fact that they would be doing surgery on me while I was lying completely defenseless on the doctor's table.

You know what solved it for me? It might not be this simple for you, but... My mom told me to think of it as a nap. The doctor was kind enough to give me some sleep. And you know what? It worked! Granted, I did have to deal with pain, etc. after the surgery was over, but it dramatically reduced the anxiety I had going into the whole ordeal.

Sometimes it just takes thinking about it from a different perspective.

Trust me i was almost having freaking anxiety attacks and i had no choice i had to be awake, also when they ask if you get nervous ask them to send you some valuim(can't spell it right lol) then by the time you go in they will give you more pain killers and a iv drip to keep you sleepy and calm, its not exactly when your under you know whats going on but won't feel a thing and time may seem to pass by rather quickly and with all this stuff you'll probably be pretty happy the entire day and they'll tell you you can only have like milkshakes for a few days. lol hope your not lactose intolerent jk