Question - wisdom tooth removal and being "knocked out"

[Deleted]

I highly doubt that. It costs about $1000 to have a root canal.

dude americans get shafted for dental care! root canal in the UK only cost me £250

[Chirri]

Oral Surgeon, not dentist, for all 4 wisdom teeth; I was gassed, as well as given a couple of pills to help with anxiety to take the morning I woke up, before even going into the office - had me counting backward, I got mebbe as far as 3. Woke up a while later on my side on a padded bench with my mother beside me. Healed up pretty darn quickly. Absolutely no memory of what occurred during the procedure.

Putting you under or causing you to lose control brings up a variety of concerns for your well being and opens the doctors up to legal risks as well. It's kind of a big deal. Do what makes you comfortable, with someone you're comfortable with. If you feel the need to be sedated, make sure it's someone you're willing to trust.

[Adam Jensen]

I'd take (and I took) the IV method. I'd rather not actually see them remove the molars or stick a fucking needle in my mouth. I hate needles. I fucking hate needles. If I had to chose between a spider and a hypodermic syringe, I'd take the fucking spider. So yeah, being knocked out while the doctors do what they need to do is preferable.

I don't want to see it happen.

Also, I would be totally freaking out during the brain surgeries that require the patient to be awake.

---------- Post added 2013-03-01 at 07:54 PM ----------

General Anaesthetic is classed as 'deep sedation' in the UK and is a very very last resort for dental treatment due to risks (not sure where you are from OP, sorry). This is the sedation that will totally put you to sleep. Here is a small article on GA: http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/hel...l-anaesthetic/

I guess it isn't a last resort in the US, I was sedated and wasn't given an option (and if given the option, I'd take it.)

[Nillah]

I had all four of mine cut out when I was a teenager. I was put under, and I don't think they gave me any other choices. That's what I would have wanted anyway, I don't want to stay awake through all that.

That said, stock up on pudding/jello/broths. You're going to be very sore for a week, especially when your pain meds run out.

[ponth]

Listen to this person.

1) An oral surgeon, not a dentist should be taking them out.

2) Being knocked out is fine. There is risk, but it is quite low. My wife is a surgical assistant for an oral surgeon and most of their surgeries are done under some anesthesia. It will probably be a bit more expensive, but I doubt (as others have suggested) that you will have to pay for another doctor to be present. Where I live, oral surgeons maintain anesthesia certifications for the types that they use.

Oral surgeon or whatever it's called, it's the way to go. My dentist knew her limitations and referred me to one of those. I payed roughly 40$ per tooth for that, and I doubt I would have paid much more if I'd gone for option #2. This probably differs from country to country, but I know from my line of work that as long as you're in a hospital, you pay a set price to get something done, regardless of how many people it takes.

[Liagala]

I only grew one wisdom tooth, for some odd reason, but it was impacted. I was given the options, and chose #2 because I'm a total wuss. I had to pay a few hundred dollars extra for the anesthesia because my insurance wouldn't cover it (it covered the procedure itself, but not being knocked out for it), but I considered that to be well worth it. I've been awake for surgical stuff before and while it didn't hurt a bit, feeling a doctor cutting into you and then cauterizing the wound when he's done is some freaky shit. I'll pass on feeling that again.

[Lunareste]

I had a #1 done. It was completely painless, you just kind of feel like someone is slightly pushing on your teeth a little bit. Mine were severely impacted and I had ZERO pain with the procedure.

Overall, I would have ZERO problem with getting the other wisdom teeth removed if necessary. My dentist and experience with him were so good thatin just two visits, I completely trust the guy.

[Dmchomerun]

I was knocked out with gas and had all four removed. Like it was stated earlier, the worst part of the entire experience for me was the week or so after, mainly just trying to relax or eat anything.

[ponth]

I was knocked out with gas and had all four removed. Like it was stated earlier, the worst part of the entire experience for me was the week or so after, mainly just trying to relax or eat anything.

It does hurt after you're done. I'm not sure if it's worse when you have all four removed at the same time or not, but as long as you tend to your wounds and munch down painkillers, after roughly a week you should be healing up pretty well. I remember the pain from just having one removed was like feeling someone having the (removed) tooth in a vice, squeezing.

[Theinquisition]

Sometimes you will have bad reactions to being put out.

The last time i was knockedout i couldn't keep food down for 3 days after.

[Rendia]

Usually they only go for #2 if it is tricky and/or the person has EXTREME anxiety concerning the dentist.

Part of the problem with #2, if I remember correctly, there is more chance for nerve damage, which makes it riskier, as well as the fact that anesthesia is just risky in general. I have a bad reaction to anesthesia. When I "wake up", though before I am consciously aware, I become rather violent and try to kill people around me.

---------- Post added 2013-03-01 at 10:30 PM ----------

I was a number 1. I would do it again, too. It was painless and not a very long process at all.

Plus this is the same dentist I've seen all my life now, all 23 and a half years. ^_^

Painless, sure, but not long? I had just my lower 2 removed and it took like an hour and a half. Mine were slightly hooked, though. One dentist told me he couldn't remove them because they were hooked under my mandible, so I went to a different dentist. He said no problem.

---------- Post added 2013-03-01 at 10:35 PM ----------

I had option 2 with all 4 teeth removed and I think it was the right choice.

Yeah, you felt terrible for the rest of the day but that would have been the case no matter which option you chose.

At least you had it over and done with at that point and didn't have to waste more thought on it. It was also the easiest as you sleep through the whole endevour rather than having to watch people fumble around inside your mouth.

I didn't have to just watch the dentist, they have TVs on the walls in my dentists office, with your own remote, lol. I was watching DBZ Kai the entire time, haha.

[Kathranis]

I'd take the IV method if I could afford it. Hell, I'd spend time saving up while enduring toothaches just so I wouldn't have to deal with having them removed under local anesthetics. I am deathly afraid of dentists and for something like impacted wisdom tooth extraction, I would almost rather die from complications of general anesthetic than have to endure local.

This stems largely from my earliest memories of going to the dentist, involving things like oral surgery under local anesthetic to remove extranumerary permanent teeth. It was hellish and traumatic and even now, some 22 years later, I can still remember the experience clearly.

[ibnalail]

I went to a surgeon and they used the gas for mine. It was a piece of cake as far as I was concerned. I was oblivious until the last tooth. I was crying while I was under - not from fear or pain, just the kind of crying that happens when you've been under a lot of stress and suddenly it's gone. But that made my nose all stuffy so I couldn't breathe the gas. I could feel pressure, but no pain.

[Beet]

I see I'm not the only one who wants Option 2. I've been dealing with complications from my wisdom teeth for a little over a year now because I'm too chicken shit to goto the Dentist and get them removed. All four need to be extracted. I only have an issue with one though and it ended up cracking and a chunk came out months ago. I deal with pain in it quite a lot, and I'm now finally deciding to just man up and go get the situation taken care of.

I really hope my dentist will let me get general anesthesia for it. I've had an intense fear of dentists forever combined with the fact I've had to deal with pain in this tooth so long I'm scared to make it worse. And I know most people say they have fears of dentists but my fear is crippling. It's not just a dislike for dentists which so many people seem to confuse with being scared.

I'm assuming option 3 that the OP refers to is the so called 'Twilight Sleep'? I've read horror stories of that and I want no part of it. I've heard that when you get twilight sleep you will still feel the pain but you will be so out of it that you won't actually remember it when you 'come to'. I don't want ANY of that. If I'm feeling the pain then all that matters is that I'm feeling the pain. I'm not comforted by the fact that I'd forget the pain I endured later on lol

---------- Post added 2013-03-02 at 03:22 AM ----------

All I'll say about wisdom teeth removal is that you should make sure your not one of those people where whatever they use to knock you out paralyzes you, but still leaves you conscious and about to feel. My brother had a four hour long procedure to remove his wisdom teeth that were still fully inside the gums (had to cut them out), and he was paralyzed with eyes closed yet conscious and able to feel exactly how his gums were being sliced up and wisdom teeth broken into multiple pieces before being pulled out for the whole four hours. The odds of you being one of those people that this can happen to, and the anesthetic being the right one to affect you like this are very low, but I would highly encourage you to make sure just in case.

THIS is what worries the hell out of me. What you described is the biggest nightmare for me. I'd rather be awake and have say my foot amputated rather than that.

[crunk]

The thing is getting knocked out is risky because there is a chance, however small, that you could never wake back up. not to make a "man up" response but... the dentists would rather someone, in fact, man up and take the pain. if you push the issue they'll do what you ask, but how would you like your obit to read "johnny went in for routine wisdom teeth removal and never came back out". what a terrible way to go...

go ahead and argue with me, but both my parents work in the dental field and this information comes straight from them. not to mention i've had 2 wisdom teeth removed and surgery for 2 dental implants. getting "knocked out" is much scarier than any sort of phobia related to dentists once you know the facts.

[Pool of the Dead]

This is relevant to dentists and me.

[breadisfunny]

I had all four of mine cut out when I was a teenager. I was put under, and I don't think they gave me any other choices. That's what I would have wanted anyway, I don't want to stay awake through all that.

That said, stock up on pudding/jello/broths. You're going to be very sore for a week, especially when your pain meds run out.

im not sure i ever had mine removed.....or maybe i just didn't get them.

[Dreamless]

Oral surgeon or whatever it's called, it's the way to go. My dentist knew her limitations and referred me to one of those. I payed roughly 40$ per tooth for that, and I doubt I would have paid much more if I'd gone for option #2. This probably differs from country to country, but I know from my line of work that as long as you're in a hospital, you pay a set price to get something done, regardless of how many people it takes.

Yeah I should have mentioned that in my post which was replied to here.

Always go to an oral surgeon for wisdom tooth extraction. Any decent dentist will as a matter of course refer you to one rather than trying to remove them.

Wisdom teeth are -very- near the mandibular nerve, and it takes the expertise of an oral surgeon to remove them safely and dramatically reduce the risk of nerve damage. As said; any good dentist will recognize this fact and not attempt wisdom tooth extraction.

[Deleted]

I am very very squeamish about the dentist. I had all 4 wisdom teeth removed when I was 23; he simply asked me, do you want to do it here at the surgery, or do you want to be referred to the oral surgeon at the hospital and be put under? I said option 2 thank you very much, I am a complete wuss about dental care and even having a small filling freaks me out so it was an easy choice for me. I was under for less than an hour and home an hour later. If it was just one removed I may have chosen to have it done without the gas but as it was all 4 it was a pretty easy decision for me.

However, a word of warning, my husband had his done, but he reacted badly to the anaesthetic and had to stay in the hospital for around 6 hours after. It didn't harm him physically but when he woke up, it was like he was completely drunk AND high on crack or something, he was ranting and raving and couldn't focus or understand anything... they called me in and made me sit with him for the day because he kept trying to get out of the hospital bed and take his clothes off and harrass the other patients.. the nurses said it happens sometimes. It wasn't any risk to his health as long as he was kept an eye on whilst it was wearing off, but it was very embarrassing for him later (and quite amusing for me once I was assured he wasn't in any danger at all :P)

[Deleted]

Strange, When I was younger they took 4 teeth out so my wisdom teeth could grow in pain free. I thought this was standard. Maybe because they started to grow in when I was 14? Anyway I wasn't given any choice just an injection in my gums and he pulled all 4 out and I barely felt it.

On an unrelated note my dad had a dead root pulled out from under his gums with a pair of pliers boxing day one year. I have never heard someone scream so much in my entire life lol.