Getting 4 Wisdom Teeth Pulled Friday

Yep, all 4 done at the same time when I was 18.

Just don't drink anything hot through a straw like I did... because no one told me not to...as a matter of fact don't suck anything through a straw at all! 4 dry sockets, not a ton of fun.

My husband did, years ago. The *only* problem he had was not anything at the dentist's office: it was his two toddlers playing too roughly with their daddy later. I'd never seen that man cry before....

I had all 4 out at the same time when I was 16 yrs old
For me it was easy peasy.
I was eating pizza 3 days later.
My husband had all his out in his late 20's.
It wasn't quite so easy for him but he still bounced back in about a week.
You'll be fine!

Easy if you are not awake. I had all four out when I was 16, 2 impacted. No problems. Some good pain meds and I was fine in a couple of days.

i had all mine out when i was about 20. i'm astonished so many do it without general anesthesia! i'm glad i was conked out.
happened during a brief period of living alone, no roommate, so i'm glad i had friends who drove me there and home, and made sure i was tucked in with plenty of milkshakes and pudding. the first couple of days afterwards were pretty painful, and i was stupid and tried to use a straw which didn't help. but with pain meds and time all was well. took me about 3 days to be up and around again, and a week to be pain-free.
i definitely recommend getting it all over with at once, and use an oral surgeon for sure.
khairete
S.

I had all of mine done at once. It hurts like a mofo afterward, and I'm glad I only had to go through that pain once.

Had all done some years back. As someone else posted, follow the doctor's instructions! Before you get it done, ensure you have the right pain medication in the house (ask the doc what to take and get it before the day). Also prepare by having things like popsicles and milkshakes ready -- the good part was having milkshakes for about two days....

See if you are going to need to clean out the sockets with a salt water rinse in a plastic syringe, etc. Used to do that at home but not sure if docs still call for that. Again, get supplies before the day since you will be out of it (and pleasantly hazy if you're lucky) for a while after the procedure.

All four of mine were impacted. I was given general anesthesia and an oral surgeon pulled them. About a week later both of my eyes turned black and blue. The oral surgeon said they were up in my sinus cavity.
If your teeth have already come up/down it should be pretty easy.
Good luck. It is not fun but it is not horrible either.

I had all 4 of mine done at once too. Mine were also impacted. Followed the instructions from the oral surgeon and didn't have any major issues.

I haven't read the other answers, so bear with me if I repeat other remarks.

Get everything prepared. Go to the store and get everything you will want to eat. Look online and get some ideas. I would get stool softeners just to be safe (prunes are hard to eat and stick to your teeth) because anesthesia can sometimes cause constipation. You do NOT want to have to deal with that while you have a mouth full of swelling and pain.

Really read through your post-op notes. When the doc says no sucking, he or she really mean, NO sucking! No straws, no doing anything with your mouth that would break the "seal", so to speak. You can cause dry socket, and that's a mess to deal with. Read about dry socket in advance so that you can ask your doctor about it.

Make sure you get your pain med prescription filled immediately. Ask the doctor exactly what time to take your first meds when you get home. What's important is that you don't let the meds go out of your system before you take more. If you do, you will hit the wall because it'll take 20 minutes or so for it to work. Keep up with the meds by writing down exactly what you took at what time. Set an alarm for when you are supposed to take it again, and then write that down. No getting mixed up this way, no forgetting to take your pills, etc...

And if you are worried about anything, go back in and have the doc take a look. Don't have the attitude that you don't want to "bother" him or her. You want to make sure you are comfortable with your care.

Best of luck~

People's experiences will vary greatly. My daughter had her 4 pulled last summer and while the procedure was fine, she had a bit of a rough recovery and it took several follow up visits over a month until she really was without pain and had the full range of opening back. She was also quite swollen for a while. Her boyfriend had the same process, same doctor, a day later as did another boy we know and the boys were totally fine - minimal swelling and pain and eating real food within a day or so. I had mine done two at a time due to a prior surgery and my recovery from both was fine. My sister had 4 done at once and had dry sockets after and was in terrible pain for days.

At the end of the day, most people do just fine and recover quickly and some have a harder time with the recovery. Follow the directions to a T (I think my sister used a straw, which dislodged the stitches and contributed to the dry sockets) and hope you're one of the majority of folks who bounce back quickly but know that if you have complications, your surgeon should be able to offer you practical tips for relief until your healing is complete.

Best of luck to you!

My suggestion is to make sure you go to someone that has been recommended by your dentist or family or friends, and go to preferably an oral surgeon rather than a regular dentist.

Last February my 23 yr old daughter had all 4 removed. She didn't go to the oral surgeon I wanted her to go to. She went to a posh oral surgeon on Michigan Ave with a super nice office and young hip staff. She ended up getting a massive infection that landed her in the hospital for 8 days. She had to have surgery by an oral surgeon and ENT Dr. Ironically, the on call ER Oral Surgeon just so happened to be the same Oral Surgeon I wanted her to go to, grrrr. The abscess traveled towards her heart and according to both surgeons, was too close for comfort.

The original oral surgeon didn't treat her properly when she complained about pain. He considered himself a 'natural' Dr and didn't want to use an antibiotic and plainly just ignored her calls and didn't even look at her when she went to his office. She had lock jaw for 1 month and had to go to physical therapy for it.

I don't want to scare you but please don't ignore fevers or any amount of intolerable pain. Some Oral Surgeons have their patients take antibiotics prior to surgery so there is less chance of infection.

Best wishes

Even if the whole experience really, really, really stinks, if you have them pulled all at once, you won't have to go back to get the rest pulled.

My sister-in-law did only two of her four. She had such a bad experience (admittedly through her own fault) she won't get the remaining two pulled. My husband learned from her and pulled all of his at once. It was unpleasant and a slower recovery than he expected but it's done. Good luck.

I had all 4 out at once when I was 18. I followed Dr. directions and still got dry sockets, HOWEVER, I still followed Dr. direction and within a week I was on a plane and spent the summer pain free in Jamaica.

Last June, my now 19 yr old daughter got all 4 out at once, followed Dr directions, no dry sockets, and was at a concert 4 days later.

I think common sense is to do it all at once... no sense on going through a routine surgery twice... plus probably cheaper if you just do it all at once. Yes, you will have pain but is manageable depending on your tolerance and motivation to get through the procedure well. They sent my daughter home with an ace wrap type bandage that was Velcro 'd to her head with ice. It was perfect. Just follow directions.

As with any surgery, attitude has a lot to do with it. They more you make of it the more it will become.

Best wishes and I hope you have an east recovery.

Had all four of mine done on a Friday. Monday back in full swing. First 24 hours sore but that's about it.

I had all 4 out at once and it was fine. I went to an oral surgeon to have it done (I'd recommend this - their entire professional lives are comprised of pulling teeth, so they're really good at it), and I had him put me out for it (not just sedated, but all the way out). I rested for the rest of the day after the surgery, iced and took the painkillers as prescribed. The next morning, I woke up, felt fine, didn't have much swelling, and went to the gym and did a workout. No big deal. I have no great tolerance for pain (I needed an epidural when both of my kids were born), it just wasn't that awful having my wisdom teeth out.

I had all 4 of mine pulled the summer before my senior year of high school. The first couple of hours were a little rough, but it wasn't horrible. My recovery was smooth compared to my older sister's recovery.

Either way, just plan on having lots of ice cream, ice pops, etc in the house. Soft is good, but soft and cold is awesome!

I was 17 when I had all of mine pulled. I was put out and they actually had to break my teeth and then pull them out piece by piece. THANK GOD they put me out!
The recovery was fine. I just ate Wendy's frostys for a couple of days and made sure to change the gauze and clean out the holes in my mouth. It was a bit difficult for me doing that. I got "gaggy" when I had to do that, but other than that......no problem!!
L.

I had all 4 out when I was about 30. I am a big baby about medical procedures and especially dental stuff, and I didnt think it was too bad. Hopefully you are being put under for the procedure? I was and when I woke up it was a bit sore but with pain meds never got too bad. Good luck!

Sweetheart, if the dentist says it's a go, you should be fine. I had this done in my early 20's, all four at once, and I think ultimately, it was a good way to go. The pulling itself wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared, and you'll get a pain killer Rx that should keep you reasonably comfortable for the first few days of healing.

Dry socket was my one real problem. The dentist packed the sockets with clove oil on cotton, and that worked surprisingly well.

Wishing you a perfect outcome!

yes I had all four done at once but I was completely out when they did it.
the only thing I remember is him saying he was giving me some oxygen and then the mask going on my face.... then I woke up. healing process hurts and is a little uncomfortable because you cannot chew and are on a liquid diet but as long as you get pain meds (if you can take them) I think down time for me was about 4-5 days. My co-worker had all four of hers done in the dental office and they just numbed her mouth. She said it was the most horrible experience she ever went through in her life. the dentist had to sit on the chair and literally yanked on her mouth to get the two back teeth out. she said all she heard was cracking and yanking of her head and mouth. yuck! I would go to an oral surgeon and be put under if I were you. good luck!

I had all 4 extracted about 20 years ago, and my only recollection was that I was a bit woozy from the anaesthetic, so that means that it must have gone fine. My husband's were extracted a few years ago, and he had no complications. Our 11-year old son also had all four removed this August, and he seemed to sail through it. I can't imagine having them taken out one or two at a time. Multiple operations for a problem which can be fixed in one? Nah.

Good luck with it!

I don't think I know anyone who didn't do all four at one time....they only have to put you to sleep the one time. That's much better for your body.

I bled a lot afterwards. Biting down on a tea bag was what we did way back in the dark ages...lol.

Just plan on eating soft foods that do not require chewing of any sort. Jello, pudding, mashed potatoes, even with gravy but leave out the course ground pepper, soft stuff that you can put half a teaspoon of it in then swallow.

You'll need to plan on ice/heat. I always do better with ice. It also effects blood flow and decreases bleeding. Ice makes my surgeries feel way better.

I found that some medications just don't do it for me and some medications take care of the pain when that's not what they're supposed to do.

I accidentally to half a Flexaril when I had a couple of teeth pulled. I was hurting a bit that time. Within moments my pain was gone 100%. Silly because Flexaril is a muscle relaxant. Not supposed to make extraction pain go away totally but it did. The next day I had some bruising on my face and my jaw was stiff. I took another half of a Flexaril and I was completely out of pain in moments. That was all I took. It worked so well and it was the second day so I didn't have pain that I couldn't manage. I didn't even take Tylenol just those 2 halves of Flexaril.

You don't want to take anything that makes blood thinner so don't take any Aspirin. Motrin would be my first OTC med. It reduces inflammation and reduces pain. The inflammation of the tissue around the bones in the jaw/jaw joint will feel better with Motrin.

Motrin and ice, that will be your friend...

Had all four of mine out at 17yo. I was put under because they were so impacted and I have a very small mouth (so my doctor told me, but my husband has never complained ;) lol)

I was down for a week. I had bad swelling and dry sockets because I couldn't drink without a straw, so it pulled the clots out. Luckily no infection, but I remember sleeping for days. I have a feeling it was the anesthesia, though, because this happened to me at that time regardless of the procedure. I've been told the anesthesia they use now doesn't affect people the same way.

However, my oldest had his out last year. Easy peasy. Very little swelling and didn't even take the pain meds. He was ok in a couple of days. Just keep a close eye on it and do NOT discount any pain or swelling that seems unusual. There should be someone on call for you to contact 24/7 after the surgery.

Yup. Had 4 pulled, including the 1 the insurance wouldn't pay for and I said, "take it out anyway". My sister had a dry socket. I was loopy and in a little pain but no complications. I ate mashed potatoes for several days. It was fine. Just keep up on the saline rinses and the meds. After a few days, get off the vicodin and use Tylenol. Rest and put ice on your face. You should be fine.

I also had mine pulled on a Friday, rested over the weekend and took Monday mostly b/c I was still a little swollen and had a sympathetic boss.

I had all 4 done surgically at one time. I had them done on Thursday, threw up on the way home a couple of times, and went to bed. (We found out I always throw up from anesthesia!) I stayed in bed until Sunday when I could venture out, but it still hurt. I went back to the dentist and found I had a dry socket, so they packed that, gave me more Vicodin, and I was good to go. I would recommend having the twilight sedation, and going for it all at once. I had 3 impacted ones, so mine was a little bit more tricky. I ate a lot of yogurt, apple sauce, and ice cream. I still remember my dad took me to Burgerville for french fries when I could mush them. It was so sweet and out of character for him. Good luck! And personally, I would rather have my wisdom teeth out than be pregnant again! A LOT!

Just like pregnancy/child birth everyone is different but you asked so I will tell you my story. I had all four out at once, I was put out because 2 were impacted. It sucked, really really sucked. At first I kept telling everyone that I didnt even care if it hurt after because I was so afraid that I would die during the procedure ( Im pretty dramatic at times ), even though I had been put out a handful of times before, for some reason that was my main concern. But I survived and when the pain killers wore off I thought I was going to die from the damn pain. Honestly I think its just because it was in my head though that it was so bad for me. I like to think I have a high threshold for pain (I delivered a 9 lb baby without a lick of drugs and would do that again before my teeth) but when it comes to my head Im the biggest baby I know, a simple headache takes me down so..... With all that being said I had a friend who came over less than 6 hrs after having 4 out at once and he was a "bit sore" as he put it but ate pretty much everything we had that night for dinner which sure as hell wasnt jello, soup and ice cream so like I said everyone is different. I hope I didnt add to your stress. Im sure you will take it better than me and Im still here to talk about so it will be okay. Good luck and stock up on meal replacement drinks sonthat you can have something somewhat filling in you when you take the pain meds

I had all four done at once. No nitro or anything like that, just the numbing shots. What hurt for me was the wearing off of all that novicane. I was honestly just fine the next day. Won't put it down as the best day of my life, but I'm glad I did it all at once.

Good Luck,

M

All at once is best-just follow the docotr's instructions to the letter-and if you have any questions or concerns-Call the doctor immediately-all the best!

I only had 3 (the 4th just isnt there) but they were all taken out at the same time. I loved the milkshakes and chicken broth. Don't drink out of a straw though. The worst part was irrigating it with that little syringe thing. It didn't hurt too bad, a little sensitive, just gross watching food come out. It wasn't that bad. Although I didn't have kids yet so I didn't have anyone to care for. Just me!

All 4 of mine at once. on a Friday morning. They knocked me out. I was driven home by my mom slept almost all day. Had a chocolate shake, took pain pills. On that Sunday I attended my Baccalaureate.

Followed all of the directions.. I could not eat steak for a few weeks, but that was the worst part.

Interesting, they realized I had 1 impacted tooth and that one was the one that healed the quickest.

Yes, had it done while in HS during my senior year. I was afraid but the pain the night before the surgery also affected the left side of my body. I had never felt pain like that in my life! But, bc of that pain, the fear was gone!!!!

Getting all of them done now will save you pain later in life. So glad my dentist did all of mine as well.

Opt for general anesthesia, for sure, and be sure you take the oral pain meds as soon as you can. My biggest mistake was not taking the pain meds right away, so the drugs from the surgery wore off before the oral meds kicked in. As long as you take the pain pills as soon as you wake up, you will be fine!! Better living through modern chemistry all the way with all dental work for me!!

I had all 4 of mine pulled when I was a teen. I don't remember much about it but I did wake up in the middle so they had to put me out again. My grandma took a picture of me laying in bed with a ripped up pillow case tied in strips with a knot on the end...I had to bite on it to stop the bleeding from the holes and it had to be long strips so I didn't risk swallowing it. =0/ But I survived and so will you. Good luck!

My husband had all 4 done at once when he was being kicked off his mom's insurance plan. He said it was sore but not a really big deal. His were impacted. No complications. Doing it on a Friday is a good idea and also making sure DH or someone else can watch the kid(s) for a day or two - just in case you are sleeping. Also - ice cream and do fill any pain meds just in case.

Yep, I had all mine out at once in the dentist chair. No problems, no pain (even the anaesthetic shot didn't hurt) except a little afterwards which was easily dealt with with Tylenol. I have ridiculously straight teeth and they came out, pop, pop, pop, pop. Took less than ten minutes for the actual pulling. Hope you have the same experience as me!

I only had 3 but they all came out at once. After surgery I couldn't wait to get out and probably left too soon. The second I made it to the car I threw up (in the parking lot). I had some pain but was mostly fine and mostly uneventful. My husband had all 4 pulled 2 weeks ago. They were all grown in but giving him issues so the regular dentist pulled them for him and only used local anesthesia. He had a lot of pain but was fine and even worked the rest of the week. Sure you will be in pain but you will survive.

I had all 4 of mine out at once in July. I'm 34. I was having issues with them and I really needed to get them out.

Getting it done really wasn't that bad. But there's no way in heck I'd just go to the dentist to have it done. I went to an oral surgeon and had it done under sedation. They gave me some oral sedative for the night before so I could sleep without nightmares, another to calm my nerves that morning. I don't remember a thing past the surgeon putting the IV in (which didn't hurt). And afterwards I went home with an icepack on my face, changed out my gauze as needed, and slept all day.

I took the pain meds as indicated, did ache pretty bad for about a week, not so bad for another week after that, but NONE of the pain afterwards was as bad as the pain of having them still festering in my mouth. So that was good.

My suggestion to you? Only go to an oral surgeon who will put you under twilight sedation (not fully out, but you don't remember a thing). Don't let the dentist do it. That would seriously suck.

If that's what you're doing, don't worry! It's not bad. Take care of your sockets and get the little water squirter to clean them. You'll be fine.

I had all 4 done at once, they had to cut in and break them apart because of where they were coming in (under my back molars), and even with that it was really no big deal.

You don't get general anesthesia for dental work, you get sedation (or twilight sedation) through an IV. General sedation requires a breathing tube. Sedation is way easier and safer if you choose it.

Have you ever had a root canal - they are way worse than having a tooth pulled. It takes about 5 times longer. Honestly, the worst part of having a tooth pulled (assuming they are not impacted, i.e. sideways and under the gums) is hearing them crack as they break the tooth in three or so parts and pull each tooth out.

Another bad part is the shot of Novocaine. But that lasts about 3 seconds.

I agree with taking the pain meds a quickly after the procedure as possible. The Novocaine will wear off pretty quickly and you want some Percocet to help you out.

So don't worry too much. And plan to have a day or two to just realx and catch up on TV.

Feel better!

Can't attest to the all four at once, but want to second Leigh's suggestion of making sure to have a syringe and salt water to clean the sockets. That was critical for me... my first time, I was in the Navy and I had two removed and didn't know how to care for them afterward, which meant going back to medical.... :(

I had all four done at the same time. It wasn't a huge deal. I only had local anesthesia. I got some Tylenol 3 for the next few days but I only took it the first day. Honestly, it was way less of a big deal and anyone said it would be.

I've heard from various people that the age you have it done can impact how difficult your recovery is. I don't know if there is any research to support that or not, though.

I had mine all removed (under general anesthesia) when I was about 22. I took off work on Friday, had it done early in the morning, recovered over the long weekend (Monday was a holiday) and was back at work on Tuesday.

I didn't have any complications. I stocked up on things like jello, soup, pudding and gatorade, before I had it done, so that I had soft, easy foods to eat during recovery, without having to drive anywhere (so I could take the pain meds as needed). I don't think I took prescription pain meds for more than about 24 hours, though. After that, OTC tylenol was enough, if I remember right (it's been 20 some odd years ago).

I was single, with roommates, and far far from my parents' home. I didn't need someone watching over me or taking care of me. Just someone to drive me home from the appointment (you can't drive after general anesthesia). I had a phone in my room, if I had any problems. I had a refrigerator of stuff to consume. I pretty much laid in bed/slept the first afternoon, and then watched a LOT of TV or read books over the weekend.
I haven't had a single complication since then, either.

So much depends upon YOUR mouth and the skill of your practitioner. I didn't have my done by a "regular" dentist. I went to an oral surgeon. That might make a difference in the experience, too.
(mine were also impacted)
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Sorry to edit-- but a lot of folks are mentioning dry sockets. And a lot of people are mentioning milkshakes. Follow the dentist/oral surgeon's INSTRUCTIONS. NO STRAWS. NONE. If you want a milkshake, use a spoon. If you have a soda, drink from a cup/glass. It may not guarantee no dry sockets, but if you use a straw you are dramatically INCReasing the odds.

My 2nd daughter just had them done yesterday. She slept all day and was up and doing errands today just fine. Not much pain but her's were not impacted.

I had mine done two at a time. Bad bad bad! I swore I would never do that to my kids! When they both had their taken out it was all 4 at a time in an oral surgeons office.

I made sure I had a bag of peas, and lots of ice cream. Followed directions and they were fine after a couple of days. Good luck!!

Granted, I was 15 when mine were done (all of them, but I may have only had two; I don't recall) so they may not have been fully formed, but I spent one afternoon lying down, never used anything stronger than aspirin, and was anxious to get back to school Swelling and a little bruising, but no pain that I can remember.
I know i'm on the extreme side, but maybe it will offset the horror stories!
S