Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with wisdomteeth

Can someone recommend a good oral surgeon/and or place to get wisdom teeth removed in Bangkok?

bertrandom — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:12:19 -0800

Can someone recommend a good oral surgeon/and or place to get wisdom teeth removed in Bangkok? My girlfriend needs to get her wisdom teeth removed and we figured since we're close to Thailand it would be cheaper to do it here. Has anyone ever done this before, and could you recommend the person that did it? Or do you have anything to say that would dissuade us from going down that route. We're not really planning on going to down to some sketchy place on Khao San Road, but part of the idea is to save money compared to the States.

Pre-extraction wisdom teeth pain management

prozach1576 — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:34:41 -0800

I'm getting all four wisdom teeth out on May 29th. For the last month or so I have felt intense pressure in my mouth from the teeth coming in. It's been getting a little worse each week and is now causing headaches. It's only May 6th. How should I manage the pain? I have been able to deal with it fairly well with a rotation of OTC painkillers, but I have some concerns about how safe this is. I have generally been popping 1000mg of acetaminophen when I get to work around 9:00am. This has been getting me through the morning and early afternoon. I then take 800mg of ibuprofen when the pain starts to come back. I'll usually take 600-800mg more sometime in the evening if necessary. I don't think this is too extreme, but I've been doing it for a couple weeks now and there are a few weeks to go, and that makes me uncomfortable. Is this safe? Acetaminophen in particular scares me because of how hard it is on my liver, although I've found it much more effective than ibuprofen. Additionally, it's getting to the point where it's not getting the job done anymore. I've still been hurting like hell the last two days.

Moving up the surgery is not an option due to scheduling conflicts.

Can I call the surgeon and ask for a prescription for stronger painkillers? I've never taken prescription painkillers before, really I've never been prescribed anything in my life except for some antibiotics for childhood strep throat infections. So, I'm unfamiliar with the etiquette here. Is this likely to work? Can I take stronger painkillers on a somewhat regular basis for that long? I'm just kind of clueless as to what to do since I've never been confronted with chronic pain before or dealt with a health care provider in this way.

never trust anyone with bad teeth

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:35:26 -0800

I have a carny mouth. Should I get dental insurance before I decide to take care of it? No pain, but several cavities and a few teeth (including two wisdom teeth) have been rotting and falling apart for several years. 4-6 years ago, a dental school said that it would cost 4-5 thousand dollars and take 3-4 visits to fix. That doesn't include getting them whitened or anything cosmetic. Today, one of my molars broke in half and I swallowed it with some wasabi trail mix. That tooth only had a little speck of a cavity yesterday. I'm willing to wait another 6 months or whatever it takes IF IF IF insurance will make it so much less expensive that I can risk losing even more teeth. I am starting to fear that more teeth will fall apart if I wait too long.

I do brush my teeth and don't need to be lectured on prevention; please try to be sensitive. I had some mental problems in my youth, forgot about basic hygiene, and still haven't fixed the havoc it wrecked on my teeth, so the cavities keep getting worse and worse.

I am in Florida and have basic medicaid, but it only covers emergencies and might not even be good anymore. As I've had only minimal pain for the past few years, I've never bothered seeking treatment for emergencies. Recently, I did try calling all of the oral surgeons listed in my area, as I was directed to do, but found that none of them take medicaid anymore.

Any advice is welcome. I want to remain anonymous, but will try to answer questions through mathowie or jessamyn.

Thank you.

Help my gum sockets stop itching (or at least itch a bit less)

NikitaNikita — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:36:43 -0800

How can I calm my itchy wisdom tooth sockets? My gums are crazy-itchy at the sites where I had 4 wisdom teeth extracted last Thursday. I know that this is likely a sign that they are healing, (and at least this isn't the dry socket pain I had two days ago!) but is there any way i can calm this insane itching of my gums? It's making me quite bonkers today. The oral surgeon said he never heard anyone complain of itching before, so no suggestions there either.

Thanks!

Do I have the ear miggly due to my wisdom teeth?

scarykarrey — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:42:11 -0800

Ever since having my wisdom teeth removed last summer, I've been experiencing persistent crackling in my right ear. Is it related? The extraction itself involved cutting three out of the four teeth out due to impaction, and during my week-long recovery period I experienced a lot of pain in my lower jaw on the right hand side, which resulted in a lot of deferred pain in the right ear and an awful lot of crackling. Since I've recovered, I've had no further jaw pain, but the crackling has not gone away.

I've experienced intermittent crackling in my ears throughout my life, which I'm assuming is normal. Usually, if it feels like they're plugged or need to pop (like when I'm on an airplane), I'll do this thing where I sort of do the process of yawning without opening my mouth, and that will clear them.

I'm having to do this several times per day now since my teeth were extracted. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it normal? I recently had my ears thoroughly checked for an entirely different reason, and nothing was wrong with them physiologically or hearing-wise.

Should I set these wisdom teeth clots free?

miniminimarket — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:52:40 -0800

WisdomTeethFilter: I had my bottom two out yesterday afternoon. After changing the gauze the first time, I noticed I had little stringy, thin tissues hanging from each hole. I called my surgeon, who said losing these initial clots was normal and not dry socket. Problem is, they haven't dissolved or broken off like I hoped. I'm worried they'll end up pulling up my real clots out. So, should I cut them? Pull them? Leave 'em be? They're long enough to sort of feel curling below my gums or in my cheek. Also, they don't taste great. Has anyone else had this? I will do pretty much anything to avoid dry socket.

WisdomTeethFilter: How do i NOT play around with the holes?! Its been 14 hours since the operation and i cant sleep.

freddymetz — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:50:47 -0800

WisdomTeethFilter: How do i NOT play around with the holes?! Its been 14 hours since the operation and i cant sleep. I have to admit that i used a straw to drink (my doctor didnt say anything about that).
I always have a lot of saliva floating around in my mouth (which STILL contains blood - is that normal?) and im scared of accidentally removing these things they put in the holes to stop the blooding.
And are there possible negative consequences if i swallow the blood?

How do I report this mistake?

Meg_Murry — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:28:54 -0800

My oral surgeon took out the wrong tooth--now what? In consultation, he said that of my four wisdom teeth, A, B, and C had to go, but D could stay in place. He said that C might be too difficult to reach at this stage of growth, and so we agreed on a plan where he would remove A, B, and, if possible, C. The morning of my appointment, I re-confirmed this plan with him.

Long story short, he took out A, B, and D. When I became aware of this mistake (that's the long part of the story, I can clarify if necessary), I spoke to him on the phone. He seemed surprised that I would object to being charged for the removal of that tooth, D. I reminded him of our consultation and of our conversation just moments before he put me under—my point was that we never, ever planned to remove D. He said he didn't have his notes from our consultation (despite supposedly having my file in front of him) and had seen a lot of patients since my surgery. He was rude, arrogant, and dismissive, implying that even if we hadn't planned on removing D, it was a legitimate charge since he had done the work. I didn't budge, so finally he relented and took the tooth off the bill.

I find this carelessness appalling. To be sure, the damage to me was minimal, but what about the next person? And while I understand that medical professionals risk opening themselves up for lawsuits by apologizing for mistakes, he was a real bully about it. I feel like there must be some procedure for reporting him to… what? A national association of some kind? A state board of oral surgery? A government agency? I'm in Illinois, and this was about four months ago if that matters.

I don't want to sue him, but I want this mistake to be recorded somehow. Any advice from people who have experienced similar mistakes or from medical/dental professionals would be great.

Why are my wisdom teeth brown?

puffin — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:45:39 -0800

Satisfy my curiosity: why are my (extracted) wisdom teeth multi-colored? I just got my wisdom teeth taken out on Friday. I was expected them to be off white, or at least off white and reddish from blood. But instead they are a most peculiar mix of colors. The very bottom is normal tooth color, the top is grayish brown, and the middle is dark caramel brown. See here, here and here. Why is this?

I have done a Google image search and not come up with any extracted teeth that look quite like mine. I've seen my friend's teeth and they also looked normal and white.

If it makes a difference, all four of my teeth were still under the gum before the operation The other two looked the same as the ones shown, but they were broken in half so I didn't bother taking a picture.

How long can I put off getting my wisdom teeth pulled without ruining my teeth?

whoaali — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 18:22:08 -0800

How long can I put off getting my wisdom teeth pulled without ruining my teeth? I'll apologize in advance if this has already been asked, but I searched pretty thoroughly through all the teeth posts and couldn't find exactly this question.

Basically, I'm in school, I don't have dental insurance, but (god willing) I will have a job with dental insurance by say September. Money is very tight right now (damn you Barbri....) and I don't have a job lined up so spending 2k or more to get my teeth pulled is horrifying and will probably require that I take out a loan to cover it.

However, I don't want to ruin my perfectly straight teeth. So I know you are not my dentist, but am I being a fool to even risk this for 7 months? Or is this the kind of thing I can put off? They've only recently really started to hurt (however I can live with the pain). Anecdotal stories of people putting off getting their teeth pulled welcome.

Also, does anyone have any experience as a patient with Howard Dental School?

Dentist/Oral surgeon recommendations in the Buffalo area?

Verdandi — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:29:47 -0800

I need to get my wisdom teeth out this year. Can you recommend me a good dentist/oral surgeon/whatever somewhere in Western New York? I'm looking for a dentist in the Buffalo/Amherst area, preferably, but I'm willing to travel to Lewiston, Wheatfield, or Niagara Falls if necessary.

A few things regarding my dental history: My wisdom teeth are impacted and need to be cut out rather than pulled out (this much I know for sure), so I'd prefer an oral surgeon who is open to having me put completely under, i.e. unconscious for the procedure.

The last dentist I went to was pretty unreceptive to the fact that novacane didn't work very well on me and I still felt pain, so bonus points for a place that's good with pain management.

TIA!

Mmm, blood jelly...

uncleozzy — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 09:47:02 -0800

Dentistry Filter: You are not a dentist; if you are, you are not my dentist. It being Sunday, though, and my surgeon being out of the office, I've got a question about my recent extractions. Rather unpleasant descriptions inside. On Thursday afternoon, nearly 72 hours ago, I had four wisdom teeth extracted. The procedure went well. I've had virtually no pain since the extraction, no swelling, and I bled only a little for about 6 hours afterward. I ate nothing but very soft foods until yesterday afternoon (T+48hrs), and have been taking my penicillin and keeping the wounds clean as instructed.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night tasting blood in my mouth, figured I was just oozing a bit, and went back to sleep. Maybe an hour later I woke up and felt what seemed to be a rather large chunk of Jell-O on my cheek. Retreating to the bathroom to have a look, my mouth was bloody and there was a large piece (maybe 3" x 1/2in x 1/4in) of dark red jelly on the inside of my cheek, extending from top socket to bottom with my mouth fully-opened. Of course, I freaked out a bit and, spitting (gently) to clear out my mouth, this thing came sliding out and slithered right down the drain before I could properly inspect it. From what I could see, though, it was mostly dark red with a translucent center, and a bit squidgy.

Packed with gauze, the bleeding stopped, and I went back to sleep. I woke up this morning with no pain, no swelling, and absolutely no bleeding. This ooze having come (I think) from the top socket, I can't get a good look at it, but as far as I can tell, everything seems normal. Being entirely asymptomatic, I'll wait til tomorrow to call the surgeon, but what was this? Was it the clot in this socket? It was tremendous, much larger than I could imagine a blood clot to be. More like ... a bloody slug.

Has anyone experienced this after an extraction? 2-1/2 days after? Googling "bloody slug" and similar is of limited usefulness, of course. Thanks for easing and/or worrying my mind, AskMe. And yes, I will call my doctor in the morning.

pain control

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:19:39 -0800

Vicodin is not working for my post-wisdom tooth holes, what do I do? Appointment was at 8:20, was home at 10:30. Took Vicodin (5mg hydrocodone and 500mg acetaminophen) #1 at 10:49. Then I took a nap and woke up at 12:20 at which point I was in a lot of pain. I changed the stupid bloody gauze and took Vicodin #2. Vicodin #2 did not get rid of very much pain and I was still feeling pain and crying after taking it.

Now it is 2:17 and my former teeth hurt quite a bit but I am being told not to take more drugs for some absurd amount of time. What do I do? Can I just take two now and hope that it works?

Wisdom teeth extraction: local or general anesthesia?

awesomedude — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:56:20 -0800

My wisdom teeth need to come out and my dentist referred me to an oral surgeon that only uses local anesthetic--no gas. Should I ask for another surgeon? No wisdom teeth are impacted and I'm not THAT squeamish... But has anybody had any terrible experiences with just novacaine & no gas?

Post-surgical fevers and infection

bitter-girl.com — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 14:34:40 -0800

Post-surgery, should I be more worried about the frequency of fevers or how high they go? I had 2 surgeries 2 days ago and keep spiking mild fevers, which break when I fall asleep. At what level of fever should I be worried about infections? All four (nasty) wisdom teeth came out, and I had a growth cauterized off my foot. The dermatologist says similar foot problems are highly prone to infections, and of course the wisdom teeth were no picnic either.

On top of it all, I suspect I have a cold -- the sinus drainy-type. It's making swallowing a real pain. (Though I'm on amoxicillin and oxycodone for the teeth). These fevers seem to come in waves, but don't last more than an hour or two before breaking. I'm waiting for my boyfriend to bring home a new thermometer, but all measurements so far have been low-grade (101 degrees F or so).

Should I be more worried about the frequencies of the fevers or how high they go? Getting over to the doc will involve enlisting outside help thanks to the oxycodone, so I don't want to panic prematurely.

Look into my mouth, tell me what you see

spacewrench — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:54:53 -0800

After an uncomplicated lower wisdom tooth extraction, what can you see with an ordinary flashlight & mirror? I had my two lower wisdom teeth removed yesterday morning. It went smoothly: I was in & out in about 45 minutes. My jaw doesn't hurt very much, so I think I'm in good shape. However, curiosity got the better of me, and I took a look in my mouth with a flashlight. Inside the (cavernous!) holes in my jaw, I see clean white spots. Is this bone? Is it what I should expect to see?

How do I get cheap healthcare fast?

polyhedron — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 07:34:14 -0800

My cousin appears to have an abscessed tooth. She's uninsured, broke, and in desperate need of a prescription for antibiotics so she can sleep and work. How can we do this as quickly and cheaply as possible? We're going to find a way to deal with underlying issue as soon as possible, but I know that a dentist will make her run a course of antibiotics or two before extracting this tooth. Anyone know of a cheap doc in Austin, TX? What about things she can do to alleviate her discomfort in the meantime? Any help will be appreciated.

How do I go about finding an affordable dentist in San Diego to fix this tooth?

Stunt — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 11:57:41 -0800

How much would a dentist charge to remove a mostly collapsed wisdom tooth (in San Diego), and how do I go about even finding the proper one? A year ago or so (possibly longer) a wisdom tooth that a dentist had previously decided to fill a cavity in rather than pull decided that it was sick of life and collapsed. At the time I could deal with it and pain was only present if I got exteme temperature liquids on it, and before too long I assume that the whiny nerve died or something because it became not much of a problem at all.

I've been making sure I kept it mostly clean and that things didn't lodge there and whatnot and things were all dandy until last night when brushing my teeth...now things suck, badly (sometimes? in bursts? not constant, but it seems like an unexpected mouth movement will put me in agony for an hour or more).

Getting to the point, I think that this might need to be finally dealt with. I still can't really afford to have it done and just started a new job a couple of weeks ago. Can a normal dentist even still pull this? would I need to see an oral surgeon of sort since it seems that it might be difficult to extract? How do I even go about finding somewhere to have this done?

Sorry for the confusion and lack of conciseness; I just seem to find myself in a rather unfortunate situation and am uncertain how to even start with fixing it.

Tips for recovery from tooth extraction?

Dreama — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 04:57:00 -0800

Care to share your tips for coping post-tooth removal? After efforts to avoid this end have failed I am (at age 39!!) about to have my upper wisdom teeth and, unfortunately, the molars in front of each, removed in two separate procedures (today and three weeks from today) in order to avoid general anesthesia/sedation problems. I'm pretty okay about the extractions themselves because I know that they're more uncomfortable than painful, I numb up well and feel only pressure. I am more concerned about the recovery.

I've had an extraction before, but I was travelling and running around and preoccupied with numerous other things besides my mouth, so I don't really remember what I did. I had no pain (just an achey jaw) and no dry sockets, infection, but the travelling option isn't open this time, so I'm trying to get a mental picture of what to expect and how to best spend the first 48 hours or so in order to minimize problems and stay as productive as possible since I have things to do and can't completely lay about like a queen, sucking up sympathy for my holey head.

Experiences, tips, advice, things my dentist may not tell me...

What in the world did my dentist twin with the vicodin? I was floating in a timeless void.....

dogandponyshow — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 01:15:55 -0800

I can't remember the name of the second drug that my dentist gave to me with Vicodin following my wisdom tooth extraction, and I suspect it might been what hurtled me into an abyss beyond the reach of time, concepts digestible by the human brain, any higher synaptic functions, or the vital organs' basic need for sustenance. So what was it? So I got A singular wisdom tooth out last week,
which took a grand total of 1'30" to remove,
and my dentist, in sending me home with my much-anticipated Vicodin prescription, also gave me a prescript for 2 tablets of something else, which he mysteriously assured me would "make [me] more succeptible to the Vicodin".

Holy hell.
Timeline is:
3 pm, tooth out.
4 pm, at home with Deadwood Season 2, took 1 Vic and the other pill, passed the fuck out promptly.
8 pm, my brother told me to roll over (was sleeping on the couch in the living room), found I would do this without any verbal or physical response otherwise.
8:05 pm - 8:30 pm, my family rolls me around the living room floor by telling me to do so, which I apparently just kind of did. Would also not-really-wake-up now and again and ask where "the noise" was coming from.
Midnight, groggily wake up, take 1 more Vic and the OTHER THING, pass the fuck back out.
8 am, wake up briefly, absolutely no pain or swelling or bleeding, and can't really rouse myself.

I did NOT take any more of either medicine, but literally could not stay awake for more than 5 minutes until 8 pm that night....That's 28 hours of pure unconsciousness, where there was no past, present or future, not to mention id ego superego God food movies or drug abuse; those last 14 hours should have been fully beyond the potentcy of the second dose (12 am - 6 am).

So...what the heck happened? I can't remember the name of the other drug, and threw the prescription away once I'd taken the second (final) dose of it.

Does this coma have anything to do with whatever that might have been? Am I just doomed to be a zombie whenever I have to take Vicodin? Or what?

Dental sedation anxiety.

ITheCosmos — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 14:34:08 -0800

Help me allay my specific dental fear: sedation. I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow, and I'm scared. Not of the part where it hurts, though that will not be so rad either, but the sedation part. They're giving me a prescription sedative, the kind where I'll be awake but not remember after, and I'm taking a cab home.

I have some problems in general with anxiety, which partly stem from some bad experiences with psychedelic drugs back in the ol' misspent youth (that is, a couple years ago). As a result, the idea of being awake but not really aware of what I'm saying or doing, and not remembering, really scares me.

I've read the previous AskMe threads on dentist fears, but those mostly seem to propose sedation as the answer, whereas for me it's the problem. Does anyone have any advice on:

1) How to calm down before the appointment so I'm not a complete stressball, which I know would make everything worse.
2) What's it feel like when this stuff kicks in?
2) What should I tell my dentist?
3) How do I deal with worries about the loss of memory after I "come to", and how is it going to feel?

Thanks!

For four less choppers.

sohcahtoa — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 10:16:42 -0800

Should I have my wisdom teeth removed? I'm a 30-year-old male. My wisdom teeth erupted in my early 20s and have grown in fine ... they are straight and there's enough room in my mouth for them.

I didn't go to the dentist much the first half of my 20s, but have been a good dental patient the last 4 or 5 years. I brush often and floss occaisionally and can't recall the last time I got a cavity.

My current dentist (been with him about 2 years) has been suggesting since my first day with him that I have my wisdom teeth removed. His reasoning is that they are hard to keep clean and un-needed. The hygenist certainly removes a lot of plaque from them when doing a cleaning.

To me, having them removed sounds like "voluntary surgery" which is something I'd like to avoid.

I live in the US and have good dental insurance. It wouldn't be free but the cost isn't a hardship.

Has anyone had them removed in a similar situation? Any other advice?

What do you give a host who has just had his wisdom teeth out?

autojack — Sat, 23 Jul 2005 12:53:51 -0800

What would you bring to a dinner party when one of the hosts just had his wisdom teeth out? OK, so not exactly a dinner party, but... two of my friends and I will be in San Francisco next weekend, and one of my best friends and his wife, who live there, offered to put us up for a couple of nights. He was supposed to get his wisdom teeth out a few weeks ago, but had to reschedule, and the only day that would work is the day after we arrive.

My visiting friends and I are probably not going to be in the house much, we'll be out exploring extensively. Still and all, normally I would take them out to dinner at least once (even if I weren't sleeping on their floor), but my friend's raw gums will probably make this impractical. In light of that, I'd like to at least cook dinner, or make something cool that my friend can eat in his incapacitated state. Any ideas? Or should I just bring them a fruitcake ;-)

Tooth abscesses

borkingchikapa — Thu, 26 May 2005 01:24:43 -0800

This is kind of a big one: Tooth abscesses, wisdom teeth, and finding doctors in Southeast Asia. Yesterday I noticed a small bump on the gum above my back left molar. It's right by the scar left from where I got my wisdom tooth taken out about three weeks ago. It doesn't really hurt, only slightly when I tongue it (the bump, not the tooth), but it seems like it got a little bigger overnight.

Now, I wouldn't normally ask this here, because the best answer would probably be "we can't diagnose you over the internet, wait a few days to see what it does and then go to a doctor." The problem is I'm backpacking in Southeast Asia (I'm in Thailand right now, and starting tomorrow I'll be in Chiang Mai for four or five days), so it's slightly difficult to just up and go to the dentist.

So... If this is a tooth abscess, what should I be looking for? How soon before I keel over? Could the wisdom teeth operation have anything at all to do with this? Most importantly, how the hell do I find an English speaking doctor in this blasted country?

Holes from wisdom tooth extraction

caution live frogs — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 22:13:18 -0800

WisdomTeethFilter. My wife had two wisdom teeth removed - not the first she had taken out, but some differences this time. She's wondering if things are normal. [more is inside] As a person with all 32 teeth in the right spot, I can't say from experience, but she's sort of worried. She now has two big holes in the lower jaw where the teeth used to be, and has to flush them out after eating. Nothing she can find online so far has said how normal these holes are or how long they take to fill in - if they ever fill in completely. Today, while rinsing one empty tooth socket, she started bleeding again. It's been three weeks since the teeth were removed. Are they supposed to be bleeding at this point? Her doc said no peanuts or popcorn for a month after the stitches came out; I really can't see how the holes she has could fill in enough to stop a popcorn kernel from lodging in there by next week. Anyone with wisdom teeth removal experience, please share...