My whole experience on getting all 4 wisdom teeth extracted while put under using I.V sedation.
I had guessed for about 5 months that I needed to get all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted due to pressure and pain in my gums. But when I got the final conformation from an x-ray I knew I was doomed! LOL. I got an appointment to get them out about a month and a half later. I actually only needed 2 out but I was not about to go through the pain and sedation again a second time around, so I decided to get all 4 out in one go. All my teeth were still under the gums and a fairly easy and common case.
So the day finally arrived and I was probably the most nervous I'd ever felt for anything in my entire life...I thought about that day for a month straight and more so the week before and especially the night before. I was having intense nightmares. I did everything in my power to try and keep calm but nothing worked. So when I went in the morning at 8:30 on December 29th, I just wanted to get it done and over with. With my luck there was a tiny delay so it just made my mind wonder and my stomach turn even more. After they called me in my heart sank as I walked into the "operating room". Luckily, the office and room was very bright and open and didnt look like a typical medical room. That was a bit comforting. They began by putting a monitor on my finger and oxygen tubes up my nose and Im not sure if they were giving me some sort of medication to calm me down but it definitely felt like it. They soon blasted my arm with a freezing agent to numb the pain for the I.V about to enter my vein. Seconds later, my surgeon announced to my Mum and myself that he was starting "the magic juice"my Mum gave me a kiss and left and then I remember looking at the I.V drip 3 times and I was out like a light.
I dont remember falling asleep or dreaming. It felt like I had woke up from a nap and it felt like no time had passed. After I woke up, I only remember 3 things in a 2 hour time span. I remember waking up and calling for my Mum and I also remember my stomach feeling really well and not nauseous in the slightest. Praise Jesus! (I was most nervous about throwing up after sedation because it was super common.) I do not remember anyone talking to me, going down the elevator or to my Mums car, or even 99 percent of the car ride home. I do remember opening my eyes one time to see where we were and I couldnt make it out. I thought I was asleep for 2 straight hours but video footage prooves different! Apparently I was awake and talking away...(Embaressing video footage coming soon to a YouTube near you! LOL) I dont remember having any pain in my face or mouth. I think I was WAY too out of it to even notice anything. After we drove for about 40 minutes to my house I hardly remember walking to the couch but when I woke up I was home and quite alert. I then started to realize what had happend and how my face felt. To be completely honest, I didnt feel much pain. There was quite a bit of blood but the gauze was there to stop it, I was mostly concerned with how dry my lips and mouth felt and I was really hungry from not eating all day or 10 hours prior to surgery.
Now began my 7 day journey through eating soft foods, being swollen and bruised, and talking really funny. That whole day I wasnt in any extreme pain, just discomfort, much like the whole entire recovery. I was prescribed codeine and I had chewable Tylonal (because I cant swallow pills and even if I could I couldnt open my mouth wide enough to swallow it anyway) for the first day I didnt take any medication. I attempted to eat something 5 hours after surgery. I didnt quite know what was even going on in my mouth still. I was still frozen, bleeding, and had a dry, bad taste in my mouth and didnt even know where the stitches were located so I had to be very careful when eating for the first time. I immediately discovered how weak my jaw and teeth were, making in impossible to chew anything. I had so much pain from the stitches, that I mashed my food against the roof of my mouth with my tongue to avoid and pressure against my teeth and jaw and also to avoid the wounds and stitches. That seemed to work but only with mashed potatoes, eggs, pudding, jell-o, yogurt, and icecream. You arent supposed to spit, swish or suck anything as well as brush your teeth, smoke, drink or do activity for anywhere from 3-7 days in company with icing regularly, taking your medication to reduce swelling, salt water rinsing and getting lots of rest. Doing all the above will also reduce the risk of dry sockets.
The first day wasn't the worst because I didnt remember much and the pain hadnt kicked in but the worst days were the 2nd and 3rd. I was swollen consistantly from the 1st to the 4th day with mild bruising on my jawline. The pain grew more intense as I woke up each morning for 3 days. Nothing ever unbearable though, mostly uncomfortable and very irritating to eat (and I was only on 3 Tylonal a day, I didnt end up taking the Codeine because I dont like taking stronger medication if I dont need it) The worst part for my was not being able to brush my teeth and over all not being able to eat comfortably. If I wasnt doing anything and took my medication the pain was completely bearable and way better than I thought. After the 4th day I began to eat a little bit more and the 5th day my dissolvable stitches had fallen out and that made eating even easier. Im on day 6 going on day 7 and my left side feels 90 percent better but the right side feels like its taking a bit longer...I think I may still have an open part inside my cheek making eating kind of uncomfortable. Im only chewing on the left side currently but I dont feel as much pressure or pain while chewing. My swelling is just about gone with the exception of the right side just a tad. I have no more stitches and Im able to talk normally and almost eat and chew normally...Im still staying away from really hard foods and Im going to take it easy for another week.
My one week check up is in 2 days and I think Im doing pretty good. I had to miss 5 days of work and Im still going to be taking it slow for the first couple shifts back.
Overall, my experience with the extraction, sedation and road to recovery went surprisingly well and way better than I anticipated. The sedation was actually very easy and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would almost rather get put out because you really arent stressed and you dont remember anything. Not eating lasted a bit longer than I thought and that for me, was the worst part of the whole experience. If I was just relaxing on the couch not talking or eating I felt slight pressure but nothing more. Considering I was barely on any medication and while following all the doctors orders it was quite easy. Every case and pain tolerance is different but I just wanted to share my story with you guys to encourage you that it isnt that bad and it will go by fast. Just follow the rules and relax and dont try and be a hero after 4 days! Expect to be down for the count for 5-7 days and expect to take another week to FULLY heal. I even stayed home on New Years because I wanted to heal properly. Sigh.
Good luck & I wish you well! Msg me for any additional info or questions.
