Just got my Wisdom Teeth out....

[chave982]

Wow - really? You're not sucking on any straws are you?

Nope...no straws...just still slowly bleeding. I'm gonna call the office if its still bleeding tomorrow.

 

[kitchenelf]

I'm sure it will stop and like Erik said - it's not a bad thing. Good luck!

 

[chave982]

Actually, bleeding is a good thing, as it means the gums are healing over. It's when you get a "dry socket" that things get ugly. I had that when my wisdom teeth came out. One of the sockets (big one on the lower jaw) had no blood going to it, so it left the bare nerve exposed. Talk about pain! I never had so much ice cream and whiskey in one weekend, and it still did me no good!

Anyway, if you do get such a thing, get some Oil of Cloves from the pharmacy. It'll numb the pain immediately!! (Also good for canker sores, but very temporary, and can actually inflame them).

Fast healing, my friend!

How exactly do you avoid a dry socket?

 

[ErikC]

Mind you, this has been many years ago, so I realize some things have changed since then. But they said that rinsing or gargling with peroxide would bubble out the clot/scab and prevent the healing. So when you say 'milder' are you talking about watered down peroxide? Just wondering after all these years that maybe that is what they told me and I was too high to tell the difference. Back then, they would give you halcyon before the extractions started.

There are two "standard" strengths sold, and one is half the percentage of the other. I think it is 5% and 10%, but it might be 10% and 20%. To be honest, I have used the stronger of the two, but did not enjoy the feeling.

The interesting thing about peroxide is that blood acts as a catalyst in breaking the peroxide down. Hydrogen Peroxide is simply H2O2, which is like water (H20) with an extra Oxygen molecule. It is the release of this Oxygen (in the form of O2) that kills germs, bleaches, etc., much the same as Chlorine does in bleach. However, this process is usually slow enough not to overdo it. It may be that the presence of blood (being a catalyst) causes the reaction to happen so quickly that it can burn the inside of the mouth. Pure Oxygen gas can be quite caustic.

 

[Michael in FtW]

I remember having the "Wisdom Teeth" taken out ... they were growing in sideways, or something like that - spent 3 days in the hospital ... problem with bleeding too much! What a way to spend my 16th birthday! Bummer, but had Mom and my girlfriend hovering over me ... angels of mercy! Was back on my feet in a week.

My 21st birthday was even worse .... tonsils! I was off work and out of school for two weeks - not how I had planned on spending my vacation.

But - you can have all the ice cream you want!

Honestly - I think that's when I quit liking ice cream ...

 

[Bilby]

I don't remember a lot about them other than having them (2) taken out in the chair and that one was quite impacted. Took lots and lots of local anesthetic to do it and had a big numb face for a few hours afterwards. From memory, I was just on paracetemol as I went back into the office after lunchtime and had to have some wits about me. Took stronger tablets to go to bed with. Don't really remember having anything except warm water to drink. Can't even remember if I have any left to come out or if that was the lot!

 

[bethzaring]

oohhh, this is bringing back some odd memories. I was 17 and I too was hospitalized for the complicated operation. I had swelling big time. It was almost a week before I could get my upper and lower teeth together, so my diet was orange juice and those rolls of chocolate chip cookie dough things. I would put of wad of that dough in my mouth to dissolve. That was the good memory. I lost a lot of weight, but I already was a skinny kid. I also learned that I am extremly sensitive to medications. I was asked to count backward from 100 when the anethesia was admininstered, and I never got one word out.

Good luck and I hope the healing process goes well.

 

[LT72884]

sweet action dude. i remember when i got mine out a few years ago. i was 18. it was cool. 2 impacted (not fully) 2 normal. they numbed me up and pulled away. Was home 2 hours later and eatin milk shakes for a few days. the whole dry socket thing scared me to because i had never heard of it before tell then. it scared the freakin crap out of me to hear bout dry sockets. but i never got one. i just did what the doctor told me to and i was fine. you will be a lot happier when you can eat normally and talk normal

 

[kitchenelf]

How exactly do you avoid a dry socket?

Don't use a straw. What happens is the suction pulls the clotted blood out of the socket. The bleeding has stopped so the nerve is exposed (not a good feeling). Thus, a "dry" socket versus a socket that has dried blood in it, which allows the tissue to heal under it.

(OK, that was a shot in the dark and I don't know if that is exactly correct, but it makes sense to me).

 

[Barbara L]

That sounds like a good explanation to me kitchenelf.

The salt water rinses should help a lot too. I know that every time I lost a tooth that is what my mom had me do, and that is what I did when I had my wisdom teeth out. It doesn't taste as bad if you don't let it hit the front of your tongue any more than possible. And don't accidentally swallow it!

Barbara

 

[LT72884]

That sounds like a good explanation to me kitchenelf.

The salt water rinses should help a lot too. I know that every time I lost a tooth that is what my mom had me do, and that is what I did when I had my wisdom teeth out. It doesn't taste as bad if you don't let it hit the front of your tongue any more than possible. And don't accidentally swallow it!

Barbara

yup same here. my moma always told me that salt water cleaned the blood and gunk out of the socket.

 

[phinz]

Salt also speeds healing.

 

[GotGarlic]

I had to have one of mine done by an oral surgeon, because the nerve was wrapping around the root. He gave me Valium through an IV, then put me completely under, and gave me some serious painkillers for later. I was laughing about something with the nurse when I went under and when I woke up, according to DH, I was still laughing. He still remembers that - he and the surgeon were trying to get me into the car and I was laughing and laughing ...

I remember eating a lot of spaghetti and fish for a while.

 

[suziquzie]

I had my first one done with just novacaine, it wasn't really a big deal, Painkillers helped.
So, when the 2nd one HAD to come out, I thought, so what.
Well I was pregnant. No painkillers. After the novacaine wore off I had Tylenol.
Not the best painkiller.
My last 2 still need to come out. Good thing I'm done having kids!

 

[Dove]

My Grandson (20 Feb 10th) had two taken out two weeks ago...he milked it all he could...LOL
My son Kevin went in today for a consolation on removing his..decayed, absessed and growing sideways. The Dr. said "lets do it now. He did and Kevin drove himself home and then called me to tell me it was out. Not smoking (HA!) will bother him. He will smoke anyway.

I had two or three??? removed when I was a teenager...Maybe thats my problem..all the wisdom was removed...Hmmm

 

[Barbara L]

...He did and Kevin drove himself home and then called me to tell me it was out. Not smoking (HA!) will bother him. He will smoke anyway...

Tell him to go hang out with friends who smoke and just get it 2nd hand--less chance of dry socket! (Just kidding, mostly--it would still be better than smoking and ending up with dry sockets).

Barbara