I was 22 when I found out I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed.
Aaaaaand I was pregnant with Lisey.
So, my options were:
- wait until after she was born, get general anesthesia, pump and dump for 48 hours, and feed Lisey formula
- get the teeth out while pregnant, using local anesthesia
Dealing with wisdom teeth recovery on top of having a newborn and a 19-month-old did not sound remotely fun to me.
So, I figured that I might as well knock it out while I was pregnant.
I’m kind of a tough cookie when it comes to pain, but oh my word, local anesthesia for wisdom teeth removal is pretty rough.
SO MANY SHOTS.
And shots in the roof of your mouth? Those are a special kind of pain.
Plus, after that many shots, almost my whole head was numb. I remember not even being able to feel my ears after the tooth removal.
That said, once the numbness wore off, I didn’t think the experience was too bad. The shots and the hours of not being able to feel my face/head were the worst part.
And in comparison to having my tonsils out as an adult, wisdom teeth removal was a total walk in the park. Tonsil removal was so, so much more horrible.
Funnily enough, I took Sonia for a wisdom tooth removal consult yesterday! But luckily for her, she will get to have general anesthesia. 😉
Ohhhhh no. I just shuddered reading that.
I had mine out when I was about 15. The procedure was done in the morning. The Tylenol with codeine they gave me must have been very effective, because I went with my older sister to play sand volleyball that night (see: I was 15). On our way home, I suddenly started to feel very sick to my stomach, no doubt the combination of the medicine, the vigorous exercise, and probably swallowing some blood. At the same time, my sister got pulled over for having a taillight out and, while we were sitting on the side of the road waiting for the ticket to be written, I had to get out of the car to throw up.
I don’t recall the police officer even making us get out the car to walk a straight line or anything, which is sort of amazing. I mean, my sister was quite obviously sober, but still. He must have been a particularly compassionate person. Or my sister is a particularly convincing person. 🙂
Oh man, I can’t imagine playing volleyball the same day I got my teeth out!
Oh Kristen and Kristin, both of you have crazy stories!
Getting my tonsils out was way worse and I was 15 when I did that. I was 25 for my wisdom teeth with a couple kids and married but the recovery from my wisdom was pretty fair which is surprising because I rarely recover from surgeries too easily but this was a minor thing. But I have to say, I hate the dentist. I’d rather do anything than go to the dentist. I am overdue and trying to work up the courage to find a new one.
Yes. Wisdom teeth removal doesn’t remotely compare to tonsil removal post-puberty (I hear before puberty it’s not so bad).
Lisey got hers out around age 15 and had a terrible time. I had mine out when I was 23-24, and had a terrible time too. For both of us, the problem was that the pain just went on for so, so long. Also, barely being able to eat for a month is a big problem!
Poor Lisey got so thin after her tonsil removal, we had to work to beef her back up. We called it the Thigh Expansion Program, and it involved a lot of ice cream. Ha.
I was 16-17 when I got mine out. I remember being in the car with no recollection of getting there. Apparently I insisted it was time to leave. And the next day taking a 10 hour road trip through multiple BUMPY construction zones to pick up my brother from college. That wasn’t fun. No idea why I didn’t take the pain pills.
I guess I’m a freak: I have all my wisdom teeth. One even has a crown! They all came in straight and work great. I must have a big mouth or something, I guess! 😆
Not a freak. I found it weird that the prompt assumes everyone has had it done. Mine are all present and correct, thank you, at the age of 44.
Mr. FG still has all of his too!
I still have mine….I’m 54. I guess I have a little more wisdom than you! 😉
My husband is 58 & still has his but a weird story….
A few years ago he thought his wisdom teeth were coming in. He was in his 50s! We were both very apprehensive about having them out at his age. He had to go to an oral surgeon to figure out what to do. Apparently he is a tough chewer. He had broken off a few pieces of bone in his jaw by chewing! We’d never heard of such a thing….& they were working their way out his gums.
They looked at his wisdom teeth & told him if he were 18 or 20, they’d take them out. But at his age, he hadn’t had any trouble with them so they thought he should leave them alone. So we both have a little more wisdom than our kids…who’ve had theirs out.
I had parents who did not take me to the dentist & when they did take me, they told them to pull the problem tooth because we were too poor for the extra expense of fixing them. My wisdom teeth just came in & replaced those missing teeth. My husband, who has never had a cavity except in one tooth when he was hit in the face by his cousin….still has all his teeth plus his wisdom teeth.
So, probably more than you wanted to know!
Whoa- molar extraction on top of hyperemesis? And tiny people needing care? Fun! Don’t you wonder how on earth we did these things? For me, I was newly single, in nursing school, working nights, and had a toddler. I had to go a long distance to find an oral surgeon that I could afford, and couldn’t drive myself if I had general anesthesia, so…
There are a lot of current studies saying that wisdom teeth removal is overdone and not necessary. Same with tonsillectomies actually. We all have very large tonsils in my family. My kids were going to a dentist that I started to not like so much. I was considering a change. The dentist recommended that my 16 year old get his tonsils out and gave me a referral to a surgeon. When I asked why, he was irritated. He said they were large and he was sure they were giving him trouble. I said he doesn’t snore, no allergies, no breathing problems, never sick, no swallowing issues. He finally admitted that it may change his face shape. So I said- this is cosmetic? Not worth the risk of surgery! Also, I doubt big tonsils do that. We don’t go to that dentist anymore, obviously. My son is many years older, has had no problems at all. I’m so glad we didn’t put him through the surgery.
Count me in the freak category. I’ve never had wisdom teeth. They just never formed. I have at least one child who is the same. It’s awfully nice not to have to worry about either the recovery or the possible problems they could cause if we don’t have them removed.
Same here! My siblings and I didn’t have a single wisdom tooth amongst us. Of course, we also were missing several actual teeth that had baby teeth, but nothing to replace them. Leading to a lifetime of very expensive (and seemingly neverending) dental fun.
Same here.
Extra boring. I was newly married (no kids but two jobs) and had them out on New Year’s Eve (combination of squeaking in on the insurance year and extra holiday time off to recuperate) and I was fine in like a day and a half. No problems at all. I’m A-OK with boring.
I guess I am lacking wisdom….never got any wisdom teeth. Lucky me.
But my cousin got all 4 and they were all coming in in different directions. He had to be knocked out to get them out…Ouch.