post wisdom teeth removal dismay

full-time-mum

Try making a tea-tree oil mouthwash (I don't find it too bad) but have always found it wonderful for gum infections, ulcers and sore throats.
It should help with the healing process and, hopefully, assist in preventing further infection. (obviously, the most important thing is to keep the hole free from food)

Make sure you get pure essential oil.
Put one or two (at most) drops in a glass. Stir to dispearse the oil and take a mouthful and slosh around and spit out. Repeat. You need to keep stirring in between.

It would probably be worth doing a skin test on your wrist with the oil first just to make sure that you aren't sensitive to tee-tree. Put one drop on your wrist and leave for 24 hours. (you could dilute in half a teaspoon of carrier oil or lotion if you want to be ultra cautious)

mlg2804

I'm due to have my wisdom teeth out on Oct 3rd and am terrified. Saw the SHO at the hospital on Friday and he kept going on about nerve damage and now I'm thinking of backing out of the surgery cause having permanent numbness (like after a dental injection) sounds worse than the pain I've been in for the last 6 months.

Anyone else warned about damage to the inferior alveolar and lingual nerves? I'm having them out under general anaesthesia. I was told the bottom two will be problematic and will need to be cut up into pieces to get out. Top two should be easy removal.

Any help advice greatly appreciated as I am stressing out like crazy. Also didn't get to met the maxillofacial surgeon who's doing it, apparently she was unavailable and I could only see the Senior House Officer and I have no idea how experienced he is. When I asked what they do if the nerves are permanently damaged he said nothing, and yet it's all over the internet about nerve grafts and stuff like that.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Monica

Toothsmith

mlg2804 wrote:

I'm due to have my wisdom teeth out on Oct 3rd and am terrified. Saw the SHO at the hospital on Friday and he kept going on about nerve damage and now I'm thinking of backing out of the surgery cause having permanent numbness (like after a dental injection) sounds worse than the pain I've been in for the last 6 months.

Anyone else warned about damage to the inferior alveolar and lingual nerves? I'm having them out under general anaesthesia. I was told the bottom two will be problematic and will need to be cut up into pieces to get out. Top two should be easy removal.

Any help advice greatly appreciated as I am stressing out like crazy. Also didn't get to met the maxillofacial surgeon who's doing it, apparently she was unavailable and I could only see the Senior House Officer and I have no idea how experienced he is. When I asked what they do if the nerves are permanently damaged he said nothing, and yet it's all over the internet about nerve grafts and stuff like that.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Monica

It is the duty of the surgeon to obtain your 'informed consent'

This means that he/she has to warn you of all the possible bad things that could happen.

To get to be an oral surgeon, the person you saw would have to have done not only the 4-5 years dental training, but also 4-5 years medical training to be a doctor, the postgraduate surgical diploma in dentistry, and the postgraduate surgical diploma in medicine!

You will have been talking to a VERY academic person, and very academic people are not always the best communicators!

You can see the inferior dental canal on an x-ray, and how close the roots come to it, or even, in some cases, if they cross it. The closer they come, the more chance of residual numbness afterwards.

Oral surgeons are very skilled at getting these things out, and permanent numbness is not at all common. It CAN happen though, and so it is important to tell the patient that it can.

It is also possible that leaving the teeth in place may cause a swelling that will block your airway and kill you. It could also be that an infective episode from them could cause a septicemia that will kill you. You could die under the general anaesthetic. You could die on the road tomorrow. Life is full of risk. It just has to be seen in context.

I would say, given the trouble you have described on this board, that on balance having them out would pose less risk to your general wellbeing than leaving them in place.

Having them out isn't a nice experience, but at least it is a one off, and then your problems will be at an end.

Best Wishes!

tomstickland

TBH, having my wisdom teeth taken out was not nearly as bad as I expected and I'm the world's biggest medical wuss.

mlg2804

Toothsmith wrote:

It is the duty of the surgeon to obtain your 'informed consent' This means that he/she has to warn you of all the possible bad things that could happen.

I agree, though I was a little concerned when after I pressed him for more detail he said -- "okay well if you want me to tell you the truth..." I guess that meant he must have been sugar coating it before.

That's when he told me he thought one side would be problematic and would probably be numb for around 4 months.

You can see the inferior dental canal on an x-ray, and how close the roots come to it, or even, in some cases, if they cross it. The closer they come, the more chance of residual numbness afterwards.

Yes, I understand that and I'm guessing cause the canal is close to my roots that's why he made the comment about one side being numb post-extraction.

Anyway as you may see in another post, I did try to get a second opinion today but the surgeon who's doing the procedure couldn't speak to me. But I made a private appt with the consultant just to see what he says. That at least makes me feel a little better.

Thanks for your help!

Monica

CharleneUK

I have an appointment to see the consultant in December! :eek:

ayeshasi

oh, my wisdom tooth is TRYING to come through since the past 6 days. No pain since last 2 days. then the one side of my face was swollen like a balloon.....assumed its an infection. just managed to see the dentist today and she said it is an infection. Once that is cleared, i probably will have to get the tooth taken out.....being a wuss, i am totally scared!!!! lets hope all is well in the end and the pain im in right now due to the infection goes away.

thetope

toothsmith i wish you were MY dentist...

but then... maybe you are?!

actually i'm really lucky that at 27 i have (touch wood!) no fillings, and therfore i only go to the dentist for a scale and polish every couple of years! but i am minus four wisdom teeth which thankfully was not an experience like that of the OP. The best advice i'm afraid i can offer is to echo the others and say swill with salty water as much as you can! i hope it starts to heal soon.