Any calming words of advice? - Dental Health Message Board

Fawkes · 04-30-2007, 08:30 AM

Tomorrow I'm having surgery and having the following done:

Getting all 4 wisdom teeth removed
Getting 2 more teeth removed that need to come out
Having a root scaling done on my whole mouth

I've never had oral surgery before and I'm getting a little nervous. I'll be put out under IV sedation, so I'm very grateful for that. Does anyone have any words of wisdom to offer me to help me after the surgery?

:Nervous:

Thelma-Louise · 04-30-2007, 10:21 AM

You're really not going to have any pain during the procedure since you basically fall asleep and when you wake its all over - so that's the easy part. It will also take an hour before the pain sets in afterwards - so go home and rest (sleep, listen to music or watch tv) , make sure you have pain meds ready and take them as directed (this can make the whole recovery process so much easier to tolerate). Have soft foods and soups stocked up for a few days, keep an extra pillow case or towel over your pillow at night (for any drainage of excess blood) and basically pamper yourself for a few days. The first 1-3 days are the roughest and but then it just starts to get better and better. The great thing about the body is once the pain is gone you tend to "forget" how miserable you felt during those days. Good luck - you will be fine - I have had numerous surgeries done and made it through all with no problems - and you will,too.

Lexijones99 · 04-30-2007, 06:22 PM

I just had the scaling done Friday. Good news...no pain. The only problem I had was excessive bleeding in one area, but I'm a bleeder no matter what I have done. One word of advice, though, take the pain meds even if you don't think you need them. I wasn't taking them b/c I felt good. A friend of mine gave me a lecture (she works in the dental field). She said you may not have the pain the first day, but you could have it within 24-48 hours and then it's harder to get rid of if you don't prevent it in the first place with the pain meds.

Good luck.

Fawkes · 05-02-2007, 08:20 AM

Thank you both for the responses! I was able to read them before I left for my surgery.

The surgery went very well - I was awake with only Nitrous Oxide for the scaling, and it was a bit uncomfortable at times, but really not bad at all. The teeth removal went well, I fell asleep, felt no pain or anything during the procedure, and woke up when it was finished - I can't ask for anything better than that.

It's now been 24 hours since the surgery and I think I'm healing well so far. I'm still swollen and a bit sore on the right side (my lower right wisdom tooth was the most impacted one) - but the pain and discomfort is pretty minimal. I am taking all my meds as directed, I'm on an anti-inflammatory, Tylenol 3 for pain (also have a prescription for Vicadin which I used last night to help me sleep), and an antibiotic. I haven't had excessive bleeding either.

Was not allowed to brush or rinse my mouth yesterday but today I start warm salt water rinses every 4 hours, just did my first one. Definitely eating soft foods, yogurt, soup, and pudding - I'm sick of that already lol.

But I'm relieved and surprised at how minimal the pain and discomfort are. I'm still taking it easy and I have all week off of work. Thank you again for the advice!

Lexijones99 · 05-02-2007, 02:05 PM

I'm glad it went well.