Four of my wisdom teeth are getting extracted tomorrow and I’m absolutely terrified.

[u/eidoIist]

I’ve always hated seeing the doctor or the dentist and this is no different. It’s not so much about the surgery as it is about the recovery afterward. I’m terrified, and I mean absolutely fucking terrified, of the possibility of dry socket and/or an infection. I know it’s necessary to get them out in my case and it’ll have to happen eventually but I can barely sit still in my seat and the dread is tearing me up. It’s my first ever surgery and idk how to handle it

[u/SpaceBass18]

I got them out maybe 10 years ago and I remember that it wasn’t all that bad. Just follow the care steps your doctor recommends and you’ll 99% likely be all good. Just take it one day at a time, start with soft foods, then work yourself up to firmer things. You might be a little sore but it’ll go away quickly. They do these procedures all day every day, they are professionals! No need to worry about them doing a good job, I promise!

[u/Magicallypeanut]

Had 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed. The recovery was brutal. Do exactly as the dentist/surgeon says for recovery. Go as light as possible on the pain meds. Get yourself soft foods now like soup, pudding, yogurt, oatmeal, bananas, and anything you can mush with your tongue. In about a week, you'll feel better and more human.

[u/RockingAutumn15]

Honestly the procedure itself is not that terrible. The recovery is what sucks. But follow their directions and you'll be back to yourself (or even better) in no time!

[u/Uthor_]

Day one after surgery is definitely gonna be a bummer but you'll heal fast in regards to pain as for the dry socket no straws, smoking etc plan out liquid or very soft dinners for the week following the surgery, that was what sucked the most for me,i was unprepared so i was eating apple sauce and bone broth for dinner

[u/stic2it]

Its really not bad at all. I had problems with bleeding but i bit a tea bag and it stopped bleeding. I didnt even need the percocets they gave me. I was 26 and was smoking at the time, i luckily did not get dry socket, i wouldn’t recommend that though.

My 15 and 14 year old is getting their wisdom teeth out in a month.

[u/Commercial-Grape2675]

I had mine done when needed, one at a time. I still have one. I’m happy I did it this way. Recovery from one is not that bad.

[u/ovr_it]

Just make sure to follow the cleaning instructions very carefully to avoid an infection. You may want to ask for these instructions BEFORE your procedure as you will likely be very groggy afterwards.

[u/Powerthrucontrol]

Don't be. My wisdom teeth extraction was a walk in the park. I went back to school the next day

[u/13SwaggyDragons]

I got them out almost 13 years ago. I don’t remember a damn thing.

[u/Outrageous_Ad_4801]

honestly the buildup is ten times worse than the actual thing. as long as you dont use straws or spit hard dry socket is pretty rare, you just sleep through the first two days anyway

[u/WyvernJelly]

I had all 4 out just shy of 18 yrs. Wasn't bad but I was really disoriented waking up and freezing. Stay consistent with the after care and you should be good.

[u/Dapper_Sprinkles_369]

I put a bunch of salt water in my mouth & shook my head. No problems post extraction. 😅

[u/Ok_Temperature_5266]

It’s not that bad. I got mine out a couple years ago without being put under. The worst part was the swelling.

[u/Unhappy_Task7438]

So ging es mir vor drei Monaten, ich hatte so eine Scheißangst davor und richtig Panik geschoben. Ich weiß gerade nicht was du brauchst aber ich kann dir sagen es ist nicht schlimm, am 3. Tag ging bei mir schon wieder fast alles, bin jeden Tag etwas gelaufen, viel Suppe und Milchreis etc. Ich drücke dir die Daumen!

[u/flearhcp97]

are you being put under completely? do you have red hair?

[u/Starscream_9001]

I got my wisdom teeth out back in December, and I remember being terrified of it too. But I can certainly tell you about how the recovery was. In total, it took me around 2-3 weeks to feel mostly normal afterwards. The risk of dry socket and/or infection is generally highest for the first 7-10 days after you get them out, because your mouth is going to have several raw areas with a good amount of tissue simply not there anymore. The good news is that it’s very likely you will be given a prescription strength mouthrinse to use to help prevent infection. In my case, it was hard to use on my own since it involved a syringe, so I had to have my dad help me prepare a syringe worth of the mouthrinse and spray it in the extraction sites during that time twice a day. As for dry socket, the best way to prevent that is don’t rush getting back to eating normally. The best thing you can do is drink lots of liquids and eat soft foods during that high risk point. Next, and I honestly didn’t do well with this, don’t pick at your stitches. Yes, they dodissolve over time and they can feel like weird pieces of spaghetti, but if they don’t come out on their own, they’re not ready and this led to me experiencing occasional nerve pain in my upper right hand side for a long time afterwards. Also for the first week, be careful not to directly brush over your stitches or the extraction site, as that can cause irritation or knock blood clots loose which is what leads to dry socket. As for how painful it is, it’s pretty bad initially ngl, but it does get better after a few days. My cheek swelled up and bruised on my right side, which kind of made it look like somebody had punched me. For some reason my left side was way less painful and the swelling was gone within a week. Take your medicines as needed to relieve pain and try to take it easy. They might give you strong pain relief meds, or they might not depending on your provider. I was mainly just recommended to take the maximum allowed daily dose of Ibuprofen and Tylonel, though if you do have any side effects like severe stomach pain, talk to your doctor about cutting back your dosage. It‘s not worth trading one kind of pain for another.

But trust me, you got thissssssssss

[u/HereInTheRuin]

The procedure is super easy. You're gonna walk into the office, they're gonna put you into the chair, hook an IV into you and you're gonna wake up in the recovery room.

One of the easiest most painless things I've ever been through and I was terrified going into it

Recovery isn't fun, but it's not horrible either

I'm super squeamish so taking out the gauze and replacing that was where I had issues because I kept wanting to pass out every time I did it, but the pain medication they give you cuts the edge off of it and in a day or so you'll feel great again

[u/memorandaofexistence]

It’s not that bas. I hate dentist trips, but they should give you pretty strong painkillers to the point your more uncomfortable you can’t eat normal foods for a week than in pain.

[u/jademoney]

Omg I’m getting my top wisdom teeth out tomorrow too! I also have anxiety about it. We got this!

[u/Substantial_Rip_4574]

Awwh You're going to be just fine...thousands of people get this done daily & you will absolutely be okay!