OT - wisdom tooth extraction

If it were you, would you pick local or general anesthetic?
If you've had it done, which did you choose and was it the right decision for you?

I've had two removed with local, wasn't a big deal, however I've learned that wisdom tooth extractions can be more complicated as patient gets older.  I've never had general anesthetic so have no idea how I'd be.  The idea of being knocked out and having it over with when I awake sounds appealing, but I'm thinking it may be going overboard for me.  In general I don't mind going to the dentist, it doesn't make me anxious.

What was your experience?

[HVAC]

I had all four and general with no problems with procedure.

Alex

[Sumanadevii]

I had mine remove by a military dentist.  Of course, he ran into problems due to the position of the teeth.  I would take sleepy time.

Since I have never had a problem having a tooth removed.

[Lulu54]

Mine were yanked in my 20's and it was general.  I always love a good nap.  

Either way you go, you will feel so much better after they are gone for good.

-Lulu

[figuerpa]

I had mine done in my 20's also but I had local, but each person is different so you decide what is best for you.

My ex went for general and had no problems.

Good luck
Paula

[slightlybroken]

I had mine done in my late teens. I chose general because one of my roots were curved in the bone. I thought it would be best to be asleep rather than awake when they worked it out.

I had no problems during the procedure. Afterwards, I did get sick...not because of the general anesthesia, but because I think I ingested some blood. I was a little bruised and swollen for a few days as well.

I was glad I did chose to go sleepy time for that procedure. It did look like they had a hard time with that curved root one..but mine was not the norm. It's all about preference and what you want to do.

I had to wash out the holes with a warm salty water solution. They gave me Vicodin for the pain. No straws or smoking because you'll get dry socket..very bad..soft foods for a few days.

Take Care

[johnniebear]

I had two teeth removed,  I'm very hyper in the chair,  the sounds & smell strike fear in me.

So I had a local & I paid for the gas out of pocket. I would rather not go under.

It was well worth it & I felt like I had a few beers & I guess I was pretty silly telling jokes.



John

[pushingupdaisies]

I had all four of mine out 2 the first time and 2 the other time.

The first time was under local and I had so much jaw pain from the pulling of the teeth that I was in agony, so the second time I opted for a general anaesthetic.

[Sparkysarah]

This is obviously a personal decision and I would be guided by your dentist. If it is a straightforward extraction and you say that you are not that bothered with dentist procedures, I would ask why you want to put yourself through a general.

My 18 year old son (who has Aspergers Syndrome) has recenlty had all 4 removed. He has the top 2 done under general..but only because they were impacted with roots going sideways. He then had the bottom two removed at different times under local and he was fine. A bit sore and swollen each time but he preferred not having the general.

So the choice is yours and I would just go with whatever you feel is right for you.

With love

Sarah x

[Wobbly]

I wonder if General would start up a flair or not??  I think it's a good question for MS?  I would go General if it didn't hurt anything.. but I'm a chicken with dentists too.

take care
wobbly

[Sailorsong]

When I had mine out I did just a little bit of gas to take the edge off, no local. I also used some headphones on with loud music so that I would not hear what was going on too much.

Of course I have also had a root canal done with just gas as well. I stay away from the locals because all of the dentists I have seen in my life have had a horrible time getting the right spot numb resulting in much too much of the local.

Dennis

[rendean]

I had mine removed under conscious sedation, basically light general anesthesia.

I'm a big chicken when it comes to dental work as my mouth is the size of a child's and they always have difficulty doing cleanings etc. It was the right decision for me due to the coward factor and then it was discovered during the procedure that one of my teeth was impacted into the bone and splintered upon removal.

Hope all goes well for you.
Ren

[twopack]

I chose general when mine were removed and was glad I did.  One of the top ones got pushed up into the sinus and they had to fish it out.  When something unexpected happens I would rather be unaware of it until later.

Erupted wisdom tooth extraction is a lot easier.  Mine were impacted, lying sideways in the gum.  I've never regretted the decision to be completely out of it.  Then again, the older I get the more I hate the dentist.  If I could nap while they do a cleaning, I would - gladly.

Mary

[doublevision1]

After reading everyone's replies I was leaning towards asking for general, but decided at the 11th hour to go local, I didn't like the idea of being unaware of what's happening to me and what's going on around me.  Blame my control freakish tendencies.

I had the offending tooth removed last evening and he popped it out literally in under 10 seconds.  I didn't even know it was out till he said so.  The needle to freeze the area didn't hurt much, thank goodness.  The tooth had fully erupted already so as Mary said, much easier than when impacted.

Today a different story, once the novacaine wore off in the middle of the night, the area has become very tender and achy.  I'm uncomfortable and on codeine today, hence being home and able to catch up some on the forum.

As an aside, as of last week I seem to be experiencing a mild relapse, my left leg has been numb several days now, and has exactly the same sensation as my novacaine injected face and mouth last night.  More tired than usual, needing upwards of 10-12 hours of sleep each night.  And my ears have been ringing nonstop.  However compared to past flares this is mild and I see no need to be on steroids or miss work unless it worsens.  My doc agreed.

Anyway, thanks all for sharing your wisdom tooth removal stories, not a MS topic but who else would I go to for advice with this learned and helpful forum available at all times?  :)

And the upside of the tooth extraction?  Only soft foods for a couple of days.  Hence, the smooth and creamy Chocolate Haagen Dazs I had for breakfast with no guilt.  :)

[Weakandfalling]

Hey doublevision1,

Yes, I had my impacted wisdom teeth extracted, like Sumanadevii, in a military dental clinic.  I was a teenager and the only anesthetic used was local.   Not sure it was even a full-fledged dentist that was working on me there.  See, military dependents were not supposed to have such work done in our on-base dental clinic, but since my best friend's dad was the head dentist running the clinic, he snuck me in so my parents wouldn't have to pay to have it done right by an outside dentist.  

Anyway, I think it was just a coreman, a medic, who was working on my teeth (all of which were impacted going sideways into the bone).  After struggling for some time (local anesthetic) applying all his weight to my jaw, nearly breaking my jaw trying to get one of the wisdom teeth out, my friend's dad came into the room and asked what was wrong.  My friend's dad took the pliers (or whatever they were) looked into my mouth, and with a twirl, got my tooth right out without any problem.  That day I had all four impacted wisdom teeth removed under just a local anesthetic.  They discharged me with nothing whatsoever for pain (just take Tylenol if needed) and told me to put a wet tea bag over the four spots where the teeth had been removed to prevent bleeding.  That was back in the 60's.  Needless to say, I was pacing the floor for the following 3 nights - could not sleep from the pain.  My parents did nothing.  I kept the four huge extracted wisdom teeth, thinking I might put them on a bracelet to remind me that I was a survivor.  They looked like ivory.  I still have them.

Comparing my wisdom tooth experience under local numbing only with my son's having to have 4 good teeth removed (he had too many teeth) under twilight anesthesia in an oral surgeon's office, without a doubt, I would vote for the latter:  Twilight or general anesthesia!!!

Good luck with your venture!!

WAF

[JemmAus]

Absolutely under a local if its possible. I had 3 done under a local, and one under sedation, and found the recovery time after a local was .......pretty well no time at all. So aside from the kind  of sicko feeling of having someone yanking bits of your mouth around, you feel ok afterwards, just sore for a day or two.

Whereas, under the sedation, the pain was infinately worse AND I felt like a spaced out loon for a good 48 hours, AWFUL.

I prefer having a clear head while dealing with pain.

[rendean]

HI,
I glad the tooth extraction went well and that you have a great excuse for that Haagen Dazs. I do believe , used off-label  of course, that chocolate is good for mild relapses as well :-).

I hope you continue to recover uneventfully and that the relapse remits quickly!

In my thoughts,
Ren

[Sparkysarah]

So happy for you that it is over..sometimes even making decision like this is a challenge..but it is done and hopefully with a few tubs of ice-cream and some pain relief things will improve soon. Hope the relapse starts to get better for you...seems like your body is insisting on some serious r and r.

Much love

Sarah

[Weakandfalling]

When my son woke up from his twlight/sedation, he had a totally clear head.  Actually it was like nothing had ever happened.  He didn't know that anything had even been done.  When I wake up from twlight sedation that is how it is for me too and for most others I have known who have used it. Maybe you have an intolerance to it or maybe the people who administered it to you weren't doing it right.

WAF

[Audrey_M]

Glad to hear the extraction went well under local anesthesia. Enjoy your ice cream, guilt free while you can!

There are always risks with general anesthesia and for this reason, whenever possible, I would always opt for local. Using nitrous oxide (laughing gas) in combination with local anesthesia can help reduce anxiety and pain.

I had my wisdom teeth removed under general anesthesia in the early 80's. Teeth were very much impacted. Swear the oral surgeon had to put his knee on my chest to get one out. One tooth did break. It was a little unnerving, but it all worked out well and I healed properly without any complications.

Hope the flair is indeed a minor one and your recuperation from the wisdom tooth removal goes smoothly and without complication.

Ice cream for breakfast! What a treat.

;)

Audrey

[Audrey_M]

Gosh darn it! I meant to say I had my wisdom teeth removed under local, not general, anesthesia.

I get so frickin' annoyed when the words don't come out right.

And I wonder why people don't understand me.

Audrey