Dec 27 2006
None the Wiser
Wisdom teeth - who needs them?
Evidently I don't.
They are coming out today, and I am a little nervous.
The dentist made an audible wincing noise when he looked in my mouth and saw my wisdom teeth… and then made a digging motion with his hand.
That is not a good sign.
Sure, I am worried about the pain - I have heard so many stories from friends, coworkers and family about their wisdom tooth extraction (it's like childbirth stories) - but the main thing?
Can I knit on high dose painkillers?
When you see me next, I will have four less teeth - and chipmunk cheeks…
You’ll be fine! I had mine out when I was 18 and I survived. Kris will take good care of you and you’ll get to take care of him in a few days when he has his taken out. Try not to think about it so much. The drugs they give you will make you not remember any of the procedure. Take care!
Dad
Oh my! Just sit back and let the drugs take over for a day or two. Then you can get back to knitting.
I hope it goes quickly and as painlessly as possible! If you MUST knit, may I recommend a simple garter stitch scarf or a dishcloth? You may end up sleeping a good deal though which is the best thing anyway.
I didn’t think it was that bad… and I accidentally ate breakfast on the morning of my surgery so I had to have local anaesthetic only. So I actually watched them do most of it. You will definitely have puffy cheeks, but I think the pain is manageable. But I do agree - knit something you don’t care about too much, and would be possible to rip out. No mohair!
Good luck!
Good luck! When I had mine out, it ended up not being too bad. Maybe some free form knitting, since things can get weird on some of those painkillers!!!
Ugh - at least it was after the holidays! I still have all of mine, and keep dreading the dentist ever saying they need to come out! Hopefully they will get you some good painkillers!
You won’t miss them:) I’ll send some good vibes for a fast, uncomplicated extractions!
Ice ice ice! I had all four taken out - had to do in the hospital with general anesthesia because they were all impacted and infected - and I barely took a tylenol and had hardly any swelling. Don’t spit either - just let the stuff drip out of your mouth. However disgusting - don’t spit. And make sure they give you that little syringe thingy for cleaning the spots. So fun.
You’ll be GREAT! GOOD LUCK!
Hey Lolly, I had my wisdom teeth taken out a few years ago, and it really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I chose the option of being put to sleep, as I didn’t really want to sit there awake through the ordeal. They also gave me both vicodin and 1 gram tablets of ibuprofen for the pain. I took the vicodin once and it tripped me out so much that I opted not to do that again. I was totally fine with just the ibuprofen and some ice packs. It did hurt, but the pain was manageable and recovery was pretty quick. I think you should be able to knit something simple without too much trouble. Hope it goes well, and enjoy all the jello!
take ibuprofen (advil) BEFORE you go in. it’ll help with the pain and the swelling.. and have lots of cotton on hand for your bleeding mouth. but other than that, just relax as much as possible! good luck!
Don’t worry about it. Drugs are good. When I had my wisdom teeth out, the dentist was in tears, but between the drugs when she pulled ‘em and the drugs afterwards, I felt no pain. Maybe some simple stockinette socks, if you’re up to it? I certainly wouldn’t try much patterning for the first few hours, until you see how the drugs hit you.
Piece of cake. My biggest problem was the headache I had AFTER I stopped taking the Tylenol with Codeine. Now I know, no codeine for me. Good luck and enjoy the mashed potatoes!
I hope the extraction goes well! The best tip I picked up when my wisdom teeth came out was that moistened tea bags crammed into the cavities where your teeth once were will stop the bleeding. Apparently the tannins in tea make blood clot. It worked for me! Good luck!
Warshcloths! That way if they aren’t perfect, they’ll be fine!
Feel better soon Lolly!
I had a great time when I got my wisdom teeth out. Sure, there was some pain, but I finished two novels and watched four or five movies. It was a nice time just to chill out and rest. Some people really like Percoset, but I had a bad experience with it - I was convinced after taking it that I had over medicated myself and was going to overdose. Just take it easy and don’t try to eat too much too quickly. Be gentle on yourself, see when you feel like knitting, and you’ll be fine.
*wince* I still have mine and I live in fear of the day my dentist will make a similar gesture. Best of luck! Can’t wait to see how the knitting looks!
Good luck Lolly! You’ll be fine!
When I had mine taken out, they gave me Valium to take before I got there, which REALLY helped my nerves. haha.
Oh, and frozen corn works well for icing your cheeks.
Hope it all goes well.
I’ve had 26 teeth pulled, including four permanent teeth - don’t worry about a thing. You’ll be great! I had two wisdom teeth pulled (all I had) and I watched movies in a drugged-out haze on the couch for two days and ate ice cream. Good luck!
You can probably knit on pain killers as long as they don’t make you sleepy. I’ve had my bottom wisdom teeth now for 5 years, but they haven’t caused me any problems. Good luck!
I had mine removed a few years ago. One of them was impacted and was causing some significant pain, so they figured they’re just remove all of them. It was a breeze; even the chipmunk cheeks weren’t as bad as I thought they’d be. Good luck!
I had them taken out when I was 15. It hurt, but you’ll be fine. I’d knit something small and simple.
Had mine taken out 19 years ago today. All four, all at once. No problems, and not even a lot of pain. Of course, I don’t remember a lot about those first few days…. The curved-point syringe they gave me for cleaning out the sockets was fun, though. Fill it with water and fire at someone from around a corner. They’ll never see ya comin’.
I was lucky. My dentist had televisions in the ceiling so I was able to watch strange shows while being drugged up. Just no sucking on straws!!
Lolly, your wisdom will increase with the removal of those blasted teeth. Take the pain medication they give you - don’t miss any doses! Get 2 bags of frozen peas and put them on your face on day 1 - this will drastically help the swelling and bruising (trust me I know this from experience, this is an old mom standby!). Sleep as much as you can on day 1!! Don’t think about knitting or anything - just sleep. Have your dear hubby get you some popcicles and soft foods, ie. yogurt, ice cream, sherbet, jello. I shall keep you in my thoughts and prayers and you will be back to knitting in 48 hours - but don’t try for some complicated pattern - garter stitch will be perfect! Again, stay on top of the pain medication - that is THE most important thing you can do.
oh–dont’ worry too much. i had all four out. i was awake for the top 2 and asleep for the bottoms (they were trouble).
The pain wasn’t too bad–I just slept for a day on some Tylenol with Codeine and then looked like Jay Leno for a couple of days (big jaw…we took pictures).
Just remember to gargle with salt water after (ask Dentist maybe)–it helped to not get infection.
Take heart, miss Lolly. I was awake for all 4 extractions, including the one where the root broke in half, and didn’t need so much as an advil when it was all done. Yeah, it felt like someone punched me in the face with a louisville slugger, but that only lasted a day.
If you try knitting on drugs, knit something simple; the complicated stuff will get ALL screwed up.
And don’t try cutting any steeks. Just don’t. Don’t ask me how I know this.
Good luck, and I hope it’s all anticlimactic.
I think knitting on painkillers is kind of an artform, almost like abstract art…give it a go, and take lots of pictures.
You will do great
I had mine out 4 years ago. I didn’t have much pain at all and the swelling was very minimal. Advil will be your friend. Just rest and don’t knit anything too complicated. My thoughts are with you.
I had mine out when I was 18 and did great! I was ready to go to work that afternoon, but my mom wouldn’t let me. You will do fine and shouldn’t need too many pain meds. Drink a lot of chocolate shakes and follow all of the directions they give you to a T.
Good luck!
I had mine out just this year after school let out. They put me completely under, but when I woke up, I was in no mood to do anything. In fact, I got home and started bawling. I didn’t do much for a few days. Take all the painkillers they give you. It helps so much. I hope your removal goes well.
ack! good luck, Lolly! My experience wasn’t bad. It took about 2 seconds for the doctor to pull it out. I never did get my lower ones but my upper ones grew in a year apart when I was in my mid-twenties.
Take it easy and use this downtime to knit
ooooh do NOT try to knit on the pain pills.. trust me.. and Please please.. DON:t try to read anything until the anesthetic wears off.. eek! Just rest and watch mindless TV.. hehe
you will be fine!
Don’t fret! I had all four of mine “dug” out (they were all impacted), and the dentist also found an extra tooth under one of my wisdom teeth that he extracted as well. I did not swell up at all, and only took one pain killer( I hated the way I felt on them and really did not have much pain at all). I had it done on a Friday and went back to school on Monday. You just never know what will happen!
Good luck to you and best for the New Year!!
-Teresa
I don’t know about other people, but my dentist froze me and extracted all four of my wisdom teeth in about 40 minutes. I had some nice straight roots and the teeth themselves were pretty solid considering they had some big cavities in them. I got a prescription for T-3’s but only needed them for a day after that I got some Advil and that did the trick.
I hope your extraction goes as well as mine did.
aww…I’ve had four removed all at once too but it took me also less than 40 mins because apparently they were teeny. I hope all goes well and that you will be able to knit afterwards while recovering.
Oh No!!! I hear that can be painful. I’ll keep my needles crossed that the pain will be minimul! This coming from a chicken that still has her wisdom teeth….
I’m guessing you’ll probably be sleeping, not knitting! But after the first day you’ll feel much better. I had mine taken out earlier this year - just follow all the instructions they give you you’ll be fine! (it was my first surgery and I was really worried, but it turned out to be no big deal.)
Oh you poor thing. You’ll be fine, though. I never had wisdom teeth, but I had a front upper jaw implant done and they actually drilled my skull. I am terrified of needles, but in the end, I swear to you it really is not as bad as people make it. Get lots of ice cream, though!!!
Good luck today. It wasn’t too bad when I had my wisdom teeth pulled. I had laughing gas and actually told my surgeon that he was good looking - good times! Take care and I’ll check in on you. Hugs…
I had mine out a few years ago. It wasn’t so bad. I wan’t a knitter then, but I was a stitcher. I was too sleepy on the painkillers to do anything. I just napped for basically two days. Thank goodness for my mom and hubby or the kids would have been horribly neglected.
Good luck today and sending positive healing vibes your way. It’s not too bad- I didn’t remember much of the procedure and they sent me home quickly. Frozen yogurt (fro-yo) was a lifesaver. That’s all I ate for the first two days.
You’ll do fine! Maybe now is a good time to make a crazy scrappy scarf or something. You can call it your Codeine knitting!
Saying a prayer for you Lolly and why not use this time to plan some new projects for 2007? You’ve got several new books to choose from right?
I’ve had two unmedicated births and I would say that the wisdom teeth removal hurt worse, mostly because it was in my head. Plus there was no cute baby at the end of it
That makes up for all of the pain of birth, in my experience.
I had percodan after my wisdom teeth came out and I was well enough to go to my first day of college classes two days after the teeth came out. I would assume that if I was able to make it a mile on foot and stay awake through classes and take legible notes, I probably would’ve been able to knit. Nothing more complicated than garter stitch or stockinette in the round, but still knitting.
I hope you have a smooth go of it and the drugs do their work well.
For what it’s worth, when I had my wisdom teeth out, it wasn’t so bad. There was some swelling and pain, but not too bad overall. (now my root canal was something else!) And you can knit on drugs. It’s called “faux knitting” (can’t remember where I heard it). Meaning you might have to rip everything out, so don’t knit in mohair!
I hope you’re feeling better soon. I think that something very straightforward would be great for the anesthesia.
I had mine out in my early 20’s, and it was a breeze. 24 hours after having them removed, I was in NO PAIN! I hope it goes as easily for you!
I hope you are feeling OK! Watch lots of movies and nap. My swelling was pretty minimal b/c my dad (who is an MD who practices homeopathy) gave me a remedy called Arnica. In fact, it worked pretty well for all five of us kids who’ve had the wisdom teeth out. My mom also made me some yummy food: a souffle, canned tomato soup w/ tiny bits of pizza cut up in it, chocolate milkshakes, more soup. I remember the food most of all! They tried to put me under, but couldn’t find a vein so I just had the local anesthesia. But the surgeon gave me some headphones and music so I couldn’t hear the drills too much. I was so nervous but it wasn’t too bad.
Loved the painkillers, but they made me itch so I had to switch to over the counter stuff.
i had all 4 taken out at once, and i was awake for it. well, i was totally stoned on nitrous, but still awake. it wasn’t that bad. i tried one tylenol/codeine but i hated it. i mostly stuck with advil and ice packs. and pudding. lots of pudding
feel better soon!!!
I had mine taken out all at once too and it wasn’t bad at all. Yes there’s a little pain but I’ve had worse. You can knit on painkillers pretty well too, maybe make it an easy project
Good luck and speedy recovery!
Homeslice, I learned to knit on high dose painkillers after my wisdom teeth surgery. Wisdom teeth so stuck in my jaw they put me under and broke them out of my jawbone. I have utmost faith in your abilities.
You never know! I had 4 out (two were impacted) and I was on solid food within two days, no need for painkillers after the first night, and no swelling. A lot depends on your surgeon!
I hope the surgery goes well! I had my wisdom teeth out in college. I took Vicodan without having any food in my stomach, and it made me hurl. That’s pretty nasty when one hasn’t eaten anything in 12+ hours. So…don’t make that mistake. =) I think you’ll probably be lots better after 24-48 hours. Good luck, Lolly!
My dentist was a bit kinder - he took out two at a time, so I could eat on one side.
I wrote a physics exam on the Monday after having my teeth out on Friday. But every person is different and you’ll have to go with what works best for you. Good luck and take care.
I had mine taken out a few years back on VALENTINE’S DAY!!!
I was definatley a chipmunk but I didn’t have a bit of pain, just make sure chris keeps pumping the drugs as instructed and you will be fine.
Good luck!!
umm, all four removed AT THE SAME TIME? what is up with that dentist? i’ve had three of mine removed, but one at a time, just as they were coming out. no problems!
good luck, dear lolly! and stay away from the lace knitting
Oh no! I hope it went smoothly!
Delurking to say good luck!! I had mine out about 12 years ago and we found athletic socks (clean) filled with ice were perfect for laying along the length of your cheek/jaw. It wasn’t so bad.
Hope it went well. My 18 year old niece had hers out the Friday before Thanksgiving and was at a party the next night. I had mine out at 16 almost 18 years ago and was in the hospital for 5 days and did look like a chipmunk. I think things have improved since then. Ice pops tasted good.
I hope it wasn’t too awful. My advice? Lie back & enjoy the pain killers for a couple of days. I tried to knit when I had 4 molars removed last summer & ended up ripping out everything I had done while on them!
I recommend getting knocked out to have them removed…I know up here, if you are getting 3 or 4 removed at once they will do it at the hospital (day surgery) and put you under for it.
I had my wisdom out years and years ago, and I hardly remember what it was like, so it can’t have been too bad! I vaguely recall it hurting less and less over a week, but, ehh. Hope everything went well!
Ice, pain killers, and movies to sleep through. That’s how I made it through my wisdom teeth removal. I hope you’re feeling well.
It’s not bad at all- I had all four out at the same time and while it was not painful, I made the mistake of not icing my face like you’re supposed to. I had to use a baby toothbrush for a week until the swelling went down because I could only open my mouth a tiny bit
Oh honey! I hope yours went as well as mine did. I had mine out when I was 26 and I was eating 2 days later.
I hope you are feeling ok.
Ouch! I hope everything is going well. Take care!
I had mine out when I was 14 and it was relatively painless. Hope yours went as well, and that your doctor was generous with the painkillers. May you be up and knitting again soon.
Being a dental assistant, I can assure you…you will be fine!
17 year old daughter had hers out a few weeks ago and 18 year old son will have all four out on Friday. Ibuprofen, Ice and Pain pills - you will be good to go in a few days! Good Luck
Oh my! Good luck Lolly, hope everything goes well.
La, I hope your wisdom teeth extractions went well today. Everyone has a terrible story to share but mine weren’t really so bad. I remember the anesthetic more (woah, the window blinds seemed to roll before my eyes before I passed out!) than the actual recovery, and I remember wanting a big fat cheeseburger just a few days later, and eating it. So I wish for a similar, relatively easy experience for you, too. Good luck with the medicated knitting!!
I hope it all went well, I still have all 4 with me… I have heard so many things about it. I dont know about knitting while on high meds, as long as you dont poke an eye or something it should be ok ;)… rest lots!!
I just had my four out about two years ago… the operation was relatively painless. The low amount of pain was actually quite surprising — what wasn’t so good was how LONG it took to be totally healed. That was longer than I thought.
Anyway, I am sure it all went well!
Much love,
Lain
Don’t let them frighten you. Mine came out at all 4 at one go and apart from looking like a hamster with full cheeks and not being allowed to eat dairy products it was not at least a problem. I even went to a job interview on day 5 and got the job.
Hi, Lolly! Good luck with the removal of your wisdom teeth. The removal of mine was rather painless and I only felt nauseous with the codeine painkiller so I stopped taking it after the first one they made me take. I was fine. Hopefully your experience will be as pain-free as mine. Happy New Year!
Hope my little “chipmunk” is doing okay. Remember to check frequently for dropped stitches. I always find them when I am knitting while tired. XXOO
Ai yu. I haven’t been to the dentist in something like . . . 10 years . . . maybe more . . . and I have resolved to go this year. But I have a feeling I’ll be getting wisdom teeth taken out, too. Let us know how it goes–I’m sending all my bestest vibes your way!
And it was SO wonderful hanging out last week. A perfect antidote to the otherwise-insane Christmas weekend.
I was in bed for three days after getting my wisdom teeth pulled.
I have a friend that got hers pulled in the morning and went to work that evening in a restaurant and she was fine.
I hope your experience is a good one.
Good luck with the wisdom teeth. Hope you’ll be feeling better soon!
Are you getting knock out? or are they taking them out in the office? If you’re getting knocked out, no worries except for a bit of bruising and of course the first day is very painful. I had mine extracted in the dentists office with just localized anaesthesia. Honestly it wasn’t horrible. It really hurt when the freezing wore off for a couple of hours. Good luck and don’t knit anything complicated on the painkillers. You’ll just end up frogging. Choose something easy like mittens.
KJ
I hope you recover quickly. I love the Christmas photos.
XXOO
I had mine taken out a few years ago. It was not pleasant. But, the good news is I survived and I won’t have to have my wisdom teeth taken out ever again. I am confident that everything will go fine for you too. Follow the after care instructions and take it easy for a few days.
Oh. I feel ya, I am loathe to call the dentist to make an appointment, I know that he will not be happy.
Poor Lolly! I hope it went well and that you’re feeling better today. Stick with soup and kick back, relax. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
You will definitely have to give me all the gorey details - I am supposed to get mine removed! Every time i go to to the dentist - she asks me why I didn’t get them removed yet - duh! I want to keep my teeth as they are meant to be… in my head!
It’s not so bad! Just milk it for all its worth–make your hubby bring you ice cream and watch girl movies with you. Cancel all of your appointments for the next two weeks. Take good drugs.
Lolly - good luck. I had mine out some years ago and the pain isn’t that bad. The pain killers are fab.
xx
AYEEEE!!!
I hope it went well!!!
Just catching up on your blog. I have been sick with the flu. I hope your extractions went well and that you are enjoying the extra TLC.
…another delurker hping things are going well. Keeping ice on the jaws will help immensely!
I had mine out the day after Christmas, my freshman year of college, was back to work on the third day post-op. And the drugs are even better now!
Take care, follow the instructions, and take the pain pills before it gets very sore.
Well, my top two came out super quick but many years later I had to get the bottoms ones cut out and then got ….dry socket in the one. Talk about pain. Just keep it clean and you should be fine. As far as painkillers…I wouldn’t know since I have only taken a mild one once in my life and that was for nose surgury. I would like to see what you do try to knit though on these painkillers. That could be interesting.LOL
Best of luck to you and you will be fine!
Wow! Feel better soon! I hope that you don’t have too much swelling! When I got mine out, I ate babyfood for weeks.
I remember getting mine out in college - worst spring break I ever had LOL. Seriously, take the painkillers they’ll give you on schedule - before you think you need them, so the owiees never get a chance to really settle in.
Be glad you didn’t put it off like the Marine!Goth did. He had HIS out during boot camp!!! I told that boy he should have listened to me (and our dentist!) Mom’s sometimes really do know best *G*.
Hope everything went well!
I’m going to have to have mine out too soon:( I wish you luck!
Oh my goodness! Mine are coming out on the 16th, so I seriously need your feedback on what you can knit while doped up. Then I can plan ahead and have whatever materials needed at hand, because otherwise, I will not survive the next two days!