# What do I do for fun after my wisdom teeth are removed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 5, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247 "2004-09-05T19:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/61 "2004-09-10T15:16:36Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > Ah, **Zamboni** , you’ve given me hope. It really already stopped bleeding? Let me know if it starts again. 🙂 > > Feel better! The bleeding stopped about 12 hours ago, approximately 11:00 pm., EDT. It may have stopped much sooner. I couldn’t tell. Unless I do something drastic to make the bleeding restart, it’s done. The best part is I am feeling no pain where my teeth were! My jaw is a little sore and I have a slight headache that is probably caffeine withdrawl, which I just took care of with some coffee. I haven’t needed any painkillers, which is far better than I expected. I thought by now I would be feeling, to paraphrase someone else on this thread, ssswwwiiirrrlllyyy 🙂 . All I am taking is the antibiotic med amoxicillin and the antinflammatory med dexamethasone. I don’t know if my case is unusual or not, but I do know I feel great right now, barely 24 hours after surgery. I’m going to write a letter to the doctors commending them for doing such a great job. **Silver Fire,** there is hope. Good luck with yours! ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/62 "2004-09-11T02:53:54Z")
Thanks, and I’m glad you’re doing well. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/63 "2004-09-11T03:10:57Z")
Can you see the extraction sites? Are there many stitches? Did you manage the ice regimen? I’m really glad you’re feeling so much better than you thought you would, but don’t get over confident and think you can disregard dentist’s orders to avoid dry socket. Better safe than sorry, my mom would say. Of course, she also says ‘Fiddlesticks’ instead of fuck, so why should you listen to someone who doesn’t even swear properly? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/64 "2004-09-11T03:35:09Z")
I can easily see the extraction sites. They are in my mouth and are visible in a mirror. I’m not sure how many stitches there are, probably one or two per site. I have been following the ice regimen closely, and I have done everything possible to avoid Dry Socket. I just jostled loose a clot. I stuffed gauze in my mouth. When I took it out about an hour later, it was barely pink, so the bleeding was minimal. Of course it’s better safe than sorry. I’m not going to do anything to make it worse. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/65 "2004-09-11T15:40:52Z")
As of 11:30 Saturday morning, I brushed my teeth for the first time since Wednesday night, very carefully of course. I thought last night that I was getting dry socket, but that pain has gone away with ice treatment. I don’t believe it was dry socket, but I’m not taking my condition for granted. I still have not taken painkillers. I want to hear a professional opinion of how common it is for someone to not need painkillers. I suspect that my experience is rare. I feel great right now, but I’m still going to take it easy. I don’t want to screw anything up. So, **Silver Fire** are you coherent enough to tell us your condition yet? How’s it going? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/66 "2004-09-11T17:57:37Z")
My wisdom teeth weren’t that bad. I went in one friday after I got out of college classes, Mom waited for a half-hour, we were done, went home, took a nap, ate some non-chewy dinner, and went back to the dorm the next day. All I had was a slight ache back there. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/67 "2004-09-11T19:00:38Z")
Wow. After I had my wisdom teeth out, my jaw was so sore that I couldn’t open my mouth wide enough to look inside. They gave me some super-strong mouthwash to use instead of brushing my teeth, and about five days after the surgery the stitches came out with it (dissolving stitches). I never had any pain where the teeth were taken out. It was all jaw soreness, I assume from having it propped open during the surgery. ---
**Author:** ![violacrane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c57346/32.png) [@violacrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/violacrane)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/68 "2004-09-11T22:16:28Z")
So what is the dreaded Dry Socket? Do we call it something else in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/69 "2004-09-12T01:37:22Z")
> [@violacrane](#): > > So what is the dreaded Dry Socket? Do we call it something else in the UK? Yes, Her Majesty The Queen Mother, I believe… :eek: **ducks crumpets and silver tea pot while scampering away** \* ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/70 "2004-09-12T02:16:33Z")
> [@Citygirl852](#): > > Okay, now you guys are scaring me. > > I’m scheduled to have my top two wisdom teeth taken out on Saturday (9/11 is a great day to have your gums sliced open, huh?) and I wasn’t really worried about it until I read this thread. The one on the upper right side came out a few weeks ago, and I assume that they’ll have to cut the gum to do any “clean up work”. Is this true? For some reason, I hadn’t really considered the fact that my gums would bleed excessively, or that I would be queasy from swallowing blood. Just thinking about it makes me ill. > > I’m not sure if I should be worried about being groggy from the anesthesia. I’ve had general twice before and woke up feeling fine. Are there different types of general anesthesia? Do the dentists use something different that will have me feeling stupid for the rest of the day? > > My regular dentist already told me about the 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off ice pack deal. But he told me to stick two bags of frozen vegetables in each leg of a pair of pantyhose and tie it around my head. My dentist is a little weird. > > So…just how much blood/pain should I expect? And for how long? Should I schedule a vacation day Monday? I am glad I dint’ read this earlier, I had my two wisdom teeth out on Friday as well as some other surgery. I also have a severe gag reflex, as in brushing my theeth often makes me throw up, I didn’t have much problem with the gauze, it actually felt good. I only took one pain pill (mepergan?) and some tylenal and advil. as recommended by the doctor. Today, the day after, the cheek that had the other surgery feels swollen but no pain. Alittle chey but diffinatley less pain thatn I was in before. I think the big difference is I was told before that my wisdom teeth would be easy to remove. My appointment was for 8:30 am and even with stopping at the drugstore on the way home, Iwas home by 10am I slept all day got up for about 2 hours and slept until Saturday morning. I then moved to the couch and watched some movies, later went out to eat and had an omlet. My face is definatly swollen but no pain, no vomiting, no excess bleeding but no energy. My suggestion is to let your employer know that you will be in if you can because it sounds like every person reacts differently. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/71 "2004-09-12T02:26:39Z")
Shoot, I just relized I drank my tea at dinner with a straw. Sucha n ingrained habit. I know someone who got dry socket and she was in a lot of pain. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/72 "2004-09-12T15:09:53Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > My suggestion is to let your employer know that you will be in if you can because it sounds like every person reacts differently. If I had a desk job, I would feel fine to go to work. Because my job involves a fair amount of manual labor, I might call in sick tomorrow, or request that I do something less strenuous. I’ll be fine in a few days. My gums started bothering me last night, so I took some etodolac before going to bed. It didn’t make me drowsy, but I slept well because I had no pain. I awoke with some gum pain and swallowed another etodolac. Since it doesn’t make me drowsy, I might take it to work so I’m not sidetracked by pain. The pain isn’t much worse than a medium-sized headache, but it’s enough to be annoying. It does seem that everyone reacts differently to the procedure. I wonder how it is that some have complained of vomiting, excessive bleeding, and being down for days, while others are ready to go after a day? Just curious, how long does Dry Socket tend to last? ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/73 "2004-09-13T00:49:49Z")
I meant to mention this before, once I saw that no one else had said anything about it, then I forgot. A side effect of using painkillers for any length of time can be bad constipation lasting over several days. I would check the bottle they came in; if there’s no warning there, it wouldn’t be out of order to call and double-check W/ the pharmacist. Obviously, there’s not a lot you can eat right now to avoid it, but keep on those fluids. A friend had a double hernia fixed and couldn’t go for 8 days. 8 days. I don’t want to get into scatological talk here, just wanted to warn you of something that can be very uncomfortable. (Hee, the first time I typed that it came out ‘uncomfartable’…snicker.) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/74 "2004-09-13T02:28:20Z")
I suppose I was dark and foreboding enough in the last page, so I’ll tell a more complete story here. I walked into the clinic late in the morning, and after a brief wait I was on a table, arms strapped to the bed, an IV in my arm and breathing some gas. I don’t like needles, but if I can focus on something else I can relax enough not to vomit. The gas and the pre-op banter was enough for me, and I quickly went down. I woke up happy as a sailor in a whorehouse and about as inebriated. I was laughing, vomiting up blood, and laughing some more. I was in a room with at least two other patients waking up, one of them a male who wanted very much to stay asleep and one of them a female who felt like a good weep. We were segregated with curtains, but I could hear a lot of what went on. I would laugh, tell the guy to wake up, vomit a bit more, try and convince the woman to stop crying and have a good chuckle, admire my bloody sheets (I recall comparisons to tampons, in fact, which sent me into hysterics), and contribute to the problem once again. I’m sure the nurse on duty was very much amused. I eventually was managed into a wheelchair and driven to a friend’s house, where my gauzy mouth, benumbed mind, and general demeanor added to the world’s levity. Oh, and the patient was amazed at the unusually large amounts of blood. The patient was amazed at the unusually large amounts of blood. The patient was amazed at the unusually large amounts of blood. Sorry… thought this was Mad. Sooner rather than later, the high wore off. To describe the remainder, I’ll let the inestimable Johnny Cash explain why this episode continued my distaste for opiates and pain pills: > [@Johnny Cash](#): > > And there’s nothing short a’ dying > That’s half as lonesome as the sound > Of the sleeping city sidewalk > And Sunday morning coming down. (Except, of course, replace ‘lonesome’ with ‘throwing-up sick’. And ‘sleeping city sidewalk’ with ‘sound of blood in the sink’.) ---
**Author:** ![violacrane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c57346/32.png) [@violacrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/violacrane)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247/75 "2004-09-13T17:29:04Z")
> [@Portia](#): > > Yes, Her Majesty The Queen Mother, I believe… :eek: > > **ducks crumpets and silver tea pot while scampering away** \* So dry socket is like having a year old corpse in your mouth? You would have thought my dentist would’a’ warned me when I had my wisdom teeth out 😃 . Come on guys what is it really? this inquiring mind wants to know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-for-fun-after-my-wisdom-teeth-are-removed/263247.md?page=3)