gotta get 5 teef pulled

[CAJUNLAWYER]

The root canal thread reminded me that I have to schedule with the dental surgeon to get 5, count'em 5, teeth pulled! Been proud of the fact that I still have all wisdom teeth. but after going to the dentist when I broke a tooth last week I was told that while I was getting the broke tooth extracted and the socket readied for an implant post that I ought to get my wisdom teeth pulled. Seems that one is cracked in half, two are causing issues with the healthy molar in front and, well hell, if you're gonna get three of them pulled you might as well get the fourth pulled.So he gives me a referral to the surgeon and the secretary asks me if I want them to set up the appointment now. I kitty out and say that no, I'll schedule it. That was a week ago........
I've only had one tooth pulled before and I remember it hurting afterward like a (*%($^%*^&er. Forget what they gave me but it did not help at all. Also I can't stand the thought of taking opioids (actually I'm scared to death of them) and do not like taking anything with Tylenol in it because of the liver toxicity issues.Basically in an ideal situation, I'd like to get this done on a Friday morning and then get knocked out until Sunday and then wake up pain free. What should I ask for in the way of pain meds? Thinking of getting it done Friday before Memorial day. I am so out of the loop when it comes to pain killers, I thought I'd throw it out here since I know a lot of you guys have had to use them and perhaps can shed some light of what's out there and what I should avoid.

 

[pawngal]

Drink a lot......

 

[nicky4968]

That’s all I have left!

 

[Telecaster]

If you’re worried about your liver, booze may be a sub-optimal choice.

 

[arjay]

I hate narcotic painkillers too. I’ve had loads of dental work over the years and ibuprofen seemed to work for me with a dram or two of a good beverage.Good luck!

 

[dmn57]

Yeah, I've got three holes where teeth used to be - none in front yet - and all my wisdoms. In the past I've had a few root canal and crown arrangements but in the past decade or so I've opted to have the offenders pulled. The oral surgeon suggested implants, but I figure as long as I can still chew a medium rare steak I'm good to go.

 

[desmobob]

Worry not! Modern civilian dentistry gets more painless every year, it seems. As for pain killers, I dislike the prescription types and can usually get by just fine with good ol' Ibuprofen. I don't know if they'd do the job for a 4X wisdom tooth extraction though...

I had all four wisdom teeth pulled by a Navy dentist. I woke from the anesthesia mid-procedure to see him holding a chisel and hammer. No kidding. If I wasn't still so doped-up, I might have started swinging or running.

 

[jrm53]

I had the lower back molar on the RH d side pulled on April 26 and it bled for 4 days but did not hurt much. The one in front of it they said it was cracked and it has a gold crown and did I want to pull it too, no I said I'm 83 and I think it will last me out. I had a wisdom tooth pulled in 1963 I only had the one. Jeff

 

[ZGrand]

Before I got the first root canal procedure (that didn't work) in March, the tooth was killing me. The regular dentist prescribed an opioid painkiller and some 800mg Ibuprofen. I ,too, was hesitant to take the opioid. Fortunately the Ibuprofen worked well enough before and after the failed procedure.

Good luck with your extractions.

 

[glenwolde]

Tell the DDS that you do a lot of street drugs and have a high resistance to painkillers.

Edit:I'm not kidding.

 

[SMSgt]

See? If you hadn't wasted all that time and money going to law school and joined the service, the military would have gladly yanked those wisdom puppies out for free!

 

[Bajadoc]

Ibuprofen should take a bite out of the pain. Don't be so down in the mouth, in the long run it should be OK. Word of mouth says dental implants work very well. I have five of them which really got to the root of the problem and they work great. The implant procedure didn't hurt much. At worst you may brush up on a little discomfort. Just something to chew on.

 

[mckenney99]

Between my first and second year of college I had to have all my wisdom teeth removed by an Oral Surgeon. Two were pulled out and 2 had to be split and cut out. I remember sitting down in the chair and them telling me they were giving me Sodium Pentothol via IV and then some gas to put me asleep and that was the last thing I remember. The next thing I remember was waking up laying on a low bed in another room to the sight of a young VERY busty blonde nurse bending over me taking my pulse and BP. I considered the possibility that I had died and gone to heaven and thinking, this ain't so bad. (Oh the hormones of youth)
Whatever narcotics they gave me I took when I got home (Friday afternoon) and I slept until the next afternoon (Saturday). I started on Tylenol Sunday with ice packs on my jaws and went back to my summer construction job on Monday.
While I now avoid taking any type of prescription pain meds, due to a family history of addiction, there are times when they are needed to allow your body to heal and I'm not sure if there are any real good substitutes.

 

[sophie]

You’ll be fine Caj, you’re a big boy.

 

[Onomea]

My experience with oxycodone has been benign. Like everyone, I have read all the horror stories, and find the opioid epidemic tragic and unconscionable. However, my belief is that taken for acute (temporary) pain — not chronic/ongoing pain — and in strict accordance with dosage directions, oxycodone is a very useful solution.

Like when having your teeth pulled.

I base this belief on my experience with oxycodone after knee replacement surgery.

In the first week or two after surgery, when the pain was intense, I was taking the max dose at the shortest intervals my surgeon prescribed. I then gradually tapered off, with increasingly smaller doses over a couple of months. I found it especially helpful for PT when my therapy guy stretched the bejeez out of my leg...

I kept a notebook with a careful record of times and number of pills (and ultimately half pills) taken to be sure I was on top of it.

My approach, as described above, worried both my wife, who thought I was taking too much, and my primary care doctor when he learned I was still taking small doses a couple of months later. It did not, however, worry my surgeon who prescribed the oxy and to whom I showed my consumption record.

At no time did I feel that the oxy made me euphoric, or had any other psychological effect on me. It just alleviated the pain. (And gave me constipation, so be ready for that.)

Interestingly to me, it also negated my desire to drink alcohol. I am, by today's standards, a heavy drinker. A couple of weeks after my surgery I decided to have a glass of wine. I drank less than a quarter of the glass. I found that as long as I was taking the oxy, I simply had no desire for alcohol.

My experience puzzled me as it seemed so contrary to what I had read about the dangers of oxycodone. I've thought about it quite a lot. And I think I have figured it out.

Oxycodone is for acute/temporary pain. It is dangerous, addictive, for chronic/long-term pain. Here's an excerpt from a recent article on chronic pain and opioids that I think makes the opioid epidemic understandable, and also explains why, to my satisfaction anyway, oxycodone is not a risk for me when I use it as prescribed for acute pain:

...Medicines that work very well for acute pain, like opioids, were prescribed for many years for chronic pain like Wert’s, resulting in a tsunami of addiction that now claims more than 100,000 lives a year in overdoses of various drugs — and leaving large numbers of pain sufferers dependent on pills that they now struggle to obtain. While opioids can provide relief, some experts also believe that opioids were never a sound choice for long-term pain....

Opinion | Why Americans Feel More Pain - The New York Times
Why Americans Feel More Pain

 

[max]

I was knocked out for mine and had no problems or pain. Just took some simple otc pain stuff for a day or 2.

 

[alwslate]

In my experience when dealing with real pain over the counter meds like Ibuprofen are completely useless. Opioids are popular because they work. Best to take them as needed and then quit. Many people do so without becoming addicted. The lawmakers and the media make it seem as if addiction is automatic if you get near them. Percocet and Hydrocodone are the two most often prescribed. Percocet works better for me. I currently have chronic pain but no prescriptions, so I live with it.

 

[soFlaNative]

I broke a tooth last week

Should have used a 2lb. hammer instead for fixin' that shredder.
800 mg ibuprofen took the edge off a recent root canal my wife endured. She says the worst part of an extraction she once had depends on the number of stitches needed.

 

[Mule Packer]

Okay, Gary, I'm speaking now from firsthand experience. Oh...it wasn't my teeth that were pulled. But one of my mules, Cookie, had a bad winter this year and dropped a lot of weight. I took her into the vet just this past Tuesday. He checked her mouth and, sure enough, she had a couple bad teeth. Not only that, but she also had some sharp ridges on her other teeth that were keeping her from grinding up her food entirely, thus not getting the nutrients she needed.

He first wrenched her mouth open with this huge clamp, took a pair of long-handled pliers and extracted two teeth, then took an electric grinder with a 12-inch bit on the end and smoothed the sharp ridges. I don't know what he gave her as a sedative, but it was pretty obvious she wasn't feeling any pain for a couple days. I can give you his number if you want.

Oh, I need to tell you that there may be side effects. According to the vet, Cookie should be putting on an extra 100 pounds in the next month or two. Don't know how your weight is, but...hey, it might be worth thinking about.

 

[snowman]

Had 3 lower molars extracted 10 days ago. Surgeon indicated I would have to take pain meds for a few days anyway, but I didn't need any at all. I did take one dose of acetaminophen when the anesthesia wore off, but that was it -no more pain, and wouldn't have needed the first dose but decided to do it on the doctor's insistence.

I suppose every person's experience differs somewhat, but the impression I have is that, as with loads of other things nowadays, advancements have made such procedures less problematic and therefore less painful.

Best wishes,
Andy