they took x-rays and I'm getting my wisdom teeth. I really was hoping there would be a phenomenon and I'd never get my wisdom teeth. But the x-rays showed all four teeth. So I guess I am going to get them removed sometime over the summer inbetween horse shows and before...college. I heard from everybody that it hurts and you can't eat anything for a few days after getting them pulled...?

i had 2 of my out (2 different times) and it was not too bad!! you are knocked out, when i woke up i didnt feel a thing...as the day progressed there was a little discomfort, but no pain, just looked like a chipmunk for a few days!

I just found out that I have to get mine out too..my orthodontist said I should do as soon as possible but I'm hoping it can wait until summer haha I'm reallyy not looking forward to it. ughh

I got mine out in 8th grade...it's not that bad. I mean sitting around groggy with the taste of dried blood and cotton gauze in your mouth for a day or two is really unpleasant, but you don't feel it and you get pampered. It's gross/cool to feel in the back of your mouth where the stitches are though. I almost made myself sick the first time i accidentally felt it

It's not a miserable experience, don't dread it so much

I had all of mine pulled out without anatesia, and I lived. It's no big deal.

i got mine out just before the start of gr.12 and i ws totally fine. I was swollen for a couple of days but the drugs made me ridiculously happy so i was definetley ok. I rode the next day. I think it all depends on how each persons body reacts. My other friend got hers out right after me and she was swollen for a week... so it all just depends. The stitches feel NASTY though.

I REALLY hope that mine don't come. In past x-rays, they couldn't see any, although last time they said they might see a shadow. My fingers are crossed!

It kind of depends on the person. I know some who were in pain for days and others who were not really affected at all! I had 3 wisdom teeth removed and I spent the rest of the day in bed drooling which I think was more being tired from the anesthesia than anything. After that I had to eat softer foods for a few days but it wasn't a major issue. I had like tomato soup, pudding, rice, bananas, jello, and similar things. But it was really not that horrible. In my case I had also had surgery on my toe 2 days before (all during Christmas break from college) and got everything out of the way at once

Thanks guys. You are giving me some encouragement. I've never been put uner either let alone had surgery. The closest thing to surgery I've ever gotten is a filing...and that wasn't bad because my mouth was numb and I didn't feel much.

Anybody know how much it is?

Having wisdom teeth removed? I think that would depend on who the oral surgeon is and what your dental insurance covers.

Lucky! I still don't have in my 12 year molars

I had my four taken out. It really wasn't that bad. The first day sucked because of the bleeding after that it was fine. I iced a lot so I never was swollen. Really it isn't bad at all, better to get it over with.

Its just uncomfortable with the bleeding/gauze/cotton. I didnt have stitches, but my gums still feel cool/scarred.

Oh and the funniest this was my doctor was named.....Dr. Needle.

WTF?! I didn't loose my first tooth till the 2nd grade. I think most start in Kindergarden.

yo get this, i had my 4 regulars then one impacted at an angle, so i go to get them out right and they put me under and all is peachy, next thing i know i wake up in a chair and they give my mom my teeth and shes like umm theres only 5, wheres the fifth? and the doc was like ohhh i forgot so took me back to the operating chair FULLY AWAKE but still drugged and numb and just yanked the 5th out. lovely.

I had all four of my wisdom teeth out this past spring. All four were very badly impacted (actually causing me pain my mouth because they were pushing against my other teeth), so we had to drill into all of them to break them up into smaller pieces that could be removed. I did it with only local anaesthesia, which really wasn't so bad, because it shortens the recovery time by a lot. I had mine out on a Friday afternoon, spent four hours icing my face, and went to a concert on Saturday night. The swelling was the worst on Sunday morning, but by Sunday night it had gone down completely, and I went to school on Monday.

haha You're such a trooper. Also a little bit crazy, but still a trooper.

two of mine are just popping out (i turn 20 in february...i think im getting old for this haha) and they don't hurt at all but i too just went to the dentist and they told me id need them out soon. It's odd though, they don't hurt at all, i figure my mouth is big enough to hold them haha. has anyone been able to keep theirs?

I had mine out, and it wasn't too bad. I was out for about about two days, and on the third day I went shopping. I also had anethesia, so the surgery was quite easy. It does hurt a bit, but presciption painkillers are your best friend. Unfortunately, I had a bad batch of Percoset that didn't work, but I soon got Vicodin so I was happy.

wow, lucky you! I had to have mine drilled apart too, but then my mouth got infected, so i had to go back and had the places re-opened and drained... it was a lot of fun....

but seriously, to whoever is getting them out, really dont worry about it, it's really not that bad, most people are fine in a couple of days. and even if you have a problem like mine, they just give you drugs lol. but i only took advil, i rather have some pain then being in a nonfunctioning state

I think more crazy than trooper. Although, I've been very sick for the past two weeks, and haven't gone to the doctor yet, so I think my trooper side might be dominating at the moment. I've had people hang up on me because they said I sounded too sick!

I had mine out and my mom said that I looked like a chipmuck.

I did a lot of bleeding but I was on pain meds for a few days.

I stayed in bed for 2 days and got up on the 3rd day.

i only have 2 wisdom teeth =]

evolution, they're disappearing.
or im a mutant.

Mine were really bad because they were big and I had all four of them. The best advice I can give you is to be careful not to take too much pain medicine. I threw up from it, and that was the worst part of the whole ordeal.

my mouth doesnt have any room for them..so to say the least im never getting anything pulled or anymore extra pointless teeth. but my moms a dentist..she pulls all the time..it depends on the person and how your dentist pulls them. if you go to a dentist with good quality stuff..its not that bad. even if this is an olddd topic

Haha...actually, my regular dentist(who I've been going to since I was little) recommended another dentist. I guess there's one that actually specializes in pulling wisdom teeth...probably has to do with the use of anaesthesia.

I would ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS seek a second (or third) opinion if I were ever told my wisdom teeth needed to be removed. Here, almost NO ONE has them removed as young adults, unless of course there are problems associated with them (not enough room, won't come through, pain, etc). I know so many people who've had them out that just didn't even think to question their dentist- do they hurt you? are they causing problems for the rest of your teeth? I've had 3 sets of x-rays taken on my mouth since the age of 12 to determine whether there were going to be any problems with space or angle concerning my wisdom teeth. I was 16 when they came through and now all are normally situated within my mouth and have not caused a problem yet. My dentist (whom I LOVE, too bad he's retiring this year) told me it made NO sense to remove them if they aren't causing problems for me and that the risks of anesthesia and infection in the gums are much, much higher than leaving them there. So for those of you around the age where they start to discuss the removal of your wisdom teeth, seek a second opinion or at least ASK if it's absolutely necessary.

See my dad went that route, but in his 40's his wisdom teeth really started hurting for some reason and he was in so much pain that he got them out as soon as he could. And he thought he'd never have to get them out.

I had mine done Friday morning. I still can't really open my mouth, and I'm swollen like none other. I'm still taking 10 or so pills a day between the antibiotics and pain killers. I still can't eat much of anything (warm (not hot) soup, applesauce, milkshakes, smoothies and pudding). I've been running a fever of about 102, and I'm swollen all down my neck making it really hard for me to swallow. They told me that I needed to sleep somewhat upright after we talked to them about my bleeding and swelling, so I've slept in a lazy boy in the living room the last two nights.

So basicially I wish I hadn't had mine out at this point. I've watched way too much television. (Woohoo Saddle Club weekend LOL) I've done nothing with my four day weekend, and my poor horse is standing in his stall for the third day in a row. (He gets turnout in a space about double the size of his stall so he can roll, but that's it.) And I'm generally miserable.

I'm kinda the one in a thousand though. I have stitches all over the place, I bled for 36 hours after, and now I have some kind of infection. Even the doctor was like, "You're probably the only one like this I'll see all year."

But really, even if your surgery is as bad as mine was you'll live. It'll suck for a few days to a week, but you'll be okay.

Just expect to have someone take care of your horse for you for a few days.

Edit:FRENCHfryTHEeqHORSE has a really good point.

Mine for sure had to come out. They were causing a lot of pain esp. in my lower jaw. They were putting a lot of pressure on my teeth, and all of my lower teeth were shifting because there wasn't enough room. So we had mine taken out before all my top teeth were out of place too. I'm actually going to have to have more orthodontia to get my bottom teeth to line up with the top ones again.

Thats funny, I believe that dentist is one of my friend's parent. You live in California right?

I still have not got my wisdom teeth in, but I do dread the day. I do not enjoy dental work at all.

I just think it's funny how so many kids that are like about to go off to college make that routine trip to the dentist to have them removed. Like it's something that EVERYONE needs done. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the removal of the wisdom teeth when it's a legit, necessary procedure who's benefits outweigh the disadvantages, etc. But I honestly don't know a single person here aged 18-32, 35 that's had theirs out. And I think a majority of 18-32, 35 year olds in the states that I know have had theirs removed. To me, that says something... Added to the fact that I've yet to meet someone in "real" life that says wisdom teeth removal surgery is anything but a nightmare- infections, dry sockets, popped stitches, inability to eat solid food for wayyy TOO long, etc...

American's love to remove body parts. Same thing with the foreskin.

I agree 100%. I too think way too many people have them removed. Im 18 and still have mine. Mine are just comming in (they didnt think they would ever come in). Mine were in my jaw (I cant explain it). When they started to come in, the teeth actully cracked my jaw bone. My jaw cant heal with my teeth stil there, that is the only reason mine need to come out. My dentist was even talking about how it was becoming too common of a procedure, just like getting your tounsels (sp?) out. Some Drs are just like oh, you have had strep one or two times..out they come. In the past few months we have disovered just how much most Drs benifit from their patents going under the knife, even if its not them doing the surgry.

I think the big concern for wisdom teeth is that many kids have had orthodontic work (braces, etc) done before their wisdom teeth come in, and the addition of new teeth into the mouth could cause the other teeth to move and "mess up" the prior orthodontic work -- hence the reason many have their wisdom teeth removed. I know this was the reason mine were removed.

I didn't have any problems at all with my wisdom teeth removal. Aside not being able to eat solid food for a couple days, it really wasn't a big deal at all.

That makes the most sense I guess... Americans really put a lot of importance on their smiles and I find that there are less people who've had any kind of extensive orthodontic work here than back home.
Though I have to say, I agree with the "Americans removing body parts" thing- there is a public health system here and I guess there's less motivation for a dentist to remove you wisdom teeth when he's not making $$$$ off of a relatively complicated procedure. After having spinal surgery 2 years ago and sitting down with my boyfriend to break down how much money my surgeon made off of my procedure, I was BAFFLED...

Frenchy, while I see your point, most of the people I know haven't had problems afterwards. Like any medical procedure, it carries risks. However, if the surgery is done correctly and you follow the dentist's instructions- ie warm water rinses, soft foods, an ice pack, and antibiotics, then the recovery time is relatively quick (usually less than a week, for me it was 3 days) and there's not a large chance of infection.

One of the reasons mine came out were for the orthodontia reason CK mentioned - but my dentist also told me that, while they might not cause problems for years, it is pretty hard to keep them clean enough (because of where they are located) to ensure that they don't rot or decay ... ick.

Anyway, I was given local anasthetic only and was totally fine by the next day. But I only had two to start with, so that might be part of the reason it was so easy for me. Actually, I thought it was kind of awesome - a day off from work and spent the afternoon eating ice cream and watching movies

I soo wish they would just give me local anasthetic. I do horribly with general. I had to stay in the hospital for 3 days (instead of 6hr) after my last surgry b/c i was soo sick from the anasthesia (sp?). Im actully kinda scared to have my wisdom teeth taken out b/c of this reason.

Frenchy I was going to ask if you see a lot of people with less than perfect smiles over there as well. I don't think that it's a bad thing, but here, if your teeth aren't PERFECT, you get braces (I know that you know this... haha) On the other hand, I have relatives in England and none of them have perfect teeth. It seems like a lot of European countries don't use braces much, if at all, and therefore, wisdom teeth don't HAVE TO come out. In my case, they had to expand my upper palate just to make room for the teeth that I already HAD, nevermind my wisdom teeth. However I've yet to have a real problem and I'm turning 20. I do intend to get them out soon though.

Yes, braces and serious orthodontic work are pretty rare around here unless there is a really serious problem that needs to be fixed... Out of my 5 best friends here, 1 of them had braces... out of my 5 best friends in the states, probably 5 of them had braces. I personally have never had orthodontic work (really lucky) and neither has my boyfriend (born and raised in Germany, probably would have had braces if he were born and raised in the US). His teeth aren't perfect, but they aren't bad at all- he has a little crooked tooth on the bottom in front and I think it gives him character...

meh. i was getting my wisom teeth in like over a year ago. I get aches once in a while, but I still haven't gotten them out. my dad never got them out, my mom did. Let's hope it doesn't come to them getting taken out.

I just had my wisdom teeth pulled on monday and it was fine.

They hurt for about 40 seconds that night when I bumped them. it's more just annoying to take care of than actually painful, at least for me. No swelling, slept fine, and can pretty much eat normal food. I wouldn't call it a bad experience at all.

Haha so I made this post in December, but still, almost 4 months later, my wisdom teeth have YET to come through. I wonder if they'll be in by Fall?

It took about 4 years for mine to come all the way through and my top ones still arnt all the way in...it can take awhile.

Beware of two words: dry socket.

Lucky...I got mine out on Tuesday and swelled up Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday but it's basically back to normal now. I could barely chew the first couple of days. It sucked right after it happened, because I threw up but other than not being able to eat much for a couple of days, it wasn't that bad at all.

I'm so happy, my first wisdom tooth just finished coming down. it's so pretty and straight. I went to the orthodontist the other day and they x-rayed my teeth, for another reason, but I saw a my other top wisdom tooth coming down and it was straight too, but I don't know about the ones on the bottom. Hopefully I won't have to have any cut out, but at least my top ones are good.

I'm getting all four of mine out Friday morning, yay. not.
I pretty much have to get them out because there isn't enough room in my mouth for them and they'd push up on my other teeth and something along those lines. They've been hurting me for a while too, so I think I'll just be glad to have them taken care of.