Wisdom teeth

You are going to be unbearably miserable for three weeks. Stay away from deadly weapons for the first three hours after surgery, and do not make any major life decisions in the first 3-4 days.

i was in bed for about a week following my surgery. other people i know were out for 1 or 2 days. it all depends on the person, how impacted the teeth are, how close to the nerves they are... etc.

Take oxycodone and 4-5 ibuprofen every 5-6 hours and you will be FINE. I had mine out 3 weeks ago. I just chilled on the couch for 2 days, but I could move about the house and stuff. Those drugs I mentioned are extremely powerful, they are a MUST. You will be in a lot of pain if you don't take them. I was in very little pain because I took those. You will be able to run by Friday, yes. Overall not even as close to as bad as people say. Your jaw will be soar longer. It will be painful to open completely for about 2 weeks. But just eat slow, wash down food, and you will feel 95% back to normal in 3 days. Oh ya and don't forget about those drugs...

There's no pain if the dentist does it right.

I've had no pain after any tooth was pulled in Tijuana, Mexico, and kept to my regular running schedule. I ran the same morning, the next morning and so on.

Be sure the dentist removes the ligament for the tooth, scrapes any cavitation off the jaw, and cleans out the socket. Keep gauze on the would until the bleeding is stopped. Be cautious about eating until the wound is closed, especially the first 24 hours.

I also go to Tijuana for my dental care. Everything there is so much cheaper and many times they do a better job. I had my braces, wisdom teeth taken out, and numerous cavity filled in there. I guess when you don't have dental insurance and have to pay out of your pocket Tijuana is a great place to go. I thought our family was the only ones that had discovered this alternative avenue haha.

haha no way wrote:

I also go to Tijuana for my dental care. Everything there is so much cheaper and many times they do a better job. I had my braces, wisdom teeth taken out, and numerous cavity filled in there. I guess when you don't have dental insurance and have to pay out of your pocket Tijuana is a great place to go. I thought our family was the only ones that had discovered this alternative avenue haha.

Hey that's neat that you go there too. I would go there even if I had dental insurance because they are much much better. In the states they just try to screw you up to get more money from you, sad but true.

I have taken a friend of mine there too, and recommended the dentists to quite a few people.

don't listen to these fools. it depends on how your teeth are. are they impacted? are they full bony? partial bony? soft tissue? this will determine some of the recovery. the upper/maxillary teeth shouldn't give you much trouble post-op. the lowers are where patients usually have problems. if it's a regular type extraction, you should be good in 2 days to run. you may be fairly swollen and swelling can increase for up to 48hrs post-op. ice 20min on/off the day of the surgery. ask teh dentist/oral surgeon if he's giving you dexamethasone. it's a steroid i give patients to help reduce swelling. take the ibuprofen 800mg every 4-6hrs. take the vicodin if it hurts before 4 hrs. and take vicodin before you go to bed, like the last thing you do before bed. take it easy the first day or so and see how you feel. i'd take the first 48hrs easy then see where you are.

I agree. I had 4 take out this year, was able to run after 2 days. I would say the most important item is the ice, as soon as I got home I wrapped my head in ice and iced 20 min on then 20min off all day. Also at night I slept as upright as possible to reduce swelling. Stay on soft food until the holes close up, It is really gross when food gets trapped in those holes.

I think a lot of the recovery can depend on your age. High schoolers seem to bounce back very quickly.

I had mine taken out last year at the advanced age of 28. Still young and healthy, right? Well, apparently things heal slower. On day 3 after surgery I actually felt decent and went out for some light activity. Apparently that was enough to dislodge a couple of clots and get dry sockets. Not horrible in the long run, but really quite uncomfortable. The doc said this is very common.

So in hindsight I would have taken 4 days to do nothing. The extra day or two off will hardly affect fitness, and it should allow you to come back a little bit harder and more consistent.

Enjoy.