Wisdom Teeth!

I've had all taken out, but they were done at different times. The top two were done separately under a local anaesthetic and with a so-called sedation/anxiety pill that was a waste of $100 because it didn't calm me down at all. The second time they tried to use the gas on me, but that didn't work either. I'm one of those people who can get 5+ shots and not be numbed at all, so the pain was quite bad for me.

Anyway those were done about 5 years ago. I got scared off from getting the bottoms done because one was impacted and I was afraid that with my asthma it would be dangerous to have IV sedation. After that one cracked and left me in pain for months, I decided to have the bottom ones taken out a month ago with an IV, and the process was much better. I did wake up in the middle of it, and I was in pain then, but I mostly forgot about it. I was only in a little bit of pain that day, and I didn't even need to take the pain meds they gave me. I had little bleeding and no dry socket. Listen to the instructions and you should be fine, but I really recommend that you have them done soon after they come in. Waiting until 27 like I did is risky because the roots can get messed up the older you get.

BTW, "general" is not usually the same as the gas or an IV. Those tend to be known as twilight sedation because you're not completely out and can be easily woken up to follow instructions, and you have control over your breathing. While general anaesthetic can be used in dentistry, it is usually done in a hospital setting because it is a bit more risky and more monitoring needs to be done. It's what people get when they have regular operations. The terms might be used differently in different countries, though.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Dark Chocolate

What is the age that they usually start growing in? Or is it so varied there isn't an average? I haven't had any signs of them growing in. I don't know what to expect but I guess if they start growing in, I'll sure as hell know from what I heard.

They usually start to grow during the late teens or early 20s, but they can come in earlier or later or never at all. If they do come in, they can sometimes come in correctly, however, that seems to often depend on a person's race, though it has more to do with the overall shape of a person's jaw. Wisdom teeth are largely considered to be vestigial structures like the appendix, meaning that they most likely had a purpose long ago, but that as humans adapted and gained healthier diets, etc., they no longer serve much of a purpose, if any at all.

As far as what to expect when they come in, I was 18 when mine started to come in, and I knew because there were hard lumps behind my bottom back teeth. They got more and more tender as the teeth started to break through the gum.

There's nowhere I can't reach.