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Adventures in Wisdom Tooth Land

9/4/2015

28 Comments

 
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So, it turns out there’s a coming-of-age ritual these days that nearly every teenager gets to do.

I’m not thinking here about dreading the first day of high school; suffering through a puppy love breakup, or finding out that your Best Friend Forever has been posting trash behind your back.

Yup, all of the above scenarios are certainly part and parcel of young adulthood.  But I’m betting that another adolescent passage happens a lot more.

I’m talking about wisdom teeth, or more specifically, their removal.

My 17-year-old daughter first started noticing that “something is growing in the back of my mouth” a few months ago.  While she said that the sensation didn’t feel exactly like a cavity, she did say, “It feels weird, but I don’t need to go to the dentist.” 

I immediately took her to our dentist.    

And because he has been juggling in the dental world for a while, he knew exactly what was wrong.   

Her wisdom teeth were coming in. 

Which meant, of course, that they needed to come out.

Our dentist isn’t an oral surgeon, but he was happy to write the required referral I needed to give to whatever specialist I could find.  

As it turned out, the stars were in my favor in this particular arena.   

That’s because a good friend whose son is a year older than my daughter had already done the research. Our kids have the same health insurance, and she had found the nearest provider.  Okay, he was 97 miles away, but no matter.  I’m here in The Golden State, so of course I drive.  Plus, I was fairly certain my child’s insurer would foot the entire bill if that’s where we went, so I knew that my time on the road would be well worth it.

That, and the fact that this particular dentist is all about wisdom teeth, to the point that his website URL pretty much says that. 

Our first appointment was the consultation.  After filling out the usual health history paperwork, my daughter and I were ushered into a small, sparse room.

There was a flat screen television mounted on one wall.  There were two chairs.  That was it—no gaily wrapped toothbrush or sample packet of floss anywhere in sight.   

The dentist—whom I’ll also call Dr. Wisdom Tooth--then entered, heading toward my child.  A grey-haired gentleman wearing pressed jeans, sneakers and a polo shirt, he introduced himself, then shook her hand, looked into her eyes and called her by name.  He did the same with me.  I was immediately impressed. 

He next took out the x-ray our family dentist had given us, and solemnly pointed to each blurry wisdom tooth. 

All four were impacted, he said, and the bottom two had some sort of cysts around them.  They were also growing in a way that, much sooner than later, were going to painfully collide with her neighboring molars.

He looked at my daughter, and quietly said, “Your mouth is a ticking time bomb.”

That got my attention. 

Dr. Wisdom Tooth then explained that she and I would now be shown a video on what the extraction procedure would entail.  After that, I’d have to initial, many times, a form that essentially said we had both watched the presentation and understood it. 

A compact tutorial, the DVD was over in less than ten minutes.  I scribbled my initials many times. We were given a prescription for pain pills and directions on what to expect the day of the procedure, then started our long drive home. 

After the insurance approval came through—amazingly, only a few weeks of waiting—we once again found ourselves in the office of Dr. Wisdom Tooth. 

Astonishingly, at least to me, the entire procedure took 37 minutes (not that I was counting).  

And while my daughter had hoped to give a hysterically funny post-surgery performance for YouTube audiences around the world, she basically was pretty out of it when a couple of the dental staff put her in my car, and then slept for an hour before asking for her favorite radio station.  (However, there are some pretty crazy post-surgery patients.  One with many millions of hits is here, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=idjo2fhLKDY.)

Oh, and given that I have a sturdy kid, she went to school the next day (although her cheeks did resemble those 
of a chipmunk’s).      

Given that the whole adventure involved driving many hundreds of miles, as well as dealing with a bloody mouth, heavy duty pain medication and, right, the actual wrenching out of teeth, it really was a positive experience.

Which got me to thinking about my own adventures (yes, plural) in Wisdom Tooth Land, which weren’t nearly as festive. 

The first was at 13 years old. 

I had braces and needed to have the bottom two wisdoms removed so the wireworks could finish their job.  My mother and I went to the recommended surgeon and, being a placid and dutiful child, strolled right over to a big dental chair.  A mask was put over my nose and mouth, and I was asked to start counting backwards.

My next memory was waking up on a narrow cot in a nearly pitch black room. 

I was sobbing.

There was a cup of very watery, very hot chocolate (huh?) in a Styrofoam cup beside me.  My crying was so loud that a member of the staff rushed in to reassure me, telling me I’d be going home soon.

I realized, much later, that what had terrified me so much was never being told what was going to happen.  

No one, not a staff member, not the dentist, not even my mother (who likely had no clue herself) had given me any preparation for the procedure.  And since I had never had any sort of extraction before, what did I know?  Heck, I assumed that the dentist would remove those troublesome choppers in a few yanks, and I’d be hopping out of the chair in five minutes.

In fact, the experience was so awful that it started a new routine for me, one that I still practice.  

Today, if a doctor or dentist or any other health care professional needs to do something I’m unfamiliar with, I always ask him or her to give me the lowdown before starting anything.  Sometimes, I’ll even make sure that a staffer talks me through every single step.  For me, knowledge is power.

The second visit to Wisdom Tooth Land was a decade later.

I was living in Brooklyn and had an amazing health insurance plan through Columbia University.  It was seven dollars per month!  Of course, this meant that only students would be taking care of all of my health care needs, but heck, it was seven dollars a month! 

At some point, a recommendation was made: the two upper wisdoms needed to come out.  I don’t remember a consultation, but I do remember that when I went in for the extractions, I was wearing a cute denim jumper and about 10 dental students crowded around the chair.  I was also informed that I wouldn’t be knocked out completely, but given 
laughing gas.

The gas made time slow down, with the minutes also feeling jumbled and somehow goofy.  And one other thing: I felt so ridiculously carefree that when a student showed me the bloody tooth he had just pulled, I thought: wow, how cool is that!  Too, I distinctly remember thinking that all of these students could gang rape me right now and none of it 
would matter.

Once the procedure was over and I was just beginning to feel like myself again, the lead dentist asked where I lived.  It was a long subway ride home and he knew it.

“Okay, hon,” he said, smiling.  “I’ll just give you a little more gas to help you.”

I floated back to Brooklyn.   

There were never any complications with the procedures, and I’m pretty sure I needed very little, if any, pain medication.  And of course, I survived.

But I’m so happy that my daughter had an entirely different journey with a dental office that completely has 
its act together.  

Unlike me, her trip to Wisdom Tooth Land has left no emotional scars.

And for that, I am an immensely grateful mom.

What are your wisdom tooth (or other dental) tales?  I look forward to hearing from you!     
28 Comments
Bev Praver link
9/4/2015 08:52:16 pm

I didn't have my wisdom teeth removed until after I was married I was about 20 years old. The dentist told me all about the procedure before he started. The anaesthetic put me so far under that they had trouble getting me to come out of it. The dentist couldn't wake me up so they went out to the waiting room and got Jerry to come in and call my name until I woke up. I think they were all pretty scared. I, of course, knew nothing. I don't recall any complications after the extractions but I did have a lot of swelling and soreness ,as I recall.

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Hilary
9/5/2015 10:41:41 am

That sounds scary, and Jerry must have been freaking out! Katie must have had someone who knew what he/she was doing, because she was "awake" when walked to my car... but didn't remember a thing until an hour or so later.

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Susan Jordan
9/4/2015 08:58:36 pm

Funny - I got all four of my wisdom teeth (plus one upper pre-molar that had given me trouble and three root canals for over 20 years) pulled slightly over a year ago (in 2014), but I was 49 at the time, lol. Better late than never, I guess. I asked about that gas (I'd heard funny stuff about it, and was also nervous about getting five teeth extracted at one time), but my dentist said her office didn't use it, so I just got local anaesthesia (which, like my mother, I always have to have multiple shots of). I had to have 6-10 injections of anaesthesia, which added to my worry. Anyway, the whole procedure took less than 90 minutes, and my mother drive me home. and my pain wasn't bad at all...until the next day! I kind of lived on Tylenol then. The dentist and her staff said I did exceptionally well for such a hard procedure. I was worn out, and the fruit smoothie I got from next door felt and tasted especially good. Now, over a year later, I only miss that pre-molar; I don't laugh or smile as big as I used to because I dipon't want it to be noticed. I was supposed to get an implant, but it's $5,000, and I was unemployed then, using some retirement-account money for the extractions. I hope it won't be too late to eventually get one.

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Hilary
9/5/2015 10:45:40 am

Katie had prescription mouthwash, HEAVY DUTY pain pills (I think she only took them once) and lots of ibuprofen, which she took every four hours. All of that anesthesia you got would have scared me, but again, you had the knowledge to know that this sort of "knocking out" ran in the family... I was worried, too, about four out at once, but she has completely bounced back. And now, with "disappearing" stitches, she won't even need a return trip.

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Jerry Lazar link
9/4/2015 08:59:55 pm

I was convinced that wisdom-tooth removal was over-prescribed -- like tonsillectomies when we were kids... Weirdly, I had only 3 wisdom teeth, but dentists had been nagging me that they needed to be yanked, not because there was anything inherently wrong with them (and they certainly caused me no discomfort), but because they had a time-bomb potential to start angling improperly or crowding my other teeth, blah blah blah... I was convinced it was all a scam, and could scarcely afford the procedure... But then I took a job that actually provided full dental insurance (remember those days?), which covered 100% of the procedure, including anasethsia. So I figured, “What the heck.” Friends had warned me to stock up on pudding, applesauce, oatmeal for the aftermath days, so I filled my cabinets accordingly, and prepared for a groggy recovery. Weirdly I rebounded instantly and energetically -- I remember swimming endless laps in the pool later that same day, with friends worried that I’d drown from exhaustion. And I never bothered with all those soft foods, chomping into a thick steak that night, go figure. That was decades ago, but I’m convinced that, had I never had them removed, they’d have never caused problems, and today I’d be one of the few of my contemporaries who still has ‘em.

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Hilary
9/5/2015 10:48:14 am

Well, remember the friend I mentioned whose son is a year older? He decided to NOT go for the extractions because his wisdoms are not bothering him. I guess time will tell. Katie's obviously needed to come out. I'm glad I was able to do that for her now. Oh, and 100 percent health insurance coverage? Hahahahaha.... :)

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Lori
9/4/2015 09:41:10 pm

What a miserable experience for you! I had mine out when I was 17. In the hospital, under full anesthesia!

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Hilary
9/5/2015 10:49:30 am

You were a very lucky ducky, my friend. My guess is that this would NEVER be done now, because insurance would say it's too expensive. :)

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George Marshall
9/4/2015 10:19:14 pm

Mine came out all at once. I had to have surgery and a general anesthetic (Sodium Pentithall) because the root of one of the teeth was wrapped around another.

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Hilary
9/5/2015 11:00:28 am

Ha! Now, *that* tooth obviously did not want to leave its other toothy friends!

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Peggy
9/4/2015 11:11:59 pm

i'm a firm believer in being "prepared", the more you know about a "procedure", the better the outcome! But I have one qualifier! And that is with childbirth! In my case, I was happy I didn't listen to any "old wives tales" about childbirth! I went into the delivery room not knowing anything and it was a "positive" experience! I wasn't frightened or nervous at all! The second (and final) birth, was just as easy. Sometimes it pays to be "dumb"!

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Hilary
9/5/2015 10:52:51 am

I wonder if not knowing a thing before going into labor would be allowed these days? I think that one reason my daughter's dentist was so prepared is because he gets a cheaper malpractice rate this way. If anything does wrong, and it's because the patient did not follow his procedures, he can always say that the procedures were gone over thoroughly (which they were). And, with that form I initialed so many times, he has written proof. : )

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Jim Nolt
9/5/2015 06:38:20 am

Hilary, I don't have any particularly interesting tales to tell, but I surely know a trip to the dentist today is far less traumatic than any I made fifty or sixty years ago. Novocaine numbed half or more of your face, and I still cringe when I hear the sound (in my mind) of those awful drills. And despite the Novocaine, there was much pain. I also remember biting my lip many times before the Novocaine wore off. Those were the days.

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Hilary
9/5/2015 10:55:34 am

Going to the dentist is still not my favorite place to go, but yes, times have changed. I remember getting Novocaine shots WITHOUT the area being numbed first. Man, that HURT! Earlier this year, I had a complete root canal, and the permanent crown actually made right in the office, in under two hours. As dentists go, I absolutely **love** our family dentist!

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Kari
9/5/2015 11:27:38 am

I do not have any eventful story to tell except that I only had two wisdom teeth and not four, so I was pretty fortunate. I will need the name of that dentist in a few years.

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Hilary
9/5/2015 12:22:10 pm

I think that insurance mandates that all come out now; it's more cost efficient for them, and sadly, that's what it's ALL about these days. And yup, this particular dental practice has its act together. Well worth the drive! : )

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Joe
9/5/2015 12:22:54 pm

They checked me out and said all my wisdom teeth fit fine, but they were going to pull one anyway. Maybe because the government was paying for it. Or maybe the guy just wanted the practice. It turned out he needed it.

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Hilary
9/5/2015 12:54:20 pm

Ha! I think those Columbia University students wanted to practice on me, too. :)

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Larry Grant
9/6/2015 09:18:15 pm

At 66 years old I was informed I still have one of those wise guys.
So, when my insurance renews in January, I'm headed back to Wisdom Touth Land for one last visit.

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Hilary
9/6/2015 10:52:55 pm

It's never too late to visit this particular land of enchantment! :) xo

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leslie spoon
9/7/2015 08:29:29 am

I had mine out in my early 20`s. I was down in Ensenada for the weekend and suddenly I could not open my mouth more then 1". I had the teeth out the next week. They were impacted. The dentist gave me way too much anesthesia and they could not wake me up. He was mad and told my dad to carry me out the back door because he did not want anyone in the waiting room to see me. I woke up 5 hours later at my parents house. Later that year we read in the paper that 2 young men had died having the same thing done in Orange County.

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Hilary
9/7/2015 03:29:25 pm

You were lucky, lucky, lucky. RE: not wanting other patients to see you, Katie's Dr. Wisdom Tooth made sure that he had one patient per hour. We got in a few minutes early for our 11 a.m. app't, and were driving away by 11:40. That means that if he had another patient arriving at noon, that patient wouldn't have seen us. Of course, this assembly line way of operating would have been severely impacted (pun intended!) if there had been any complications--like not being able to wake the patient up!

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Kelly
9/7/2015 05:00:07 pm

Great article. I was lucky enough to have a non traumatic experience when it comes to wisdom teeth removal. I did have an infection beforehand but recovery wasn't too bad. Later developed TMJ which I'm told is related to it it from the dislocation of the jaw. Ryan will be getting his out soon. I will keep you posted how that goes. Glad Katie had a good experience!





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Hilary
9/7/2015 09:03:47 pm

Well, I thought I had it bad until I read Leslie's comment. Let me know if you'd like the name of the dentist we used in Santa Barbara when the time comes. Very professional. :)

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kerri
9/12/2015 11:27:42 am

The last time my daughter Cassidy got the laughing gas she had some very funny stories coming out of the office- something about the dentist and his assistant speaking French? And singing Disney songs?

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Hilary
9/12/2015 09:25:06 pm

That actually sounds very classy and sweet at the same time. :)

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Dede Pauze
9/14/2015 01:24:11 am

I didn't have my Wisdom Teeth extracted until I was 26. At that time I had already been married 9 years and had 3 kids, the eldest being 6. I had 4 impacted Wisdom Teeth that were all growing in incorrectly ( 1 was quad rooted with the roots splayed in 4 different directions securely anchoring it in my mouth. That tooth had to be broken in 4 pieces to get it out.) but thankfully I had a dentist that was up to the task. It took him 2 hours but he was able to get all 4 out. He then sent me home ( I drove myself) and, since I was a stay at home mom at the time, I then had to deal with the pain in my mouth ( no pain meds) and my everyday life with 3 small children. I ended up getting dry sockets where 2 of my teeth were and had to get treated for that. Other than these minor inconveniences, it was a piece of cake. LOL.

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Hilary
9/14/2015 09:43:20 am

Your experience is a great example of how times have changed for the better in terms of after care... Katie was given not just pain meds, but also, oral antibiotics AND an antibiotic mouth wash. She had to use up both of those, per the dentist's instructions, to ensure that the risk of infection would be very, very low. Your story, and Leslie's, is also a cautionary tale for getting one's wisdom teeth out at a younger age. :)

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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