Here's the scoop: my teeth weren't really hurting me, however, I knew I needed them out before nursing school starts in September so I pulled the trigger in June.
1) Go to an oral surgeon. Screw the dentist. Make sure you really like the guy/lady because they're going to be working on your mouth and all up in your business.
2) Eat as many crunchy things as you can the day before surgery. I am craving pretzels like none other... and it's still going to be awhile before I can have them.
3) Eat as late as you can the night before surgery. I couldn't eat past midnight but my surgery wasn't until 1pm the next day. I was in pain because I was so hungry {I hadn't eaten since an early dinner around 7pm the night before}.
4) Clean your house, do laundry, etc before your surgery because you won't want to afterwards!
5) Fill your prescriptions ahead of time and make sure you have enough soft foods to last a few days. I went grocery shopping a couple days earlier and loaded up on pudding, pasta, Naked smoothies without seeds, Gatorade, chocolate milk, ice cream, bananas, etc. I also recommend buying the Nestle Complete Breakfast drink packets. My body needed something besides sugary foods and the breakfast drink gave me more vitamins and protein.
6) Make sure you have more than enough ice on hand. You will want to ice your face for the first 36 hours {15 minutes on, 15 minutes off} and will be using more ice than you thought possible.
7) When they ask what kind of anesthesia you want, tell them you want it all. I had a little bit of laughing gas after I got in the chair which calmed me down enough not to care what they were doing. Then they gave me a nice mix of Versed, Propofol, and Ketamine through my IV that knocked me out within 30 seconds of the first IV push. Seriously, I remember nothing after the second dose until I woke up in the recovery area... and I like it that way. I don't want to hear noises or experience pressure! I just want to sleep!
8) Don't give yourself access to your phone for the first few hours after surgery... because you end up taking photos like the one above.
9) Take the pain meds they give you if needed. I had Lortab Elixir {think: liquid Vicodin} and never even needed to use it. Instead, I took 800mg of ibuprofen every 8 hours and managed just fine.
10) Unless you're super crazy nauseated or you know it works on you, DON'T ask for the motion sickness patch {scopolamine}. I had more side effects from the damn patch that was on for 30 hours than I did from the actual surgery. I was dizzy and couldn't see close up for FIVE DAYS. I had to lay around my house so I wasn't nauseated. Come to find out, they're both known side effects from the patch. If I would have known that, I wouldn't have asked for something! It's almost a week later and I am still not back to my normal self.
11) It's going to be weird swallowing for the first couple of hours. For me, it kind of felt like I had a lump in my throat. Try to swallow like normal and it'll go away soon enough.
12) Drink lots of fluids! And pass on using a straw to reduce your chance of dry socket.
13) Don't push it. I thought I would be OK to go grocery shopping and make a trip to Target with Trevor four days afterwards and I was wrong. I was tired just walking through the parking lot! Lay low, watch a bunch of crappy movies, and take naps.
If you've had your wisdom teeth out already, I'd love for you to comment below with any other tips you may have so others can be enlightened.
If you still need yours out, leave any questions and comments below and I'll do my best to help answer them.
