Has anyone had a good experience with impacted wisdom tooth removal on the nhs?
Posted by Glass-Back3167@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 44 comments
I’ve seen all the horror stories online, and I’m curious if there are people out there where the recovery was no where near as bad as you expected?
Anonimoose15@reddit
I had an impacted wisdom tooth removed a few years ago on the NHS, no pain from the actual tooth as the area was throughly numbed with local anaesthetic, but I did find having my mouth open as wide as it needed to be painful in itself and my jaw was sore for a couple of days. No complications afterwards. Currently on a waiting list to get another impacted one removed, have been referred from my NHS dentist to a private clinic who have xrayed it, waiting to hear if the private clinic feel they can do it or if it’ll need to be in hospital under general (it’s much more badly impacted than the first one, has barely made it past the gum line in over a decade), thankfully it’s not been causing any pain as I’ve been waiting nearly a year so far since my NHS dentist referred me, and only had the xray a couple weeks ago.
Imaginary_Quail781@reddit
Did you have the second one removed? If so, how was your experience?
Anonimoose15@reddit
Not yet, two months after I posted that comment the private clinic said it was too complex and would need to be removed in my local NHS general hospitals maxillofacial and oral surgery dept. Waited until last month just for the hospital consultation, will need it removed under general anaesthetic as the root is so deep it will need a tissue graft to plug a hole that will be exposed between my mouth and nasal sinuses. So now I’m on a waiting list for the surgery to remove it which will be at least another 9-12 months apparently! By the time it does get removed it’ll have been over two years since my dentist first referred me to have it removed and in the meantime I now have to keep having courses and of antibiotics because it frequently gets infected because it’s hiding under a flap of gum tissue that’s trying to grow over it 😣 Sorry for the vent/rant!
Imaginary_Quail781@reddit
Thank you for the detail. I appreciate it. Sorry about the long wait I can imagine how frustrating it is. I’m wishing you all the best with the removal and a smooth recovery :)
TimeForGrass@reddit
Yep, both wisdoms impacted on lower set. Had one removed NHS, referred by my private dentist because he wasn't comfy working around a weird root structure, could've paralysed the face.
Removal was so quick and painless I was surprised when he was done. Snapped the tooth into 3 parts to remove it. I'm going back to see the same guy for the second one to come out too since he was so good.
Just make sure you do the aftercare, get chlorhexadine mouthwash (corsodyl) and look after the socket whilst it heals.
bbyburr@reddit
How quick would you say it was? Also have an impacted lower that I'm due to get removed but so afraid!
TimeForGrass@reddit
Hello since that post I've had the other one out about 4 weeks ago. In and out in about half an hour. The healing takes a while, safe to say you should be pain / discomfort free after a week and be eating on it normally again within 2/3 weeks.
My advice is get on the painkillers BEFORE you get it out, then on a steady stream of Co-codamol for the days after. The first 6 hours after are not nice, lots of bloody drooling and ow's but with Co-codamol it's so much more tolerable. Remember it is a pretty big bit of trauma and you should be laid up for 2/3 days after just to let it heal.
Also after day 6 ish start using an irrigation syringe to just clear out food from the hole that's healing up. It irritates the healing site if you leave food in there overnight and will feel grim in the morning.
If you're interested there's a really good reddit post where the op went through studies and stuff to find the optimal post-op care, and I've followed that both times except also I was smoking on day 1 both times, and mine have healed up so well. Can dig the post out for you if you like?
komarktoze@reddit
Hi, think you could dig that post up for me? Got the procedure tomorrow. Bit nervous about after care. Ta.
TimeForGrass@reddit
Google came through
https://www.reddit.com/r/wisdomteeth/comments/1glocim/a_guide_for_reducing_the_risk_of_dry_socket/
Though I will say - don't use an irrigation syringe until about 5-7 days after just in case you disturb the clot. It's not needed before then, you need to just leave it alone. At 6 days ish you certainly should use one, but if it hurts then stop. You're aiming to 'float' debris out, not jet it out.
Also - they say to brush it on the second day. Leave it tf alone lol. Just gently 'wash' warm saltwater or chlorhexadine mouthwash over it without swilling or disturbing the clot at all.
Basically begin brushing your teeth like day 2 after.
My other advice is start on Co-codamol 16/1000mg every 4 hours on the day of the procedure, even before it comes out, and take it for a week after.
You'll be fine, I've just had one out as I said above, don't think abt it now except for irrigating 2x daily, and I did all the above except start Co-codamol beforehand, and it went great aside from some pain on the drive home.
AggressiveFactor497@reddit
Hello everyone, my two top wisdom teeth are hurting so much the past 3 days. They are all out but I’m a bit tight with money at the moment to see a private dentist. How can I have them removed from nhs? What’s the procedure?
Glass-Back3167@reddit (OP)
My dentist (private) referred me. If you say you need sedation, as long as your current dentist doesn’t offer it, they usually refer you on the nhs.
scorzon@reddit
I had 3 out same time, local only, referred to NHS dentist from my private, I was in and out in less than 15 mins, no pain or discomfort. To be fair he put enough anaesthetic in my gums to put a horse to sleep, but hey the extraction was quick and painless so I ain't complaining.
gardenpeasandcarrots@reddit
My private dentist has said he cannot refer to NHS, is that not correct then? I need surgical level removal rather than a general dentist. Do you happen to know if a private dentist can refer to an NHS hospital? Thank you
scorzon@reddit
Generally no, I just know mine did. Might say more about your private dentist than anything else. Might just be my private dentist had the right connections who knows.
gardenpeasandcarrots@reddit
Thank you
Glass-Back3167@reddit (OP)
And recovery all good?
scorzon@reddit
Only two were impacted, I had a bit of dry socket afterwards but that is down to me not being a bleeder. Recovery was fine.
Glass-Back3167@reddit (OP)
Thank you! Glad it was fine
Glass-Back3167@reddit (OP)
Were any of them impacted or all kinda normal grown in? I’m going in tomorrow and looking for positive vibes
davehemm@reddit
Yep. 4 out at one, two nicely impacted - had general anaesthetic, was off my tits when I came around. Apparently asked for some more to be taken out when I came around and was still buzzing. Was auditing a sterile drug packing floor at a big pharmaceutical company the week after procedure. I sneezed, which dislodged two blood clots and my face covering, clots landed on floor which required floor to be shut down whilst floor was re-sterilised 😳
Dolphin_Spotter@reddit
I had all four removed by student dentists at Birmingham dental hospital under general anaesthetic. Two days hospital stay and two weeks of stitches. I now have a permanently numb area in my lower lip due to nerve damage.
whatsmyname14@reddit
I had 2 bottom impacted wisdom teeth, I had the option to have them out under local anaesthetic at the dentist but I said no way ha, I hate the dentist!!
I went to the hospital and had them out under a general anaesthetic at the day surgery unit. When the surgeon came round in the morning he said did I want them all out whilst I was under. I agreed as I thought why not!
It all went very smoothly and the migraines I suffered badly with disappeared. Recovery was fine, just had to be careful about what I ate. Would definitely recommend!
Louisbfly@reddit
I was happy with mine. The procedure took about an hour under local for my two impacted teeth, which was maybe 30 minutes longer than for the two I had taken out privately, but these two were more complicated. The results and healing time were the same and I was over the worst pain within 48 hours and felt ‘normal’ again within two weeks.
ThrowRA_sadsadgirl3@reddit
I had all 4 out under general anaesthesia. Wasn’t the nicest recovery but was fine after about a week - and very hungry. Can’t fault the surgeon!
Fantastic_Fig_8559@reddit
I had it done under a general in an evening surgery. Was home a couple hours after waking up. A couple of days looking like a hamster and all was great.
leapyeardi@reddit
I had the two on the right removed at the same time on a Friday afternoon. Bottom was lying on its side all tangled up in the nerves.
GA in hospital, in and out in a few hours. The bottom tooth shattered into about a dozen pieces when the surgeon touched it and they had to dig them all out.
A bit of bruising and swelling but nothing horrible. Followed the instructions I was given for after care and had no problems at all. Back at work as normal on the Monday.
YarnPenguin@reddit
Reading these (especially the speed) is v reassuring. My dentist has said my top right will need to come out at some point as there's no room for it (the speed at which it is growing means it's not super urgent)...I'm kinda procrastinating on it because I thought it would be a horrendous ordeal.
Glass-Back3167@reddit (OP)
Just had mine out about half an hour ago! Was in and out in 30 mins
YarnPenguin@reddit
That is so good to know! Hope the healing faff is minimal for you!
JustASimpleEgg@reddit
I mean, the actual process wasn't exactly fun, but they let me listen to some music during which helped and they also prescribed me antibiotics and painkillers after. I didn't even need to take all the painkillers in the end. Fully healed up in a couple of weeks tops.
(during the extraction the biggest thing which stopped me from panicking was thinking about how generations upon generations of my ancestors would have killed to have access to this kind of medical care and pain management)
Odd_Cress_2898@reddit
I was terrified, it came out easy because your bone attachment to your wisdom teeth is like butter back there.
I've had four adult teeth removed as a teen due to overcrowding I had that done in two sessions one side at a time. I could feel far more interaction with bone and hear far more cracks with those.
I'm talking about a erupted tooth, the surface was out of the gum but wasn't fully out. It was fine.
sole_food_kitchen@reddit
I had all 4 done and it was painless and recovery was absolutely nothing at all
moreboredthanyouare@reddit
Do what I've just done. Get yourself stage 4 adenocarcinoma of the face and neck and they'll remove them as part of your surgery. Of course there's the side issue of 15 hours of life saving surgery, but free dental. Am I right...
Dimac99@reddit
I'm afraid my experience was private, but I can't imagine it would have been significantly different on the NHS.
They go straight to the nerve at the back of the jaw with me for the numbing now as they know I'm pretty resistant to local anaesthetic in the gums. As this was my first oral surgery I really had some trouble believing I would feel nothing as I'd only had fillings to that point and as indicated, I had experienced previous pain on regular numbing. So the dentist poked my gum with something sharp, said "I told you so" (fair) and then cut the gum and pulled that impacted sucker out. Couple of stitches, I didn't believe him that I'd be fine with paracetamol but he was right about that too, then home. Whole thing was less than 30 minutes from start to finish, I'm sure.
Not only was everything fine but I didn't need the paracetamol at all. I promise I'm not being a hard bastard, I'm actually a total coward but it was fine. The worst part was seeing the positively Victorian looking implements, mostly out of the corner of my eye! I had a much worse experience with one of my upper wisdom teeth which just refused to bloody come out for the best part of an hour. Not impacted, just had a twisted root. I ended up with 6 weeks of trismus and the dentist skipped arm day at the gym that week.
Unfair-Mortgage-107@reddit
Just had mine out, bottom left which was very impacted, it took around 1 hour 30 to remove one tooth under local anaesthetic which was a lot longer than most people. I’ve ended up having 2 stitches put in (pretty sure I’ve just ripped one so be extra careful). My jaw and cheek swelled A LOT and they still hurt to touch now on day 5, but I think this was due to the trauma of how difficult my tooth was to remove and the stitches. However I would say my pain has not gone past a 5/10, the main thing that has hurt has been the areas on my face that have swelled. I was terrified when I went in as I’ve never even had a filling and I was reading so many horror stories, however I’d say it’s not bad whatsoever and nothing like some of the stories you’ve probably read, and mine was not an easy extraction!
DonkeyJousting@reddit
All four out at once with complications that I don’t remember the details of. Had to be put under general anaesthetic. Surgery was at 10am. Was home by 6pm and eating my (admittedly mashed potatoes based) dinner.
The bruising a couple days later apparently looked horrific but from this side of my face it was fine. No complications. No issues at all really. Bit swollen and tender for about a week afterwards and then I was sorted.
Bit sick of mashed potatoes but that’s about it.
_TheThinkingMan_@reddit
I had 3 out at the same time. 2 fully grown and 1 impacted. Had it done at a hospital ( was given the choice to go there instead of at the dentist) and went absolutely fine. Not the most pleasant of procedure to be awake through, but no pain. Recovery was ok, just have to be really careful with the sockets to avoid disturbing the clots.
Electronic_Feeling13@reddit
No. They ended up dislocating my jaw. Liquid diet for 3 weeks, and lost a stone.
Glass-Back3167@reddit (OP)
😕🥺😭 that sounds… horrendous
Electronic_Feeling13@reddit
Sorry, wish I could be more positive. I’m ok now though 😀
Glass-Back3167@reddit (OP)
I know a lot of people have had bad experiences. I’m sorry you was one of them
vibes000111@reddit
Why would it be different on the NHS? It's the same level of care.
If you can get an NHS dentist appointment, get one.
(Many people can't - I've never been able to access NHS dental care in my adult life and I'm lucky that I can pay for private.)
And in general wisdom tooth removal isn't that big of a deal, neither the removal itself nor the recovery, you'll be fine.
Glass-Back3167@reddit (OP)
I’ve been referred to an nhs dentists from my private, but I definitely haven’t historically received the same level of care between my nhs dentists and private ones (mostly due to the time slot allocations and the fact I was at a trainees surgery im sure)
I’m having dental surgery because my tooth is sideways, in the bone and I have a TMJ disorder. Was just looking for positive vibes so thanks! 😊
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