Ah the infamous “all 4 impacted wisdom teeth” story 😂

Parents still fall for this story? I was the last kid in my family and by then my mom had wised up. when the dentist and orthodontist pulled out this story she told them to stop talking and not waste their time bc she wasn’t falling for that again.

I had “4 impacted wisdom teeth” since I was 16 and I am now almost 50. I finally really did need one removed last year. The others? No reason to take them out and nope they aren’t impacted. But one did grow in sideways (it wasn’t the one removed)

Make sure to ask - are they really impacted or do you just think they have the potential to one day become impacted? hint: it’s usually the later Do all 4 need to come out or do you just think it will be easier? What will really happen if they are not removed and what is the time frame? hint: it’s usually that they may cause a problem some day in the future.

Anonymous wrote:If you go with the IV anesthesia (I did) make sure they have a meticulous monitoring system. A teen died in Columbia some years back, apparently the anesthesiologist they brought in didn’t watch her closely enough.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/bs-xpm-2013-06-30-bs-md-ho-dental-awareness-20130630-story,amp.html

Yikes!

Although that article says the teen had her teeth removed under general anesthesia. The group is advocating for procedures under general anesthesia to be performed in a hospital.

Idk. I had teeth extracted and bone grafting done with nothing more than a shot of local anesthesia and it was fine. Do what you want.

If you go with the IV anesthesia (I did) make sure they have a meticulous monitoring system. A teen died in Columbia some years back, apparently the anesthesiologist they brought in didn’t watch her closely enough.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/bs-xpm-2013-06-30-bs-md-ho-dental-awareness-20130630-story,amp.html

Anonymous wrote:I’m like your husband, OP—had a bad reaction to nitrous (for a less serious dental procedure) and will NEVER get it again. Made me panicky/shaky, and I felt really vulnerable. If your kid’s anxious, I would strongly recommend against this option.

I had IV anesthesia as a teenager for oral surgery, and it was very easy.

She's not anxious at all about the procedure. I have a copy of her xrays and the teeth aren't crooked and don't look they will be hard to pull out at all from what I can tell. I see online xrays for complicated widom teeth extractions where the teeth are lying sidewise or slanted. Hers are all straight and look like a good pair of pliers would pull them out. Maybe one is a little crooked.

But I am conflicted, because while laughing gas was fine for me, apparently it wasn't fine for her dad, and I certainly don't want her to be traumatized by the experience.

Mine were impacted and I was not given anesthesia as a teen. It was a horrible experience and I had severe dental anxiety for any procedure ever since.

I was 20 when I got mine out (all four impacted) and I had general anesthesia. No issues.

I’m like your husband, OP—had a bad reaction to nitrous (for a less serious dental procedure) and will NEVER get it again. Made me panicky/shaky, and I felt really vulnerable. If your kid’s anxious, I would strongly recommend against this option.

I had IV anesthesia as a teenager for oral surgery, and it was very easy.

I did anesthesia a gajillion years ago and I'm glad I did. Way too many stories from friends with terrible experiences who just did not.

Anonymous wrote:16 year old doean't want IV anesthesia.
Her molars are impacted. All four will be removed.
He has had a lot of fillings and orthodontia over the years, Stage one ortho when she was 7, and a lot of it hurt.
So... she's pretty used to people working on her mouth.
However... in general she can be a little anxious (although not usually about dental things).
Her father, I just learned, is someone who has had bad reaction to nitrous oxide in the past -- it made him very anxious and panicky among other things.
As a young adult, I had all 4 wisdom teeth out just with nitrous oxide, so I thought that's what my daughter would do, but my husband really thinks she should have the IV anesthsia.
Wondering what other people did with their teens and how it went?

IV anesthesia. She was in and out in 25 min., all 4 removed and impacted. It goes super fast.

My 18 y.o. just had this done. She was scared about being "put out" and asked the doctor all sorts of questions. This is the best way--have the doctor talk to her and alleviate any fears. She was in/out in 45 min.

BTW, There is a new medicine that cost us $300 more, it's a local injection at each extraction site that is a long-lasting pain killer. Lasts 2-3 days so by the time it wears off most of the pain is over.

Anonymous wrote:My DS had all 4 out with just local anesthetic (ie like when you have a cavity filled). He had a gre eat experienced dentist. His recovery was quick too.

Neighbor’s dd didn’t want to be knocked out and she did the same.

I requested the same back in middle school to get a bunch of teeth extracted. (Not enough space in my mouth.) I preferred it because I don’t like to feel woozy. That said ... even knowing I had a high dental pain tolerance, they still told me to do the IV for my four very impacted wisdom teeth. It was probably the right call. That stuff is no joke.

Anonymous wrote:If they start and the nitrous + local doesn't cut it, they can always start an IV.

That's what they had to do with me a couple years back. For some reason, they couldn't get me fully numb and the pain was excruciating. I felt horridly nauseous after, but it was better than the pain.

actually no - you can't swap from one to an other, you have to commit at the start

Anonymous wrote:How about neither and just numb it with a shot?

+100000000

My DS had all 4 out with just local anesthetic (ie like when you have a cavity filled). He had a gre eat experienced dentist. His recovery was quick too.

Neighbor’s dd didn’t want to be knocked out and she did the same.