Let me guess - you're probably here because you're going for a wisdom tooth extraction soon or you're worried that you might need one. Read on to find out my experience of what happens during wisdom tooth removal!
I’ve always had the impression that many people do not enjoy going to the dentist. It’s similar to visiting the doctor - you only go if you feel some kind of discomfort and you need expert help. That’s exactly what happened to me when I got my first wisdom tooth removed in 2020.
At that time, I was experiencing some discomfort on the left side, especially when I clenched my jaw. The dentist took a quick look and suggested an X-Ray. This process was pretty quick and before I knew it, we were all looking at the results on the computer screen together. The recommendation was to remove the upper left wisdom tooth as it was pushing against my upper set of teeth and causing some discomfort due to the misalignment with the lower set. I agreed to do it in that same session because I desperately wanted the discomfort to go away ASAP and I kinda already did my mental prep in the waiting room luh.
Since the procedure was 3 years ago, I can’t remember most of the details but this was a simple extraction (click here to skip to my wisdom tooth surgery experience). Quick summary: anaesthesia → rinse → extraction → rinse. I agreed so quickly, but when the dentist was injecting the anaesthesia, I.freaking.whimpered. LOL I don’t know how else to explain the sound that I made but as you can tell, I surprised myself and it was extremely embarrassing. The dentist was super nice and tried his best to encourage me, but the extraction was still damn scary. It’s just difficult to know what to expect when it’s your first time even though you’ve already heard the theoretical explanation. I vaguely remember that there was a lot of pressure due to the pushing and pulling, but I think it ended within 15 minutes. I was so happy when it was over that I forgot to ask for my extracted tooth. Paid around $300 for it and was prescribed some gauze and pain killers.
Fast forward to December 2022, my fiancé scheduled a dental appointment to do polishing and scaling. I joined him at this new place and booked a session before his. Ended up going for an X-Ray again and received recommendations to remove the wisdom tooth on my bottom left side as it was causing some decay in the neighbouring tooth. The dentist mentioned that it would be a surgical removal and I had to make another appointment for it.
2023 is indeed the year for self-care and wisdom teeth removal is part of the package, I guess. Three out of four wisdom teeth are out and two were done this year. 2nd removal in Feb 2023 and 3rd one in Jun 2023.
In case you are a wisdom-teeth-removal-first-timer, your wisdom tooth can be removed like any other tooth (simple) OR it may require surgery (surgical) depending on factors such as how deeply it is located inside your gums or whether it’s growing upright or sideways. Most wisdom teeth removals are done using local anaesthesia which means that you’re awake throughout the entire process but you won’t be able to feel the pain. If you have any concerns, just let your dentist know and he/she will explain using drawings/diagrams/models if needed to alleviate your worries as much as they can. Think about it - a calm patient makes their job so much easier!
I needed surgery for my 2nd one (lower left) and not for the other two (upper left and right). All were done using local anaesthesia in three separate sessions. This is what happened on the day of my wisdom tooth surgery:
I reached the clinic 10 minutes earlier to compose myself. The clinic is quite small and a temporary wall separates the dentist’s office and waiting area. Whenever I’m seated at the waiting area, I can always hear this “spinning metal friction” sound (ultrasonic scaler) and a “strong suction” sound (dental vacuum). It’s quite loud and I can imagine it to be intimidating for first-timers. Well, you can expect to always hear them at the dentist. Nothing they can do about it. Maybe think of it as an opportunity to get used to the sound before you encounter it later? Anyway, I think you would rather hear that than hear a patient screaming tbh.
When it was my turn, the dentist’s assistant called out my name and I followed her into the dentist’s office. I placed my bag on a stool by the side, hooked my mask up, removed my spectacles, and put on the protective glasses provided. The glasses are like lab glasses - clear and meant to protect the patient’s eyes from anything that may fly out from the mouth during any procedure. Sounds dramatic, but so far nothing landed on my protective glasses luh. The dentist proceeded to do a quick check of my teeth and run through the procedure and its risks with me. She applied a bitter-tasting gel to numb the area before administering two anaesthesia injections. The injections sting just a little but totally worth it because I don’t feel any pain for the rest of the procedure. When I rinsed out the substance in my mouth, I could feel my gums swelling up. She poked around my gums with a tool to check if I needed more anaesthesia then we officially started the scary part.
Since it’s a surgery, they placed a light blue disposable sheet over my body to protect my clothing. They covered my eyes with a piece of surgical mask (like the memes). A rubber bite block was also inserted to the right side of my mouth to support my jaw during the surgery. Ngl, this kinda triggered my gag reflex. The seat was adjusted so that my body was almost parallel to the ground and I just laid there quietly throughout the process, except for the occasional “okay”s to signal to the dentist and her assistant that I’m alive.
It was a surgery because the dentist needed to cut open my gums to expose the wisdom tooth. Tools were used to shave away the surrounding bone around the tooth so it was easier to extract it. It could be taken out either in one whole piece or a few pieces. Mine was the latter. After all the pieces were taken out, she cleaned up the area, stitched it up and removed the rubber bite. I didn’t realise that I had been biting on the rubber block so hard that it was a little painful when removing it. My jaw felt so sore and stiff afterwards! I rinsed my mouth without gargling and then bit on a clean gauze to stop the bleeding. Among the post-care instructions she gave, I think it’s important to not consume any food or hot drinks until the anaesthesia wears off because you might accidentally bite or burn yourself. Tadaa, all done within 30-45 minutes! This cost me around $1K which I paid for using Medisave.
Throughout the procedure, I didn’t feel any pain at all but it was quite an unsettling experience. There was a lot of pressure, drilling and scraping all done in the tiny space of my mouth. The anaesthesia dulls my sensations but not my hearing and imagination. When you hear the unfamiliar, loud and high-pitched drilling sounds, your body reacts naturally to prepare for fight or flight. I kept worrying that the anaesthesia was going to wear off at any moment and I would feel the pain, but that never happened. It was like a battle against myself. I tried to consistently regulate my breathing and relax my body whenever I realised that I was tense. Trusting your dentist is also really important. I reminded myself repeatedly in my mind that my dentist is a professional and would not let anything bad happen. I kept my mind and body busy doing all of that and it was a good distraction. Ngl, I still sweat a lot and the seat probably had my body print because I was pressing so hard into it. I feel glad that my dentist is experienced and she helped me through the process. She would explain briefly what to expect next, update on the progress, ask if I’m doing okay and encourage me occasionally. I could tell from her actions and tone of voice that she has done this multiple times and was confident in doing well. Overall, I would say that this experience is indeed unsettling, but it can also be manageable.
In comparison with a surgical removal, the simple procedure is much faster. I would say that it’s possibly even faster than a session for polishing and scaling. After the anaesthesia injection, you just experience some pressure (pushing and pulling feeling) and the tooth pops right out. There is just a small chance that a simple procedure may require surgery halfway through, but your dentist will let you know beforehand.
When it comes to the healing process, the surgery took longer than the simple extraction. I changed the gauze a few times (every 30 min) after returning home post-surgery. Drank cold water as advised. The anaesthesia gradually wore off and I started to feel the soreness after around 3 hours. Couldn’t eat properly because the chewing motion was so uncomfortable. Can only say that it gets better with time. I think by day 3, the soreness was 75% gone. Oh and I couldn’t brush my teeth properly too because I wasn’t supposed to gargle. Interestingly, they gave me this larger-than-normal-sized syringe that I could use to flush out the gunk from my gum hole. Quite fun to use luh. In comparison, after a simple extraction, I waited for the local anaesthesia to wear off and I was eating almost normally but chewing with the other side of my teeth.
Aiyah, it’s normal to worry and feel scared prior to a wisdom tooth removal. You can’t control your feelings, but you can try to manage as it happens. A quick summary of what helped me: wearing comfortable clothing, regulating my breathing, relaxing my body when it’s tense, trusting my dentist and being patient. I think scheduling a date for the appointment will be a huge step and showing up for the appointment is half the battle won. Sorry I don’t have any lobang, but I wish you all the best! Feel free to share your story with me here or at my socials - Instagram/Twitter!
I still have one more to go and I’m feeling the jitters. It’s probably the most complicated one because my dentist will be referring me elsewhere for the surgery. Well, it’s not happening any time soon, but I will update on the experience when I go for it.
Take care y’all!
Credits:
https://cerritosdentalsurgery.com/2014/03/13/the-sounds-of-science-noises-you-may-encounter-at-your-dentists-office/#:~:text=Ultrasonic%20scaler.&text=An%20essential%20tool%20in%20the,to%20the%20noise%20is%20minimized.
https://dentalstudio.sg/general-dentistry/wisdom-tooth/#1560843717026-787b5964-25c9 (there’s a cool video showing the different kinds of wisdom tooth surgeries!)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/wisdom-tooth-extraction/about/pac-20395268
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