My Experience

After taking an X-ray of my teeth, my doctor saw that there was not enough room in my mouth for the four teeth still hiding beneath my gums. The wisdom teeth would have crowded my teeth, he explained, which could have led to other problems. My dentist recommended an oral surgeon in Austin to perform the procedure.

One visit prior to surgery, I watched a short video about the risks of having my wisdom teeth removed. The doctor then walked me through the basics of the surgery. He told me that I was not to eat starting the night before the procedure.

Since I had never undergone any serious medical procedure, I was fairly nervous the morning of the actual surgery. However, the doctor and nurses were very understanding and helped calm my nerves. The nurse inserted an IV for the sedative, and I counted backwards from 10. I didn’t even make it to one before I was out.

In less than 2 hours, the surgery was over. I was still groggy from the sedation after the procedure ended, so I barely remember being driven home. When I got home, I took Tylenol with codeine as prescribed and went straight to bed.

With appropriate pain medication, my recovery wasn’t painful, although it was a bit inconvenient. I wasn’t allowed to eat solid food for 2-3 days after the procedure. The doctor had explained that solid food could get into the wounds and cause an infection. Also, solid food can puncture the blood clots that form over the wounds and cause painful dry sockets. The doctor recommended that I use disposable plastic syringes, which they provided, to clean the wounds. The syringes made it possible to clean out the back of my mouth without using a toothbrush, which could have opened up the wounds.