Tag Archives: wisdom teeth

Wisdom Teeth Extraction: Avoiding Complications

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The most common treatment for problems with wisdom teeth is extraction. The procedure is usually relatively quick and easy: the gum over each tooth is opened, the tooth is removed, and the gum is closed again (sometimes with stitches). When I had my wisdom teeth removed, I had dissolving stitches — so I didn’t have to go back the dentist to have them taken out. For many people, the recovery time from a wisdom tooth extraction is just a few days. Your dentist or oral surgeon may have you take painkillers. You’ll need to rest for a few days — … Continue reading →

Wisdom Teeth: The Basics

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I was lucky — when I had to have my wisdom teeth taken out, I had a very easy time of it. Others (like Families.com’s own Heather Long) didn’t have an easy time at all. Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars in the mouth — a pair on the top and a pair on the bottom. They earned the name “wisdom teeth” because they usually show up when a person is (supposedly) old enough to have earned some wisdom. If your wisdom teeth are healthy and there’s enough room in your mouth for an extra set of molars, … Continue reading →

Dental Horror Story: The Happily Ever After Part

Well, in the last week or so I’ve shared with you the trials and tribulations of my summer. I’ve told you about the bad and the ugly where the wisdom teeth were concerned, now let’s flashback to just three weeks ago. I’d done all of my daughter’s back-to-school shopping over the weekend. They’d scheduled my surgery so that by the time we got to meet the teacher on Friday, I would be able to talk some and on her first day of school some of the swelling should be down. I got up early that morning, it was a Tuesday, … Continue reading →

The Dental Horror Story: Going Back to School

So I’ve spent the last couple of days bringing you up to speed. At the end of The Horror of Dental Insurance & Teeth I told you about the catch 22 of my insurance coverage where my wisdom teeth were concerned. It’s bad enough that I was getting flack for being 35 and not having had my wisdom teeth out, but the whole insurance thing? Yeah, it’s the stuff nightmares are made of. So What to Do Now? I have to admit as defeated as I felt, I knew that this wasn’t the time to lie down and die. I … Continue reading →

The Horror of Dental Insurance & Teeth

So the day is rapidly approaching when I will go to the oral surgeon to have my assessment done, I can only hope that we will be able to get to the procedure quickly and efficiently. I drive nearly 30 minutes to his office and go through all the paper work and the x-rays. Eventually, he comes in to have a sit down with me and we go over everything. He says they can remove the wisdom teeth in two stages or all at once, it really depends on what the insurance says. I am feeling pretty confident because at … Continue reading →

Dental Horror Story: The Wisdom in Teeth

Wow, I can’t believe that it’s September already. Part of my disbelief stems from the 12 week plus long odyssey of pain that I went on this summer. As you may remember, a few months ago my face started hurting. I went to see a doctor who thought it might be TMJ. He sent me to the dentist who thought I’d just pulled my face during a migraine. He gave me some muscle relaxers and sent me off. Two weeks later I went back to the dentist because not only was the pain back – it was worse than before. … Continue reading →