...how bad does it suck?

I get to miss two days of work, so it can't be all bad, right?

It didn't suck too badly when I had mine out. Each side of my mouth took turns swelling for a bit and I felt a bit dizzy and sick to my stomach for a couple of days, but I didn't actually vomit or anything.

It isn't the same for everyone though. My sister actually had hers out a few months before me and she was really sick and threw up a lot. I had fun rubbing it in how easy I had it.

Hmm... do you have to have them taken out? Because I haven't done it yet. :)

Depends if they are causing crowding or if your dentist thinks they will cause future problems. Mine said if I didn't have them out now I could have serious problems down the road...

I had mine taken out at the ripe young age of 27. Although they left my mutant FIFTH wisdom tooth in. No pain, but the whole process sucked.

The surgery itself was no big deal. I went in, they poked me with a needle and the next thing I remember was them waking me up. They told me to bring someone along as a helper/handler, which was good, because there was no way I could have driven myself home. I was incredibly weak the rest of the day.

My recuperation process was to take some pills, do salt rinses and re-pack the gauze over my cuts. The gauze part sounded gross, but it was no big deal. No pain with anything...just felt weak and miserable.

The part that REALLY sucked was that I wasn't allowed to eat real food for four to five days. Yogurt, soup, jello..crap like that. There was a chart that told you how to build back up to regular food. Also, I wasn't allowed to sleep on my back-- had to sit up while sleeping. I think I had it done on a Friday, and by Sunday afternoon I was feeling okay... just hungry as hell and longing for real food.

If you have a choice, make sure you get dissolvable stitches. That way you don't have to go back and have them snipped out. I think that's standard practice, nowadays. It was for mine, and that was in July '01.

I had mine taken out during boot camp, it sucked.

I had mine pulled when I was 15. During the surgery I woke up after the first tooth and I basically had to sit there for the last 3 and I could feel everything they were doing. Though my body is odd and it burns up medicine very quickly so I wouldn't worry about that part.

As far as recovery. I quit taking the pain meds on the second day mostly because I'm a stubborn idiot. I had it done on a Friday and I was playing long games of basketball on Monday. I had stiches and they were annoying but then those always are. There was little if any swelling.

I had it done just right after Christmas and that was the year the N64 got released so I played video games and watch MST3K throughout my recovery.

I've been worried about this for a while now because at the age of 25...............I haven't had mine out yet. I'm sure I'll have a horrible excrusiating problem when I get mine out too.

The not eating part wasn't a huge deal to me. I was halfway through having braces and Lord knows they do something to you at least a month that makes sure you can't eat solid food for a week.

How long does the surgery itself take, like an hour?

And you're supposed to take someone with you? I knew I should have read that little booklet they sent...

The surgery took about 45 minutes, tops. I was in at 9 and out a little before 10. They threw me in a wheelchair (policy) and took me down to the parking lot. I felt like I had awoken at 4am during a fire alarm.

I've had some friends who were in and out, and drove themselves...but this was when they were about 19.

Also, some offices don't let you keep your extracted teeth. I was upset, cuz' I wanted mine... they said it was a health code issue.

I don't have any, and never did.

Take that you whiny bitches!

Yeah, I'll probably just end up driving myself, hope it's not too bad.

I walked out, not well but I did walk out.

So I'm looking over a little booklet they sent me, and it's talking a lot about preventing "dry sockets."

However, it doesn't say what a dry socket is, or what happens if you get one. Any help?

From what I understand, it's when the holes don't close up. Or rather, I think the top of the hole closes...but you've still got an empty socket where the tooth used to be. Ideally, your gums will expand and fill in the hole where the tooth used to be.

My gums/jaw filled in with no problem. In fact, I've evolved, as my mutant fifth wisdom tooth has actually moved forward and is now sitting where the regular wisdom teeth used to be.

Threw up like three times yesterday. It tells you to take the pain meds with food but it hurts too much to chew so I'd always throw up.

Woke up this morning feeling better except for the top left side which is swollen big time, and hurts like hell. Weird. I'm putting ice on it, though.

Well, I still can't open my mouth wider than like two inches (must still be swollen or something), but I think I'm back to normal other than that.

It still sucks though, I went to Subway yesterday and looked like a retard trying to eat a sub because my mouth only opens so wide before there's pain...

Wisdom teeth suck. My friend got screwed because the dentist accidentally left cotton in the empty sockets, and he got an infection and had to go back in for more dental surgery. Not good times.

I thought I had a dry socket because I had pain near my ear, but I went in and they said I didn't.

I'm praying I never have to get mine pulled.

Yeah, not fun at all. The worst is when you're throwing up and can't open your mouth very wide so it starts coming out your nose.

OMG!!! PICS PLZ!!!