Preparing for wisdom tooth surgery

havalinaaa

I'm having my wisdom teeth out on Tuesday and am trying to prepare diet wise for not being able to chew. I'm a little worried I'm going to use the pain as an excuse to say pooey to my calorie goal and eat whatever I can (though I'm not real optimistic about what exactly I'll be able to eat). They're only taking two teeth on one side, but I don't even know what to expect pain/eating ability wise.

Anyone been through this and have any pointers? Foods to stock up on/foods to avoid? I'm thinking lots of yogurt, soups, mashed potatoes, applesauce, smoothies...?

LuckyAng

I had all 4 out at once! Soft food is good, and since you will still have one side to chew on you may be able to have some solids. Just be careful of dry socket! I had it in 3 out of 4, and it's horrible! They say smoking and drinking out of a straw are some of the causes, but I don't smoke and purposely avoided drinking out of a straw. So, who knows why it happened. Good luck!!

Cr357

You have my sympathy, looks like protein shakes and PB for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Momkat65

Relax
don't use a straw for sure, that'll loosen the clots
the soft foods you mentioned are perfect
protien shake would be good, just spoon it in
I assist dental surgeries nearly every day
It is not as bad as you think
take meds as directed
you will be fine

kaytiecakes

Mashed potatoes, low sugar applesauce, sugar free jello and campbell soup to go cups were my game when I had mine pulled.

ejohndrow

It all depends on how bad your teeth are. All four of mine grew in straight, and broke through the gums before I had them out, and I had the tops out about 10 years before the bottom ones. I had my bottom two out about a year ago. The first day I was too doped up to care about eating, the next couple of days was just soups and soft foods like you've mentioned and then by the fourth day or so I was back to normal. I was lucky though, and didn't have to deal with a lot of the problems people have to face with wisdom teeth. Also, I was fine with the ibuprofen I was given, never even touched the percocet.

MummyHungry

I lived for a week on ensure, broth, pudding, and go-gurt. Mine were pretty bad...they were afraid they'd have to remove 5 teeth instead of 4 because one of my roots was twisted around the tooth beside it, but fortunately they got it okay and I didn't have dry sockets. Good luck!

cloud2011

Good luck with the surgery.

I would buy some chicken stock - low or no fat. It's soothing.

Also, think about making some smoothies.

Two of my favorites are:

Raspberry
1/2 c. frozen raspberries
1/2 c. nonfat plain yogurt (I like Stonyfield Farms, it's creamy)
1/2 c. Trop 50 apple juice (or Motts Tots, I think it has less sugar)

Blueberry Smoothie
1 c. frozen blueberries
1/2 c. pineapple juice (Dole sells mini cans in a six-pack)
1 banana

Both recipes, just put the ingredients in a blender, and puree. It's quick. The only thing is to buy everything in advance.
The raspberry smoothie might taste tart to you; I like it. The blueberry is sweeter.

(Add more liquid to either smoothie to make it easier to drink).

I might try ice pops, or frozen fruit bars.

Good luck!

agugino

Popsicles! They aren't super high in calories. Jello is good too.

Tsrwalker

I had all four of mine surgically removed at the same time since they were coming in sideways under the gums and pressing against the other teeth. I also had a root canal done at the same time. For me I didn't really eat anything for the first 2 days all I did was sleep and bleed a lot, but yeah like everyone else has said soft foods are good, and yeah NO STRAWS. I also only took Ibuprofen and got through it...good luck

munkeyfunk

so when do your wisdom teeth start coming out? i still don't have them, i think......

Tsrwalker

so when do your wisdom teeth start coming out? i still don't have them, i think......

I was 20 at the time

Momkat65

so when do your wisdom teeth start coming out? i still don't have them, i think......

usually late teens
most people do not have enough room to accomodate them without causing problems with neighboring teeth
if you have them and they need to be extracted, get it done while you are young, you will recover more quickly

munkeyfunk

hmm im nearly there then :grumble:

keiraev

I had 3 out just before Xmas and I am still suffering now.

Unfortuntely I got dry socket and was on 3 lots of antibiotics at one point and endless painkillers. The painkillers made me really nauseous and I haven't been able to exercise properly for weeks.

I have just finished my last course of antibiotics today.

Eating anything with small bits in it is a massive drama as it keeps getting stuck in the extractions sites and causing more pain. U need to make sure u rinse out with saltwater every time you eat anything.

I also couldn't sleep AT ALL for about 2 weeks and was prescribed sleeping pills for just so I could get more than an hour's sleep.

Worst experience healthwise of my life and still not over it.

Sorry to sound so negative!

keiraev

I ate a lot of mashed potato and soup BTW - I even had mash on Xmas day!

ejohndrow

so when do your wisdom teeth start coming out? i still don't have them, i think......

My dad is 61 and never had his removed. My sister was born without them, and I didn't get my top two out until I was about 20, and the bottom two until the age of 29. So...maybe you're just lucky. or maybe they'll bother you at the age of 40 like an old supervisor I had.

keiraev

Mine didn't grow til I was 25.

Am 32 and just had them out, the older you are the longer and more twisted the roots are in they're impacted so u tend to suffer less if you are 18/20 I've heard.

PinkAndSparkle

so when do your wisdom teeth start coming out? i still don't have them, i think......

I only had top wisdom teeth...maybe you're just more evolved than the rest of us!

PinkAndSparkle

I had mine out 2 summers ago. I ate tons of oatmeal and scrambled eggs...and soft serve! Soup is good too, but make sure it's not super hot...that can cause dry socket as well. I only took the percoset for a day, and be warned (TMI), it causes serious "backup" in the digestive department.

DizzyLinds

I had all 4 out in 2010. I was drinking smoothies, milkshakes, porridge, soft pasta in sauce, mashed banana, yoghurts. I was lucky to not have any problems and made sure i used the Corsodyl mouthwash after every meal.

Kirsty_UK

Wisdom tooth removal can vary so much. How are you having it done?

I had one taken out at the dentists with just an injection. It took 30 seconds and I was able to eat again after one soup meal as long as I didn't chew on that part.

I had two others out under general anaesthetic at the hospital, and they had to be stiched up afterwards. That was a few days of soft food.

So it really depends.

bsalis76

I had all mine removed.

Is your dentist doing all 4? ... since I had one side then the other done.
That way i was sort-of able to chew a little on one side with much care.

havalinaaa

Thanks everyone for the ideas/personal experiences!

I'm having two out next week and then the other two out in a few months. I just turned 30 and my wisdom teeth have been a problem since my early 20's, just never enough of a problem to get them out money wise (no insurance). They're doing them two at a time because they're worried about the roots being really hard to get and wanting to let me have one side to chew on. Still not sure if I'll go under general anesthesia or just do it on gas and valium, waiting for the oral surgeon to look over my second set of xrays to figure how long it will take - the longer it takes the more likely I'll go under.

RDalton84

I am 27 and just had my wisdom teeth removed last spring. My recovery was super easy. I pretty much lived on jello and pudding cups. My surgeon told me to avoid using a straw for at least a week and not to have anything super hot so I tried to stay away from soups. I was RELIGIOUS about taking ibuprofen and tylenol. Every 4 hours I was taking SOMETHING and I never had to use the prescribed pain killers. The antibiotic I had to take was the worst, had a funky taste lol. Good luck!!

smae1980

so when do your wisdom teeth start coming out? i still don't have them, i think......

At your age you can have a paoramic x ray done at your dentists office to see if you have 3rd molars that haven't errupted yet. they will also be able to tell if they are impacted which basically means that they are positioned improperly and cannot erupt normally or at all. Or you may be one of the small percentage of people who don't have them and never will.