Just make sure to rinse on a regular basis with warm salt water. Might not taste the best, but makes your mouth feel a whole lot better.

 

Had one pulled last winter, there was nothing really wrong with it except it started decaying slightly near the gum line and despite my pointing out the issue to a dentist deliberately, the fool did nothing and then it was toast. Lots of fun getting that removed, pretty barbaric stuff. I think oral surgeons are all closet sadists.

Two things I learned though

* If a dentist says one wisdom is bad, therefore they all have to come out, or even the opposing one does, then get another opinion. I had my second opinion guy offer to save ALL of them using a simple tooth filling. Eventually that filling gave out and the tooth had to be pulled, but I still saved the other three, so you do not have to pull them in groups in some cases. I have well formed wisdoms which were actually great teeth and I wanted to preserve them.

* Hydrocodone was not addictive, and the doc gave me a huge bottle of them. It was also not a very good pain killer, I found whiskey and Tylenol to be better. Also, I think the anti-inflammatory Alleve is useful for this. Any drug makes you possibly unsafe to fly.

 

Alcohol and Tylenol as a combo is mucho no bueno. Its the liver damage express.

One or the other, never both!

 

Still quite a bit of pain today. Also, getting kind of chipmunky:-/ Still using ice as much as I can.

Thanks UND, I've actually been using salt water for a few weeks now to keep one of the teeth irrigated. It got an infection called pericoronitis, which caused me to bump the surgery up about six weeks. I'm also using Listerine. The surgeon said it was OK if I could stand the burning in the open wounds. I'd rather suck it up now and avoid an infection.

Cub, I agree, hydrocodone by itself doesn't do much, but I was also prescribed 800 mg ibuprofen tablets. Together with ice, they're working pretty well. As far as taking all the wisdom teeth out, the Army was going to do it sooner or later anyways. I would rather let a civilian do it:-)

 

Too much Vicodin or hydrocodone is also a risk to the liver, according to the wiki article pasted below. I am just here to say I tried it and found it pretty weak, I could not sleep as well as with ordinary alcohol after surgery. Perhaps choose which one works the best, and ask the doc which is the safest combo.

wiki on hydrocodone

 

Been a few days since I posted...Almost back to normal. There are still large voids in the back of my mouth from the removals. I tried to go for a run today, but when my heart started to beat fast my jaw started to throb.

Quit the pain meds yesterday, start a trip next week and I'd rather be safe than sorry on a drug test.

I'm still sticking to the surgeon's suggestion of a liquid/soft food diet until I'm cleared at the checkup Tuesday. I would kill to chew on a steak or something else solid right now:-/

 

Well the worst is over for ya!!

I'm just hoping I don't have to go through it anytime soon.

Although I will say it would make for some funny pictures looking like a chipmunk

 

+1000. Talk to any ER (ED now ) doctor or nurse.

Most of this risk is due to it being packaged with some form of acetaminophen, at least in the United States. I don't know how Rush Limbaugh survived, frankly. Don't drink with these, either, for a variety of reasons.

Had you taken it steadily for a couple of weeks you'd have felt withdrawal symptoms. It's an opiate - addictive.

If you're going to anesthetize with whiskey, don't "co-use" any pills.

 

Well, "also a risk" and the level of risk from combining alcohol and Tylenol is probably the issue, one is worse than the other, which is why they developed the drugs in the first place. Better living through chemicals If you need a stronger painkiller, get that. It may be unlikely, but in some cases doctors may not be willing to prescribe what is appropriate for the pain unless you ask. They are too scared of the prescription medicine crackdown or other stuff that doesn't have much to do with simply doing their job of caring for patients. It doesn't mean that you are abusing the system, but some people are bigger and might require a bigger dose, something might have been different in the surgery and caused more pain that might be "normal", etc. Best thing to do is ask. If drugs get you back to feeling well (because it allowed your body to heal) in a decent amount of time, then well done. The army didn't give me any lip about asking for a refill of my codine, and I didn't end up addicted to drugs!