Its not so bad. I think the highlight of mine was the nurse saying "okay I'm going to put you under now and its going to feel like you just walked out of a bar" and she was right. I went from sober to grade 9 drunk just like that. Next thing I know I'm awake kinda confused and going home.

I had my wisdom teeth out about 3 years ago. I only had 2 wisdom teeth that grew, and mine were impacted.

I was given laughing gas, and a sedative.

The last thing I remembered was the doctor talking about how many apple martinis he had the night before.

I ended up getting dry socket, and I had them out on a Friday so I suffered through the whole weekend with it. Its a simple fix, so the first sign of it, call your dentist! don't suffer.

My advice on what to eat after wards, I bought a lot of pudding and such, but the thing I found easiest and best to eat for me was macaroni and cheese. Pudding you had to move your tongue around to get off the spoon, and it would swish in your mouth, and it hurt.

Mac n cheese you could toss a bit far enough back to miss your inscision, and just swallow, since its soft it didnt need chewing really.

Thats just my advice.

I still have my wisdom teeth because I refuse to have them pulled (even though my dentist keeps telling me to do it every 6 months). They aren't crowding my mouth and aren't pushing the other teeth out of place, so I figure "no harm, no foul." Part of it has to do with not wanting to go through with the pain... the other part is just me being a contrarian and not wanting to pay for a procedure that doesn't seem all that necessary.

I had all 4 of mine removed because they were all impacted at a 90 degree angle to my other teeth (so they were shoving into all my other teeth, being a big pain).

The day of I was knocked out. My mom picked up my meds for me on the way home while I slept in the car with the windows open. She also got me a smoothie, which was great when i woke up hungry. Plus, it was mostly melted, so it was super easy to eat. (No strawberries cuz the seeds get stuck. I suggest peach banana.) I stayed heavily medicated the whole time so it wasn't a huge deal.

That night I woke up in the middle of the night, had no idea where I was, which way was up, and I was in pain. I yelled and my mom came with meds and some water, and all was fine again.

The next day I learned how to use the water spitter. It really is a fantastic tool that kept most of the unwanted things out of the giant hole in the side of my mouth. The bad side: it hurt a little on the stitches, so be careful where you aim.

Still on heavy medication and not knowing which direction is up, my brother called to tell me he was dating my best friend. I called him a f***er. I meant it, but it was funnier since I was medicated.

About a week later I was less medicated and could fend for myself on a consistent basis.

Biggest advice: have someone in the house with you in case you need anything.

Don't hit on your doctor when you come out of the anesthesia. I was 16 when I had mine out, and when I came to, my good-looking oral surgeon asked me how I was feeling. I said, "I can see two of you, so you're twice as cute!" I was mortified when I recalled it later - you know how embarrassing a little incident like that can be when you're 16. I could hardly look at him when I went in for my follow-up visit!

No straws! Until they holes are healed up completely, avoid anything that would introduce suction inside your mouth. Follow their instructions on keeping the holes cleaned out. Suction will dislodge the blood clots, which can lead to dry socket.

Since you're going under the process will be rather easy for you. I had all four out at the same time and the worst part was the sound when they were being broken. The healing period will be easy if you follow the instructions you're given. I was only off work for a day or two.

I had my wisdom teeth out a few years ago. The upper ones were okay, but the lower ones were actually growing in at 90 degrees and were pushing on the rest of my teeth.

I didn't get put under, just got some super-juiced version of novocaine (gave me the shakes-- it's got some kind of caffiene-like stimulant in it). It didn't really hurt, as such, but it was weird to hear the grinding, crunching noises as he pried the teeth loose. It was like there was a peppermill in my brain.

I had to go in twice, since he would only do one side of my mouth at a time. The benefit of this was that it was easier to heal because A) only one side of my mouth hurt at any given time and B) it made it easier to keep food away from the sensitive areas. The downside, obviously, was having to do it all over again. It was easier the second time, though.

The other upside was that I got two new video games to help me convalesce instead of just one. (I got Capcom Remixed and Naamco Museum for the PSP, because brainless arcade games are easier to play when you don't feel like moving much, and there was no need to fuss with changing the discs every time I got bored with a game)

Thanks for the comments everyone!

I'm home now, crashed on the couch with my laptop, feeling quite sore and a little dizzy but great otherwise. It bled a little more than I expected to begin with, but it's mostly slowed down now. Can't wait to eat solid food again, pizza is looking great! Although the swelling in my mouth means I can't close it properly and I have a rather pronounced lisp... it's driving me nuts.

True, but pizza puree? Blech. Some things shouldn't be altered from their original form.

Make sure they take care to extract the teeth intact and give them to you. It's a great way to start your necklace!

This is probably a little late, but I liked having protein "meal replacement" drinks on hand for that day or two when I didn't feel like eating, you can't live off of them, but it gives you another option to supplement the soft food you are eating. Also nice to have around after a root canal. (And that agonizing period between when the pain lets you know you need a root canal, and you actually getting a dentist appointment for one.)

I remember getting my wisdom teeth out, which is to say I remember counting backwards from 10, getting to 7 and waking up with a mouthful of cotton. Getting put under for a dental procedure (which has happened to me twice now) has been one of the more pleasant medical experiences I've had in recent memory.

When I woke up from the second procedure my mother and the nurse found me to be quite sociable but a little short in the memory department. The last thing the doctor said to me before I went under was "tell your mother to stop by the nurses station before you leave." So after I woke up I insisted on reminding my mother to stop by the nurses station every few minutes, each time being very pleased with myself for having successfully passed on the message.

I had two extractions scheduled for this past Tuesday (10-14), due to non-wisdom tooth problems. They cancelled that procedure, because they wanted to look at a newer set of X-rays. Seems that I have two split wisdom teeth that have been doing some bad things, and must come out. So in a couple of weeks, I should be getting my wisdom teeth pulled, and two other mid-mouth shattered teeth, possibly at the same time. Could explain the random pain in the back of my mouth, aside from that particular street corner I work to make some extra cash on the side.

Really looking forward to this, but, as long as this mild to feh pain leads to the extreme pain of wisdom teeth removal, and that gives way to no pain (eventually), I'm all for it.

Me too, mudderfudder! No clue about the gallbladder.