Im only 15 years old and my wisdom teeth have already started to come through. There is no room in my mouth for the wisdom teeth to grow which is going to cause major problems such as the tooth wrapping around the nerves in my mouth. The dentist organised x-rays and it was confirmed that I would have to have all four of them taken out. They are going to have to cut open my gums to be able to extract them due to them not growing properly because there is virtually no more space in my mouth. Yes I am completely freaking out!!
I left the dentist with mum and we realised we hadn't even talked to her about my diabetes and the surgery. I am having them extracted on January 13th. Mum is going to make a phone call to my diabetic educator so we can sit down and talk about what to do. Also because I have only been diagnosed for a year I am still learning to control my levels. I feel as if I am so lost. I know that it will be hard to eat anything and this will effect my diabetes. I wont be eating the normal food I would usually eat due to the pain. Also the fact they have to cut my gums a little bit is completely terrifying me. I don't want to be awake for it but the dentist said that I will have a partial anaesthetic. I wont be completely asleep I will still be conscious.
I am actually extremely scared. I know it may seem silly and I'm probably worrying about nothing but I want it to be like other surgeries where you fall asleep and wake up in a bit of pain but you don't see or hear anything. I also want to be in a comfortable environment. They will be performing the surgery in the dentists clinic. Right there smack bang on the dentist chair where people go everyday for check-ups. This makes me feel extremely uncomfortable and even more scared. I would prefer it if it was performed at a hospital in a theatre but obviously this is a bit over the top. I have no idea what to do. I really don't want to get my wisdom teeth out but I know I have to. The dentist was actually reluctant to take them out because of my age however after seeing how much damage they would start doing she said they definitely have to come out early next year.
If anyone has any advice on how to manage my levels if I cant eat food or anything else about wisdom teeth extractions please comment it will be much appreciated.
I'd be freaked out too and I'm 62! You should not only check with your diabetes educator but should talk to your endo about whether it is safe for you to have the extractions in the dentist's office. There is more backup in a hospital but there is also more risk of infection there. You should also make sure that your dentist knows about your diabetes and is factoring it into her plans for the day.
Sorry, I can't be more help. My wisdom teeth were so tiny, the dentist barely novacaine to do the extraction.
The most important thing is to be able to handle fasting for 1/2 day. Your basal insulin like lantus or levemir should keep you stable without the need of additional insulin. Thus you should be able to skip meals if needed - maybe you can try that before the day x is coming. Of course this will need some attention. The mental stress can lead to spikes in blood glucose and this will likely need some corrections. Just allow youself one day of less excellent control.
I have prefered to take one side first and with the next appointment the other side. This way I always had one side available for chewing. I found this more practical because I will have times were I need food. I did not want to risk an infection just because some food happened to enter the wounded area. Furthermore with just one side under narcosis you can still control your tongue and you will not happen to bite on it.
The operation itself is okay and a full narcosis is too risky. You will need some pain killers like nurofen (Ibuprofen in Germany) afterwards. You have no accute infection so it will heal quickly. The operation will help you to keep your line of teeth in shape. I did the operation too late and this is something I regret now.
I had all four of my wisdom teeth out at 19 with the same process - cutting, extracting etc. I was in the regular dentists chair to, didn't get a full anesthetic either, but I have no recollection of the actual event. I do remember it hurting afterwards, and eating was definitely annoying, but I was back to normal in a week or so. I'm not diabetic (my son is), but I ate a lot of pudding, jello, mashed potatoes and other high-carb foods. The only help I can offer food wise is what we did for my son when he got his braces, pallet expander and other crap. For 2-3 days he had sugar free jello, Greek yogurt and SF Carnation Instant Breakfast. We also made him fruit smoothies with the yogurt and added protein powder to help him feel full longer. We had to increase his basal rate (he's on a pump) slightly because of the added stress, but again, after a few days he was back down to normal.
Bottom line - its ok to be freaked out, you'll deal with your diabetes and food as best you can, and a week or so it will be behind you and you'll be fine. Good luck! ~ Michele
here is a discussion about wisdom teeth extraction. I recently went through a couple of extractions. It's not pleasant, but they will give you enough novocaine so you won't be in pain. follow the after-care instructions to the letter. you'll be glad you did it when it's over. plan for a treat for yourself as a reward. I know we have a discussion here about what to eat for the first week after you have it, you'll be on totally soft foods.
Hey Emily....I think the best thing to do in your situation is to schedule an appointment with both your dentist and diabetes educator at the same time and place for them to be able to figure out how best to go about your situation.You will be fine..u will definitely go through this.
1. Make sure your lantus keeps you even around the clock. 2. Know your i:c ratio.
3. Gather some soups and juices you like, some jellos, some custards and figure out what Humalog you'll give.
4. Make a note that someone should check your blood sugar every 1/2 hour and write what to give you if you are lower than 70.
You're doing well to think it all through. You'll do fine. I, too, agree with Holger, that it's easier to have 1/2 a mouth done at a time. But the problem is that then you go thru stress twice!
Our whole family has had these types of surgeries. We must be related!
Cheers!
First thing .......relax. Many folks have this done. I had mine out at 17. That was 40 yrs ago. Just like a lot of advice here, you certainly are in control. Just make sure your readings are in the normal range when you go in to have it done. As a diabetic you know it will take a little longer to heal. Really no big deal. Jump back in here after the procedure. You will be fine. Folks in this room will support you!
I too am having surgery, major surgery on Jan. 4th and am very nervous too. You need to speak, as you said, with your Endo and probably anthesthsiologist. I have a pre-ops appointments set up next week to discuss insulin, etc... I've also had my wisdom teeth pulled, pre diabetes, it too was done in an office setting. It wasn't a regular dentist who pulled them, it was a dental surgeon and I too was under, actually, I don't remember anything about the procedure. You probably won't either...! You will be in pain afterwards, but hopefully you can get some pain medication. Please discuss thoroughly with your D Team to get specific instructions, as I'm doing too for my in-patient surgery. Good luck!
Well, if its any comfort, I'm 63, and my dentist is nagging me to get my wisdom teeth out because of gum problems. I have resisted up until now, but I do need to think about it. So I will read the pages that Marie B posted, because I guess I'm going to have to have it done sooner or later.
Hi everyone. Thanks for all your information and advice. I now have a better understanding of the procedure and what to expect. Also how to control my insulin and what to eat. Everyone has been extremely helpful and I thank you all for taking time to help me out :) I have made an appointment with my diabetic educator however due to living in a country town my Endo lives five hours away. I will have to have a phone conversation with her instead.
I hear what you are saying Emily. I was about your age when I had to have my wisdom teeth out too. Funny story because I was set to have them out and get put under and everything and then got diagnosed with diabetes. They had to push the surgery back and wouldn't let me get put under because I was newly diagnosed. They only used novocaine and pulled them right out. Two were impacted. The whole thing only took about 20 minutes from start to finish. I wore headphones so I couldn't hear anything and made sure they gave me LOTS of novocaine to make sure I was numb.
You can eat anything soft, so stick to soft foods that you like. I remember having ice cream, SF jello, yogurt, mashed potatoes, etc. Good luck with your wisdom teeth! It is really scary, but after a week or two you are good to go and you won't have to go through it ever again!
I had all four wisdom teeth out at once & they were impacted, so same procedure as yours. Mine was done in office by a dental surgeon. I'm glad I had them all done & got it over with at once. I had some serious painkillers afterwards. Don't be shy about asking for painkillers.
I ate a lot of soup, plain yogurt & homemade protein shakes.
I had two black eyes. Everywhere I went, people gave me sympathetic looks thinking I was a battered woman. I wanted to say--no beating, four impacted wisdom teeth:)
Carefully follow the directions the dentist gives you about after care. You need to swish out the holes with a syringe very thoroughly every time you eat.
I had 4 tooth extractions to make way for my wisdom teeth, when I was ~16. I know it's a bit invasive, but your levels shouldn't fluctuate too much.
If you are worried about the surgery being performed by a dentist, I think your concern should be listened to. When I told my dentist that I was diabetic, he told me about another option, which I took. Although dentists are trained to perform this surgery, I went to a dental surgeon instead. Although I believe there are many capable dentists who can help you with your extraction, a surgeon may be more experienced with the procedure. Maybe you can see if that is an option for you.
Many foods that will be easy to eat will be simple sugars. Careful with that, they will spike your blood sugars. Foods with fibre will help slow down your absorption of these sugars, such as jars of baby food and pablum. I actually got hooked on baby pablum after my surgery! It's like baby oatmeal... super good.
After your surgery you may be a bit loopy, and you will likely sleep it off. Maybe just ask your mom to help you by checking your levels for you and making sure you're stable while you're resting. It's nice to have someone help you through this so you don't feel overwhelmed.
Hi, I just had one of my wisdom tooth removed yesterday, the one on the bottom left. The procedure was done by a dental surgeon, the anaesthetic was injected in the gum just near my tooth , my whole left side of the mouth was numb, I didn't feel any pain, the bleeding was alright too. I am taking Ibuprofen to prevent the pain and Clindamycin antibiotic tablets to prevent infection.
Liquid and semiliquid diet is recommended for the next 24-48 hours.
Today I had my first breakfast, blended an apple and a banana, just like baby food, went down smoothly.
If you are afraid of the whole experience you can do one tooth at the time so it won't be so overwhelming.
Good luck with the surgery, hopefully it goes well for you too, if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Thanks everyone for all your advice and support. It has almost been a week since they were extracted. I saw my diabetic educator and the anaesthetist before the extraction which told me that having it performed in the dentist chair was the quickest and safest procedure. I was sedated and slept through a bit of the procedure but woke up when the drill started.I haven't started eating too much solid food yet. My blood sugar levels are behaving themselves and everything seems to be going along smoothly. The swelling is going down each day. There is still a tiny bit of pain but nothing to extreme. Thanks again for all your advice and suggestions. It has really helped me. I'm glad it's all over and done with now :)
