Random Rider

Getting my bottom two wisdom teeth ripped out tomorrow night after work. Anyone have it done and try riding home right after or laid off thier commute the next day and chose the car? I don't know how painful it's going to be, but i also wonder about riding next to traffic with new holes in my mouth. I always seem to have my mouth slighty open while riding. any experiences?

Matt1972

When I had mine pulled out a few years ago (2006 I think) I drove to and from because I wasn't at that time a cyclist. I had gauze wadding in my mouth, and the novocaine had yet to wear off. Not to scare you, but it's a procedure that requires stitches.

BurnMyEyes

If you are going under general anaesthesia, you won't be able to ride home, and they probably won't even let you try. Even though it's a relatively minor surgery, it's common nowadays to go under general. If it's just local anaesthesia with no sedative or anything, you can probably drive home, but you probably won't want to bike.

As for the next day, when I had mine done, I wouldn't have wanted to commute with all the vicodin I was taking. That was before I started seriously riding, so I wasn't in any kind of physical shape. The pain was pretty bad for a few days (I had all 4 pulled, so yours probably won't be as bad).

I guess it's all up to personal ability whether or not you'll be able to ride. I can say if it were me, I would lay off for a day or two. One thing to keep in mind is you cant suck on a water bottle or you risk a dry socket. Also your jaw will stiffen up and you won't be able to eat normal food. For the first few days after mine, I wasn't eating enough calories to do anything strenuous. I don't know how hard your commute is, but mine is quite hilly and takes some extra calories. I remember trying to eat pizza a few days after the surgery, and the soft fluffy crust was like chewing rubber and I couldn't finish the whole slice.

lil brown bat

Wisdom tooth extraction can mean ten minutes in the chair and a couple shots of novocain, or it can mean general anesthesia in the hospital. Consult with your surgeon who knows about the condition of your wisdom teeth and also knows the drugs that he/she plans to give to you, and make your riding plans accordingly. If your surgeon says don't ride, then don't.

CliftonGK1

I remember when I had mine pulled (all 4 in one sitting), they wouldn't even get started until I convinced them that the friend who dropped me off on the way to class was coming back for me.

Random Rider

I am not going under. I don't like go under if I don't have to. They are giving me that choice. They said I can stay awake for it and I still won't feel anything. Just hear some noises.

cooker

When I had mine done it took so long and was so tough ("like chipping marble", the dentist said) that they kept topping me up with both freezing and valium and I was woozy for a couple of days. And damn did it hurt that night. Then dentist gave me Tylenol 3s which were useless and thank God my wife had some left over Percocet handy.

BurnMyEyes

Talk your doctor, but make sure you have a backup plan because there is a strong chance you won't want to ride, even if they let you.

And for good reason. I didn't think imagine it would have much of a lasting effect, but even after laying in the recovery room for a long time, I barely felt steady enough to walk to the car by myself.

mihlbach

LOL. I just had mine pulled last week. No surgery involved. Just some novocain and lots of pulling, prying, twisting, and ripping. You feel it, but once its out its not too bad. I didn't ride, because I needed to haul some large objects to the office, so I figured that would be a good day to drive. I only needed stitches for one out of four teeth. Based on my experience, I'd say you could ride. The bleeding is more annoying than the pain. You might have to stop a few times to swap some bloody gauze for clean, but if your experience is similar to mine (not guaranteed), there's nothing really to stop you from riding.
Good luck!

Luddite

Random, are you getting "put under" or getting sedatives etc? You can't ride or drive after that. Get a friend or family member to drive you home?

I had 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed when I was 19, I was swollen, unable to eat, groggy etc.

stringbreaker

If you don't follow their instructions and get dry socket you are in for a world of hurt. I had it because I didn't keep the gauze in long enough and the blood plug didn't form and stay in. that exposes the bone below the gums and hurts like holy hell. The doc gave me some stuff to plug the hole but it wasn't as good as the natural blood plug and I went through many days of suffering till the gums healed over. DO NOT use a straw or suck on a water bottle. Do what they say and you should be fine. I would ask for stitches for any extraction I have in the future.

MNBiker

I had one wisdom tooth pulled about a year ago with local anaesthetic (novacain) to save money. Also, my tooth was fully emerged and not impacted and it was easily removed. If yours are impacted and/or grown crooked the removal might include a more "intense" procedure and you may not feel up to riding home.

They gave me Vicodin to take (once I got home) as well as some other drugs. In my case I didn't need the Vicodin but just used the Ibuprofen. I drove the car that day. They wouldn't have allowed me to drive if I had general anaesthesia. They didn't want me to do much of anything for the rest of the day and I had a very straightforward removal.

It is true that you want to carefully follow their advice on care of the holes. I had to keep pressure on some gauze over the hole for a while afterwards to stop bleeding and I think to help a clot form in the hole. As another commenter said, you want a blood clot to form in the holes and not get what they call dry socket -- that is bad news. I doubt I could have kept pressure on the gauze properly if I had been biking.

I would err on the side of caution. I would also ask the doctor what they think.

A nice perk where I went is they send home a pint of Haagen Daz with the patient to "ease the discomfort."

Torrilin

Depends on how the procedure is done. I was done with local anaesthetic and fairly heavy sedation, and even if I'd had a license, I would not have been allowed to drive. Operating a bike would have been impossible since I could barely walk. I also took over a week to recover fully, and was flat on my back for several days... I really had a pretty bad time of it.

My sister and brother were both basically ok the day after, but probably shouldn't have been on the road the day of. Some folks have an even easier time than they did.

imi

^^this!

when I opened this thread I thought I was in the touring forum and it was going to be about "jungle dentistry"

Ya Tu Sabes

See how you feel. I had a wisdom tooth that was impacted and infected, and it was a pretty hellatious bit of cutting and yanking to get it out, but they only gave me local anesthesia, so I came out in a lot of pain, but clearheaded, and was able to ride my bike home without incident. That said, some people don't react well to anesthesia and may feel nauseous or heaven knows what else. Go by bike and have someone you can call in a pinch.

andrelam

I had two molars removed to make room for my upper wisdom teeth and it was done with just a local injection. They popped right out and I felt fine that day. The lower wisdom teeth were impacted, also removed with local, but taken out a little bit at a time ( he had to split it). This was done one side at a time separated by a month of two. On both occasions I was given plenty of local pain killer so the proceedure didn't hurt. Even so I was in no shape to ride or drive home. When I got home my body was quite pissed off at me as it "knew" the trama that was inflicted in my mouth. I felt like complete cr@p and definitely took it easy the next day. I would NOT have wanted to ride my bike and take the risk that elavating my blood pressure could trigger extra bleeding. I was given some stronger pain meds, but they made me dizzy and throw up. After 24 hours things go MUCH better.

So I had two experiences that were worlds appart in how the body responded. Either way I think it would be unwise to risk additional bleeding after any medical proceedure. Sure it is healthy to get exercize, but I don't think you'll find a dentist that would recommend going to the guy after ANY tooth extraction.

Happy riding and good luck. I hope your wisdom teeth come out easy and that you have minimal discomfort. If not, remember that in the 1st 12 to 24 hours you'll feel the worst, after that you'll start to get back to normal quickly. Just do what the Doctor orders.

André

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

I got all 4 of mine done at once on a Thursday and I didn't go to work the next day at all. I was on the couch eating vicodin the whole next day and was still pretty sore the rest of the weekend as well.

Even if they are just giving you a local anesthesia you're still gonna get a 'script for painkillers of some kind which will affect your biking or driving.

elbows

People seem to have wildly different reactions to getting wisdom teeth out. A friend of mine did nothing but lay on the couch popping vicodin for about a week afterward. Other people seem to be fine almost immediately. I was in the middle -- 2-3 days of painkillers and taking it easy, then pretty normal after that.

Since you're getting a local anesthetic, you might be able to bike home, but it seems like a good idea to have a backup plan.

DallasSoxFan

Skip the bike.

JanMM

If you take opiate painkillers, be sure to increase your fluid and fiber intake!

Kimmitt 

Yeah, people respond wildly differently to this particular surgery. Best to give yourself some space to heal.

Random Rider

Update friends. I got all 4 taken out Tuesday night after work.( The Oral surgeon said my tops needed to come out to and it was only 70 bucks more so I was like go for it. I was going to get it done later but what the hell) I bled alot the first two hours and replaced the gauze once. After that the bleeding stopped and after the numbnes wore off I felt a little discomfort so I popped one Vic to get some nice sleep. I felt good enough so I rode to work the next day. My commute is only 9 miles one way and i didnt suck on the bottle. Been keeping it cleean with salt water rinses and I feel great considering. I don't think dry sockets will be and issue. I think I lucked out with an easy procedure.

Yellowbeard

Funny variety in the reactions. Last summer I had one friend who complained for weeks about the horrible pain after having her teeth out. A week before my own appointment my friend and co-worker had his out and showed up to work the next day eating pumpernickle for lunch. I chose full sedation because I'm a wimp and ended up cycling to work the next day, eating chicken and pasta by the third day after. I didn't bother taking painkillers after the first night, didn't need them.

Rushtrack

Ah! I thought this was going to be about pulling teeth with your bike. Just tie a long string with slack to one of your rear spokes, have someone lift the rear off the ground and give the cranks a sharp turn.