I need to know because on Tuesday I am having one pulled. It broke and the nerve is now exposed ... it's going to be a fun weekend. However, Tuesday is also the date for my first Bio exam of the semester. It's the Evolution section and since my eventual degree will read "Ecology and Evolutionary Biology" I'd like to not fail it. My professor will let me take it later in the day ... but I'll be taking it Tuesday.
I know that a single test grade won't show on my transcripts, I just want an A in the class and he doesn't really have many points available at all, small things matter in there. I've never had a tooth pulled, is there pain after? Does the pain stop when this tooth goes away? As it stands my appointment is at 7:30 am and my exam is at 10 am. After that exam I have Microbiology lab, but we're just doing stains, easy enough.
Sorry if I'm rambling, I took a few Vicodins to ease the throbbing pain in my jaw. Oh, I can't postpone the appointment for the tooth, the next available slot was 8 days from Tuesday, and since I have an abscess above that tooth as well the doctor said she needed to pull the tooth while I am on antibiotics.
Also - Vicodin, can I alternate taking that and ibuprofen?
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If it's just local, I'd say it's very dependent on you personally, with a mix of randomness of how bad your tooth is to take out... but you're definitely not going to be in a happy good mood for the next couple of days
Explain the situation better to your professor. This is a case where you are entirely within your rights to demand a later exam date and you should absolutely go above their head to the dept. head or dean if they're being difficult.
Alternating narcotics and ibuprofen probably isn't a good idea because they stop pain in completely different ways and narcotics are much less effective if the effect wears off between doses, meaning you end up taking more, which isn't good for obvious reasons.
The dentist said "Don't worry, we'll just numb the area and wiggle it right out." From that I assume it's a local. I'm terrified of the dentist, really I am.
I talked to my professor, and he offered to let me take it later in the day, but the way he does exams is scan-tron and he grades them THAT DAY, and hands them back the next and goes over it in the class so that he can answer questions. Taking it later in the week is difficult because of that, the ease of cheating factor goes waaaayyyy up, not that I would, but the issue is there.
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Getting an emergency medical procedure is a pretty good excuse for missing a test. :P
If he won't waive the test (and you feel strongly about it), you can take it up with someone higher up as well, like the dean of academics or a faculty adviser, or the registrar or something.
You just may not know for sure till it's actually out. I had all 4 wisdom teeth taken out with just local (yes, i'm insane) back before Thanksgiving....they gave me a prescription for vicodin afterwards, but I got by just fine with ibuprofen. If the pain is bad enough that you're already popping vicodin, though, it could very well be different for you.
This is a gamble. You might be in well enough shape, but on the other hand you could be loopy with painkillers and need to keep an icepack on your face.
As has been suggested by others, I think you need to consider going over this guy's head if he's not really going to work with you. You're not exactly talking about a head cold or something here - it's a fairly urgent emergency.
You won't really know how you're going to react to the operation until after it happens. When I had my wisdom teeth out it was a relatively painless process (until I got a dry socket anyway), but some people bleed and have pain (and accompanying medication) for days or a week afterward.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Reschedule your test. This is as legitimate a reason as any to get an exception from the professor, and they probably will let you. If they don't, go to their boss, the dean of the college, or the dean of students, if you have one, because that shit is utterly unacceptable.
i THINK professors have the word on this sort of thing but it's a total dick move to completely deny an appropriate rescheduling
As far as the test and your professor go, if he wont let you take the test at a later date and you don't want to go over his head, see if he's willing to let you take it the day before. It's not that much sooner, so studying shouldn't be a problem, and it solves the problem of trying to do the exam with the (possible) side effects of both general or local anesthetics.
I mean, this depends on your school ultimately but it seems pretty universal
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
When I had my wisdom teeth pulled, I was passed out on my bed for a couple of days from the percoset. My experience was pretty terrible but yeah you just never know, their could be a small earthquake and it could cause your dentist to make a very painful mistake! Always plan for the worst.
You'll very, very likely get a local and, as others have mentioned, you'll possibly be drooling a bit after that, but you should be mentally capable of taking a test.
I do think you should be allowed to reschedule the test, though, and it will be a bit annoying - especially as you'd probably want an ice pack of some kind going - but it's certainly very possible to take a test after having a wisdom tooth pulled.
Pain killers are just a comfort thing. Very very comfortable...
I don't pass out from pain meds but if they are doing local they will prolly send you packing with Ibuprofen.
mine came out a treat and there wasn't a lot of pain but it was VERY distracting for a few days
enough to hurt a test? I'd say yes
Then, I returned a month later to have the other three taken out while doped up entirely. I was conscious, but the entire procedure seemed to last a few minutes in my head and I laughed out loud when I saw my blood splatter on the guy's glasses as he ripped a tooth out of my mouth. Nice.
So, I experienced wisdom tooth extraction both under local and completely doped.
Anyway, for this first extraction, it was relatively painless and I was out of there and going about my day. I had to modify my eating/drinking habits, of course, but otherwise I was perfectly fine. Some people have different reactions to medication though, so your mileage may vary, but if I were you I'd just accept a time later in the day instead of pushing for a full-on extension.
That being said, the fact that the guy uses scantron makes things much easier, as he can just scramble the questions for you to take the next day before your class.
Mine weren't too bad (the biggest concern was that whole 'dry socket' dealie). I was essentially provided a bottle of 15mg oxycodone tablets (which I believe is also the smallest dosage for a single pill). I found that bottle in the cabinet a few years later with more than half of the pills still in it. Painkillers are relatively cheap and it tends to be better to have them if you'll need them.
Whether or not you'll be functional depends on personal pain thresholds and coping mechanisms and the amount of drugs in your system...and your reaction to those drugs.
It would be incredibly difficult to know beforehand if you'd be fit to take your test (if you know the material exceptionally well or if the professor generally has easier tests, then it'd be easier to work with). I took a test with what was essentially a broken arm once (...to be fair I didn't know I had cracked it yet...I just couldn't turn it or bend it). I got an A there, but I also wasn't doped up on painkillers (unless you count the ones produced by your body).
Honestly, he does a grade replacement as well, he replaces your lowest test grade with your next lowest. I just don't want to blow my load on the easiest test of the semester. That's probably why he's not so concerned about changing the date anyway, because he figures it'll just get replaced if I bomb it.
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- After the procedure, you might be feeling spry as can be and ready to take the test. You might down a half-bottle of happy pills and put yourself into a drug-induced coma of sleeping and soup for a week. There's no way of knowing which it's going to be for you.
- Talk to your professor again about changing it. If he's being a dick, go to the department. If they're being a dick, go to your dean. There are a few situations in which being obnoxiously pushy towards your college administration is the way to go, and this is one of them.
It stings but you'll be fully coherent (though in pain) and if you know the material well it shouldn't be a problem.
I thought he meant that the tooth had "broken" through the gum - but maybe I just misread.
Nah, my wisdom tooth was fully erupted, or whatever you call it. Then half the tooth broke off. I can feel the tooth pulp with my tongue, it's weird. I'll let you all know how it goes on Tuesday, and my grade on Wednesday. I'm just going to cross my fingers and hope for the best, I'd really rather take it at 10, head to Micro at 12 and then go home and pass out than take the Bio test later in the day. As it is I have classes all next week and no way I can really miss anything. I can maybe skip microbio lecture on Weds, but I have 2 labs in Micro, 2 labs in Bio, and I have no clue what I'm doing in Statistics, so missing that class would be out as well. My husband's most likely going to be massively over protective for a while anyhow, so at least I'll get some help with the non in class stuff.
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For the record, I had to get 4 fully-impacted wisdom teeth out.
But for those of us blessed with primative jaws where the teeth grow in just fine, having a wisdom tooth removed for non-impacted reasons is actually quicker, easier, and less painful then having a cavity filled.
When I had my wisdom pulled with just local, again it was not bad. Mine were half impacted and the end that had made it above the gum line had broken off just above the gumline. Local and a small slice to get a grip on it and I was fine. One of my top teeth Wisdoms took all of 10 min to get out and that was waiting for the local to get up to full effect.
I would strongly suggest that you take the test on the next day or so if your Prof will let you. You don't know how you will respond. I have been told I am a freak of nature for being able to get those 10 yanked with only local and nitrous and for falling asleep during root cannals.
Any other questions on Dental work I think I have had most of the major work done at one time or another.
Considering the type of work you need to have done, you have every right to demand . . . something. Professors have a lot of options though.
On one hand, the professor could write a separate exam for you. Professors generally don't like doing this for a number of reasons: it's a little bit of extra work (but easier than you think), and the professor exposes himself to risk that you'll do badly on the test and then complain to higher powers that your test was harder than everyone else's test. The professor will be more likely to agree to do this if you're doing well in the class.
On the other hand, the professor could go so far as to give you an incomplete for the class and require you to enroll again (and pay tuition for the class again.)
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Just to reply to this, my girlfriend is getting all four of her wisdom teeth out in a couple days and I sat in on the consult, Her dentists advice for these 2 drugs was to take them alternating, a motrin, then in a couple hours a vicodin, and so on and so forth.
I had mine out... I didnt get knocked out and they did 2 at a time a few weeks apart.... i dont suggest that, but i'm better off for it now i suppose.
The last time I went to the dentist he said "oh, we don't really pull wisdom teeth out any longer unless really needed."
My upper wisdom teeth erupted and gave me some pain and a mild inflammation that made me go to the dentist to check it out, but they're all perfectly straight and not pushing on other teeth so I got to keep them.