I totally relate to the neck pain from sleeping upright—honestly, that was the worst part for me too. I remember after my wisdom teeth came out, I was so worried about dry socket that I avoided anything even remotely crunchy or hot. With regular extractions, I barely thought twice after the numbing wore off, but wisdom teeth just felt like a whole different ballgame.
It’s interesting how much more intense the anxiety is with wisdom teeth. Maybe it’s because they’re in the back and harder to keep clean? Or just all the horror stories online... Either way, I ended up calling my dentist a couple times just to make sure everything was healing right.
Did anyone else notice their swelling lasted way longer with wisdom teeth than with regular ones? Mine took nearly a week to go down, and that never happened with other extractions. Curious if that’s typical or if I just got unlucky.
Swelling really does seem to hang around longer after wisdom teeth, at least in my experience. When I had a regular molar pulled, it was uncomfortable for maybe two days, then I pretty much forgot about it. With my wisdom teeth, though, my face looked like a chipmunk for almost a week and I kept second guessing if it was normal or if something had gone wrong. I think the anxiety definitely plays into it, too—just being so hyper-aware of every twinge back there made me more nervous than with other dental stuff.
I’m curious if anyone else felt super sensitive to temperature changes after their wisdom teeth came out. Hot and cold drinks made my whole jaw ache for days, which never happened before. Is that just because those nerves are deeper or something? I always wonder if I’m just extra sensitive or if that’s typical for wisdom teeth extractions...
Hot and cold drinks made my whole jaw ache for days, which never happened before. Is that just because those nerves are deeper or something?
Honestly, I had the opposite experience. My wisdom teeth came out pretty easy—just a bit of puffiness and a sore jaw, but nothing major. The regular molar I had pulled later was way worse. It got infected and the swelling lasted ages. About the temperature thing, I didn’t really notice much difference after my wisdom teeth, but the molar extraction made me wince with anything cold for weeks. Maybe it just depends on the tooth or how tricky the extraction is?
That’s interesting, I kinda thought wisdom teeth removals were always the worst, but sounds like it really depends. I had a molar out last year too and the cold sensitivity was brutal—felt like it hit some nerve that just wouldn’t chill out. I wonder if the nerves are just more exposed with certain teeth? Did your dentist mention anything about nerve location or healing times? I was told molars can be closer to the big nerves, especially on the bottom jaw, so maybe that’s part of it.
You’re definitely onto something with the nerves being more exposed in some teeth than others. Molars—especially on the bottom—love to hang out right next to the big nerves, which is why you sometimes get that “zap” feeling if things get irritated. It’s like your mouth’s version of stepping on a Lego, just…inside your face.
I’ve seen people breeze through wisdom tooth extractions and then absolutely struggle after a regular molar comes out. It’s a bit of a dental lottery, honestly. Some molars are closer to the nerve (the inferior alveolar nerve, if you want to impress your dentist at parties), and if the extraction stirs things up, you can get numbness, tingling, or that annoying cold sensitivity you mentioned. Sometimes it chills out in a few weeks, but for others it’s more stubborn.
Funny thing—wisdom teeth get the reputation for being monsters because they’re often impacted or stuck sideways, so the surgery can be gnarlier. But a “regular” tooth extraction can be surprisingly dramatic if it’s close to nerves or has tricky roots. Had a patient once who said her wisdom teeth were a walk in the park compared to a molar she lost later on. She joked that the molar must’ve held a grudge.
As for healing times, it does vary. Lower jaw extractions can take longer to feel normal again, partly because of those nerves and just the way bone heals down there. If your dentist mentioned nerve proximity, they were probably thinking about all this stuff. Cold sensitivity usually fades as things heal up, but sometimes you get a persistent little reminder every time you drink something icy—just to keep life interesting.
If it helps, you’re not alone in feeling like your mouth has its own agenda. Teeth are weirdly individual about how they recover. At least you’ve got some good stories for the next time someone brings up dental horror tales…
