Trouble after wisdom teeth removal vs regular tooth extraction—what’s worse?

I went with just local and it was fine, but looking back, maybe a little sedation would've made the whole thing less stressful.

I totally get wanting to keep costs down—same here, which is why I just did local for my wisdom teeth. Honestly, I was super anxious too, but the price difference for sedation was a big factor for me. Did your insurance cover any sedation options, or was it all out of pocket? For regular cleanings, I’m fine, but extractions just feel way more intense.

I actually had the opposite experience—local for my wisdom teeth was way less awful than a regular molar extraction I had years ago. Maybe I just got lucky with the wisdom teeth, but that molar felt like they were trying to pull out my brain through my jaw. I was super anxious too, but honestly, the adrenaline kind of took over and it was done before I knew it.

My insurance laughed at the idea of covering sedation, so that was a hard nope for me too. I do wonder if it’s more about the dentist’s technique sometimes? Or maybe how “stuck” the tooth is... My friend got full-on IV sedation and still said recovery sucked, so who knows. At least with local you get to hear all those fun cracking noises—kidding, sort of.

Cleanings are a breeze compared to all this drama though. Give me some scraping over another extraction any day.

I do wonder if it’s more about the dentist’s technique sometimes? Or maybe how “stuck” the tooth is...

That’s what I keep thinking too—my wisdom teeth were impacted but the oral surgeon was super chill and it was over pretty quick. But a simple baby molar extraction as a kid? Traumatized me for years. Is it weird that the “cracking noises” didn’t bother me as much as the pressure? Maybe it’s just how each person reacts.

Pressure is definitely the part that got to me too. I had all four wisdom teeth out at once (two impacted), and honestly, the worst of it was just that feeling like someone was leaning on my jaw with their whole arm. The noises were weird, but I kind of zoned out with the music they gave me. But when I had a regular premolar pulled as a teen, it felt way more intense, maybe because I was awake and super anxious the whole time. I still remember how my hands were sweaty gripping the chair.

I think you’re onto something about the technique and maybe even how much the tooth wants to come out. The oral surgeon who did my wisdom teeth was calm and efficient—barely felt a thing. But with the regular dentist, it was like he was wrestling with my tooth for ages. Maybe it’s partly experience, or just luck of the draw with how roots are shaped?

Funny thing is, the recovery from my wisdom teeth was way easier than that single extraction too. I expected to be miserable for days, but aside from chipmunk cheeks and a bit of soreness, it really wasn’t bad. Meanwhile, after the other one, I had this throbbing pain for nearly a week and couldn’t eat properly.

I guess everyone’s different, but I’d take another wisdom tooth extraction over a “simple” one any day if it meant having a chill surgeon again. The anticipation is always the worst part for me—once you’re in the chair, you just want it over with. And yeah, those cracking sounds are freaky, but somehow they don’t stick in my memory as much as that deep pressure.

It’s weird how our brains latch onto certain sensations or moments. Maybe it’s just one of those things where childhood experiences stick with us longer, or maybe some teeth are just stubborn. Either way, you’re not alone in finding the pressure worse than the noises.

I kinda feel the opposite, honestly. My wisdom teeth removal was way rougher than my regular extraction. I get what you mean about the pressure—

“the worst of it was just that feeling like someone was leaning on my jaw with their whole arm.”