I had a similar experience—my surgeon gave me a huge folder of info, but honestly, it was still way rougher than I expected. Did your kid have all four out at once? I wonder if that makes a difference. I swear, the swelling and jaw pain caught me off guard. I’m with you on the insurance stuff too... those extras add up fast. Did anyone else have trouble eating anything but pudding for days?
I had all four out at once, and yeah, it was way rougher than I expected too. The swelling was honestly ridiculous—I looked like a chipmunk for almost a week. I got tired of pudding really fast, but anything else felt impossible. Tried mashed potatoes, but even those were kind of a struggle. My jaw hurt way more than I thought it would, and the pain meds didn’t do much for the stiffness.
Insurance barely covered anything for me either, and then there were all these “extra” fees for anesthesia and follow-ups. It adds up quick. I do think getting all four at once makes it worse, at least in the short term. My friend only did two at a time and seemed to bounce back faster.
Honestly, I wish someone had warned me about how annoying it’d be to talk or even yawn. It’s not just the pain—it’s the whole not-being-able-to-eat-real-food thing that drove me nuts.
I’m right there with you on the cost and the food struggle. I had mine done last year, and even with insurance, the bill was way higher than I planned for. The anesthesia alone was a huge chunk, and then they tacked on “consultation” and “post-op care” fees I didn’t expect. I actually tried to get a breakdown after the fact, but it was all just vague charges.
Recovery-wise, I thought I’d be back to normal in a couple days… not even close. Couldn’t chew anything, and I got so sick of yogurt and applesauce. I ended up losing a few pounds just because eating was such a hassle. Also, the jaw stiffness was no joke—couldn’t open my mouth all the way for over a week.
If I had to do it again, I’d probably space out the extractions, just to make things more manageable (and maybe spread out the costs). Wish more people talked about the financial side of it—it adds up fast.
Wish more people talked about the financial side of it—it adds up fast.
It really does. I was surprised by how much wasn’t covered, and the “extras” felt endless. Did you have any luck pushing back on those vague fees, or did you just have to accept them? I wonder if anyone’s managed to negotiate those down.
