I'm not worried at all about the procedure or anything. But I do have one question: how can I not say ridiculously stupid, crazy, or strange crap after the procedure/how much control do most people have over their actions afterwards? The reason being is that I really don't want to accidentally mortify the doctors or my mom, who is going to be there, by saying stupid stuff when I don't mean it. Or should I just ask my mom to shut me up whenever I try to talk? Also, how long does that phase last anyways?

Far as I know there's no way to control what you say after laughing gas. That's just what happens when you're drugged up. It shouldn't last more than a couple of hours after they finish.

I personally would only want to do it with gas (I'm probably going to have mine taken out this winter). There's just something about being put under that I've never felt totally comfortable with. Either way, you don't feel a thing.

I apparently said one or two things after the procedure was done, but before I got home. I remember nothing from the procedure and very little from the 20 or so minutes after it. After that went home, took a nap, woke up, drank some soda, soda partially dissolved the blood clots and my mouth filled with blood.

During the actual procedure you're going to have them in your mouth so anything you say will be incoherent. It'll only be for a little bit after before the drugs clear that you'll be remotely coherent. Everyone responds differently to drugs and the drugs you'll get will be most likely more refined than the ones I got, so it's impossible to say how you will react to them.

So lesson of the story is don't drink soda or anything else carbonated afterwards.

Laughing gas doesn't do anything for pain, it just robs your brain of enough oxygen so you experience a slight euphoria (funny thing about our body is we aren't evolved to respond to a lack of oxygen, but rather the presence of too much carbon dioxide) and so increases your tolerance for pain (equivalent to getting thoroughly buzzed from alcohol). Laughing gas's effects also almost instantaneously disappear after the mask is removed, as oxygen levels in your body will quickly return to normal.

Good luck finding a dentist that is willing to do it without any anesthesia. That said, most dentists won't completely put you under either. That makes their life harder.

Do they even still use "laughing gas" anymore?
I don't think so.
Now they just put you right to sleep. The "funny" effects will only last 3 seconds before you're asleep.

I assume you've never been anesthetized before. When you wake up, you are groggy and disorientated... not crazy.
Also, since it's a procedure in your mouth, the last thing you'll want to do is talk. That's just going to cause you pain.

I've been under few times for operations, and I've never said anything weird afterwards, except "Where's my girlfriend? She's sooooooo pretty!"

(mine were major operations though.... maybe dentistry is lighter)

When I had mine taken out the doctor put a mask over my nose and mouth and said to count back from ten. I got to eight and then I work up on a bench and was feeling normal. Tired and numb with cotton in my mouth but I was in control of what I was saying and doing.

(A bench inside the building, not in a park somewhere lol)

Since the quote function doesn't want to work for me right now, I'll have to respond by manually doing it. Laughing gas is used for Children still, both of my girls have had procedures done where they had Laughing Gas given to them. I have no idea if they regularly use it for advlts or not, but for children it definitely is.

I don't think they use laughing gas in the UK anymore. Everyone I know was either put to sleep or numbed up.

Indeed. Some dentists also still offer it if you ask. Laughing gas is great if you're nervous about the dentist (like I used to be) because it makes you just not care, which is great for nerves. However, pain-wise, novacaine* is far superior.


*Yes, I know novacaine isn't used anymore. It's just better sounding than

Well the standard around here is just a numbing anesthetic delivered by syringe. When I had my left wisdom teeth removed the doctor just stabbed the areas he'd be working on real quick and injected his anesthetic, and then began working. I didn't feel any pain and was awake and as sharp as always. Even went on to play some GURPS with my friends after it.

Yeah, I probably should have specified that I'm getting a general anesthetic. So I won't exactly be put to sleep, more like just made completely unaware of anything. I'll feel like I'm asleep though.

And what you said is basically what I've heard from a lot of people. But at the same time I always hear stories of people seemingly out of control of what they do and say.

I'm generally pretty resistant to drugs; caffeine does nothing for me, extra strength Tylenol takes up to an hour before it numbs any pain and lasts two hours at most, but I have no idea how I'll react to the anesthetic. I had to get stitches a few months ago and I remember that I couldn't feel any pain for about four hours from whatever the doctors gave me then (probably just a local anesthetic,and I remember getting that stuck into my cut freaking hurt). Of course the general will be stronger, though.

Until the Novocaine wares off then you feel like someone just punched you in the face .

Now there's a day I dread. Wisdom teeth being pulled... Would have to confront two of my greatest fears on one day, if they still use that stuff.

Better not be using laughing gas...

Laughing gas is actually good at calming your nerves, I used to need it but I got used to my dentist and the last tooth he pulled went by like a breeze. Nowadays they use a gel to numb your gums then stab you with the needle to numb you...all in all if you can get pass the pinch of the needle the rest is downhill.

Hehe, I was put under for when I got all 4 taken out. Apparently I was a bit of a goofball on the way home but I don't remember a thing.

I think it lasted about an hour after I woke up, though I still felt a little strange for the rest of the afternoon. It was quite fun actually

Use sheer willpower, like in the movies. Movies never lie.

From what I understand of anesthesia (and from experience) even when it's just "general anesthesia" you are not conscious in the normal way that we understand being conscious. It's like you're 99% asleep, instead of 100% but you basically are still very gone.

(They use a smaller amount of drugs on you, so that it's less demanding on your body and brain. Because anesthesia takes a lot out of you, so they only use the full amount when necessary.)

So, you won't be moving or talking in your sleep or anything. That would interfere with any procedure they would have to do.

Waking up can be confusing because you'll have no memory of going to sleep or being asleep... but enjoy it, before the pain kicks in
And you'll likely be alone with a nurse when you wake-up, to check your vitals, so anything you do say won't bother them as they will understand you're a bit bonkers.

?... I stayed awake for all 4 of my teeth being surgically removed, just had some needles to numb my jaw. I wouldn't go under for something that simple.

I hate to break it to you... you can't control it. I had a procedure done at the hospital where they put me under "MAC sleep" - something deeper than "twilight" but not as deep as general. Apparently when I came out of that, I was exactly like you see on tv where the person looooooves everyone. I was told that I kept telling everyone that I loved them and when the nurse came in to check on me I asked her to bottle some of the drugs up because I *really* wanted to take it home.

... I remember none of this. I also don't remember getting dressed, leaving the recovery room, or how I got to the car so if I said/did anything, I couldn't tell you. (And my mother hasn't said anything so.. who knows.) People understand that you're not yourself so don't worry about it.

If you truly are getting a general anesthetic, then you will be 100% completely knocked out. Dentists don't like this because it makes their life a lot harder. They have to watch your vitals when using a general anessthetic. This is what's done in surgery, but very rarely done for a simple wisdom teeth extraction as they can't release you as fast and it's expensive.

Dentists primarily use local anesthesia for general work. For things like wisdom tooth extraction, often sedation is used as well. This makes you incredibly groggy and you'll drift in and out of a semi-conscious state with little memory of the event. You are just incredibly relaxed and your ability to do any sort of worthy thinking is more or less gone.

It's different from laughing gas because, as I said, laughing gas just effectively buzzes you and calms your nerves. sedation is longer lasting, relaxes your muscles, and has more pain-blocking characteristics.

I specifically said they won't put you under because it makes their life harder.

Those injections are a local anesthetic, so you did indeed get anesthesia. You didn't get sedated (I did), but likewise I didn't get put under.

I don't remember saying anything stupid after waking up from the procedure, I just wasn't that high on drugs anymore at that point. Although I was stiff and somewhat lightheaded, all in all I just felt pretty good. I even think I could've walked to my car myself, but my dad insisted on supporting me on my way out. Oh well.

I do remember saying a couple slightly strange things when I was being drugged up for the procedure, though I didn't say anything embarrassing. More than anything, as my senses really began to swim, I remember chuckling a bit and remarking to the nurse that I was "losing my inhibitions." It was a weird thing to say, sure, but even now I like knowing that the empirical side of my personality was still evident under the haze of my highly drugged state of mind.

Now the following is a list of everything that happened after the nurse drugged me, since it's late and I don't care about organizing my sentences all nicely anymore:

1. The orthodontist walked into the room and introduced himself.

2. I silently made a large note to myself how he had waited until I was drugged to do so.

3. I considered remarking it, and it took me about ten seconds to decide it wasn't worth it.

4. The orthodontist smiled and offered to shake my hand.

5. I clumsily grabbed it.

6. He seemed to stop smiling for a moment. (I still wonder if he thought I had been overdrugged, since I had simply told the nurse already that I'd "let her decide" when I had had enough of the nerve gas, and scarcely mentioned anything to her until I began really having trouble breathing over all of the nerve gas that I was inhaling).

7. A new nurse that had followed the orthodontist into the room wheeled an IV over to me.

8. The doctor stuck me in the hand. It hurt more than I thought it would, but being in the state that I was I couldn't have cared any less.

9. I sat like that for a few seconds, I was suddenly administered a general anesthetic, and I immediately lost all consciousness. (Funny thing is, I didn't know they intended to use a general anesthetic until literally seconds before they gave it to me. Kind of strange that they would drug me up only to put me under later)

Then for what was apparently an hour or so, the orthodontist and his staff apparently tore my jaw a new one, but I swear it might as well have all happened in one moment to me. To my senses I woke up immediately after I was put under, though my body felt like it had been out for much longer of course. It was perhaps the strangest feeling I've ever experienced, and quite honestly changed my idea of what death is like somewhat, which was something I wasn't expecting at all.

TL;DR: 10/10 would get my wisdom teeth pulled again.

I had gas and an industrial sized box of sedatives and it did nothing to me, so whatever gas you have there send a few tanks over.

I can't remember specifically what they gave me for my wisdom teeth. As I recall, one of the drugs was specifically to give me amnesia, so that might be part of it.

All I remember was getting an IV, maybe some pills, and then they left me in the chair while they got ready (no counting down to ten or anything.) I don't think they used gas, as I don't recall there being a mask. I remember wondering when I would feel it start to kick in and the next thing I knew I was coming to after the operation. I have a dim recollection of sort of being aware of being very uncomfortable at one point where I was beginning to become aware during the operation - feeling lots of stuff jammed in my mouth and my jaw being forced open really wide, but it was very brief and only recalled after the fact - more of an impression than an actual memory even.

I was kind of out of it for a bit after, and certainly in no condition to drive, but I don't think I was saying anything terribly silly or anything like that. Either way, I was fully conscious by the time I was with anyone other than the doctors.

The trouble I ran into was after the operation. I had all four removed at once, and didn't totally follow up on all the care instructions (I was also a smoker, so that didn't help one bit.) Kind of had everything go wrong at some point or another.

I had dry rot in one (basically infected wound - likely from the smoking,) which was painful and meant needing to get the gauze changed out again before it would close up.

The worst was I got a bad case of lock jaw for a couple of weeks after the operation. Pretty rare to get it as bad as I did, and again assuredly was caused by my lack of upkeep on my part. Couldn't eat solid foods unless I cut them up real small (not because I couldn't chew, but because I couldn't open my mouth enough to force it between my teeth.) This was right before my third year in college, and I remember my mom sending me a care package with those mini peanut butter cups, and even those I had to sort of carve off bit by bit against the gap in my teeth just to get them in.

Worst was this was in Savannah, Georgia during a mass hurricane evacuation (can't remember which one, but it was a big state-wide evacuation.) So I'm at a Red Cross shelter at a convention center in Macon. We're walking around town looking for somewhere to eat and the only place we could find that wasn't totally packed was a fancy black-tie restaurant (who were very nice and inviting and kind of slacked on their standards for the time.) But the only thing on the menu I could physically eat was a couple of soup appetizers.

So lesson learned - follow those aftercare instructions to the letter, because the effects of ignoring them really svcked!

I just got a lidocaine injection when I had one of mine removed; well, I had three of them since it doesn't seem very effective on me. At least it was a fairly quick and trouble-free procedure. I've managed to avoid being knocked out so far, even to get my heart fixed (so I got to enjoy the surgeon's never-ending litany of jokes) though I'm having a major op in probably about a year, something I'm not looking forward to.

Oh man I remember when I had my removed. They put me under general anesthesia and I had a blast when I came out of it. I was high as a kite and feeling great. They told me to count backwards from 100 and I got to I think 97 before I was out. I did wake up part way through the surgery. I felt no pain but I did feel tugging on my gums as they were stitching up one of the incisions and I remember the doc saying I was waking up and to use more anesthesia. Recovering in the recovery room was great, the ride home was hilarious (I thought the street lights were comic gold), my girlfriend sat next to me as I lay in bed the entire afternoon into the night as I drifted in and out of conscience and coherence. I was high and enjoying it.

Then late that night the medicine wore off.

I don't want to go further than that but suffice to say it was not a pleasant experience from that point on.

Just thought I'd mention: I ate chips the day after all of my wisdom teeth were removed. All of my siblings who had had their wisdom teeth removed prior to me ate little besides yogurt for days after their extractions, but prior to my operation I decided that I could do far better than that, so within a few days I was already eating anything I wanted again.

I'm not sure how much attitude is actually a factor in recovery, but I believe my confidence in my ability to recover played a pretty significant role in allowing me to get through my recovery as fast as I did. Overall I'd say my entire experience with wisdom teeth, including the post-operative step, was many times swifter and less painful than that of my siblings, and I am pretty pleased about that.

I had some teeth removed recently, no gas, just a big old spike to the jaw that made a good part of my mouth go numb for hours. Didn't feel a thing. Until after it wore off Got some temperature the day after, but apart from that, no big deal.