Paedantic Basterd

I had this done last year, and it's not as big a deal as I think it's made out to be. You don't need intravenous anesthetics, you don't need the knock out pills, and you don't need much for painkillers afterwards.

I did cough up the extra money for the nitrous oxide, which was great. They pulled one tooth cleanly, cut one out, and broke + extracted one more. I had a sinus perforation (meaning they broke a hole into my sinus cavity through my upper wisdom) and wasn't allowed to sneeze for about a week and a half.

Afterwards, I ate soft foods like applesauce, soup (nothing with chunks or bits in it), pudding, etc. But the real lifesaver was the meal-replacement protein drinks I grabbed. Get some of those for the first week or so. They're awesome.

The biggest pain is trying to keep bits of food out of the holes in your mouth. Make sure to do a gentle salt rinse after everything you eat. It will take about a month/month and a half for these to close over, but you should be able to do solid food after about a week and a half.

White tissue in the holes and mild itching sensation are good. Means you're healing. If something tastes like a dead animal in there and the extraction site appears some horrific colour, see your dentist again and they'll A) rinse out the hole and B) put you on antibiotics to prevent infection.

It's a lot of maintenance, but it's not a terrifying experience and I think it's made to sound a lot worse to people so they'll fork out the money for anesthetic.