I want to keep my teeth

Discussion in 'General Advice' started by vuatson, Sep 25, 2019.

  1. vuatson

    vuatson [delurks]

    I just learned I’m gonna have to get my wisdom teeth out (apparently they’re riddled with cavities and I never noticed lol) and I really really really want to keep them after they’ve been extracted. just kind of viscerally don’t like the idea of sending bits of my body off to some incinerator never to be seen again. can anyone help me figure out how to do this? if I’m interpreting Maine’s biomedical waste laws correctly, I think they categorize teeth the same as amputated body parts and won’t let you keep them. is that right? anyone know of states with different rules?
     
  2. bushwah

    bushwah a known rule consequentialist

    mood
     
    • Agree x 1
  3. Acey

    Acey hand extended, waiting for a shake

    I'm not sure about Maine's rules at all, but in California you can just ask to keep them! (And honestly I doubt there's any harm in asking even if they say no?) I do think the laws vary from state to state, though, so unfortunately I can't make any promises that they'll let you keep them.

    Also, if you're at all worried about the surgery, which I mention because I know I was, it's honestly not too bad. I don't remember a moment of my wisdom tooth extraction--they sedated me, and it felt like one minute I was waiting for it to start and the next it was all over.
     
    • Informative x 1
  4. vuatson

    vuatson [delurks]

    yeah, I’m not too worried about the surgery itself. the fillings I need will honestly be worse bc you gotta be conscious for those lol. not looking forward to recovery but hey I’ll be able to get better at making soup!

    if it turns out I can’t keep them in Maine I probably will just go to a different state. I don’t think it’s urgent yet and I Really Want To Keep These Teeth.
     
    • Like x 1
  5. Acey

    Acey hand extended, waiting for a shake

    Recovery wasn't too bad for me, but I also seem to have healed somewhat unusually fast so ymmv? And yeah, fillings are the absolute worst. x_x

    Wishing you the best of luck in keeping your teeth!! ^u^
     
    • Like x 1
  6. anthers

    anthers sleepy

    I have mine, I just asked the dental surgeon in the pre-consult thingy and then reminded them before I went under. Wishing you luck as well!
     
    • Like x 1
  7. anthers

    anthers sleepy

    Also, a bit of anecdata that might help, they sealed mine in a package when they gave them to me that was a little like an envelope with a clear bit that was meant for these things.
     
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  8. idiomie

    idiomie I, A Shark Apologist

    i also have mine, also just asked the surgeon before they were removed

    that was in VA, so. i mean if you really actually can't in maine, at least it's not the worst distance to travel?
     
    • Useful x 1
  9. anthers

    anthers sleepy

    Mine were in Rhode Island, so that's theoretically even less.
     
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  10. vuatson

    vuatson [delurks]

    that is all very good to know, thank you ^^ as interesting as a cross-country tooth removal roadtrip would be it’d be nice not to have to go too far lol
     
    • Like x 1
  11. Deresto

    Deresto Foolish Mortal

    when mine got done the doc specifically asked if I wanted mine, in texas for reference. no harm in asking!

    as for the surgery itself I was awake the whole time by choice (it ended up costing less that way some
    how) and it wasn't too bad at all! mostly boring with a tinge of surreal
     
    • Informative x 1
  12. albedo

    albedo metasperg

    If you're fully knocked out, they need an anesthesiologist on hand the whole time to monitor your vitals and make sure you're okay. If you have a local or twilight sedation, you're breathing on your own and your reflexes are still largely working, so they can just have an ordinary nurse keeping an eye on you - much cheaper!
     
    • Informative x 2
    • Like x 1
  13. vuatson

    vuatson [delurks]

    I kind of want to get knocked out just to see what it’s like, but by most accounts I’ve heard the answer is “not very interesting” so I might let that go by. being awake during surgery has got to be an equally worthwhile experience anyway
     
    • Winner x 1
  14. Mercury

    Mercury Well-Known Member

    It's only interesting in that it's like a very short duration time travel - one moment you're being told to breathe deeply, the next you're opening your eyes and it's later! (And, if you're super unlucky, you discover you have anesthesia sickness.) It's not an experience worth paying for if you can stand to be awake through the procedure.
     
    • Agree x 6
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  15. albedo

    albedo metasperg

    I also found it a bit disquieting because, like any form of intoxication, your inhibitions can be lower than usual right after you wake up. "Maybe you did something embarrassing that you can't remember, while in an altered state?" is not my favorite question!

    Many people don't remember the rest of the day, and you'll need someone to give you a ride home and to keep an eye on you until the drugs wear off, which is a bit inconvenient.

    (As a sidebar, @vuatson , if you happen to be one of the surprisingly-many forum folks with a connective tissue disorder or other issue which impairs wound healing... I would definitely let the doc know before surgery. When I had my wisdom teeth out, the dissolvable sutures dissolved before the surgery holes had actually healed, which was... not an experience I recommend! If I were doing it again today, I definitely would ask about non-dissolving stitches, even if I had to come back in to have them removed.)
     
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  16. vuatson

    vuatson [delurks]

    afaik my connective tissues generally behave themselves, but thank you for the warning regardless! that sounds just wildly unpleasant and kind of horrifying, witnessed D:
     
  17. albedo

    albedo metasperg

    np! Figured it was worth a heads-up, at least.

    haha spoiler for deets bc it's kind of gross...
    So the gums hadn't healed over when the stitches came out, which meant I had these gaping holes in my lower jaw, like qtip-sized ones. Food kept getting stuck in there, so I had to water-pik the open wounds to keep stuff from rotting in there, which kept opening the wound back up, and it was a foul-tasting bloody nonsense for like two months before it finally healed.

    No lasting effects, and not enormously painful, though. And to reiterate, that's, uh... an edge case. Not something you need to worry about if you normally heal in a pretty normal way, I just have a dumb genetic disorder.
     
    • Witnessed x 4
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