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Having wisdom teeth removed is a procedure many will experience. The professionals at the AAOMS (American Association of Oral and Maxillofocial Surgeons - try saying that 10 times fast... or with wisdom tooth pain) indicate "It is estimated that about 85% of third molars [wisdom teeth] will eventually need to be removed." (PDF file). That is a staggering amount of teeth - and the experiences associated with all of these extractions run the gamut from "terrible... Mariah Carey in "Glitter" Terrible (YouTube)" to "I want to have all of my teeth removed that was so great" (OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration... but it's possible, right?).

My personal experience was actually better than I could have ever imagined.

(This is what I imagined...)

To give you a little background about my experience, everything started with a weekend trip out of town. I was at a dance convention in Portland, OR with my partner and everything seemed to be going great...well as great as things can be with dance moms around...when I wake up Saturday morning in terrible pain. At first I thought it was tolerable but as the day when on the tooth pain was getting worse and worse.

I called my fabulous Seattle dentist, Dr. Mimi, and she let me know after describing my symptoms that it sounded like an infection. She was so great though the whole thing; she is always really awesome, but to take time out on the weekend to listen to me moaning was pretty amazing. She prescribed me some medications and by the next day I felt a little better... and two days after that I was practically back to normal.

I scheduled an appointment to see Dr. Mimi when I came back to Seattle; she and her staff were kind enough to squeeze me in for a before-hours morning appointment. They have REALLY good customer service there - it is like the Nordstrom of Cosmetic and General Dentistry. I mean that. After taking a look Dr. Mimi strongly encouraged me to have the wisdom tooth taken out and offered me a referral, as she does not do extractions. Unfortunately I was unable to work out an arrangement for the doctor she referred, while at the same time I was making plans for a long weekend in NYC (I know, I know... with recent tooth pain and infection... I must have been nuts), but a coworker of mine referred me to his previous oral surgeon which is down the street from our office and I made the call (a few days after arriving back from NYC... where I felt very little tooth discomfort).

The office was recently acquired by a new doctor, David J Haralson, and being a gambling man - as well as a sucker for convenience - I figured I would see what this place was all about. Also, I kind of saw it as a sign that the care I receive from Dr. Mimi is just like the service I get at Nordstrom - and this new oral surgeons office is like, right next door to the flagship Nordstrom store!

I ended up making a same-day appointment (unbelievable, right?) with the office of David J Haralson [DMD, MD, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon] - and I think this was one of the best decisions I could have made. From the moment I walked into the office I felt really comfortable, due mostly to the woman at the front desk who is really personable and friendly. The entire office has a feeling of relaxation, with some style - much like the office of Dr. Mimi.

After some X-rays were taken, a quick consultation was completed, and we went over the financials they were able to schedule my extraction for the next day. Whaaaaaaaaaaat? That is crazy awesome! It also gave me very little time to think about any downsides, watch videos (don't do it) and generally creep myself out. Plus, it worked out really well for my schedule. Now I just needed to prepare.

I was all about getting ready to have my teeth removed. I wanted to be prepared for the the pain I had been hearing about. A family member told me that when hers were taken out it was pain worse than childbirth... and while I will never experience that personally... I can imagine what that must be like. So I got a ton of soft foods: ice cream, yogurt (not the poop yogurt Jamie Lee Curtis (YouTube) is so fond of... I refuse), and I even made a huge batch of mashed potatoes! Speaking of, did you know that you are not supposed to put a whole bags worth of potato skins down the garbage disposal? I didn't. I now know, however, that it really messes things up in your pipes. Anyway, I also grabbed the ole iPad and put it in a place I would be able to reach easily in case I was incapacitated. I was ready for anything.

I was not able to eat or drink anything after midnight before the surgery. This is terrible for me because I really enjoy a midnight snack, well actually I enjoy snacks throughout the night because I am a "sleep eater" - I eat during the night and usually have no recollection of it. It is a real thing. The mornings are kind of like when you are young and drinking heavily and you wake up next to 1 - 4 strangers, in a pile of filth ... except that in this case I wake up to cookie wrappers and half eaten sandwiches. The feeling of regret is the same. Trust me.

Anyway, the morning of the surgery was OK - though I was in terrible need of a coffee. My partner took me to the office (you need to have someone "sign you out") and parked in the valet area of the Medical Dental building. They hooked me up to an IV and some other equipment. There were three people in the room - David J Haralson and two of his really friendly assistants (whom I met in the first consultation). Everything gets really foggy for a few hours after that.

The surgery was about an hour or so, which is a really short time as I have talked to people who were in there for several hours. I guess it depends on the skill of the surgeon (or dentist). I don't remember anything about the surgery but from what I was told I was singing in the car on the way home, and then passed out. When I came to, there was plenty of bloody gauze wads everywhere but the bleeding stopped that same day. I read online that teabags are good for clotting and pain so I did use a few of those.

I was prescribed some medication to take and it seemed to be doing a great job. I was also provided with a handy sheet of care instructions that answered most of the questions I had. I did have to contact the office on a few occasions (I have a pretty low tolerance to pain, and am naturally paranoid that my body is falling apart) and when I needed to, I spoke with Dr. Haralson directly - even on the weekends! The dedication to customer service, especially considering this is the start of this new practice, is quite amazing. I would have to say that my overall experience was very positive and it is kind of sad that I will not see Dr. Haralson or his staff again - the wisdom tooth extraction in my case was a one-time thing - they were all taken in one day (which I recommend). I do not really plan on having any other teeth removed or any other type of oral surgery but if I do, I know where I am going!

If you have questions or concerns about your dental health and are in the Seattle area you should contact either Dr. Mimi or Dr. Haralson. They each have specialties and can answer different things but combined, they make one heck of a team (even if they do not know it).

You can reach Dr. Mimi about general dentistry concerns like General Dentistry, Cosmetic Dentistry / Teeth Whitening (same day service with E4D), Identafi, Invisalign, Periodontal Treatment, and TMJ Treatment (there is also information available and email contact on her site).

Ruth Woldemicael, DMD

5126 25th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA  98105

206.523.6520

You can reach David J Haralson about Wisdom Teeth, Dental Extractions, Dental Implants, Bone Grafting, Oral Pathology, Orthognathic (Jaw) Surgery, Oral and Facial Trauma, and Reconstruction

David Haralson

509 Olive Way, Suite #1331 Seattle, WA 98101

206.624.0852

This is not a paid advertisement. I do not work for Dr. Mimi, nor for Dr. Haralson. I am not being compensated in any way by providing my personal experience with wisdom tooth extractions. Everyone responds differently to treatment and your results might vary. No information provided on this site (or any really...) can or should be used as a recommendation of treatment. Please see a qualified dental professional if you have questions or concerns about your health ( suggestions above).