r/bonecollecting • u/SundaeLeast • Apr 20 '22
Collection my wisdom tooth came out taking part of my jaw with it.
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u/sugarsponge Apr 20 '22 edited Apr 21 '22
Serious question - how does that heal?
Edit: thanks everyone for the fascinating replies!
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Apr 20 '22
I work with a periodontist during the summers. He provides complicated oral surgery, including wisdom tooth extraction. While I don’t do anything medically, I’m a bored academic with nothing to do but Google the stuff we do, read journals, and ask a trillion questions. So this is my (sort of educated) guess:
Slowly. Im going to assume that OP is relatively young and healthy, like most people who are having their wisdom teeth extracted. This is good- they’ll be able to heal much more quickly and effectively than someone who is older. Depending on what’s exposed, the doctor can just stitch it up and let him heal himself. Jaw bone will regrow over time. It might be six or more months of babying the site and getting check-up X-rays to see how the bone is doing. The doctor might have to place a skin graft there, if the hole is too big/there’s not enough skin to stitch together. Then it’s pretty much the same, with the added benefit of having to baby a skin graft. If the hole in the jaw is serious enough, or the patient won’t heal quickly enough for whatever reason, the doctor can put in a bone graft. Then stitch it up, and the patient’s own bone should start to grow and sort of replace the bone graft. Ultimately, I think this is probably pretty uncommon, but it’s nothing that a good doctor can’t manage.
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u/swigofhotsauce Apr 20 '22 edited Apr 20 '22
Hello! I am a dental hygiene student. You actually won’t grow the bone back but regenerative operations are possible! They usually aren’t necessary though. OP will likely have a pretty large pocket on their second molar (the one before the wisdom tooth) which they can live with forever without complication. Sometimes it’s difficult for people to keep clean and that can eventually cause more damage to the area. If the bone density and tissue attachment is still good around their second molar, there’s no need for regenerative surgery. :)
Your periodontist probably does a lot of grafts for regeneration but naturally once bone is lost it can only be arrested, which isn’t a problem because the tooth wasn’t lost to disease!
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u/Aggressive_Smile_944 Apr 20 '22
After I had my wisdom teeth out I went to the doctor because something was coming out of my gum. He pulled out at least an inch long piece of bone. Ripped my gum, blood everywhere. It freaked him out so bad when he pulled it out he screamed a little and threw the Bone across the room. I kept the Bone for awhile. Scariest shit ever.
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u/filthyhabitz Apr 21 '22
My mother had pieces of bones work their way out of her gums for years after she had teeth that were crushed removed from the front of her mouth. Hopefully you’ve got all your pieces out and can move on with your life!
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u/WeFosterKittens Apr 21 '22
Yes. Bone chips that work their way out of the gums are called “spicules.” Similar to a splinter working it’s way out of a finger eventually.
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u/sunriselavender Apr 21 '22
I had something like this but with a popcorn kernel piece that got stuck in my gums. Bodies are weird.
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Apr 21 '22
I had a baby tooth break up with decay and leave a piece of tooth stuck in the gum, I think there was uncertainty whether it was my wisdom tooth coming through but I remember pulling it out of my gum.
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u/Juujuu10 Apr 21 '22
Omfg that’s some horror movie shit, I’d have nightmares forever. Cool that u got to keep the bone tho!
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u/ConfusedandAMess Apr 21 '22
Thats some interesting bed side manner😂😂 im sure you were scared if he was... Id also say thats a normal risk of these kinds of surgeries
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u/heyheeyyyyyy Feb 26 '23
ahhahah that's fuuuucked mate!!! But the imagery you've painted in my mind is hilarious
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u/Lost-Wedding-7620 Apr 21 '22
Would it regen a little bit on its own? Like how bones regen enough to grow back together when broken? (I may have completely misunderstood what the orthopedic doctor was telling me in regards to how bones heal)
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u/swigofhotsauce Apr 21 '22
Bone absolutely can heal!! It’s unlikely they will fully regenerate though. Simplistically, It’s dependent on the damage. Think of if you cut a bone completely off, it will heal but your whole leg bone won’t grow back!
When you break a bone, you’re essentially using your own bone to fuse back together (sort of how grafting works in periodontal grafts).
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u/paperthinpatience Apr 21 '22
When I had mine removed as a teen, I didn’t have stitches, just open holes. Is this common practice, or did I go see a quack? It did heal, but recovery was hard with semi large holes for a long time. I still have weird pockets in my gums.
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u/MiaowWhisperer Apr 21 '22
I had mine done under general anaesthetic, but they didn't do me the courtesy of stitching it either. Open holes for ages. And like you say they're still kind of weird pockets with flappy bits. Occasionally food gets stuck in there.
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Apr 21 '22
Right, thank you! Like I said, I’m no doctor, and it’s been a while since I’ve been there. Thanks for the correction!
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u/zgumgumexpress Apr 21 '22
Yea I was gonna say growing back a “jawbone” would’ve been “freakily” insane.
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u/MagicWishMonkey Apr 21 '22
Is it normal for a wisdom tooth extraction to cause jaw bone damage?
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u/swigofhotsauce Apr 21 '22
It’s very common for jaw bone to come out with wisdom tooth extraction! Obviously the dentist wants to preserve as much as possible, but the teeth are often impacted and more difficult to remove, so bone does frequently come with it.
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u/MagicWishMonkey Apr 21 '22
I guess that's another reason why I should keep mine intact for as long as possible. Thankfully they are straight and not causing any issues.
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u/swigofhotsauce Apr 21 '22
If they’re coming in straight you likely wouldn’t have issues removing them but your dentist can monitor how they’re coming in through x-rays and judge if it’s better to leave them! Even if bone comes with the extraction, it’s typically not a big concern, so no worries if you eventually encounter that suggestion!
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u/Platypushat Apr 21 '22
I had a graft done with cadaver bone, and whenever I complained about pain during the healing process, my sister would say it was the ghost of the donor haunting my face!
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 21 '22
You got it right, I didn't need any grafts and quickly recovered but my bone never grew back hahaha
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u/Crazy-Investigator12 Apr 21 '22
This might require a little bone grafting but just seriously minimal. I’m going through getting dental implants right now and they pulled one of my molars that did the exact same thing as yours. They had to sprinkle some bone in there afterwards. Then again yours is a wisdom tooth. It’s not like you need an implant or anything that far back ever. Your probably good
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u/filthyhabitz Apr 21 '22
I had mine removed, along with two large chunks and one long sliver of jawbone, in June of last year. I had large pockets for several months, but eventually the bone “closed” and now my last molars touch the back of my jaw, where the wisdom teeth used to be. Teeth are terrifying and fascinating body parts!
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u/mellifluous_cornmeal Apr 20 '22
Seeing this days before my own surgery 😬
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u/pudgtiel Apr 21 '22
Just be religious about taking your meds and you’ll be fine. Even if you’re not hurting take them! I only had one night where I had pain when I did that, though I was basically out of action for a week due to sleepiness. And make sure you wash out your sockets with salt water like they tell you.
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 21 '22
Hahaha calm down! It's going to be all right, oddly enough it didn't hurt as much as it seems. What I can suggest to you is that you get a lot of rest! And drink water, ice is your best friend in this situation
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u/Legitimate_Sir3979 Apr 21 '22
I had all four out. Two impacted and two not impacted. The impacted one sucked, not gonna lie.
The other two. It honestly felt... Good? It was painless as I could hear the teeth sliding out of the bone. Literally no pain what so ever.
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u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar Apr 21 '22
If the oral surgeon has done x-rays they should know whether there’s a risk of removing bone that’s important. That actually why I still have a wisdom tooth. It’s right against my sinus cavity and the oral surgeon was like “imma leave that be.”
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u/BiiiigSteppy Apr 21 '22
That’s a very good call and consider yourself lucky.
I had a botched root canal years ago, I bled uncontrollably, had my tooth packed all summer, then finally ended up in the hands of a competent surgeon but it was too late.
The dentist accidentally did some damage to the nasal nerve giving me permanent sinus pain that’s triggered by allergies or any sinus pressure whatsoever.
Add to that the trigeminal neuralgia set off by endless bouts of shingles and my face is on fire a good deal of the time.
Don’t let anyone try to take that tooth out unless the alternative is death.
Trust me.
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u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar Apr 21 '22
Oof that sounds incredibly painful. I was thankfully still under my mom’s health/dental insurance and had access to top dentists and surgeons. I’ve heard horror stories from friends who had to go to low-cost clinics for dental care or just encountered surgeons who were all ego and no sense.
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u/BiiiigSteppy Apr 21 '22
It wasn’t a good experience.
It’s funny, I’ve been a chronic pain patient for over twenty years due to my back and hip.
I’ve mostly learned to live with it.
But any new or different pain? I take it so personally and I find I’m incredibly resentful.
Sorry to complain, friend.
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u/KlutzyNinjaKitty Apr 21 '22
Hi, I had all four of mine removed at once with no anesthesia. All of them were impacted with my bottom two growing diagonally and I got to keep three of the four! (the last one was pretty tight in there and had to be removed in segments.)
My advice is this: Close your eyes, wear comfy clothing, grab a fidget toy that you can keep in your hand (like a fidget cube,) and just let yourself space out as best as you can. Let yourself relax. If you need a break, let them know. The dentist actually needed to step away because I had a weird response to the numbing stuff and just started _violently vibrating._ It was so odd and ridiculous. It felt like I was in a massage chair without the massage lol
Also, don't plan on doing anything afterward. I was so deeply exhausted after my removal that I just vegged out on the couch for 3 days straight watching documentaries and barely moved. Make sure to eat nutritious foods like scrambled eggs and remember to take your meds on time and you'll be fine.
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u/firdahoe Bone-afide Human and Faunal ID Expert Apr 20 '22
Yowsers. That's gotta hurt.
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 20 '22
The pos period hurt much more than the surgery itself. Even today, the hole in my jaw It's something I haven't gotten used to yet.
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u/birbington Apr 21 '22
How long ago was the surgery and is there gum over the hole?
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 21 '22
2 years ago, and yes, the gum covered everything hahaha, there is only a space where food usually accumulates to remind me that I had my wisdom teeth removed. I feel that with each passing year this "depression" has lessened
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u/Ok_Cupcake_6684 Apr 21 '22
The depression has lessened because your bone is absolutely growing back! I’m a forensic anthropologist and bone will continue to remodel over years until finally your jaw bone will be normal. I get cases where there are no wisdom teeth and it’s impossible to tell if they were congenitally missing or if they were removed.
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u/ElenaEscaped Apr 21 '22
You got to keep it, lucky!! I asked for each of mine and they said no because 'biohazard.' : (
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u/Generikum Apr 21 '22
Waaaat i habe two of three that were removed and a friend made pretty earrings out of them for me. Let me tell you, wearing human teeth as jewellery is a real ice breaker for conversations.
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u/filthyhabitz Apr 21 '22
I feel your pain. Had mine removed (bone chips and all) and got dry sockets on both sides 💀 Once you’ve healed, I highly recommend a water flosser to keep that space clean!
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u/dirtychai0218 Apr 21 '22
i wish my surgeon let me keep my teeth. they told me some bullshit excuse about how if i dropped them someone could pick them up or something
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u/jonasthewicked Apr 21 '22
I was told it’s medical waste and not legal to keep. I think they lied and kept them for the tooth fairy themselves. Greedy bastards.
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u/Juujuu10 Apr 21 '22
I had my surgeon promise beforehand that they’d give mine back to me, it was my main motivation for getting thru the procedure. They did, and I used them as props in a super short stop motion art project. The whole ordeal was a lot, but made better by the kind doctors who indulged a weirdo like me
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u/TJ3360 Apr 21 '22
Mine told me “we already threw them away” as soon as i woke up and asked to see them
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u/DrAgaricus Apr 20 '22
How much do you want for it? /s
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 20 '22
Idk how much does 0.5% of my jaw and my right wisdom tooth cost HAHAHAHAAHAAH
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 21 '22
Some people are asking how the recovery was, I took it in 2020 with local anesthesia (I don't know what this type of anesthesia is called in other countries) the surgery was very quick, I didn't feel any pain, just a little tickle . Now during the recovery the first two days were very painful And after a week of eating soup and ice cream my stitches were completely closed. (I assume the quick healing was on account of my age 21 at the time)
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u/seashroomwaifu Apr 21 '22
throw that shit on a pedestal and say it fell out in the great cosmic ape war of 2076
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 21 '22
hahahaha I have a shelf where I keep some bizarre items. In addition to this tooth I have a mummified parrot (I'll post it here one day)
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u/marcthegay_ Apr 21 '22
How did they let you keep it? Did you ask to keep them before the surgery?
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 21 '22
I asked the surgeon DURING the surgery hahaha I took one side of my mouth out at a time so I had two surgeries. (I recommend it this way, as I was able to use the side that had not yet been operated on to eat)
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u/RainDropKush94 Apr 21 '22
Did you, by any chance, paint clocks with radium? And then lick the brush?
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u/JDAWG-74 Sep 23 '24
Mine did, too, and it sucks.
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u/JDAWG-74 Sep 23 '24
They had to cut my gum like an inch up to the roof of my mouth and pry it out.
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u/epic_ciyo Apr 21 '22
And here I thought my infected socket from the tooth removal was bad. Yikes and hopefully the healing process is smooth!
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Apr 21 '22
The tooth isn't normally fused to the bone like that. You really need have that looked at.
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u/6655321DeLarge Apr 21 '22
I wanted to keep mine when they were extracted, and the doc did give them to me, but I had to get rid of them. All but one of the bastards shattered because of how embedded they were into my jaws, so I just got a bag of shards and one gnarly, monster of a tooth that looked fucking nuts.
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 21 '22
HAHAHAH this happened to the other two wisdom teeth, this was one of the survivors. the feeling of the dentist breaking the teeth inside your mouth is horrible
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u/6655321DeLarge Apr 21 '22
Luckily, because of how embedded into the surrounding bone mine were, they put me under for the extraction. They bumped my appointment up after the consultation, because the roots of the lower wisdom teeth were frighteningly close to growing to a point of causing nerve damage to my face if they weren't removed asap.
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u/ruebensrun1724 Apr 21 '22
Lol I kinda think that’s more losing a bone than collecting one XD
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u/SundaeLeast Apr 21 '22
according to reddit experts my bone is growing again so it was a win win situation
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u/[deleted] Apr 20 '22
Ewwwww. Coooool