Sharing my experience to hopefully help others
I (F48) had all four wisdom teeth removed approximately four weeks ago. All were impacted except my top right which was starting to erupt and was pushing on the molar next to it. I was told by multiple dentists that if I didn't have the wisdom tooth removed I could lose the other molar. I decided to have all of them removed by an oral surgeon with full sedation (propofol, ketamine, etc.) The surgery went well, although they had to give me a lot of meds to keep me sedated. Not really sure why, but apparently some of us metabolize these meds very quickly. I was awake for the last few minutes of the procedure which was fine. I was not in any pain or discomfort. The surgeon had already given me the max amount of meds and could not give me more. The surgeon did tell me that I kept trying to wake up during the procedure, but I don't remember any of it.
Initial recovery went well. I had the procedure done on Friday and returned to work on Thursday. I wanted to wait until the swelling had subsided. I did a short course of steroids, and for pain I rotated Ibuprophen and Hydrocodone for just the first few days, and then Tylenol and Ibuprophen. Soft foods the first couple days and then regular diet, but no chips or crackers. Salt water syringe twice per day to remove food particles in the socket.
What I did not expect was to still need the Ibuprophen and Tylenol several weeks after surgery. I was still having a lot of jaw stiffness and soreness which was diagnosed as myofacial pain (after CT scan and exam) third week post op. The surgeon wrote me an Rx for Naproxen 500 mg. The Naproxen seemed to help for a few days, but then I noticed I was having breakthrough pain. Three days later I woke up with visible swelling on the right side of my face that was tender to the touch. I sent a text to my surgeon and he told me to come back to the office that afternoon. Back to the surgeon, another CT, and an exam revealed infection in my right bottom socket.😭
Now on a strong dose of Amoxicillin and hydrocodone and Ibuprophen for the pain. I still look like I have a golf ball in my right cheek and my lymph nodes are swollen. What I did learn was that food particles, like small seeds, that do not dissolve organically, can get stuck and cause infection. I had been eating a lot of strawberries and blueberries since they are soft and easy to chew.
I learned that infection can come on very quickly, and never assume that it can't happen several weeks after the extraction. I feel fortunate that I had a surgeon I could easily get a hold of via text if I had questions and I always got a prompt response. He never made it feel like I was a burden when I would reach out to him. All of the additional CT scans and exams were free of charge, so I was never hesitant to seek care or guidance if I had a concern.
TL;DR version: Even if you do everything right, getting wisdom teeth removed as an older adult is not an easy recovery and has more risks. Infection (even a month after surgery) can come on quickly, so pay attention to the signs. Avoid anything with tiny seeds until sockets are fully healed (which can take months). And most importantly, find a good, caring surgeon who is easy to reach out to, so you can get treatment before it becomes a medical emergency.