I had the same concerns as well when I got mine removed.

So let’s be real about things. The procedure itself was the most uncomfortable one because it took a long time. There was no pain, just discomfort of someone working inside my mouth. I was given pain meds and easy-to-follow instructions. I had scrambled eggs and yogurt for a good week or two, which got boring because I didn’t prepare well. I followed my pain med instructions easily.

2 years after, and I have no issues. So, as long as you’re not an idiot and as long as you don’t deliberately fail to follow instructions, it’ll be alright. Do it, don’t put it off for longer.

Statistically you’re unlikely to have lasting issues as a result of getting them removed. It’s a very common outpatient procedure.

When you go in, they’ll likely give you nitrous oxide, which will make you relax a little, and they’ll let you sit and breathe it for a few minutes. I’d recommend bringing headphones since some nice music will help.
Then they’ll give you an IV that will make you not worry and likely barely remember what comes next. Basically a big dose of super valium.
Then they’ll give you some pain killers and local anesthetic and remove the teeth.

Your memory and orientation will start to come back in about an hour, by which time hopefully the person who transported you has gotten you home. You will not be able to care for yourself during the intervening time. You will be uncoordinated and of poor judgement.

When you get home it’s best to try to sleep until the meds that the dentist gave you wear off, or just watch TV. Take ibuprofen or Tylenol mostly, but an occasional opioid will help since there is some pain that the antiinflammatories don’t help with as much, although they take care of most of it.
Soft foods for a few days, and no straws.

All in all, you should be back to normal within two weeks, and you’ll get to feel nice and excited to eat something crunchy or chewy.

If you’ve had pain associated with your wisdom teeth, I’d recommend going forward as scheduled. The pain may have gone away temporarily, but it’ll come back.
I let mine go too long, and one of the wisdom teeth cracked open because of pressure on it from another tooth, which also damaged that tooth which was fortunately able to be repaired.
The pain from waiting for outstripped the discomfort of the procedure.

I recommend you don’t wait. I didn’t have mine removed until after they were impacted and my teeth began to shift. They were cut up before they could be removed. My only lasting side effect was from waiting too long. 20 years later I’m using Invisalign to straighten my teeth.

NO STRAWS NO STRAWS NO STRAWS NO STRAWS

The dentist will probably tell you everything you need to know, but after having spoken to someone who had 3 dry sockets due to using straws after removing her wisdom teeth, it feels like the most important point to drill in.

My partner had a lot of soylent, fruit/veg juice, soup, apple sauce after the procedure. Get some ice cream or a shake (WITH A SPOON) afterwards if you’re not nauseous - you deserve a treat. Apparently the weird ice from Sonic is really good when you get a tooth out, I’ve never had it lol. Good luck on your procedure, and don’t delay it!! Just get it over with so you never have to think about it again. You’re gonna be fine 💖

Not to add to your fears, but wisdom teeth surgery is also where a lot of people first interact with prescription pain medication. Depending on your situation and doctor, you can receive anything from higher strength ibuprofen or Tylenol to Percosets. Try to be mindful of how powerful pain medication is and if you can have someone you trust with you it’s even better. Overall, it’s not a very scary procedure and you’ll be fine :)

As far as I know, there’s really nothing you can do to minimize the potential for nerve damage later. It’s all going down to the skill of the oral surgeon and their team. As well as just however complex your “teeth situation” is. Basically the position of the tooth and the nerve. So to me, it’s not something to worry about because you can’t do anything about it. The oral surgeon should tell you what the risk is during consultation, then you can decide. I’m assuming they’ve given you a low chance for complications, which is why they’re willing to proceed.

I got mine removed when I was around 26-27, which is a little late. It was never really recommended to me by dentist or orthodontists, until I started having issues. One of my wisdom teeth was starting to erupt and the soft tissues around the tooth were getting inflamed/infected from food particles and such getting stuck all up in there. I think all 4 of my wisdom teeth were impacted so it was just recommended I get all of them removed at once.

And honestly, it was a pretty uneventful surgery and post-op. I was put under with propofol, and I was out practically immediately after they started pushing it via IV. I don’t remember what they gave me for pain reduction; I’m assuming just local anesthesia. I did wake up in the middle of the surgery because I could feel them pulling and yanking things in my mouth. I felt the pressure or tension as they were working, but otherwise no pain. I’m assuming they pushed a little more propofol beacause I was back out pretty quickly after they noticed I was awake and looking at them, being like “Wtf, why am I awake right now?”

Post-op and recovery, they gave me some Vicodin, which I loved, but obviously dangerous. I hear these days, Tylenol + Ibuprofen is the go-to, at least in the US. And supposedly it works very well. I strictly followed doctor’s orders on diet and not using straws, to prevent the possibility of dry socket. And thank god I didn’t get it. I did look a bit like John McCain or a chipmunk there in the day or two after the op, with the swelling. It was definitely more noticeable on one side over the other; not sure why.

But yeah, I didn’t have complications. Even the pain and discomfort was pretty minimal, though I’m sure I had the Vicodin to thank for that. But after 3 days, I didn’t need it anymore. Within like 4-5 days, all the swelling was gone and I was back at work. I did one check-up afterwards with the oral surgeon like 10 days afterwards and they said the healing was looking good and I didn’t have to come back unless I had some further complication. That was the last time I was in that office.

Like others have said, it’s a common outpatient procedure. Obviously that doesn’t mean no risk, as you know. But all things considered, it should be practically routine. Though it’s your decision, your body, your health. The doctors, family, friends, us randoms on the Internet, can only give you advice and anecdotes. Up to you to make that final decision.

Unless the dentist told you one of the teeth are actively infected and thus time sensitive (to prevent infection from spreading elsewhere for example), and since you’re not in pain, I’d suggest re-scheduling at least to give yourself more time to think about it. All surgery does come with risks and shouldn’t be rushed into if you’re unsure, imo.

If you can, ask the surgeon about how close your nerves are to the teeth and what they think the risk of nerve damage is for your particular case, so you have more information. And check the reviews and credentials for the surgeon, and make sure that it’s them who will do it personally and not assistants allowed in the fine print.

Personally, if the wisdom teeth aren’t causing any problems and the only reason to remove them is “they might cause problems in the future”, I’d leave them alone. Especially if they’re not sideways/impacted, but even then. But it’s your body and your decision. And I am not a doctor or a dentist of any kind.

But probably best to take the time you need to feel comfy with the decision if you need to, either way.

Mooncabbage is giving some excellent advice already but one more tip: I had the option to spend 10 bucks to (directly after surgery) have a mesh of fine tubes on my face for 30 minutes through which they pumped really cold water. I was still drowsy and barely remember it BUT I had very little swelling and I think the cold mesh immediately after the procedure did it.

I had a wisdom tooth removed when I was younger. They anaesthetized me, so I don’t remember the actual surgery. Since you’re removing three at a time, there will be a lot of swelling as you’ve probably been told. I would suggest you get some Soylent if possible, though that can get boring really quick. As others have said, scrambled eggs, yoghurt, soup, mashed potatoes, etc. I suppose you could also have regular meals and shove them in blender and eat that way.

I wouldn’t sweat it with the surgery itself, it’s such an old, well practised surgery there is very little that can go wrong.