Wisdom teeth removals and root canals seem to get nothing but horrible tales. I've had both, and the worst of them was aching of the jaw from having my mouth open wide for so long. It only needed some OTC painkillers for a couple of days at most, so it's not always a nightmare - seriously. My wisdom teeth were all impacted, at least partially under the other teeth and growing in funny directions. They were repeatedly becoming infected and pressing on the nerves in my jaw, causing severe pain (neuralgia). I eventually had all four out under general at the hospital and my friends and family saw fit to torture me with tales of broken/dislocated jaws, foot/kneeprints, black and blue faces, inability to eat for days/weeks etc. None of it was true in my case. My jaw ached a bit, but nothing Nurofen couldn't manage, and despite the stitches and anaesthetic, I was home and eating within 2 hours, and I had no bruising, no visible swelling, no broken bones, no infections, no dry sockets, no nothing. The worst thing, once the general aching went after a couple of days, was that the stitches would tickle my gum/cheek and drive me spare! So if it does turn out you need 'em removed, try not to worry too much. It's not always as bad as you think it's going to be. I booked a week off work, having them out on the Friday, and I could quite happily have gone back on the Monday, so I had a nice, relaxing week holiday instead. :)