i had my wisdom teeth taken out last year. i have dental and medical anxiety, so i was pretty terrified of the procedure and even rescheduled it once because of how scared i was, but the removal itself wasn’t bad! i opted to be put under anesthesia for mine— the moments before were kind of overwhelming since the procedure room was pretty small and there were a lot of people around me and hovering over me checking my bp, getting the iv ready, putting the anesthesia mask on me etc, but obviously i didn’t care so much once i was out haha
waking up after the procedure wasn’t too bad, either. the anesthesia didn’t make me as goofy as i’ve seen it make other people after their wisdom teeth removals (which was lowkey disappointing LOL), but it was a trip waking up, not remembering where i was or what happened, and noticing that one of my socks was missing and that i had an iv in my foot (i was dehydrated, so they couldn’t get a vein from my arm). the staff was super sweet, though— the nurse thoroughly explained how to take care of myself after, walked me out to my mom’s car, and even wrapped a blanket around me that i got to keep
the recovery wasn’t very fun, though
sleeping was pretty challenging since i had to do it on my back and while propped up, i missed eating solid foods and being able to use straws, i had to be extra cautious about sneezing, coughing, or straining myself in any way out of fear of getting dry socket, having to replace the bloody gauze in my mouth on the first day grossed me out, etc. i was diligent about taking my pain meds on time so i thankfully was never in any pain, but the pain meds and/or the antibiotics i was prescribed caused me massive brain fog and honestly made me miserable and ridiculously emotional haha. i even begged my mom to call the dentist because i was so certain that i had dry socket (even though i wasn’t in any pain), and i was just… a mess lol
it’s been over a year since my procedure now, and i’m doing just fine! i’m not in any pain, the empty sockets don’t interfere with my ability to chew my food, sleep on my side etc. i don’t play the french horn, so i sadly don’t have any insight or advice on that to offer you, but i don’t see not having your wisdom teeth affecting your skill or your ability to play!
i’m glad your recovery is going smoothly so far! the only advice i can really offer you is to adhere by your dentist’s aftercare instructions— stay away from straws for at least another couple of days, keep your mouth clean and hydrated, saltwater rinses are your best friend, and even use a dropper tool of some sort to squirt the saltwater directly into the empty sockets to flush out any food that might get stuck there, use heat/ice and keep your head elevated as much as you can to help with the swelling, be gentle when spitting/rinsing, and of course rest and take pain meds as needed!
i hope you’re back to 100% soon