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Wisdom tooth is rotting. Scared to have it removed

V

vesh

Junior member
Joined
Mar 21, 2011
Messages
6
I visited the dentist around last September for a bad tooth ache and they also checked my wisdom teeth which first started appearing around 2005/6 and the bottom right tooth has a hole in it.
Went to see a dental surgeon and he said he would remove all 4 wisdom teeth. I never got back to him, too scared to be put to sleep!
Since yesterday the wisdom tooth with the whole has been hurting, looks like theres loose gum going over it even covering the hole and any pressure on that bit of gum hurts heaps. If I move it over looks like the whole is even bigger than what it use to be an the tooth is rotting away.

So I am assuming I have no choice but to get it pulled out? What would happen if I don't? Can infections be prevented/treated without surgery??

If I went ahead to get it pulled out, do I have to be put asleep??? The only thing I'm worried about being awake is tha t my mouth will get real dry from being open and I won't be able to take it or I'll have a need to swallo my saliva at times but being put to sleep scares me quite a bit.

If I can be awake, would a dentist let me have my ipod haha??
 
Hi, if you look a few threads down(about 12 right now), you'll see I had the same problem and Brit answered some of my questions. My left upper wisdom tooth was decayed and pretty much rotted away like yours. It was a big crater. It had gotten infected and like you, I also experienced pain when I bit down. My dentist said I felt pain because the gums were infected and the nerve in the tooth was already dead. You should definitely get an infection treated with antibiotics or things get really bad. While that may fix things in the short term, the infection will come back and being on antibiotics all the time is awful. The bacteria will eventually become resistant also. I also had a lot of anxiety about the whole experience and lost much sleep over it. Everyone was telling me it was going to be fine and I still was worried.

I had that decayed wisdom tooth extracted just last Thursday and it went better than I expected. The most painful part was paying! ;) Anyway, I only took out that tooth and was awake. They allowed me to listen to my music and that actually helped a lot. You won't feel a thing because they numb you up and you probably won't even feel them take out the tooth. My surgeon had to tell me it was out. They made an incision, banged the tooth a bit, and took forceps to take it out. All I felt was some was some nudging. Honestly, the worst part was just waiting to get it done. After you get it done, put an icepack on your face for the next 12 hours, take some pain meds, and eat soft foods. I know everyone has different pain tolerances, but honestly, I only took Advil the day of and the day after. The bad news for me was, the surgeon said having that tooth there decaying so long helped the 2nd molar next to it develop a cavity. I hope you have the same experience I had(minus the cavity). Get it out and you'll feel better.
 
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Thanks. So even though it was rotted they could still take it out normal procedure??? Did your mouth dry up or you felt an urge to swallow your saliva??? I'm more concerned about that, the dental surgeon I THINK said I have to be put to sleep ( I can't remember 100% if he definately said that, I think maybe just me getting scared about that thought) to have all 4 taken out and the thought of being put to sleep and what it would be like scares me so if I can only take this 1 out, I SHOULD be ok.

How long also did it take???
 
It might be best to check what they mean by 'put to sleep'. Do they mean a full GA or just i/v sedation?
If they are advising you to be sedated for the removal of 4 wisdom teeth, I would think it is probably a good idea to follow that advice.
For a single one it is more your choice. It really also depends how complex the extraction is likely to be...some things are fine to be awake for, others maybe not. If you are awake they need to be sure of being able to get you fully numb.

I think you need more information to make your decision. Keeping an infected tooth there is not a good idea though so don't dilly dally too long.
 
Thanks. So even though it was rotted they could still take it out normal procedure??? Did your mouth dry up or you felt an urge to swallow your saliva??? I'm more concerned about that, the dental surgeon I THINK said I have to be put to sleep ( I can't remember 100% if he definately said that, I think maybe just me getting scared about that thought) to have all 4 taken out and the thought of being put to sleep and what it would be like scares me so if I can only take this 1 out, I SHOULD be ok.

How long also did it take???

The actual procedure of them taking the tooth out was like 2 minutes if not less. I don't know what the normal procedure is, but the tooth was pretty much gone and they had to make an incision to grab what was left in the gumline. It was waiting for the numbing agent to take effect and the prep that took the most time. I don't remember swallowing saliva, I believe it was being taken care of by a tube or the assistant suctioned it...I couldn't really see since i was staring at the ceiling and my mouth was pretty numb. If you are having 4 taken out, they told me they would prefer to do I/V sedation as it would be easier for me and the surgeon.
 
Well only way for me is under general anesthesia (which is what I ment by put to sleep) saw dental surgeon today he told me about it and how experienced they are and when I first saw him last year I was happy with the way he said things, just scared about the thought of being put to sleep.

And this surgery will be tomorrow! 1pm Sydney time (just after 8pm here Wednesday night) I'm glad that it will happen quick and I don't have to wait ages but also nervous I just hope I close my eyes then wake up later thinking I only was out for 5 mins haha

Will post here how it goes
 
I just hope I close my eyes then wake up later thinking I only was out for 5 mins haha

Will post here how it goes

Hi
That it is what it will be like...GA is a breeze. I had my wisdoms removed with a GA in the UK. The worst bit is recovering afterwards but even that is usually not as bad as people make out. Best wishes, you will be fine.
:grouphug:
 
i wish you the very best of luck and good health :)
stay positive and i am sure your success story on here in the next few days will show us all how brave you were and how all has gone to plan :grouphug::yay::grouphug:
 
Thanks. 4 hours till surgery I am pretty nervous and pretty hungry lol I've said it already but I am just hoping it goes quick!
 
hope those waiting hours pass quickly .... always the worst part in my experience - good luck and well done for facing this so far. i will be thinking of you and send you lots of encouraging energy x:grouphug:
 
Thanks :)

I realised I spelt "hole" as as the other "whole" in first post lol.

LIstening to music to help with the nerves and will have my ipod on till I enter surgery lol
 
Well it took forever waiting for my turn for sugery and was pretty nervous. They gave me meds that make me sleepy which were great. Had a sleep before went to surgery and was too tired to be nervous when they were about to knock me out and before I knew it I was awake!

All went well, felt like an awesome sleep haha so happy it's over and done with and so happy that I've done this.

Mouth feels weird but nothing can't cope with. I'm just very happy that it's done, very tired to haha.

Thanks guys!!
 
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