What to expect

Hey Guys!

It's me again and I'm having another sleepless night.......

I wanted to know what I should expect during my wisdom teeth extraction on Thursday.

I'm having all 4 removed and the two bottom ones are both erupted and slightly impacted. I'm getting local anesthesia and I'll be taking a valium the night before and the morning of. I'll also be bringing along the headphones to drown out the unwanted noises.

What exactly will I feel? I keep hearing about a terrible pressure. I've heard there's absolutely no pain, but this pressure sucks. Will the valium I'll be taking help to relieve some of that. I've heard that sometimes oral sedation with a valium can actually make the visit relatively easy. Is this typical? Also, how long will this procedure take? I know everyone is different but what would be a good estimate?

I'm calling my oral surgeon today as soon as it's business hours to see if I need to do a preliminary meeting with him today since it's been about 6 months since my consultation. I don't think anything has changed tooth wise since that period. But I have switched from general to local so I don't know if that will require a different procedure.

Sorry if I'm rambling. I'm really freaking out more than I thought I would. I keep trying to tell myself that its only a minor procedure and any discomfort I might feel (i.e. the pressure) will not last very long. But I can't help but to get knots in my stomach. I haven't slept right or finished a complete meal all week. Hopefully, me blowing this way out of proportion will make whatever happens to me seem like a walk in the park.

Thanks for all the help you guys have been providing me over the past few days. I just wish this would be over with

hey

i had a wisdom tooth extracted a few weeks back (top right) and i was a WRECK to be honest lol it was a snapped tooth so all i could imagine was all the horrible things that could go wrong etc but when i got there i cried then i cried some more and the dentist said i could see how i felt with the gas but i didn't like the smell of it and it made my nose feel funny so eventually i said ok let's just get it over with, so i got my first injection and when i touched the roof of my mouth i could still feel it (started to panic here) but i told her and she said ok we'll give you another wee jag and it went into the roof of my mouth, yes it did hurt more but it was like 1 second and that was it, when she said she was ready to start i thought here we go and braced myself, and yes there is alot of pressure but it isn't that unbearable, i heard a small kind of snap/crack and she said that was the tooth loose (this took about 15-20 seconds) and she stopped to let me catch my breath lol then she did the next bit and it took about 30 seconds and it was mostly just pressure and you knew she was "waggling" the tooth to remove it and that was it, the pressure people talk about can be quite overwhelming the first second or so but it isn't that bad i am terrified of even check ups and i managed to go the whole thing with no relaxation methods what so ever

all i can say is i didn't have impacted teeth so i am unsure how that goes but i'm sure your dentist would have told you if it was anything different, the good thing is you can get everyone to pamper you and feel sorry for you for a day or two thats what i did, just regular over the counter paracetamol did it for me and i stopped taking them after 2 days and i had no swelling atall

i hope everything goes well for you let me know how it went

Hey Ianto,

Thanks for the response.

I'm hoping the valium will take care of the pressure feeling. I know I'll still feel it but I hope the valium will make me not care about it. Pills usually knock me on my a$$ so I'm hoping I'll have a similar reaction to the valium pills I'll be taking. As far as the noise, I'm gonna crank my headphones up as loud as they can go to drown that out.

I hate that I'm making such a mountain out of this mole hill. I'm a little disappointed in myself. I decided to go with the local over GA b/c GA was making me too anxious, and here I am being anxious.

Of course, it is my nature to think of all the things that can go wrong. What if my valium doesn't work? What if I can't take the pressure? What if there's a complication and I have to be in the chair longer than I should? I know I should avoid thinking about it, but just can't.

I really want this to be over with.

It's me again.

As you may remember, I have had six teeth extracted...four were wisdom teeth.

The pressure thing is WAY over rated.

And remember...for some reason EVERYONE...even the ones who hate dentists and should be more understanding of your fears...want to tell either their horror story or the one "they heard."

IGNORE THEM.

Again, the pressure things is not a big deal. Honestly, I rather enjoyed the part where the tooth came out of the jaw. Seriously. My dentist said the same thing..."some people don't like this part." But she said it isn't a big deal. She was right.

And also remember...if these teeth are impacted, I don't think there will be much pressure at all. Why? Because if they are like my one impacted tooth, the dentist will break the tooth before extracting it. So the pressure should even be less...if even existent.

A guy I work with just had all four of his extracted, and he did it under sedation. Much easier than he thought.

Relax. Seriously...relax.

99% of your fears are like mine were....the fear of the unknown. If you only knew what was going to happen and what it would feel like, then you just KNOW that these fears would be gone. And you are right.

Having been through it six times (did I say that before? ), please listen. It is not a big deal.

But I do understand why you are feeling as you do. Hugs of sympathy and empathy as I was there...but now am here.

Thanks so much for those kind words. As you say, the fear of not knowing is what's eating at me. I'm the type of person that researches EVERYTHING to find out as much as I can about it.

When doing some reearch on wisdom teeth (which I would NEVER recommend anyone doing, all it does is drive you bonkers!) I found that there is no clear "procedure" for wisdom teeth. The OS pretty much has to "get in there" to figure out what needs to be done.

I did call the OS this morning and I have an appointment to go in at 2:30 to go over the procedure with him. I'm only doing this b/c my consultation was about 6 or 7 months ago. That's a long time. I'm sure just having him tell me what he expects during the procedure will calm my nerves somewhat.

The receptionist there is usually mean, but I think she could tell I was a little anxious. She said the OS usually doesn't meet with the patient the day before but if I really wanted to I could come in. She also reassured me that the valium pill will work.

As I was hanging up I apologized for being such a big baby, she told me not to worry about it adn I'll be fine. It's just a simple procedure that nearly everyone has to go through.

I'll say this, I've never really "opened" up to an online community like I have here. You guys are wonderful. I'm still new here but I feel right at home. I'm in the states, so it's reassuring that during my sleepless nights I can come on this site and there will be people form overseas on here willing to help.

hello:

Valium is a great muscle relaxant and tends to make memory a little bit fuzzy. You are not being a "baby."

This is an unknown for you and being nervous is understandable. It is not unreasonable to ask for an appointment to discuss concerns with the OS. Personally, I would demand it. Many times in the healthcare field we tend to forget we are treating real people not conditions or charts. That which is routine for us can be very frightening for those under our care.

We need more humanity in our profession. Everything tends to revolve around an authoritarian structure, Doctor or Dentist dictates, patient obeys. This is wrong and counterproductive to great care.

I recently gave a presentation to a group of doctors. I asked them how often they inquire about the emotional state of their patients. from a group of 30 I did not receive one positive reply. The response I did get was, "I really do not have the time or inclination to ask. That could lead to a protracted discussion I have no desire to enter into."

I am saddened at the response you received, this is one reason we have many problems with dental anxiety and fear. I am sure your appointment will go smoothly.

All the best to you.

Well I just returned from my "pre-operation" appointment.

I am somewhat relieved right now. The OS told me my top two wisdoms will be simple extractions. He also said one of my bottom wisdoms looks like it could be a simple extraction as well. He said he might only have to use the drill for my bottom right wisdom, and he even said that could also be a simple extraction as well.

He told me the whole procedure should last around 15-20 minutes!

I was expecting 45 minutes to an hour with all kinds of drilling. He did warn me about the pressure, but he said that the valium should help me not freak out about it. I'll also have my i-pod to help drown out the unwanted noises.

I feel a little bit better about going with the local and valium pills. I can deal with a few minutes of unpleasantness if it means I don't have to have the anxiety about being put to sleep.

Also, StressDoc, I think you might have somehow channeled through to them. The receptionist was very nice and joked with me. The nurse was very friendly and laughed at my jokes (which probably weren't that funny since I was so nervous.) Even the OS was very friendly.

My anxiety level has been lowered tremendously. I hope I can maintain the calmness until tomorrow.

Stress Doc said:

hello:

We need more humanity in our profession. Everything tends to revolve around an authoritarian structure, Doctor or Dentist dictates, patient obeys. This is wrong and counterproductive to great care.

I recently gave a presentation to a group of doctors. I asked them how often they inquire about the emotional state of their patients. from a group of 30 I did not receive one positive reply. The response I did get was, "I really do not have the time or inclination to ask. That could lead to a protracted discussion I have no desire to enter into."

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Stressdoc
Doesn't sound like such an audience would be interested in the contents of your lecture? Were they medical doctors or dentists? Sounds like they need 'empathy screening' as part of student selection process maybe?

A GP (Medical Doctor) has an absolute duty to enquire into a person's emotional state - if they don't, they are neglecting 50% of their job.

I just had all 4 of my wizzies out plus two more teeth. One wizzie had broken down to the gumline (bottom), the other bottom was decayed, and the top two were impacted. From the time my husband and I went to the dentist's office to the time we left--about 45 minutes.

Right now my cheeks are sore...but I'm able to open my mouth pretty wide, I just took a prescribed penicillin tablet, and I'm enjoying a Jell-O cheesecake.

leakbrewergator said:

He told me the whole procedure should last around 15-20 minutes!

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And that is literal time.

I remember when I had three teeth extracted last October. From the time I went into the office to the time I returned back to the desk, only 25 minutes had passed. This time included conversation, numbing, and extractions. The actual extractions were literally two minutes each tooth. The time needed for the numbing to take effect took the longest.

I am glad you feel better. Many times knowledge erases fears.