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Extraction in 2 days

C

cedarwater

Junior member
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
2
Would you let a general dentist extract your tooth without any sedation besides a valium and some local anethetic other than novacaine (he didnt tell me what it was) or would you demand an oral surgeon?

My husband and I are at odds with each other due to all this. He likes the price of $70 to extract a tooth and has no concept of dental phobia or even anxiety. I've said it would just be easier for me to trust the procedure if I went to an oral surgeon, but he keeps saying "yeah but it'll cost more." I don't think that he really understands what I'm going through and I didn't know general desntitsts did extractions. He says to me that I'm the one who doesn't understand what he's going through. He insits I'll be fine and that this dentist seems like he knows what hes talking about.

I saw a dentist lastnight over a tooth that broke Sunday afternoon. When it broke I began weeping all night because I knew it had to be pulled. I went to a dentist (I didnt have one so I had to choose one yesterday) lastnight who refuses to do sedation dentistry because he insists that its bad for me and that I'll have to be woken up..but his website promotes sedation dentistry. So there is no gas. I told him novacaine does not work on me and he said that they dont use novacaine anymore; they use soemthing different. Then he gave me a lesson on pain versus pressure. But pressure is what sets me off too. So I was sort of in shock thru the whole appt, and I had tot talk him into giving me some valiums at the very least. I just didnt feel like the guy was listening to my fears. So when I left the office, as soon as I shut the door, I started crying. I cried all night. I woke up crying.

All my husband can say is it has to be done urgently (which it does) and that shopping around from dentitst to dentist is not an option right now. My mom told me to relax and drink tea. If this dentist hurts me, Im afraid its going to set me back further. If thats the case, I won't be able to get myself in for a cleaning ever. I've tried to get help for the phobia but my husband doesnt want to spend the money on it. He's not a bad guy, hes just overly concerned with money I guess. lol He sounds worse than he really is.

I'm just curious of what you all would do in my situation. I'm on limited time with a broken tooth. In fact its broken all the way to the bone, so it has to be taken care of asap.

Thanks for being there in advance....
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.

When I had my wisdom tooth operation, I took only Valium and was totally fine. I had had it before and knew it would work. It doesn't seem to work for everybody, but many posters here are just as big fans of this miracle drug as I am. So I don't think this aspect is problematic.

My wisdom teeth were extracted by an oral surgeon because two of them were only partially erupted. So he did the other two too, no need for two people, but I suppose a general dentist could have done the "normal" extractions just as well as the oral surgeon. My mum had one tooth extracted by a general dentist and there were no problems. Unless there's something very special about your tooth, any dentist can do the extraction.

Novocaine has not been used for decades. There are other "caines" they use now and they seem to work very well. Here is a link to reasons why local anesthesia sometimes doesn't work:


So, if I were you, I would let the general dentist extract the tooth.
 
:welcome: What makes you say 'local anaesthetic' doesn't work on you? What previous experiences is this based on? Finnishgirl has given you the link on 'numbing problems' already.

Where is the tooth, is it a wisdom tooth? In Europe General Dentists extract teeth routinely - they only refer to Oral Surgeons based in hospitals the complex cases which they feel they cannot handle...these would usually be wisdom teeth not other teeth.

What is the reputation of this General Dentist..does he run his own practice or is it part of a corporate chain like Aspen?
I would agree to the General dentist doing it but 'on your terms'..if he can't get you numb, then you call a halt and go to an oral surgeon who can use stronger sedation..get your OH to agree to this in advance as well.

It will probably be fine so long as he agrees to check you are numb and stop and/or give more LA should you feel any unwelcome sensations. There is a difference between 'pressure and pain' BUT what any dentist should appreciate is that just because you have injected some LA doesn't guarantee that every patient is 100% numb - unfortunately some 'phobic-creating' dentists fail to understand or care about this aspect and attribute patient discomfort to pressure when it is nothing of the kind.

If the tooth is infected, then I would advise you to take a course of antibiotics from your dentist or medical doctor prior to having the extraction since acute infection can sometimes (but not always) cause problems with numbing. More LA can be given though if there are problems or different injection techniques can be used to numb 'hot teeth'. It could be that your past bad experiences (if there were any) related to infection being present. The modern LAs are much better too and there are also stronger types which can be used. There is no need to suffer pain during dental treatment and your dentist having distinguished between pressure and pain, should be able to offer you reassurance that he will not proceed if you signal him to stop mid-procedure...that kind of reassurance should enable you to give him the benefit of the doiubt maybe..unless you really don't trust him, in which case I'd try a different General Dentist of whom you have heard good things...try Drogle maybe for Dentist Reviews if you are in the USA.
Good luck.:grouphug:I'm sure it will be more straightforward than you fear.
 
:hidesbehindsofa:Is there anyone on this forum that compares the dentists to the movie Saw? They are my worst nightmare. I'm a 33 year old lady with tattoos, has had many piercings, has walked 5 miles with a 6 inch sliver in my knee...but I cry rivers when I have to go to the dentist. Inn fact, cleanings are sheer hell for me, so please, imagine being locked inside a world as this, knowing that I have a tooth in my mouth that HAS to be taken out this week or else it will be infected, cause major pain, and perhaps even make me very ill.

What makes me THINK local anethetic doesn't work on me????? I know my own body, thats how. I've had a lot of work done on my teeth and never has it been good to me. I also had it for my hands when they were putting in IV in me before a tonsilectomy and it rendered itself completely useless. It doe NOT work on me for beans!

The tooth is a rear molar. My wisdom teeth were surgically removed years ago.

To be honest, I don't know the reputation of this dentist. All I know is that he has a pretty office with a waterfall in it. I just moved to this area not too long ago and have no made any friends or know about things here very well. Its a big city-not a small town. The credentials on his website are for another dentist in the practice-I think the owner of the practice.

As for novacaine, perhaps they stopped using it decades ago but I've always heard it being referred to as novacaine. I was hoping he would give me the laughing gas but he is refusing to give anything. The laughing gas at least relaxes me so they can get their work done fast without me fussing and tensing up and crying for the whole appt.
 
I think the Valium will do as good if not better job at relaxing you than laughing gas does.

 
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