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My dental story

M

mcorgan

Junior member
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
15
I'm so happy I found this site. I am feeling very low right now because tomorrow I have an extraction and I am so scared, nevermind the fact that I have to spend $600 out of my own pocket to cover this extraction.

Ok here's my story. I have always HATED going to the dentist. For some reason I always got unfriendly dentists when I was little. As I got older I went less and less to the dentist because I was so ashamed of my condition. Well this year I decided 'new year, new you', so I made an appointment to see a dentist. It literally took me like till April to make that first appointment but I did. They examined me and actually were really nice. I went to the local college dentistry school so maybe they were nice cuz they didn't know better:giggle: So basically they referred me to the orthodontics. At the orthodontics I was checked by 2 different ortho's (the head of the department and the dentist treating me). The head of the department was an old man and he was soooo nice. He said that my condition (overcrowding) was very common and that braces would do the trick. I felt so relieved because all these years I've felt sooo ashamed of my teeth. I've always feared the embarrassment more than any actual pain
that comes with going to the dentist.

Ugh, so to make a long story short (even though its' kind a long now :p ) I went to a consultation with this new ortho and he told me that I would be a good candidate for invisalign. I was really shocked because I had been told my case was too complex for invisalign by another ortho but this new ortho told me that he has treated more complex cases with invisalign. I am really happy because at my age (30) I was not really looking forward to traditional braces. So I went last week for a bunch of x-rays and moldings of my teeth and at the end of the session he tells me I need an extraction.

My extraction was to take place today but the oral surgeon who i went to refused to extract my tooth. Apparently, my case was too extreme for him :confused: He referred me to another oral surgeon but that oral surgeon is soooo expensive. I spent the whole day calling, calling and calling and finally found one that I could afford.

I'm sooo scared though, what if this surgeon finds my case too complex? And I'm scared of the outcome, infection, swelling, not being able to eat:confused:

I'm so scared, I had a long cry an hour ago because I'm so scared. My appointment is tomorrow. Hopefully things will go ok
 
good luck tomorrow, I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon as well but luckily for just a cleaning. Let us know how it goes:cheers:
 
Hello Mcorgan!

I don't know where abouts in the world you are but I guess this might not reach you until after you have been.

As you know from reading my thread I recently had an extraction. If I'm honest it really wasn't that bad! It's not somthing I would chose to do but its not as bad as I imagined. My tooth had an infection under it so that is the reason I had swelling etc, not everyone will experience that, you may have some swelling for a little while but you can control this by using ice. I think there is some info in the Dentistry for dummies section. If you follow your aftercare instructions you should be fine and shouldnt get any infection or a dry socket. Due to a medical condition I also don't heal as well as most people so please don't think you will have the same issues I did. I would suggest takin some painkillers just as you feel the numbness going away to be safe as it is easier to keep the pain away if you catch it early. I mainly ate soft foods for a few days after like soup (not too hot), yoghurt, mash potato etc. Within 3 days I felt able to try more normal food and now I am eating totally normal food.

I hope it goes well and this surgeon is able to treat you. You will do just fine I am sure. Keep calm and focus on the outcome of getting this fixed! Let us know how you are doing!!
 
Thank You all for your support. I'm back from dental appointment:jump:

I actually feel great:yay: I didn't feel a thing, I chose sedation and the doctor made me feel at ease. He said my case was routine and not complicated at all. Afterwards it was like waking from a good nap.

I have gauze on right now because it's still bleeding, which he said is common, I'm not under any pain. He did give me a high dose of motrin just in case I get pain but he said I shouldn't. he also stitched up the wound, which makes me feel a lot better because I was paranoid about having a huge hole in my mouth. And to top it all he gave me a discount since I was paying out of pocket. It was suppose to be 600 but he charged me $450:yay: So happy about that and he also gave me his cell number in case something goes wrong, which he doesn't anticipate but I'm glad I can count on that cell number just in case. It puts my paranoid mind at ease.


So happy and for anyone reading this who might me nervous about an extraction take it easy don't fret and be paranoid like I was. If I can do it you can do it:cheers:
 
Well done!

I had two extractions recently which I was nervous about (hadn't had teeth pulled before) but I didn't feel a thing. I was just aware of some interesting crunching noises and some pressure.

There was a bit of pain afterwards, but nothing that OTC painkillers (NOT aspirin) couldn't sort out.
 
Hey!

Well done! Sounds like your dentist might be a keeper! Hope you are doing ok and not having any probs with food!
:cheers:
 
I'm doing great, no pain at all:yay: The only complain is that I haven't eaten anything solid all day. Just nutritional shakes and soup. I expect the same tomorrow. Also I really want to brush my teeth. Today I brushed my tongue without any toothpaste and I also did the salt rinsing.
 
Oh I know! Soup is normally a favourite of mine but I did get sick of it! You should feel able to have some more normal food soon though. I think you can brush your teeth, just be REALLY careful around where it was taken out. Glad you have no pain!!
 
:jump::jump::jump:
3 cheers for you! You did geat!
I had 3 teeth extracted with an oral surgeon in June and after that, the blender was my friend for a couple weeks.
So glad it went well for you!
 
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