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Absolutely TERRIFIED of removing wisdom teeth

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DownInTheGutters

Junior member
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
17
Location
USA
Hi all,

As the title suggests, I am literally terrified to get my wisdom teeth out. My oral surgeon seems nice, he's definitely a bit older and said he had seen hundreds of cases like mine. However, I'm still terrified.

I've never even so much as sprained an ankle or broken a bone, let alone had any kind of surgery. I've never been under anesthesia, and I have a HORRIBLE needle phobia. I don't think they took me very seriously when I explained to them that my fight or flight kicks in, so I'd really need something to completely calm me down beforehand or that will be an entire struggle in itself.

On top of that, my top wisdom teeth have erupted and are perfectly fine. He said these will be pretty easy to extract and heal from. The real issue stems from my bottom wisdom teeth, which of course are impacted. They are at an angle to my molars in the back, and he said they look close to my nerve. I've been crying over the fact that there's a good chance I could experience temporary or permanent facial numbness. It almost doesn't seem worth the risk to have them out, what's a headache every now and then compared to permanent facial numbness? But they've explained the dangers that could happen to my other teeth if I wait any longer. I am 24 and already kind of late in the game with this kind of thing. I'm also worried they'll find out that my wisdom teeth have cut into or created cavities in my back molars and that those will have to go, too. Would they have noticed something like that on an x-ray or is that something that can't be told until they're actually in my jaw?

If anybody has any positivity, comfort, good vibes, whatever to send my way I'd really appreciate it, because I am SO close to backing out again. It's truly a horrible thing I feel like I'm being coerced into doing. I'm dreading getting food stuck in the open holes, or getting dry socket. I'm already miserable at the thought of having to eat soft foods. People suggest ice cream, smoothies, but those are all stock full of sugar and I'm already so paranoid about my teeth as I've had extensive dental work in the past and don't want to ruin it because of a week of eating ice cream and being unable to brush my teeth properly. I won't be able to use a straw, or anything. :( And I've never taken any pain medication beforehand, I'm worried about any potential side affects. Also, my blood pressure has been slightly elevated, to around having Stage I Hypertension. This is a recent discovery for me, and I'm not sure if it's because of my birth control pills, my predisposition to high blood pressure, or the fact I'm slightly overweight. The hygienist made a bit of a deal about it when I was in for my cleaning last month, it was around 140/93 if I remember correctly. Not to mention I experience terrifying levels of anxiety when I'm there. I'm worried I'll work up the courage to go get it done, and I'll be turned away for having high blood pressure or that it will spike during the procedure and I will suffer from the consequences. :/

Overall I feel like this is gonna SUCK, and that it'll be on of the hardest experiences of my life so far. I'm truly terrified. I've been having nightmares. The extractions are in 3 days. Please comfort me, if at all possible.

Thanks for reading. :(
 
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Hi there!
I had my 4 wisdom teeth removed 15+ years. While my bottom teeth were fairly simple, the top wisdom teeth were a bit more complicated. The good news was that my oral surgeon was excellent and the procedure was a piece of cake. I had general anesthesia. The needle part took 30 seconds and wasn’t bad at all. Perhaps ask the surgeon if there is something you can take the night before or that morning for the anxiety.
My biggest piece of advice is to imagine the procedure well. Plan something nice for when the procedure is over as a treat to look forward to, like your favorite ice cream or a pedicure. I promise you will feel such relief when it’s all done. The anxiety is the worst part.
Good luck!
 
@Beccab213

Thank you for your reply. The IV was the worst part, but I did it and my surgeon extracted all 4 teeth in about 25 minutes. The healing is sucking already, but I am truly glad for it to be over with and I feel like I’ve faced a huge fear of mine. Thank you for your support.
 
So glad to hear it went well and was done so quickly. I wish you a speedy recovery!
 
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