H
Holly_P
Junior member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2012
- Messages
- 2
When I was fifteen years old, the dentist told me that my wisdom teeth were growing in crooked and I should get them taken out. I actually went to an oral surgeon, and they showed me a video of all the possible complications and all the bad things that could happen--I was terrified, and refused to have the operation.
By the time I was twenty-four, I'd developed cavities in both lower wisdom teeth, and got up the courage to see a dentist on my own, but chickened out again when they told me to have the teeth pulled. I didn't even call the surgeon they referred me to.
I'm twenty-six now, and about a month ago, my wisdom teeth just became unbearable. They had huge black spots and it was painful to eat or sleep. And I STILL didn't want to go to a dentist! I was getting through life by taking Advil constantly and putting numbing solution on my teeth every couple hours. Eventually it got to the point where I couldn't take the pain anymore, and I finally, finally called an oral surgeon. I'm so glad I did.
I had the operation yesterday. When I first went in the door, I felt like I was going to pass out. They put the heart monitor on me and my heartbeat was 140 just sitting there--that's how scared I was. When the surgeon look a preliminary look at my teeth, I was so uncomfortable; I thought I was going to gag or accidentally bite him, and I didn't know how I was going to get through an entire operation.
But he and his assistants saw how scared I was and they were extremely kind and patient with me. They talked me through everything before they did it and they were friendly and gentle.
The IV needle they put in my arm was smaller than the kind I've had in the hospital, and much less painful; they were able to put it in a superficial vein so the needle-stick was very small. And after that there was almost no pain at all. They gave me light sedation and it was AMAZINGLY calming--I didn't fall asleep, but within seconds I went from "I can't do this, I can't stand this" to "Sure... you can take my tooth out... that's nice... that's fine..." It helped the physical sensations too, but the effect on my emotions was the wonderful part. I was aware of everything going on, but it didn't upset me at all. I was in control of my body, but I didn't want to panic or resist. It was like magic.
Then the procedure just flew by. The injections in my mouth were just the tiniest sting, and thanks to the sedation it didn't bother me; after that I didn't feel anything at all. The actual removal of the teeth was totally painless and surprisingly quick, and before I knew it they were telling me "You're all done. You did great."
My boyfriend drove me home and that night he made me an all-soft-foods gourmet dinner. We had creamy mashed potatoes, homemade cream of onion soup, and mango milkshakes.
I was sore once the anesthetic wore off, and today (the next day) I'm still a little sore, but you know what? This doesn't hurt half as much as that toothache did. And unlike the toothache, it'll be totally gone in a few days.
If I'd known it would be this easy--that there'd be so little pain, that I'd be able to relax without losing control, and that the recovery would hurt less than the toothache did--I would have done this years ago. But I'm just glad I did it at all. I feel so much better now.
By the time I was twenty-four, I'd developed cavities in both lower wisdom teeth, and got up the courage to see a dentist on my own, but chickened out again when they told me to have the teeth pulled. I didn't even call the surgeon they referred me to.
I'm twenty-six now, and about a month ago, my wisdom teeth just became unbearable. They had huge black spots and it was painful to eat or sleep. And I STILL didn't want to go to a dentist! I was getting through life by taking Advil constantly and putting numbing solution on my teeth every couple hours. Eventually it got to the point where I couldn't take the pain anymore, and I finally, finally called an oral surgeon. I'm so glad I did.
I had the operation yesterday. When I first went in the door, I felt like I was going to pass out. They put the heart monitor on me and my heartbeat was 140 just sitting there--that's how scared I was. When the surgeon look a preliminary look at my teeth, I was so uncomfortable; I thought I was going to gag or accidentally bite him, and I didn't know how I was going to get through an entire operation.
But he and his assistants saw how scared I was and they were extremely kind and patient with me. They talked me through everything before they did it and they were friendly and gentle.
The IV needle they put in my arm was smaller than the kind I've had in the hospital, and much less painful; they were able to put it in a superficial vein so the needle-stick was very small. And after that there was almost no pain at all. They gave me light sedation and it was AMAZINGLY calming--I didn't fall asleep, but within seconds I went from "I can't do this, I can't stand this" to "Sure... you can take my tooth out... that's nice... that's fine..." It helped the physical sensations too, but the effect on my emotions was the wonderful part. I was aware of everything going on, but it didn't upset me at all. I was in control of my body, but I didn't want to panic or resist. It was like magic.
Then the procedure just flew by. The injections in my mouth were just the tiniest sting, and thanks to the sedation it didn't bother me; after that I didn't feel anything at all. The actual removal of the teeth was totally painless and surprisingly quick, and before I knew it they were telling me "You're all done. You did great."
My boyfriend drove me home and that night he made me an all-soft-foods gourmet dinner. We had creamy mashed potatoes, homemade cream of onion soup, and mango milkshakes.
I was sore once the anesthetic wore off, and today (the next day) I'm still a little sore, but you know what? This doesn't hurt half as much as that toothache did. And unlike the toothache, it'll be totally gone in a few days.
If I'd known it would be this easy--that there'd be so little pain, that I'd be able to relax without losing control, and that the recovery would hurt less than the toothache did--I would have done this years ago. But I'm just glad I did it at all. I feel so much better now.
![[smiley=jumping.gif]](/forum/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/dfcsmilies/jumping.gif "Jumping [smiley=jumping.gif]")
