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Can Someone Please Tell Me

  • Thread starter ButterfliesInHerEyes
  • Start date
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ButterfliesInHerEyes

Well-known member
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Oct 4, 2010
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144
When reading people's experiences with extractions, dental implants, sedation, and so on, some people say they felt no pain afterwards, no swelling, no bruising. Some say they had no nausea or anything from the sedation. Then other people's stories sound almost horrific: face swelling like a balloon with little slits where their eyes used to be, severe pain that only ridiculously strong prescription pain medication can take the edge off of, bruising like someone gave them a good beating.... gagging, nausea, vomiting after sedation. And then there's everything in between.

I realize everyone's different but can someone please tell me why such opposite experiences to the same procedures? What determines why one person will feel nothing and another everything?

Thank you.
 
Its true everyone is different. I hear your anxiety and wold like to share with what I know of this issue.
From my own experience, I have had 5 teeth extracted in 3 oral surgeries with an oral surgeon (really good one!) and IV sedation. I was terrified going in and truly the worst part for me was getting the IV put in because I have had some really bad experiences with this. Once that was done, I watched the OS inject the meds and within seconds, I was out. The nurse woke me when I was done. The firsr surgery was the longest and most complicated. It was also the most painful after the drugs wore off but the OS did give me a potent pain killer which kept me pretty comfortable. It took about 4 days before I could go without the pain meds. I was sore for another week but not bad and it took about 8 weeks for the openings to close over.

One of my closest friends had a different experience. She had a tooth laying horizontal in her upper left side way in the back that had become infected so it had to be removed. Antibiotics had cleared out the infection but her OS said it would come back unless the tooth was extracted. In addition to the tooth being horizontal, the tooth was not erupted so the OS had to go in and get it. In my case, the teeth were partially erupted which made it a bit easier to get to them. We both had essentially the same procedure but she had some different complications than I did. She had some swelling on the left side biut not extreme and she was on pain meds awhile longer than I was. She had trouble opening her mouth because her jaws hurt for awhile but she recovered just fine and did I.

If you have a good, experienced OS, they know what they're doing. Even though the basic procedures are probably pretty much the same, every case is unique in the various complexities they present. Don't let that scare you
 
Thanks for sharing your and your friend's experience.

Everything scares me because I have PTSD and emetophobia :p and EVERYTHING about ANY dental work triggers both, big time.

When will technology evolve to the point where the dentist can sprinkle fairy dust on our head and all our dental problems magically disappear! :giggle:
 
I hear your anxiety Butterflies. If you read my story here you will see that I have a form of PTSD also that was caused from horrible demtists in my past. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that THE PAST DOES EQUAL THE FUTURE. It sounds like you have a good OS who knows his stuff. when you have the corage to face your fear, it gets smaller every time. Its kind of like the bully on the playground, stand up to it and it backs down.
Keep me posted
 
Thanks DW, that's very true! I need to keep that in mind.
Thanks for the support and encouragement - makes such a difference!
 
You are very welcome dear lady. I have a wonderful friend of mine who recently retired after 25 years as a mental health therapist. She heard and saw just about everything. She shared this fundamental truth with me at a time in my life when I really needed it. She said "True courage happens when you can allow yourself to feel the fear and do it anyway" You will do great!
 
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