Chest Cold - 2 Days Before Appointment

[thisisme]

On Thursday, I felt a chest cold coming on. Today, you can hear it in my cough. Tuesday evening, I’m supposed to have an upper wisdom tooth extraction under LA. I’m thinking I can make it through an appointment without coughing, and unlike head colds, I don’t feel sick. Just got this wet cough, which sounds worse than it is. You can’t even tell I’m sick until I cough, and I’ll take it over a head cold any day!

Since I avoided the dentist for so long, and this is the first appointment of my treatment plan, I really don’t want to miss it. Plus, coughs can linger on forever, and my next appt. is Sept. 30. Talk about lousy timing.

Should I be rescheduling my appointment or just take a cough suppressant beforehand and hope for the best? I don’t want to get them sick but I also don’t want to call to cancel because calling dentist offices is so hard for me. ? Plus, I just want to get it over with.

But if it’s absolutely not recommended I go, how much notice should I give?

 

[Judythecat]

Is the wisdom tooth fully erupted? I had one out a few years ago (upper left) and it took seconds - I couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was. I was in and out in less than 15 minutes, from checking in with reception to walking back out of the front door.

I rescheduled a root canal when I had a bad cold, because the appointment was an hour and 45 minutes. I felt wretched, and knew it would be impossible for me to keep my mouth open for that long. It wouldn’t have been fair on the endodontist either.

My appointment for the root canal was 2pm on a Wednesday, and I rang first thing on the Tuesday. The cancellation fee was £100 with less than 24 hours notice. It’s possibly worth checking if there is a fee/what it is, and keeping that in mind when deciding.

 

[thisisme]

Is the wisdom tooth fully erupted? I had one out a few years ago (upper left) and it took seconds - I couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was. I was in and out in less than 15 minutes, from checking in with reception to walking back out of the front door.

I rescheduled a root canal when I had a bad cold, because the appointment was an hour and 45 minutes. I felt wretched, and knew it would be impossible for me to keep my mouth open for that long. It wouldn’t have been fair on the endodontist either.

My appointment for the root canal was 2pm on a Wednesday, and I rang first thing on the Tuesday. The cancellation fee was £100 with less than 24 hours notice. It’s possibly worth checking if there is a fee/what it is, and keeping that in mind when deciding.

It is fully erupted, so I’m thinking it’ll be quicker. However, the dentist did say “let’s book an hour for that.” Maybe he’s just being precautious and anticipating it breaking since it does have a bad cavity in it. I wonder about a cancellation fee, so I kind of just want to battle through it. I just don’t want them to get sick or be annoyed that I came in sick. I also don’t know how it works after a tooth gets pulled... like would coughing disrupt the healing process?

 

[Judythecat]

Okay, my situation was quite different. I had had an infection in the gum round the tooth, but the tooth itself was fine. My dentist said it would either clear with antibiotics, or she would whip the tooth out. She said it would be a very easy extraction. I took the antibiotics, still didn’t feel quite right, so called in to make an appointment and get it checked. They said to come in that day at the end of surgery hours at 5.15, and my dentist was like, yup, we should take the tooth out. Once I got the local, she sent the dental nurse home (I needed the nurse to hold my hand during the injection!), it was out in seconds, and by 5.30 I was waiting at the bus stop.

FWIW, my dentist said these teeth have very short, cone shaped roots, and are generally easy to remove. I went from her saying “can you feel anything sharp?” to her asking if I wanted to see the extracted tooth without even realising she had done anything!

I am just getting over tonsillitis followed by a stinking cold, so still coughing and choked up. If I had an hour appointment booked, I would definitely reschedule, for my comfort and the dentist’s. A couple of years ago I was due to have a filling in an upper molar when I was getting over a cold, and when I went in my dentist actually said to come back another time - I think it was because the tooth was right in line with my very choked sinus.

 

[geos]

Call the office, explain the situation and let them help you decide what is best.

 

[thisisme]

Call the office, explain the situation and let them help you decide what is best.

Thanks! They said I could come in as long as I didn’t have a fever. I was running warm last night and was up two hours hacking last night, but my temperature is fine today.

I guess being already phobic and confined to a chair with gauze in my mouth and having to cough seemed more than I could handle, especially as my cough is getting worse. So now my whole treatment planned is bumped a week. I’m mad at myself. I should have just done it, but I just wasn’t comfortable with the idea especially because lying back worsens my cough.

I’m not in pain, so it’s not the end of the world. Just kind of wished I could have just sucked it up.

 

[Sol]

Hope your cold clears up soon. Even though it's disappointing that you have a to wait a bit longer I think you had a good reason to wait. No reason to put yourself through all that while you are feeling sick.

 

[thisisme]

Hope your cold clears up soon. Even though it's disappointing that you have a to wait a bit longer I think you had a good reason to wait. No reason to put yourself through all that while you are feeling sick.

Thank you, Sol. This makes me feel better, and sadly, I’m even sicker today. My throat hurts so bad. I don’t know what I would have done if I had to get a wisdom tooth out on top of being sick. I would be in a ball crying right now!

 

[BoxerMom]

I agree with Sol. Don’t beat yourself up about setting your plan back a week, it happens. Hope you feel better soon!

 

[thisisme]

Guys, I’m so sick. Not going was the smartest decision I’ve ever made. So if anyone has this question again, go with your gut. Handle one thing at a time.

My congestion is awful. My cough sounds like I could be dying. In fact, I might actually be dying. At least you don’t have to go to the dentist if you’re dead! ? I need to focus on getting well enough for my next appointment.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Hope you feel better soon Thisisme!!

 

[Enarete]

Get well soon!