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Extraction tomorrow morning.. having major panic!

D

DDK

Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
22
Location
U.S.
I am getting a lower 2nd molar removed. It is a a failed root canal. Had it done about 18 years ago and now it has to go. I have always had an oral surgeon, but my dentist is confident she can get it out. I am terrified. This is a new dentist at the office I go to. Never had work done by her. No trust built yet, although I did explain all of my concerns. I wanted to go to my oral surgeon who had previously pulled the molar next to it. He knows me and my fears. He is not on my insurance plan but I could afford to pay out of pocket. My spouse said absolutely not and to quit being such a baby.

Tomorrow morning I go to get it extracted. Anxiety galore! And I am smoking like a fiend... tried to slow down, but anxiety has me smoking way more than normal. Worried about the crown shattering, worried about the roots shattering and coming out in pieces, worried about a gum flap and bone removal.. basically worst case. And of course the dreaded dry socket. I know it's rare, but 1. I smoke, 2. It's a lower molar - non wisdom, 3. It was infected, on my 2nd round of antibiotics and still have a little swelling and some throbbing pain 4. Failed root canal meaning more likely to break 5. And not able to get numb from infection.

Any insight would be so helpful.. as I dont get it from my spouse. He thinks it is "absolutely ridiculous I am acting like this.. afterall it's just a tooth..."

Eternally grateful for any and all advice or reassurance.
 
Hi DDK, if your dentist who has seen the tooth and x-rays is confident that it will come out easily, then it's likely that it will be easy and straightforward ? . Of course, there are no guarantees and as you said, you haven't built up trust with her yet because she is new to you. But hopefully everything will go smoothly and you'll get a chance to build trust with her.

It's actually pretty common for the roots to be taken out separately because that can make things easier (from what Gordon has said on here), but it really varies from situation to situation - so again, your dentist who has actually seen the tooth and the x-rays will be the best position to advise you!

Make sure you have a stop signal arranged with your dentist in case you're not completely numb - it's very easy to give more anaesthetic, or give it in a slightly different spot if your not numb (even when there is an infection).

You can read more about stop signals here (there's a sub-section on stop signals):


We've also got some tips for smoking after tooth extractions here:


I'm really sorry that your spouse is not being supportive. There is a great book by Lundy Bancroft called "Why does he do that?", which many people have found helpful (especially if his behaviour is like this in other situations).

Wishing you all the best for tomorrow :grouphug:
 
Thank you so much! The dentist has talked about sectioning it and that I would hear some "gnarly" sounds when the crown came off. Followed by we will get the tooth put hopefully in one piece. Either way, whole or in pieces, it's coming out. GULP!

I did read the faq on smoking after extraction. Any answers as to how much it increases your chance for the dreaded dry socket?
 
I don't think anyone has carried out such a detailed analysis! So the answer is no, there's no real percentage figures available on how much smoking will increase the chance of dry socket. Some studies have found that there's an increased risk, whereas others have found there isn't much of a difference.

Sticking to a soft food diet for the first couple of days is a good idea - you can find some suggestions here:


There's some evidence that chlorhexidine rinses can help prevent dry socket, so you could ask your dentist about that.

The other thing is that dry socket can readily be treated with a zinc oxide eugenol dressing, and you're at an advantage because you know about the possibility of dry socket (most people don't and just tough it out if they get one). So if you should develop one, get back to your dentist (there's a good thread here: https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/f...s-to-what-it-looks-like-and-feels-like.22343/ ).
 
Thank you so much for your help and advice. I appreciate all of the information provided..
 
Hi DDK,

wishing you good luck today, let us know how it went! :clover:
 
Good luck, DDK!
 
2 hours to go.. ugh. I am hoping and praying this will be not as bad as I fear.
 
Update.. just got back from my extraction. The dentist was excellent! My spouse was allowed to come in with me and he was very comforting to me during the procedure. It was nothing like I had experienced before with extractions. She was very gentle, gave me additional numbing, stopped to make sure I was doing ok. The longest part was getting the crown off. Once that was done, she sectioned the rest of what was left of the tooth which I think was minimal and used an elevator to apply a little bit of pressure which seemed like a little bit here and a little bit there. Unbeknown to me applying that little bit of pressure and I mean a little bit like when someone taps you on the shoulder, the tooth was out. I couldnt believe and she had to show me with the mirror. I could not have made it this far without all of the advice, tips and resources.
 
Thanks everyone!
 
Well done :perfect::welldone:!!!!

Fantastic to hear that it went so well - your dentist sounds like a keeper :cloud9:

Wishing you a speedy, complication-free recovery ? (and thanks for the update!)
 
Congrats and well done! :jump::jump::jump:So glad it went well! Wishing you a speedy recovery.
 
Thank you all for your encouragement but mostly your understanding. It was wonderful to feel supported.
 

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