Freaking out.

[Missymajor]

I have been in a lot of pain from my wisdom teeth (my upper and lower right ones in particular) and finally mustered up the courage to go to the dentist bc I couldn't take it anymore. The dentist put me on Augmentin and told me I needed to get my wisdom teeth taken out. I got an estimate of my bill with insurance and it's gonna be $900, most of which I do not have right now. I called to find out if I needed to pay the entire $900 up front and was told yes. I then asked how soon they could get me in for the procedure and they said Friday which would be great if I had the money but I don't. After Friday the next slot isn't until the end of March so I had to schedule that one. I only have two days left of my antibiotics and I'm feeling a lot better but I'm so worried that the pain is going to come back with a vengeance before my appointment date. I'm so scared of this pain I don't know what to do. The dentist said if I get laughing gas instead of sedation it would significantly lower my cost but I'm scared to get laughing gas. I'm scared of the things I'll say. I don't want to embarrass myself and I also am scared that with laughing gas I'll still feel a lot of pain during the procedure. I want to be as knocked out as I can be. I honestly don't know what to do. I can't believe I'll have to wait so long and I hate not having money.

 

[Dg6300]

Hi. Thanks for posting.

Lies lies lies: I asked my oral surgeon about embarrassing things people allegedly say, and he said it is all social media fakery! I can confirm: I was 100% mumbles on the ride home. Social media, which is just so much phoniness, can make anyone anxious about saying the wrong thing. Fortunately, there is nothing to be afraid of.

 

[Enarete]

Hi Missymajor,

glad you managed to see a dentist finally and it sounds like it took a lot of courage and effort. Give yourself a pat on the back for it.
I can see how you are worried about the pain coming back before your appointment and it might be a good idea to let your practice know and ask whether there is this risk. Your practice is here to support you between appointments as well if you have questions - you don't have to deal with worries on your own.

When it comes to laughing gas / sedation decision, it is always good to take a close look at what it is that worries you. First of all, neither laughing gas nor sedation are replacements for numbing. Your dentist will make sure you feel no pain during the procedure and this is independent of whether you are getting sedation, laughing gas or nothing at all. The function of sedation and laughing gas is to calm you down and make it easier for you to cope, its function is not to make you unaware of pain (pain will be shut off by the numbing anyway). So the question is: what is it that scares you and how is your general ability to cope with treatment? Laughing gas (here you can find a very extensive article about how it works) will make you feel calm, relaxed a little drunk-like and the time will seem to flow more quickly, all of this while you will still be able to communicate with your dental team. Sedation (you can read a detailed article about it here) will make you feel like you were asleep.

Remember, this is all about your needs and preferences. You can chose how to go about your treatment and you have a dental team on board with you.

All the best wishes and let us know your thoughts