_IHateTeeth_
Junior member
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2019
- Messages
- 15
- Location
- The Moon
Why it took 12 years to get them out.....
I thought I would share my story with you all since all my "normal" friends and family don't understand the power dental phobia can have over a person.
Since childhood (I'm 30 now) I have been getting cleanings and fillings every 6 months. Even though I go to the dentist regularly I still have bad dental phobia. I've had a mix of bad and good experiences at multiple different dentist offices and it only takes 1 bad experience to make my phobia flare up.
Anyways I have needed all 4 of my wisdom teeth out for around 12 years. Top 2 were over-erupted and my bottom 2 were partially impacted. I have put it off for so long because I am petrified of getting teeth pulled and most of my dental phobia stems from being numb. I cannot stand the feeling of being numb. My brain makes me think I am choking and can't breathe. I was scared to get my teeth out under sedation and wake up not being able to feel my face and freak the hell out. I was also afraid that they wouldn't give me enough sedation and that I would be aware during the procedure but unable to tell anybody because my body would be paralyzed but my brain awake.
Anyways these phobias kept me from getting them out for 12 years. Every now and then my gums in that area would flare up and hurt for a week or 2 but then it would ease up and I wouldn't think about them for a while. I kept waiting for some horrible pain to drive me to the dentist chair so I would WANT and PLEAD for them to take my teeth out but it never happened, I know, this is stupid, but I know you guys understand.
Eventually I just got fed up with it. My wisdom teeth were full of cavities because I couldn't brush them right and they were rotting and food was permanently stuck in them and I had Pericoronitis in the bottom 2. My mouth constantly tasted horrible and I'm sure smelled horrible and I was embarrassed to kiss my partner. I just wanted them out. So on my last cleaning I scheduled them to come out a few months from then on August 27 2019.
The Surgery
The day of surgery comes and I'm oddly calm, which is SO not like me....I am not sure what came over me. I think I was just so DONE with these freaking teeth. I'm getting Twilight sedation (IV sedation) so I need someone to drive me home. I'm in the waiting room with my partner and they call me back, great...ugh....it's time. I'm taken to a room where a nurse places these stickers on my chest to monitor my breathing and heart rate. This is when I get nervous. I say something like "Wow this is really involved" and she laughs and says "We just want to make sure you're breathing!". Next the oral surgeon comes in and says Hi......from here everything was pretty rushed, which bothered me at the time but after it didn't matter.....He places the IV in my arm and I was preparing to ask him a million questions I had in my head. I thought the IV was just going to be saline drip so I didn't feel rushed. Then 2 seconds later after placing the IV he says "You're going to start to feel dizzy", and I go "Wait! No! Already?", and by now I'm feeling it....it's not really a scary feeling, which is odd because part of my anxiety is feeling altered. I get panicky when I feel the least bit altered mentally which is why I don't drink or smoke. Anyways, I start to feel dizzy and say "Hey you said I wouldn't remember anything" and he goes "You won't", and I say "I remember this!"...................Next thing I know I "woke up" from surgery. I said to the nurse "I'm done?!". The feeling after surgery wasn't a good or bad feeling to me, I didn't react like some people who say "This feels great", it was just a total feeling of "I don't care". My vision was a bit blurry and thoughts a bit fuzzy but I remember everything I did and said after surgery. I remember getting into the wheelchair and being wheeled to the car, and my partner driving to Walgreens for my prescriptions, I remember going home. In fact I didn't go back to bed until that night. I just stayed up watching TV. I was amazed that my entire face wasn't numb. My chin and bottom lip was numb but my cheeks I could feel. I didn't feel any pain.
After Surgery
My recovery has been pretty uneventful. After surgery for a few days I just ate soups, puddings, soft things, and probably by day 4 I was eating things like little pieces of chicken and fish. More solid food. The doctor prescribed me Amoxicillin (In liquid form because I'm a pill baby......yet another one of my phobias). He also prescribed me Percocet but I didn't need it. I was fine taking Motrin.
During the entire recovery I never once felt anything I'd describe as pain. It was all soreness. Day 2 was the worst soreness and swelling wise but after that everything got better. I took 3 days off work and returned to work the 4th day.
Anyways that is my story......I am still healing. Now what I am dealing with is gaping holes in my 2 bottom extraction sites which I still have to flush out daily, that's been the worst most annoying part. My mouth already tastes better after getting those rotting teeth out of my mouth.
I hope my story helps at least one of you! If I can do it, anyone can do it.
I thought I would share my story with you all since all my "normal" friends and family don't understand the power dental phobia can have over a person.
Since childhood (I'm 30 now) I have been getting cleanings and fillings every 6 months. Even though I go to the dentist regularly I still have bad dental phobia. I've had a mix of bad and good experiences at multiple different dentist offices and it only takes 1 bad experience to make my phobia flare up.
Anyways I have needed all 4 of my wisdom teeth out for around 12 years. Top 2 were over-erupted and my bottom 2 were partially impacted. I have put it off for so long because I am petrified of getting teeth pulled and most of my dental phobia stems from being numb. I cannot stand the feeling of being numb. My brain makes me think I am choking and can't breathe. I was scared to get my teeth out under sedation and wake up not being able to feel my face and freak the hell out. I was also afraid that they wouldn't give me enough sedation and that I would be aware during the procedure but unable to tell anybody because my body would be paralyzed but my brain awake.
Anyways these phobias kept me from getting them out for 12 years. Every now and then my gums in that area would flare up and hurt for a week or 2 but then it would ease up and I wouldn't think about them for a while. I kept waiting for some horrible pain to drive me to the dentist chair so I would WANT and PLEAD for them to take my teeth out but it never happened, I know, this is stupid, but I know you guys understand.
Eventually I just got fed up with it. My wisdom teeth were full of cavities because I couldn't brush them right and they were rotting and food was permanently stuck in them and I had Pericoronitis in the bottom 2. My mouth constantly tasted horrible and I'm sure smelled horrible and I was embarrassed to kiss my partner. I just wanted them out. So on my last cleaning I scheduled them to come out a few months from then on August 27 2019.
The Surgery
The day of surgery comes and I'm oddly calm, which is SO not like me....I am not sure what came over me. I think I was just so DONE with these freaking teeth. I'm getting Twilight sedation (IV sedation) so I need someone to drive me home. I'm in the waiting room with my partner and they call me back, great...ugh....it's time. I'm taken to a room where a nurse places these stickers on my chest to monitor my breathing and heart rate. This is when I get nervous. I say something like "Wow this is really involved" and she laughs and says "We just want to make sure you're breathing!". Next the oral surgeon comes in and says Hi......from here everything was pretty rushed, which bothered me at the time but after it didn't matter.....He places the IV in my arm and I was preparing to ask him a million questions I had in my head. I thought the IV was just going to be saline drip so I didn't feel rushed. Then 2 seconds later after placing the IV he says "You're going to start to feel dizzy", and I go "Wait! No! Already?", and by now I'm feeling it....it's not really a scary feeling, which is odd because part of my anxiety is feeling altered. I get panicky when I feel the least bit altered mentally which is why I don't drink or smoke. Anyways, I start to feel dizzy and say "Hey you said I wouldn't remember anything" and he goes "You won't", and I say "I remember this!"...................Next thing I know I "woke up" from surgery. I said to the nurse "I'm done?!". The feeling after surgery wasn't a good or bad feeling to me, I didn't react like some people who say "This feels great", it was just a total feeling of "I don't care". My vision was a bit blurry and thoughts a bit fuzzy but I remember everything I did and said after surgery. I remember getting into the wheelchair and being wheeled to the car, and my partner driving to Walgreens for my prescriptions, I remember going home. In fact I didn't go back to bed until that night. I just stayed up watching TV. I was amazed that my entire face wasn't numb. My chin and bottom lip was numb but my cheeks I could feel. I didn't feel any pain.
After Surgery
My recovery has been pretty uneventful. After surgery for a few days I just ate soups, puddings, soft things, and probably by day 4 I was eating things like little pieces of chicken and fish. More solid food. The doctor prescribed me Amoxicillin (In liquid form because I'm a pill baby......yet another one of my phobias). He also prescribed me Percocet but I didn't need it. I was fine taking Motrin.
During the entire recovery I never once felt anything I'd describe as pain. It was all soreness. Day 2 was the worst soreness and swelling wise but after that everything got better. I took 3 days off work and returned to work the 4th day.
Anyways that is my story......I am still healing. Now what I am dealing with is gaping holes in my 2 bottom extraction sites which I still have to flush out daily, that's been the worst most annoying part. My mouth already tastes better after getting those rotting teeth out of my mouth.
I hope my story helps at least one of you! If I can do it, anyone can do it.
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