• Dental Phobia Support

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Life with treatment

A

Amyx

Member
Joined
May 24, 2021
Messages
53
Location
Keighley
Hiya
Is anyone currently having extractions/fillings etc and continuing to go to work and out for meals etc?
I know I'm over thinking this but I can't help it. I'm due to go to dentist for first time in 19 years I'm in a few weeks and I'm too scared to make any plans after this date.
Can anyone shed any light as to whether you continue living a normal life whilst having teeth removed etc? Also, what excuse did you use to get off work?
I'm so ashamed I'm going to need loads of appointments and time off.
Thanks x
 
Hi @Amyx, sorry to see that you haven't had any replies yet!

From following this forum over the years, there's a huge amount of variation in how quickly people go back to work after having teeth removed, it seems to depend on lots of factors such as how easy the extractions were, how many teeth were removed, etc. You might want to take the rest of the day off work if you're having an extraction (although some people go straight back to work, especially if it's a desk job). If you're having a lot of teeth removed and dentures, people tend to take more days off work:


With fillings, the anaesthetic wears off after about 2 hours for most people (though for a few unlucky people like myself, it takes ages for it to wear off... more like 6 to 8 hours, but apparently, that's extremely unusual. A dentist on here once said that it can be due to a genetic variation?). You could go straight back to work after a filling, but it might feel a bit distracting while you're still numb. Which is usually fine fine unless you're having to talk a lot.

With regards to meals out - after fillings or similar, you can basically eat once the local anaesthetic has worn off (eating and drinking while numb is awkward and can result in spillages - ask me how I know LOL. Also, you could easily burn yourself or bite yourself in the cheek, so if you really need to eat while still numb, stick to lukewarm and soft foods). After extractions, it really depends - we've had some people here munch on pizza the evening after having their wisdom teeth removed, whereas others stick to a soft diet for a week or more... again it all depends on how easy or complex the removal was. Also, people heal at differing rates.

If you're too embarrassed (or too phobic) to mention to your boss or colleagues that you need the time off for dental appointments, you could keep it more general and say it's for medical appointments. There are some tips here (the article refers to getting time off for therapy, but the excuses should work all the same):


There's no reason not to make plans for after your appointment - just let your dentist know if you've got anything important coming up so you can work around those dates!

Hopefully, others will chime in with their experiences :)
 
@Amyx I went straight to work after fillings. I would have needed a couple hours to go out to eat. I had a retained baby tooth extracted and was able to work straight away. I wouldn't have been able to go out to eat for about a week though, because of needing soft foods. I just had a couple extractions of wisdom teeth, its looking like I will need about four days off work, but my work is very physical with a lot of interpersonal interaction and talking to clients. I could have worked in an office job after two days. I think it will be a couple weeks before I can eat out after these last extractions, because I am eating only soft foods, and having to clean my mouth after eating in a way I can do only at home. With work I said I was going on vacation, and got the week off. Luckily my work is very flexible. For fillings I just say I have a medical appointment with no detail. It would be very upsetting and stressful to me to discuss my dental work with anyone at work so I don't tell anyone what I am doing. I hope everything goes well for you, best of luck!
 
Hiya
Is anyone currently having extractions/fillings etc and continuing to go to work and out for meals etc?
I know I'm over thinking this but I can't help it. I'm due to go to dentist for first time in 19 years I'm in a few weeks and I'm too scared to make any plans after this date.
Can anyone shed any light as to whether you continue living a normal life whilst having teeth removed etc? Also, what excuse did you use to get off work?
I'm so ashamed I'm going to need loads of appointments and time off.
Thanks x
I would be honest..... extractions are a medical procedure so your work should allow you time off to heal.
 
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