Many teeth pulled with oral anesthesia (non-IV)

[Dusty]

I've been a dental phobiac my entire life. I can't explain it, because I never had a bad experience until I was nearly 20. (A needless root canal, which I didn't find out was needles until after the fact when seeing a new and better dentist, out of my own pocket.)

I have a hereditary dental condition that's an extension of a metabolic condition. Mind you, I am only 25 years old, but my uncle and father both had dentures before they graduated high school. (And unbelievably my real father still has the same dentures that he got WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY back in 1977. (I wouldn't believe it myself if it wasn't true.) It gives me hope for adaptability within my own dentures though. He regularly eats steak, and eats corn on the cob on occasion, so I'm having high, but realistic, hopes for my own. Anyway, on to my story.

Yesterday I had all but the six center teeth (on both the top AND bottom jaw) removed while under oral anesthesia w/ nitrous oxide. I took my first packet of medication one hour before my appointment and my second packet thirty minutes beforehand. When I got there, I was still VERY aware and terrified. They started me on oxygen and the the Nitrous Oxide, I was still very aware and they crushed another pill, put it under my tongue and gave me a very small bit of water to get it down. They came and numbed my mouth with some gel on an extra-long q-tip and made sure it was working and asked me to close my eyes and open very wide (I've always had a hard time getting my mouth very widely open, so they used a little plastic wedge on one side to begin. By all of this time, I was pretty well out of it. I never noticed it working all of a sudden, there was no "Oh wow, I'm out of it." moment like with some medications. It was a slow and steady gain on me, and I felt more sleepy than any other descriptive word. My dentist told me to let him know if I experienced any pain, other than pressure. Towards the end, I felt a bit of pain, not even pain really, just I felt something rather than the nothing I had felt before, and I told him. Apparently he gave me another novacaine shot, but I never felt any of them, although I know I received them. It took just a hair over an hour and I was ready to go home. Beforehand, we had bought Ensure (I'm not sure if this available outside the US. It's a liquid nutrient drink in case you're unable to eat.), Jell-O, soft dried fruits, PLENTY of bottled water, and macaroni & cheese. When I got out, my mouth was packed with gauze, but I was SO out of it that I don't remember having the gauze packed. If I was doing it all over again, I would take a towel with me, because I got a spot of bloody drool on my favorite pillow. I would also lay towels over the pillow (or anywhere else my face will touch) on the bed, because it's easy to drool without noticing it.

Once I got home, my mouth was a little sore, and the gauze uncomfortable, and would have been easy to leave out, but you need to leave it in, and so I did. I slept most of the evening and into the night. I ate some Jell-O at some point while I was awake, and then about ten in the evening I woke up and ate some macaroni. That was a real hassle, I don't know about all of you but I usually eat my macaroni with my back/side teeth, and it was a hassle to eat in little tippy bites, so getting back to Jell-O was a comfort. I slept through the night, waking up rather early. I felt HUNGRY, and had some eggs, which were easier than the macaroni but not as easy as the Jell-O (I have a feeling that Jell-O and I are going to be old friends by the time I'm comfortable with my dentures.

The need for the gauze was over this morning, which was a welome end, it seemed to keep my mouth more sore than it already was. I'm not terribly thrilled with the idea of wearing a denture over a mouth this sore in the front (I'm getting a starter denture the day they remove my front teeth, and I'll either stick with it (if it's great or adaptable) or go with a new one in about three months time. After six months, I'm going to get some implants put in because of my public speaking frequency. I've been saving up for a long time to be able to put off the public speaking and the money it brings in.

Really, on a scale of 1 to 10, one being a picnic in the park, and ten being midevel torture. I'd give this a two, maybe a two and half, just because of the small swelling and light pain I'm experiencing today. Otherwise it was a pretty decent process. Most of my pain is from consciously trying use my facial muscles to keep everything away from my gums.

Also, something I've noticed- I had a bad overbite my entire life. Now that the back teeth are gone, I no longer have one. It's a weird sensation to no longer have one.

All in all, it wasn't a bad experience. I'm still worried/nervous about the dentures, but not as much as I was. I wouldn't do it for fun, but I wouldn't be worried if I had to do it all over again.

 

[Mary]

YAY FOR YOU

CONGRADULATIONS ON A JOB WELL DONE.
I HAD AN IMMIDIATE FULL DENTURE ON THE TOP AND YES THEY ARE SOMETHING THAT TAKES GETTING USED TO,BUT I HAVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER

JUST WANTED TO SAY GREAT JOB,BE SUPER PROUD OF YOUR SELF AND BE SURE TO CELEBRATE YOUR ACHIVMENT(SORRY CANT SPELL)

 

[Dusty]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear that you like your denture. I have some apprehension about the dentures, but I'm pretty excited about them. I'll post a follow-up when more goes on. I go in tomorrow and get the sutures removed. I actually only needed two because it was a fairly easy and straightforward process. I've had a low fever today, but that could be from discontinuing a medication I take before the surgery and then just continuing it today.

 

[scaredstiff]

I think you have done absolutely brilliantly. Reminds me of when I had my teeth extracted because I went for macaroni as well as soups, spaghetti and things like that. But I had immediate dentures fitted - well immediately while I was still under (IV sedation) so woke up with them in and never faced the problem of having swollen gums and then later having to try to put a denture in. I'm sure everything will go well for you and you will adjust very quickly to wearing dentures and learning to eat in a slightly different way perhaps and always in smaller bites and chewing a bit more too but this can only be a good thing.

 

[Dusty]

Had the other teeth pulled Yesterday afternoon, the sedation process wasn't as smooth as it was last time, but still I have NOTHING to complain about, I just had to take more medication than I did last time. (Which was administered at the office. I think part of the problem was arriving early. They took me in early, pills didn't have time to kick in fully.)

The procedure ended around 5:00, and I don't really remember coming home. I woke up sometime around 9:00 and wanted some Jell-O (gelatin, or Jelly for those of you not in the US ) but I don't especially remember that either. I woke up at some point in the night again and ate some more, but I don't remember it either.

So far my dentures are a little sore, but I'm going to sleep in them tonight to try and keep things clean in my gums, and to help my body get used to them while I'm not awake to be in discomfort. (Not pain though, it's just odd to feel them.)

My main complaint so far is nausea/gagging feelings coming very quickly and then going away.

My speaking's not terrible; s's, ch's. and the like are still fairly off, but that's after 24 hours.

Does anybody have any recommendations for getting these sounds to work out or does it just take time?

Does anybody have any advice for the sudden nausea/gagging that comes on? It's from the back of the mandibular denture hitting the soft spot at the back of my throat.

Other than that, I'm pretty happy with them. I really like my dentist and my dentures. I can't wait until I'm used to them!

 

[Mary]

Great job....and as for the gagging i dealt with that a little with my denture but I got used to it pretty quick(within a week)but if its a problem go back and your dentist will be able to rub it down a bit so it is comfortable.

 

[Dusty]

Thank you, I appreciate the help.

I went to sleep about five hours ago (with the denture in, as recommended by my dentist.) and either I got more used to it, or something, but I'm not experiencing the nausea I'd been experiencing during the day. My speaking's even noticably improved since I last posted. (Although I'm still having trouble with those darn s's and ch's.)

Thanks for all the help and advice posted on this board, it's helped me more than anybody will ever know.

 

[scaredfortoolong]

congrats! I recently recieved my first dentures this past monday, the bottom ones are a pain, but the top are completely fine...I have noticed the problem with s's and ch's, but I kept practicing by reading aloud and I notice that i can almost say them normal now if I am talking slowly, but when I start talking quickly or like I did normally, I slip back into making the mistakes, which is hard for me because I am trying to hide all of this from everyone at work...but practice, practice and talk a little slower, that has helped me!

 

[Dusty]

I'll tell what has been working wonders for me with helping my speech is singing along to music in the car. It seems to help. My dentist was able to put in a soft lining for me, and since then my bottom denture fits like magic. I just put them and go. But before he did that, I had a TON of trouble with the bottom one. Something that helped me was to bite down and swallow very quickly before speaking.

I had one friend who kept telling me that I looked great, but she couldn't figure out what it was, which was nice. Then I had another one ask about my s's and ch's, and I told him that I'd just had some dental work done and wasn't adjusted to the change yet. And that way I didn't reveal that I'd had dentures, but he also accepted the answer and let it go. Something like that might work for you if someone mentions something at work.

Next time you see your dentist/denture maker/oral health provider you should ask about the soft lining. Not only is it easier to eat, but it provides a 100% fit, so as soon as I put them in, I have no trouble. I HIGHLY recommend this.

 

[Too Young]

Hi Dusty,

I, too, just had an upper denture put in yesterday. I have a post on this site under "Getting Dentures". I haven't experienced the nausea and my speech is pretty good but I haven't been out in the world yet to see how I function under normal speaking conditions.

Congrats on having such a positive experience. I would like to have implants eventually but right now the cost is holding me back. I do not have insurance.

Good luck going forward.

 

[Dusty]

I'll be sure and post what the experience of getting the implants is like. My insurance will only cover $1,000. I've been saving up for a very long time to get this done. They told me when I was 14 that I would have to have my teeth out by the time I was 18, when I was 18 it was 21, when I was 21 they told me they wouldn't make a year. That was three years ago. So I had a lot of time to save and prepare for the financial dent. (Although I didn't realize it was all going to go down in a recession.)

All nausea problems have fixed, still working out a few sore spots, but very happy with them!

 

[Orange11]

Hi..I'm glad things have worked out for you. I too just built up the courage to get dental work done after many years of neglect. I will be having 7 teeth pulled on Friday!!..The dentist told me he will put me to sleep by pills. Since you were given pills as well, please let me know how effective they were. I would prefer IV sedation, based on what I read about it(instant knockout).
I find it odd that he will give me pills because I will be his last appointment for the day at 2:30pm.And it takes awhile for the pills to kick in. I don't know what to think/expect..Please help!!

 

[Dusty]

I felt the same then as you do now regarding IV vs. Oral (pill) anesthesia. However, I actually really liked the oral anesthesia. I'm going to have some more work done next month (I'm having implants put in to make the dentures implants.) and I have no qualms. My second appointment was actually at 3:30 and I thought that would be worse than first thing in the morning like my first appointment, but the afternoon went better. You take some of the pills before you get in, some just beforehand, and if you're not out or not feeling, your dentist or oral surgeon can (and most likely will) give you more medication once you're there. That's what happened to me, I let myself get nervous and I couldn't get over it, and they gave me more pills to sedate me, and it was great. One thing that I HIGHLY recommend though is having somebody make sure that you take a pain pill, whether it be an over the counter Ibuprofen (which works WORLDS better for me for mouth pain) or a prescribed pain tablet, or both before you go to sleep for the night. The first time I didn't, and I woke up in pain and it took about 30 minutes for it calm down so I could sleep. The second time my uncle woke me up and helped me take my pills and I didn't wake up until the next morning and wasn't in any real pain. Keep up with the pain pills according to the label too, even if you don't feel like you need them, that pain can get ahead of you in just a few minutes, and it's harder to get it back under control than it is to prevent it.

I hope some of this was helpful for you. If you have any questions that I didn't cover, don't hesitate to ask. I'll give you any info I can to help you. I was so nervous going into my first one, not knowing much, so I hope I can help you at least a little bit!

 

[Orange11]

Thanks a lot. That was very helpful. I'm curious to know if I will still be shot in the gums with novacaine, in addition to the pills? Thank God I don't have a needle phobia.Also, how long do I have to stay off of solid foods?

 

[Dusty]

They still used novocaine injections for me, so I assume they use them for everybody. They applied a gel first to numb me out and then gave me the novocaine. I'm needle phobic, so I don't handle them well, but I was so out of it that I didn't notice the shots at all. I was in and out of sleep and out of it by then, and they said something about the novocaine and I asked when they were going to do it, and the dental assistant said "We already did!" so that was nice.

The first couple of days, I ate stuff like macaroni and cheese, jello, pudding, custard, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soup, oatmeal, stuff like that. By the fourth or fifth day, I was eating whatever I wanted. They removed four teeth, plus my wisdom teeth on each side, top and bottom. I felt like I was ready for more solid food before I switched to it, but I was really worried about the stitches, which I apparently didn't need to be. The dentist told me that I could have gone to solid food as soon as I felt I was ready and able and my comfort was the only guide as to what I should eat. He had told me that in the office, but I was so out of it that I didn't remember him saying it. So you could probably be back to whatever you normally eat within a couple of days.

In my case, it was MUCH easier than I expected it to be. I wouldn't want to say that it's always that way, because each person/dentist/experience is different, but I'm sure if you're like me, your worries and predictions are much worse and unfounded once you get it all done.

 

[Orange11]

Good. That makes me feel so much more relieved. I had butterflies when I woke up today. Well it's 3 and a half hours before my appointment. Wish me luck. I'll update you on what happened whenit's all over.

 

[Dusty]

Good luck! It's normal to be nervous about something like that, God knows I was. I'm not sure about your case, but after mine were removed I felt better physicallly because all the inflammation and infection were gone from my mouth. It wasn't an immediate thing, but it almost was. I wish you the best of luck and speed with your recovery.

 

[Orange11]

Hi Dusty

I'm back home. It went great!!!..I didn't feel any pain. It all happened so quickly. I dont even remember him pulling the teeth on my left side. Probably
becuase I was totally knocked out. They woke me up when they had 3 left to pull on the right side. But you know what was kind of scary..Right before the procedure, they hooked me up to the blood pressure machine..my Diastolic number was high.It was at 102! I asked the nurse it everything was ok, and she looked nervous. When the doctor came in he said it was a bit high, but not majorly high, and that it could just be nerves.I'm only 27 and slim, so I found the high reading odd. All in all. I'm truly relieved. I'm sitting here with a bloody mouth full of gauze, but i'm a happy camper. Thanks so much for your advice and support!!

 

[Dusty]

That's great that it went so well for you. I had a feeling that it'd be pretty easy for you, but I didn't want to promise it, just in case. I'm 25 and pretty slim, but my blood pressure was high too. It leveled back to normal after I went out though, so like you, it was probably just nerves. It's VERY easy to be nervous about something like that, because I was crazy nervous.

I'm glad that it went so well for you though, I'm always glad to hear a success story. I was so nervous about my procedure, and didn't know anybody else who had had it done, so I'm glad that I was able to help you.

Have a good weekend too!