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Molar Surgery

J

JayJay0271

Junior member
Joined
Dec 29, 2021
Messages
4
Location
Oregon
In about a week, I have to get all of my back molars removed, and I'm absolutely terrified of it. I'm only 15. I honestly don't want to go through with it, but I kind of have to. I've been having extreme tooth pain since I was in about 7th grade. My teeth have never been taken care of, and that's completely my fault. I get that it is, but that doesn't make me any less scared. Especially with everything I've seen about adults having to do that. It's terrifying. I don't know what to do at this point. I just start crying every time I think about it. I feel pathetic for even coming on to this just for advice, but I'm out of options.
 
First of all, don’t feel pathetic for coming on here. That is what the forum is for! Most of us have been through some very scary situations and can help each other. Any time you have to have teeth extracted it is scary and there is nothing wrong with feeling that way.

When you say get “all” your back molars removed, do you mean your first and second molars (8 teeth), or just the 2nd molars (4 teeth)?

Are you more scared of the procedure or of losing the teeth? The reason I ask is that at your age, you still have wisdom teeth that will come in, and with the others gone, they may come in nicely and move up to replace the molars.

If you are afraid of the procedure, I can give you some advice on that as well.
 
I more so meant the 4 on the bottom, and I'm scared of both losing teeth and the procedure.
 
Okay, so bottom molars. Do you know if your dentist has a plan in place for eventually replacing them with implants, or having your wisdom teeth fill in? At your age, there are options so that you will not just be missing the teeth. If you don’t know, you might want to send an email or call the dentist or see if your parent or guardian can do so, and find out what the long term plan is. That should help ease your mind on that front.
As for the procedure, dentistry has changed so much just over my lifetime (I am 42), that I have been amazed. When I was your age, I had to have four premolars pulled at the same time to prepare for braces. In the past three years, I had to have molars extracted and the procedure was so much easier. They can get you really numb, and the injection techniques are so much better and are not nearly as painful as you imagine.
Have you discussed sedation at all? You might have the option of nitrous oxide or even just an oral sedative to help you relax. I have used both for dental procedures and they do help.
 
I don't know their long-term plan. The sad thing is that I'm told nothing about their plans. My mother says that she would handle it, but one of the reasons it didn't get fixed years ago is because she never took me into the dentist. I'm hoping to talk to them about it on the day of the surgery, but besides that I can't do much. All I know is that they're going to take them out because of how bad they've gotten. I'm scared that I'm going to be able to feel what they're doing, and that would hurt like hell.
 
I don't know their long-term plan. The sad thing is that I'm told nothing about their plans. My mother says that she would handle it, but one of the reasons it didn't get fixed years ago is because she never took me into the dentist. I'm hoping to talk to them about it on the day of the surgery, but besides that I can't do much. All I know is that they're going to take them out because of how bad they've gotten. I'm scared that I'm going to be able to feel what they're doing, and that would hurt like hell.
Okay, so I can reassure you about the pain. You will not be able to feel what they are doing. I think everyone has that fear before dental surgery, but the injections they give you will numb not just the teeth but the whole area of your mouth. They usually rub a topical gel on the area, wait a few moments for that to numb the surface, then give a few shots to numb the nerves. It will numb you completely. The only thing you will feel is some pressure, like a tugging sensation, but no pain. In my experience, if I felt any pain, even slight, I would raise my hand or make a noise and they would immediately stop and give another shot. I have difficulty getting numb.

Since you are having four out at once, it is possible that they are going to use general anesthesia, or twilight, which means you won’t even be aware of what is going on, so you won’t feel pain either.

If you are comfortable, you could call the dentist or surgeon and just ask the receptionist who answers to speak to someone about your appointment. The receptionist will ask what you want to know and may even be able to tell you. If not, they will take your phone number and have the dentist/surgeon, or tech, call you back when they are available and answer your questions. I have had great experience doing that.
 
Ok. That gives me some peace of mind. Hopefully it won't be as awful as some people would say. I probably wouldn't be about to call either of them, but that's ok. I'm just going to hope they have some sort of plan, which they probably do. It's still going to freak me out quite a bit both before and after the surgery but talking to you made it a little better. For some reason you are a lot better at giving at giving advice than my mother, but at the same time, her experiences are pulling out her own teeth, so it's a lot worse than what's going to happen.
 
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