• Dental Phobia Support

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Need Support Wisdom Teeth Consultation

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nofear

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
24
Location
Alberta, Canada
Thank you for this site. I appreciate everyone on this site who have the same phobia as me.

I was recently at the dentist in April 2009 after 6 years of not going to the dentist based on dental phobia (based on a bad childhood experience). During my visit, I received a panoramic xray as I had mentioned my wisdom teeth were growing in. I needed a large filling done and a smaller filling done and cleaning. These were done over multiple appointments in May and my gf held my hand throughout the whole procedure. I don't know how I made it but I did. Anxiety levels were off the chart.

I am 29 and turning 30 next April. 3 out of my 4 wisdom teeth have erupted and have grown in straight/normal. My concern is my lower right wisdom tooth which is growing horizontally impacted. Since April there hasn't been any pain or swelling etc. My dentist mentioned no issues with second molar, he just said I would have to take it out and referred me to an oral surgeon. Furthermore, I've been able to keep the area clean by flossing back there, and also using a Waterpik to flush the area. I think I have a big jaw, and therefore that is why there hasn't been much issues with the lower right wisdom teeth over so many years.

But I am now starting to experience symptoms including pain, pressure and swelling (sometimes pressure in my eardrum). The symptoms are slowly subsiding but I am worried. This prompted me to book a consultation with an oral surgeon which will take place on Nov 13. I am really worried if I have waited too long or if this is just normal progression/symptoms.

My question are the following (maybe some dentists on this board can answer):
-Put to sleep or local freezing? I have dental phobia and prefer to be out but scared of the complications.
-I have read horizontal impacted teeth are less problematic because they lie parallel with the nerve and thus they are not tangled up with the nerve risking permanent numbness. Is this true?
-Should I take out all of my wisdom teeth or just the one that is impacted? I looked at my xray right now and the referral sheet is proposing I take out all 4.

Thanks for taking time to read my situation. I am worrying like heck and I can't focus on llife. I need support. I'm freaking out. Did I mention I'm freaking out?? =(
 
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It will be ok :) I would going ahead and getting all 4 removed at the same time so you will not have to worry about them again. I had all four impacted wisdom teeth removed a year ago and had no problems and very little pain.:)
 
Hi nofear

You have done so well so get this far, the end is in sight!

I had 13 teeth removed including my four widom teeth, one of which was horizontally impacted under a general iv anaesthetic - the best decision I ever made!!

Although I am not a dentist I don't think you have to worry about the amount of time you have left the tooth for, I left mine for 20 years and had serious problems with it. I too think like you, once I am under take them all out.

I had no pain and no swelling ..... just total relief ;)
I did have some nerve damage, it wasn't really a problem, felt a bit like your face coming round after an injection. Unlike things you read my face didn't droop, you wouldn't have known there was anything wrong and it completely disappeared after a few months.

Good luck

:)
 
Hi:

The are many options for getting the work done. Getting wisdom teeth out is fairly routine. Oral surgeons do these every day, no worries.

Sedation is very safe as the medications used are tried and true. IV sedation is not the same as general anesthetic used for a typical surgery. The whole procedure is fairly fast. If you elect to have IV sedation you will not remember almost anything about the procedure as the medications cause amnesia for the event.

The OS can tell you if having them all removed at once is needed. They take out thousands of wisdom teeth every year.

If you are very nervous they can prescribe you some anti-anxiety medications to take the edge off the anxiety. These are very routine and can be quite helpful.

You will do great.

Blessings :)
 
My only advice is to get it sorted as quickly as possible [easier said than done, of course, hence the existence of this forum].

I am in a similar position, had not been to dentist for 7 years due to general terror of it, aware of intermittent, nagging discomfort for over a year [silly me], I assumed that it would be decay and, eventually, because I'd left it so long, that loss of the tooth or teeth involved was inevitable so there was kind of no rush to go to the dentist [sound logic, eh?].

I kept telling myself I would get around to going but in practice waited until the pain got bad, really bad, so I sort of limped in there hoping he'd immediately spot the bad teeth & give me a second appointment for a few days' time at which he would whisk them out, leaving me to get on with my life.

Not so... there are some issues with decay and gum disease but nothing the dentist found seemed to anything overly serious... when talking through the X ray he casually mentioned that there might be some [i can't remember the language - compaction? impaction?] with a wisdom tooth but didn't seem overly troubled about it or proactive in terms of a solution... I can only assume that this is the source of the pain.... so now I'm back at home typing this practically horizontal with pain... it seems to me that it will take weeks and weeks, maybe far longer if I go with the NHS, to sort this out...

So I've looking at possibly months of trying to live normally, including supposedly working longish, productive, hours, with presumably steadily worsening pain than before... don't leave it as late as I have done!
 
Hey TFP, we're here for you. May I ask how old you are? Yes, my consultation is coming up on Friday so I hope to get some more information from the OS. Trying to focus on life is difficult because I am filled with worry. Worry about damage to my second molar, etc. We'll get through this.!

And thanks for the responses everyone, I really appreciate it. Keep em coming, stay strong!
 
Hey TFP, we're here for you. May I ask how old you are?...

a little older than you, fairly recenetly turned 33. a little old to be having big wisdom tooth issues but not freakishly so.

...thanks for the responses everyone, I really appreciate it. Keep em coming, stay strong!

agree, the forum is an extremely valuable resource.
 
Hi nofear

You have done so well so get this far, the end is in sight!

I had 13 teeth removed including my four widom teeth, one of which was horizontally impacted under a general iv anaesthetic - the best decision I ever made!!

Although I am not a dentist I don't think you have to worry about the amount of time you have left the tooth for, I left mine for 20 years and had serious problems with it. I too think like you, once I am under take them all out.

I had no pain and no swelling ..... just total relief ;)
I did have some nerve damage, it wasn't really a problem, felt a bit like your face coming round after an injection. Unlike things you read my face didn't droop, you wouldn't have known there was anything wrong and it completely disappeared after a few months.

Good luck

:)

I've been reading your success story, good job April. Just to clarify, you mentioned you left your horizontally impacted wisdom tooth in for at least 20 years and you had serious problems or didn't have serious problems? I'm freaking out!!!!!

:hidesbehindsofa:
 
Anyone have any tips for the pain? I'm currently using 2 advil every 4 hours. Someone suggested gargling salt water to calm teh gums down? Is that true?
 
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I'm sick with worry everyone. I can't sleep at night, etc. I'm shaking everytime I think about my teeth. The pain has subsided, but I'm feeling a little bit of pressure there now. I am so worried about the condition of my second molar etc. I don't know what to do. This worry and fear is just crushing me to bits.
 

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