Need to get 2 wisdom teeth removed, pretty scared (long story)

[Technetium]

I had not been to the dentist for 17 years. What happened was that I used to have the regular twice a year appointments up until I went to college, and then I was at college in another city when the dental office sent the card to my mom's that it was time for the regular appointment. After skipping that one, they never contacted us again. After a poor time at college for 3 years, I went though a generally irresponsible phase for a few more years, and made no effort to reconnect with having dental appointments. When I moved out on my own, for a very long time it was something I had no insurance coverage for. For the amount of time I have been away from the dentist, I would say my teeth are actually pretty good. There is no visible decay or damage to my teeth, although they certainly have not been white in a long time. I do make sure to brush twice every day, but flossing is currently not possible as there is enough tartar build up to prevent that.

I do have some pretty good coverage now. There's a reason I finally made the appointment. Since May I have had some issues with fatigue and weakness that I haven't been able to identify. I have thought of all the worst possibilities, but one of the things that came to mind is that I might have an infection in one of my wisdom teeth. I have only upper wisdom teeth for some reason (x-rays have confirmed there aren't any lower ones hiding below the gums). One of them is actually lined up pretty nicely and looks the same as the other molars, but the other one points outward, toward my cheek. It's impossible to brush more than one side of it, so there's a fairly good chance it is infected. I also have a swollen lymph node next to my jaw, basically close to the bottom of my ear. The wacky wisdom tooth is the tooth closest to this lymph node. So I had scheduled the dentist appointment mainly to gather information. I wanted to know what procedures they would recommend, and especially to find out if they thought an infected tooth could be connected to the other problems I had.

They did not really answer that question, but the dentist did an x-ray, and then immediately said that the two wisdom teeth could come out. He wanted to schedule another appointment for a "deep cleaning" and removal of the two teeth. He would have been able to get me in the office just a couple days later. He gave me a prescription for an antibiotic to take just before I come in for the procedure, which he said would take 1 hour. I told him I had to check with work if the time would work, and did not commit to it.

The rest of that day it began to gradually set in that this was happening and the panic seemed to start climbing higher and higher. Calls to both of my parents and brother resulted them in telling me to find a 2nd opinion or not do it. Avoidance of the dentist seems to run in my family, I guess. My girlfriend told me it was "no big deal" and this issue actually resulted in her threatening to break up with me if I didn't do it. Ultimately, I concluded that I needed more time to mentally prepare for this. I wasn't ready. I rationalized that I had had my wisdom teeth for about 15 years as they appear now, and that if I waited a couple months to prepare for this, that wouldn't really make a difference. I could just as likely have scheduled the consultation visit two months later, after all. Furthering the rationalization, this month is an extremely busy time for me, as I'm also finally trying to get my driver's license and I have an annual art fair event I need to do a lot of preparation for in October. I did not want complications from the tooth removal to interfere with those things getting done. So I did not make the appointment. I told myself I would schedule this for after I get all these other things done.

My biggest fear with the dentist is the pain. I don't handle pain well. I know they can give a topical anesthetic before the needle goes in. I've actually had 2 teeth removed when I was around 14 before I got braces. At that time, one of the teeth was not properly numbed when he began pulling it. I suppose the biggest fear I have is the risk of dry socket. I am almost 36, and I know the risk increases with age. Although I also know it's less common in upper wisdom teeth than in lower ones, and at least there's some comfort there. But if it did happen... I don't know if I can handle it. I worry that the pain would be so intense that I might do something stupid to escape from it, like jumping in front of a train. From what I've read about dry socket, I don't think I've ever experienced pain close to it in my life. It seems like it's something on par with cluster headaches or kidney stones. The fear of that kind of pain is pretty... immobilizing, I guess.

I have one other issue with this appointment, which is the deep cleaning procedure. I'm pretty sure they are going to want to floss. In the past, I have found flossing at the dentist to be fairly excruciating. When the floss finally snaps between the teeth, it feels to me like a razor blade slicing through my gums. Do they ever give topical anesthetic before doing the cleaning?

I know I should schedule this and get it over with, I just need some support. When it comes to people I am close to, I have either gotten enabling of my tendency to avoid the dentist, or else borderline ridicule about my phobia.

 

[carole]

Hi to the forum.

The dentist will make sure you are completely numb before starting to extract the teeth. Explain to them that your worst fear is feeling pain during treatment. You can also arrange a stop signal, usually raising the left arm is good. If you did feel anything during the extraction they can give you more numbing stuff which you won't feel as you will be numb enough not to feel the needle. They can use a gel called topical, that is rubbed into the gums before injecting and if the dentist gives the injection really slowly you won't feel it. My dentist gives really slow injections and I don't feel them. She used topical at first but now I don't need it as she is very good at giving pain free injections.

Back to you, sorry I got a bit carried away then. Don't worry about dry socket if you did get it, it is very easily sorted out and it is almost instant relief, it takes the dentist less than a minute it feels like to sort it out by packing it. The chances are that it won't happen. Once you are numb they will prepare the tooth and then lift it out gently. You probably won't even realise it has gone until they tell you.

I have had dry socket and it does hurt but no worse than an infection or an abscess and as I mentioned it is very easy to stop hurting.

Explain to your dentist how afraid you are, I think you will find that they are quite understanding and will do all they can to make sure you feel comfortable.

The cleaning can be done with you numbed up if needed, they can either inject your gums a bit to numb them so you don't feel uncomfortable or they can rub the topical gel on.

I hope you manage to make the appointment it won't be as bad as you think. The worry and stress is far worse than the procedure.

All the best to you