Not dealing well with the prospect of wisdom teeth removal

[DistantStar]

I looked up info on aftercare and whatnot (had a molar out today), but I knew better than to watch the more graphic videos beforehand! Though I did watch one a little bit ago and it was interesting, if a bit creepy. Definitely something for afterwards, not before.

I didn't have a consultation appointment with the OS, oddly enough, but he did take a good look at the xrays I brought with me and my teeth and told me what was going on before he did anything. The dentist appointment where I got the referral was virtually the same, except that he took the xray and looked at it and at me and told me what my options were (which I knew going in anyway). The only scary part (for me, anyway) was hearing about the price tag, which may or may not apply depending on the country you're in.

You can do it!

 

[drummerswife]

Hi Jessica,
Just saw your post. I applaud you for standing up for yourself. Good for you! You mentioned the hygienist wanting to build trust with her patients. In my mind, the best way to do this is to give the patients whatever makes them comfortable and not discourage them.
I will be using both nitrous and LA for my last appintment with Dr. Katie on the 21st. For me, this is a step down from the large doses of Valium I have been using. I havent actually had any cleaning from the hygenist yet because I was too skittish to let her do anything with me.
How close are you to having your wisdoms out?
Blessings

 

[Jamie_39]

Hi Jessica, I'm in a similar situation to yourself in that I had two of my wisdom teeth taken out a few weeks ago and this Wednesday I'll go back for the second two. I'm scared about it even though I know what to expect procedure-wise, but I'm trying to convince myself that everything will go just as well as it did for the first two (top one normal, bottom one horizontally impacted, totally under the gum).

The procedure (I only had LA) was completely painless (apart from when my dentist wiggled the tooth a bit too near the root, but even that wasn't too bad) and the recovery afterwards wasn't too bad either. I wasn't expecting to be back to normal immediately, and I needed 3 days in bed resting - I am fine taking pain meds so can't help you there, but tend to have excessive swelling and bruising so I was put on steroids to control it which knocked me out. I'd arranged to have them taken out on Thursday, and took the Friday off work to give me 4 days to recover. I was in quite a bit of pain for the first 3-4 days even with my meds, then it lessened and got a lot better when I had the stitches out a week later. I used lots and lots of ice, which helped a lot, I think it helped with the pain as well as the swelling, so I'd recommend that for when they come out!

I'm sure you'll be fine when you have them taken out, and your doctor/dentist/oral surgeon is bound to know about liquid pain meds that they could prescribe you - Good Luck!

P.S. I share your fear of phones too - I can manage for work, but I NEVER use phones for booking appointments etc. The prospect is just far too terrifying - I drive half an hour out of my way to make my dentists appointments in person (quite a challenge when you have a dental phobia, but dentists and phones combined.... ) I'm glad to read here that it's not just me that has such a fear - maybe there needs to be a "Phone Fear Central" forum set up!!!

 

[JessicaB]

My consultation with the oral surgeon is TOMORROW MORNING. In a weird way I am not as stressed about it as I thought I would be. I can't say I'm looking foward to it, and I'm definitely nervous, but it doesn't seem like the end of the world either. Not sure how I'll go sleeping tonight though. I think I'll make myself go to the gym and wear out my body and hopefully my mind will follow! I'm just glad it's early in the morning at least so it's out of the way early in the day, even though I'm far from being a morning person.

 

[olivacs]

Good luck to you!!! Everything will go perfectly!!!
I love morning appointments...well as much as you can love going to the dentist...because you don't have to sit there all day thinking and dreading it.
You will do great! Make sure you let us know how it goes.

 

[drummerswife]

Hi Jessica,
I agree with Olivacs. You will do great!

Remember, we are all with you. Let us know how it goes!

All of my appointments with DR. Katie have been in the late afternoon and I really like that. I am soooo not a morning person for one thing and the late afternoon has made it possible for my husband to go with me . Its also deliberate planning with Dr. Katie. She schedules all of her most frightened patients at the end of the day because the office is much quieter as the other patients are gone and the staff has been trained to be quiet and make thenselves scarce.

 

[JessicaB]

Thanks for your replies First of all, Drummerswife I am not a morning person either! This morning wasn't so great either because it was raining and I was way too early (for fear of being late) so I had to walk around in the rain for ages and got wet socks, not fun! I got a good impression when I walked into the surgery and the staff were nice and I liked the surgeon but it was VERY quick. He didn't even do an examination, just discussed the x-ray with me. He reassured me that it's common to be nervous and he expects it, and that it's the first operation many of his patients have ever had in his life. He started by explaining that the partially impacted one has to come out, and the one above it has to come out, and the top one of the other side also has to come out due to being too far back, but then he said it's up to me whether I have the horizontally impacted one out, or leave it there and have regular x-rays to monitor for cysts. He told me it's by far the hardest to get out, and could cause complications due to the pocket it would leave behind. So basically, I can't win either way. The clincher for me was that he insisted he wouldn't take that one out without GA, which is kind of what I was dreading, so I have decided to leave it there and have my dentist monitor it and get the other three out with IV sedation. I'm still feeling unsure about my choice, but basically there are risks either way and the thought of GA is just too much for me to bear unless I absolutely have to. Fingers crossed it will never come to that.

I also felt quite comfortable with the surgeon even though it was a very quick appointment, and he said it was no problem for him to presribe liquid meds. He barely batted an eyelid at that so it must be more common than I realised!

Anyway, I'm booked in for early October to have it done and I will need to take a week off work, which is what I was expecting and also what the surgeon advised. I got a bit confused though and had to email them afterwards to ask whether I now need to contact the anaesthetist and arrange him or her for that date. There was a lot of information to take in and it was a little overwhelming, but overall not too bad which is a relief.

 

[olivacs]

Great job on making it through it all! Sounds like a positive visit and you made a good decision about the one wisdom tooth. I would do the same!!

 

[drummerswife]

Way to go Jessica! I completely identify with your issues with GA. I cant do it either because it makes violently ill and I have a hard time waking up.

Sounds you are in good hands and made the best decision for you. Good job!

 

[JessicaB]

Thanks for your support. My partner disagreed with my decision and briefly tried to talk me into going with all 4 under GA. I have tried to explain to him why I don't want to do that, because he doesn't really understand my fears about GA and I can't explain it very well because it's not entirely rational. In the end he realised I had made my decision and wasn't going to change my mind so he hasn't tried to push into doing so. I'm also worried that my dentist will think I've made a bad choice by leaving it there, as he seemed to be very encouraging of getting them all taken out, but I have to remind myself though that the surgeon is the expert and if he thinks the fourth one will be tricky to get out and it may be better to leave it there, then that's the opinion I'm going with. I'm still not convinced that I've made the right choice from a rational perspective, but in my own mind I know I really can't deal with GA unless there's absolutely no other choice.

 

[drummerswife]

You have to do what is right for you and only you can truly know that.

 

[Razzle3]

Hug Jessica and of course my support in echoing Drummerswife's wise words that only you know what is the right course for you to take. Wish you lots of luck and soon hope to read your success story.

Mona

 

[Jamie_39]

Congratulations on getting this far and making the decision that you know is right for you. There will always be the opportunity to take that last tooth out under GA later down the line if and when you or your dentist decides it really needs to be done.

Best of luck for the other 3!

 

[JessicaB]

Well it's now three weeks to the day and it's starting to feel very, very real. I need to ring the anaesthetist for the sedation and I have been putting off doing that. Then in two weeks or less I need to ring the surgeon's office and pay for the surgery on my credit card. These things will all make it seem so much more real and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle it. I don't think I'll even be able to look at the extraction sites afterwards as I'm quite squeemish. I wish it would all just go away

 

[olivacs]

Hi JessicaB....

It's normal to feel nervous especially now that things are getting closer. You will make it thru it all I promise. I understand about not looking at the extraction sites. When I had my wisdom teeth removed and my other extractions, I did not look at the sites for quite some time. I kind of did my business and tried not to focus on looking at those areas. Completely normal to feel like that..

You have come so far...and soon enough it will all be over and you will be so pleased.

 

[April]

Hi Jessica

You are doing so well

The waiting is the worse part, you will be fine and the relief is amazing.

 

[Cielo]

Hi, Jessica~

You've come a long way so far.

I just wanted to add my support to the others'. Once you get your calls made and get everything arranged, you should feel relieved to have at least that part done with. With so much to do before you even have your appointment, it can seem overwhelming.

I'm the complete opposite about GA. If I could have had all my procedures done while unconscious, I'd have jumped at the chance.

Don't worry too much about seeing your extraction sites. I don't think I ever saw mine because they were so far back and I couldn't open my mouth that far. I've since had all my teeth extracted, and while the empty sockets weren't pretty to look at, they weren't gruesome, either.

Good luck, and I hope you have an easy time of it.