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Panicking after dental visit and my wisdom tooth !! Any help ?

B

BensonBooga

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Jul 30, 2014
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40
I went to the dentist today to have my lower left wisdom tooth out, they said I will have to re-book, I presume due to the fact they will need more time, I should have asked more why it couldn't be done today as expected as it was a wasted trip. I thought it would be a simple procedure, but the dentist told me they will need to cut bone, and section the tooth, and I will likely be off work for 4 days after. This was a shock as I really thought it was simple going from my own views on it comparing to teeth I have seen removed on YT.

I also mentioned to the dentist that at least I don't have to worry about the nerves as they are far away from the root, but he corrected me and said "they are right there, only about 2mm away", as though saying it is still a concern. To me they looked a long way away.

So now, I am wondering, is bone cutting for the tooth in the photos/x-ray below, quite an expected thing ? When I saw my normal dentist a few months back, they said it should be quite simple, but they wanted to refer me to a minor dental surgery just in case it broke up. Going by the dental surgeon today it will be sectioned anyway before it is tried to be yanked out. On YT videos I have seen them use an elevator tool on erupted teeth which seems simple enough, as a layman I am not sure why he can't use the same tool here ? Obviously a reason of some sort. Sadly a dentist did file the tooth down a lot 6 months ago due to a high bite after infection, they reduced more than I planned, but it is still out of the gum.

So really, I am asking you guys, does the fact the bone will be cut and the tooth sectioned sound normal for this tooth and is that still fairly straight forward or is that a big deal ? He was talking about having sedation, which also worried me as that sounds like it IS a big deal, but perhaps that was just because I am so nervy which he could tell by my constant questions. Just not sure if I should find a different dentist who may do it differently and less invasive. The fact I am pain free right now really makes me want to hold off, but I know it is a ticking time bomb. What sort of time length should such an operation take ?

Thanks for any advice (photos attached). Ignore the temp filling on the sideways shot, that is now removed.
 

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Should I worry about this distance of nerves to root ?

My dentist today said there is only about 2mm between bottom of tooth root and the nerve canals (of lower right wisdom). But I can see my fake top tooth there on the x-ray, and the size of that to me looks the same difference as between the bottom of root and the nerves (which I presume are the 2 lines that show up going along my jaw line), and that is bigger than 2mm. Any ideas on distance ? He said the tooth will need to be sectioned and surgically removed by cutting bone. I can't see why he would need to get that low down to be near the nerves. But then I am not a dentist so have no idea.

Just wondered peoples ideas here on distance from root to nerve approx ?

Thanks !!
 

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I can't answer you on the part regarding the distance of nerve and tooth root. But there is some amount of risk in nerve damage when extracting wisdom teeth that are close to the nerve. How close is too close I'm afraid only a dentist or oral surgeon will be able to advise you after they have examined you and took your xrays.

As for the extraction, comparing your own teeth with what you see on youtube videos with your naked eye is not a very accurate indicator for how your own extraction is going to be like. What your dentist/oral surgeon suggested sounds common especially for wisdom teeth that are impacted.

I personally also had my wisdom teeth extracted the same way for my lower right side. It was impacted and the oral surgeon had to cut into the bone and section the tooth before getting it out. I did it under general anaesthesia because I extracted all 4 of my wisdoms plus 4 premolars for braces.

The whole procedure took about 30mins, I didn't feel a thing and slept through it. You could by all means get a second opinion if you'll like, no harm asking around before deciding, but what your dentist/oral surgeon proposed to you is not uncommon.
 
Hi. Thanks for that. How was the pain after the operation ? Was it a long recovery ?
 
That looks a really straightforward wisdom tooth extraction. It'd be easier to split the tooth in half because the roots look a bit splayed out, so it'll be a struggle to just lift it out, but there looks plenty of space from the nerve.

I expect your dentist is just covering himself if there does turn out to be nerve damage.
 
Hi. Thanks for that. How was the pain after the operation ? Was it a long recovery ?

I actually didn't get much pain post op. I was instructed to take panadol after the anaesthesia wears off but I didn't need it so I actually did not take any painkillers.

Recovery took about 4 or 5 days for me. I started eating solid foods but eating was a pain becos I have many holes in strategic places. I didn't get any swelling and the whole experience wasn't very painful either.
 
That looks a really straightforward wisdom tooth extraction. It'd be easier to split the tooth in half because the roots look a bit splayed out, so it'll be a struggle to just lift it out, but there looks plenty of space from the nerve.

I expect your dentist is just covering himself if there does turn out to be nerve damage.

Thanks for your info. Just curious but what are your views on the lingual nerve with this sort of tooth ? Given the tooth hole on the tongue side ?

Is it also common to need the bone cutting on such a tooth and is that as scary as it sounds ? :)

Also if I left this, given I am 40 (so not young), what are the risks and how can I tell if I still have an infection ? The antibiotics seemed to work on day 3 and all, touch wood, has been okay since then. Thanks !
 
Lingual nerve should be well buried and out of the way for this one.

I wouldn't expect to have to take much if any bone away at all. Maybe a sliver between the roots.

Having had a really horrible wizzie removed on myself, I can tell you that bone removal is fine, it's much the same feeling as having a filling done.
If you read about it, it sounds horrific, but it really isn't.

After pain is weird with wizzies, my horrible one was no bother at all afterwards, other than a bit of stiffness in my jaw, my easy one was really annoying, it hurt a little bit but the worst thing was my face was so swollen at that side I looked like I had a golf ball in my cheek. 3 days off work because of that!

There's a clear abscess on the x-ray, it'll be back hurting again at some point after the bugs re-grow from the antibiotic. Next lot will be a bit more resistant so it'll be harder to kill them.
 
Thanks for that info. Can I ask where the abscess is ? Just so I know for myself. He did say he would have to cut the bone and then section the tooth, and given the hole is on the tongue size I am bit worried about the lingual nerve.

Sorry to hear what you went through post extraction.

Lingual nerve should be well buried and out of the way for this one.

I wouldn't expect to have to take much if any bone away at all. Maybe a sliver between the roots.

Having had a really horrible wizzie removed on myself, I can tell you that bone removal is fine, it's much the same feeling as having a filling done.
If you read about it, it sounds horrific, but it really isn't.

After pain is weird with wizzies, my horrible one was no bother at all afterwards, other than a bit of stiffness in my jaw, my easy one was really annoying, it hurt a little bit but the worst thing was my face was so swollen at that side I looked like I had a golf ball in my cheek. 3 days off work because of that!

There's a clear abscess on the x-ray, it'll be back hurting again at some point after the bugs re-grow from the antibiotic. Next lot will be a bit more resistant so it'll be harder to kill them.
 
At the back root of the wizzie. You can see the dark shadow on the x-ray around the tip of the root. Makes the extraction a bit easier :)

Oh don't worry about my swollen face, it was nearly 40 years ago now, I'm over it :)
 
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