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Please reassure me that a molar extraction isn't that bad

M

MountainMama

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Jul 1, 2018
Messages
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I am getting my lower 2nd molar extracted next Wednesday.
Rationally I know I will be fine. The oral surgeon is good, and he said my roots are not near the nerve

My fears stem from my childhood trauma of getting teeth pulled when the anesthetic didn't work, and the dentist didn't believe me. I have always had difficulty getting and staying numb. As a child, my permanent teeth were coming in wrong and not pushing the baby teeth out so I had to get multiple baby teeth pulled. The dentist didn't use any kind of topical numbing, just went straight for the shot, which is scary enough for an 8 year old. Then when he started pulling, I was screaming because it hurt and he kept telling me it was just pressure. We only had one dentist as it was a rural area and he was a friend of my parents.
When I was 13, I had to get all four bicuspids pulled for orthodontia. Again, it hurt, and I was crying and he didn't believe me. I almost passed out. After that, I had general anesthesia for wisdom teeth extractions and oral surgeries.

This will be my first extraction with local anesthesia since I was a kid. I am opting for nitrous oxide, but I am still terrified. I have had so much work done this summer that I thought I was conquering my phobia, but it really boils down to the fear of extraction.

Any worda of reassurance and wisdom would be appreciated.
 
Sorry to read about your awful experiences as a child, this sounds terrible. I can understand that you are scared if this is your first extraction since you were a child.
Usually a denist will check if you are numb before they start. That means he will test your gums for a second and ask you wether you are numb. If you felt anything, you will get more anesthetic.
I know how deep seated such fears are and most of it is subconscious and not connected to logic, but dentistry changed a lot since you were a child.
Do you know the oral surgeon and have you had a chat about your fears? I can only encourage you to tell him about your childhood experiences and make it clear that getting numb numb totally numb is crucial for you. In this way he can be extra careful and make sure that all will go well. If it would help you you might even consider contacting your dental practice beforehand to let them know and get some reassurance to ease your anxiety while you are waiting for the appointment.

All the best wishes and keep us posted
 
Wishing you all the best for next week! I’m sure it will be fine! This is an oral surgeon doing it! You’ve had meetings with him he’s xrayed it! Please have faith it will be ok x sending positive vibes for next Wednesday!!
 
Sorry to read about your awful experiences as a child, this sounds terrible. I can understand that you are scared if this is your first extraction since you were a child.
Usually a denist will check if you are numb before they start. That means he will test your gums for a second and ask you wether you are numb. If you felt anything, you will get more anesthetic.
I know how deep seated such fears are and most of it is subconscious and not connected to logic, but dentistry changed a lot since you were a child.
Do you know the oral surgeon and have you had a chat about your fears? I can only encourage you to tell him about your childhood experiences and make it clear that getting numb numb totally numb is crucial for you. In this way he can be extra careful and make sure that all will go well. If it would help you you might even consider contacting your dental practice beforehand to let them know and get some reassurance to ease your anxiety while you are waiting for the appointment.

All the best wishes and keep us posted

Thank you. I did bring up the issue at my consult. I told him that when the dentist filled the tooth just three months ago, she tested my gums, and I thought I was numb, but when she drilled there was a point where I could feel it. It wasn't bad, like poking a bruise, but I was completely numbed on my gums, so I shouldn't have been able to feel it.

I feel comfortable talking with the oral surgeon about it again before they extract. He had suggested general anesthesia due to my experience and anxiety, but I do not have that option as my husband's out od town on business for 3 weeks, so I have to drive myself to and from.
 
Wishing you all the best for next week! I’m sure it will be fine! This is an oral surgeon doing it! You’ve had meetings with him he’s xrayed it! Please have faith it will be ok x sending positive vibes for next Wednesday!!

Thank you! I actually had a dream last night about getting it pulled. It wasn't a nightmare, so that is something positive. Lol.
 
And just think once it’s over you’ll be out of pain!
 
I think you'll do great! I always remind myself that the shots are the worst part (for me) but once they're done, there's no pain and that's monumentally reassuring.

You're not a child anymore, so that will help a lot. I had this same conversation with my husband recently. He had traumatic experiences with extractions as a child and has to have a tooth pulled because it fractured under the crown. He's not even worried about pain, just in general the overall experience.

You have come so far and taken care of so much. You're seeing an experienced provider, not someone who won't listen to you. It's going to be such a different experience and he'll make sure you're properly numb and won't feel any pain.
 
The shots are pretty bad. My fear is more in whether or not the shots are going to work well enough. I can't relax until it is over because I have had too many times where I will be "numb", but five minutes in and it starts wearing off, or it doesn't numb right below the tooth. I am getting nitrous, so that will definitely help with the anxiety.
 
Nitrous makes the local work better too.

You're relaxed, so your pulse is less, your BP is lowered and the local has a chance to work before it's washed away by the blood frantically pumping around your body :)
 
Nitrous makes the local work better too.

You're relaxed, so your pulse is less, your BP is lowered and the local has a chance to work before it's washed away by the blood frantically pumping around your body :)

This makes me feel much better! Thank you!
 
No worries, I think it's in our Nitrous article, but it's been a while since I read it :)
 
No worries, I think it's in our Nitrous article, but it's been a while since I read it :)

I didn't know there was an article on nitrous. I am going to find it and read it. Thank you.
 
It is out! I just got back home, driving myself, and am still numb. It wasn't pleasant but wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. The nitrous helped a lot!
Hopefully the recovery is easy. I had some bone grafting material put in and it is stitched up, so chances of dry socket are very slim.
 
That's great to read, MountainMama! Very well done :jump: glad it all went well, even that you managed to drive yourself home.

All the best wishes, recover soon and keep us posted.
 
That's great to read, MountainMama! Very well done :jump: glad it all went well, even that you managed to drive yourself home.

All the best wishes, recover soon and keep us posted.

I am so relieved to have that out of the way. Now I am ready for it to stop bleeding. The main bleeding stopped, but it is still seeping, which is supposed to be normal. I just really don't like the taste of blood in my mouth!

I am managing well with the pain, too, which I was worried about since I can't take ibuprofen. So far, one dose of 1000 mg tylenol and one tramadol. I am trying to keep the tramadol limited to three days, since I hate narcotics.
 
It's probably stopped by now, but if it's still oozing, get a dry teabag, moisten with a little bit of cold water, put it over the socket and bite on it for a good 10 minutes. The tannin in the tea will stop the bleeding.

Use ordinary breakfast tea, none of your fancy Earl Grey or Lapsang :)
 
It's probably stopped by now, but if it's still oozing, get a dry teabag, moisten with a little bit of cold water, put it over the socket and bite on it for a good 10 minutes. The tannin in the tea will stop the bleeding.

Use ordinary breakfast tea, none of your fancy Earl Grey or Lapsang :)

I did the tea bag last night. It seemed to help, but I kept gagging with bitter taste. Lol. It is still seeping a little today, but not bad. I just get a little taste of blood once in a while. The oral surgeon's office called to check on me today and said it was normal for some seeping for up to 2 days. The extraction site looks pretty gross which I would assume is normal. I can see a clot on one end, that is turning white. The rest of it has a membrane sewn in with bone grafting material under it, so it looks grainy. The clot doesn't look too stable, as it almost looks like it is sitting on top of the site, height of the 1st molar next to the extraction site. I will have to be careful when rinsing, which they told me not to do for 48 hours, and then no swishing, just let warm salt water run over the site.

My whole face hurts today. Not too bad, just sore, even around my nose. The pain was awful last night, waking me up at 1 a.m., but tylenol had it under control within an hour and I haven't even needed tramadol today. I have been putting ice on for about 15 minutes every hour, but the swelling isn't too bad.
 
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