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Scared Of Wisdom Tooth Extraction

D

Daisy Chain

Junior member
Joined
Oct 24, 2019
Messages
5
Location
Greater Manchester
Hi,
I am due to have a wisdom tooth out in a couple of weeks time, I have put it off for about 5 years but had a couple of really bad abscesses under it last year so am determined to get it sorted out, the logical side of my mind says that the pain of the extraction cannot be worse than the pain of the abscesses and even if it is, once it has healed that will be an end to the pain unlike with an abscess where I live in dread of it coming back.
I have all the usual fears that the people on this site seem to have and reading through the posts has really helped me to feel less alone in my fear.
Just a few questions
1) Does the surgery ( my wisdom tooth is under the surface with just a tiny bit sticking up so I have to have stitches as they will need to cut the gum ) take place in a dentist's chair or is it in a full operating theater and I will be lay on a table/bed?
2) People here seem to talk about gauze to cover the hole/area, is this for people who are not having stitches as I have not been told anything about gauze?
3) How is my mouth kept open if I am unconscious ( I am having local anesthetic and IV sedation )
4 ) I have a small mouth and am worried it will not open far enough to get the pliers far enough in?
5) I have also been warned that my face will swell up and my tongue and lip will feel numb for a while, has anyone else had this happen.
I suppose most of my questions are silly as I know the dentistry team at my hospital have done this many times before and my tooth will be nothing new to them but if anyone could answer my questions it would help to set my mind at rest while I am waiting.
Thanks
 
Dear Daisy Chain,

first of all well done on scheduling! Given the fact that you rather went through all that painful abscesses then to get it out only shows how big your fears are when it comes to the procedure. Glad the success stories in tho forum helped you a bit with this. While I am not a dentist, I think I can answer at least some of your questions of which none are silly, on the contrary, asking and getting proper information is very wise!

Let's start with that by saying that making sure the procedure will be painless and comfortable for you will be the very first regard of your dentist. They will numb you up properly, make sure to give the anesthetic enough time to take effect and check whether you are properly numb before they start. If you aren't numb enough, they will add more anesthetic until you can't feel anything. When it comes to pain after the procedure, simple over the counter painkillers will be able to take care of it perfectly.

2) Once the tooth is out you usually get a small piece of gauze to bite on for about twenty minutes. Not sure whether this gets done when you have stitches.
3) IV sedation won't make you unconscious - it makes you very relaxed but you can still talk and move and keep your mouth open by yourself. You can even let your dental team if you don't like anything. The catch is that is causes memory loss so that while you will be awake during the procedure, you will forget it and afterwards feel like you were asleep. You can read how it works here.
4) Small mouth is not a problem, the used instruments are slim and formed in a way to get easily even to the teeth on the back.
5) If the tooth is a lower one, then a small part of your lip and tongue will feel a bit numb. That should pass after 1-2 hours. You will still be able to speak and breath comfortably. It is good to cool your face after you get home, your dental team will give you instructions. This will prevent any swelling.

Don't know about Nr.1 so hopefully someone experienced can reply this one. I think your clinic would be happy to answer this for you if it helps to ease your fears.

All the best wishes and keep us posted
 
Hi Daisy Chain,


No need to worry over the procedure. I recently had my left side out and the whole procedure minus the part where I was waiting to get numb took about 3 minutes to remove both of the teeth. I Can assure you that the anxiety this is causing for you is way worse than the actual procedure. Good Luck and report back to let us know how it goes.
 
Hi,
Thank you both for your calming words and information especially the link to the way sedation works information sheet, just one more question, I had thought I would be sedated before I got the local anesthetic but it would appear that I may not be, I don't really like dental injections although I do have them for fillings etc maybe I can ask the surgeon if the injection can be done after the sedation?
I will certainly let you all know how I get on, it is so nice to feel that other people have been through this before me.
 
Hi,
Thank you both for your calming words and information especially the link to the way sedation works information sheet, just one more question, I had thought I would be sedated before I got the local anesthetic but it would appear that I may not be, I don't really like dental injections although I do have them for fillings etc maybe I can ask the surgeon if the injection can be done after the sedation?
I will certainly let you all know how I get on, it is so nice to feel that other people have been through this before me.

Hi! I have had sedation three times and each time I was sedated before any treatment began. I would think most people who are sedated are going down that route because they are anxious or needing difficult procedures, so I'm not sure why they would give you the injections beforehand? Many, many patients are needle phobic after all! I would definitely ask the dentist to clarify this for you and yes, you have every right to ask for it to be sedation first, numbing after that. Keep us updated!
If you have any questions about sedation, please feel free to ask!
 
Thanks Aurora, yes that makes sense and as you say I will clarify with the dental team before hand.
I have a list of positive thoughts I am compiling and I run through them every evening, things like "although this is new to me ( having a wisdom tooth extracted ) it is every day work to the dental team", this is usually when I come up with more questions so I will be sure to post them here if I do. If my list of positive thoughts works and helps me to stay calm during the run up to the big day and on the big day itself I will post it on here as well in case it helps other people.
Thanks once again
Daisy Chain
 
Thanks Aurora, yes that makes sense and as you say I will clarify with the dental team before hand.
I have a list of positive thoughts I am compiling and I run through them every evening, things like "although this is new to me ( having a wisdom tooth extracted ) it is every day work to the dental team", this is usually when I come up with more questions so I will be sure to post them here if I do. If my list of positive thoughts works and helps me to stay calm during the run up to the big day and on the big day itself I will post it on here as well in case it helps other people.
Thanks once again
Daisy Chain
Compiling a positive list is an excellent idea and really helpful for you to read through whener you get anxious feelings or sensations! You are so right; the dental team do this for a living-it's just a big event to us! My husband had knee surgery three weeks ago and he wasn't particularly nervous but the surgeon came to see him and told him that he understood if he was nervous, but to remember that he does this kind of operation day in and day out. That made me feel better anyway!
I'm glad you are going to ask your dentist whatever you feel you need to, your comfort and peace of mind is, I'm sure, very important to them.
Keep us posted!
 
Hi,
Just got another question, I am trying to arrange someone to drop me off/collect me from the hospital and need to know how long after the procedure it will be before I can go home, i.e. will the person wait with me during the procedure or should they drop me off and then come back later, I have been told my procedure will be 20 minutes long so how long will it take for the sedation to wear off also do we get time slots ( I have not got my final letter yet telling me all the details ) or do we just go in in the morning and wait? I am in the UK, I realize systems may be different in different countries.
Thanks in advance.
Daisy Chain
 
Hi,
Just got another question, I am trying to arrange someone to drop me off/collect me from the hospital and need to know how long after the procedure it will be before I can go home, i.e. will the person wait with me during the procedure or should they drop me off and then come back later, I have been told my procedure will be 20 minutes long so how long will it take for the sedation to wear off also do we get time slots ( I have not got my final letter yet telling me all the details ) or do we just go in in the morning and wait? I am in the UK, I realize systems may be different in different countries.
Thanks in advance.
Daisy Chain

Hi again,

I would have your friend just wait with you and for you, you will know more about how long they will need to wait for you when you get your letter through giving you the time.
I am a Brit but I live in Canada and haven't had sedation in the UK, but it's not going to be that different overall. it sounds like you're having your procedure in a hospital? I've had sedation in both a surgical facility and my dental office and had similar experiences in both. Sedation doesn't take long once you're in the chair. You will be prepped with an IV and then they start administering the drugs and you will just feel like you're falling asleep and then it will be over with?. I remember bits and pieces with moderate sedation but nothing at all with deep sedation. In the surgical facility when I came round, I was sitting up and they were just monitoring my vitals and then I was allowed to go home.
So I don't think you will be there that long really, but I'm wondering if there's someone you can call in the department you're going to that can give you more information?
 
Hi,
Just got another question, I am trying to arrange someone to drop me off/collect me from the hospital and need to know how long after the procedure it will be before I can go home, i.e. will the person wait with me during the procedure or should they drop me off and then come back later, I have been told my procedure will be 20 minutes long so how long will it take for the sedation to wear off also do we get time slots ( I have not got my final letter yet telling me all the details ) or do we just go in in the morning and wait? I am in the UK, I realize systems may be different in different countries.
Thanks in advance.
Daisy Chain

I just re-read the thread and see that you will be in a hospital?.
 
Hi Aurora,
Thanks for the info, I have got my pre op on Monday so I will try and get more info during that, I think my main worry is coming from the fact I had my first general anesthetic last year for a two hour operation ( nothing to do with teeth )and it took me hours to come round from it although I was awake I felt confused but I suppose dental sedation is a totally different thing.
I will keep you in the picture.
Daisy Chain
 
Hi Aurora,
Thanks for the info, I have got my pre op on Monday so I will try and get more info during that, I think my main worry is coming from the fact I had my first general anesthetic last year for a two hour operation ( nothing to do with teeth )and it took me hours to come round from it although I was awake I felt confused but I suppose dental sedation is a totally different thing.
I will keep you in the picture.
Daisy Chain

That's good, a pre-OP gives you the opportunity to take a list of questions for your team. Did anyone give you a reason for why you took so long to feel fully awake after GA? Yes, conscious sedation is very different as you aren't actually asleep throughout and the drugs they use are different. Yes, please keep in touch!
 
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