Sol
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2010
- Messages
- 239
- Location
- USA
So today was eventful. If you had asked me if something like this would happen 6 or 7 years ago (I'm losing track), I probably would have looked at you like a crazy person. Appointment with OM was today. This morning I felt a little nervous but nothing horrible before leaving. Thinking they may have started a new file for me or lost the old info at the office because the surgeon greeted me like we had never met before which was odd (although it has been a long time so I wouldn't expect him to remember me specifically).
Consult was rather quick. He asked if the dentist had tried to do a filling in the tooth and if I was OK with having it removed. Mentioned to him the idea about root canal but he said since my roots are so curved the success rate was small. That made me feel a little better about carrying on with this. He asked if the tooth was bothering me and I mentioned the cold sensitivity. He took a quick look with a mirror and said that he would remove #15. #16 is still fully impacted. He said it may move in the future but the OM doubted it due to my age so it was up to me if I wanted to take out both. Honestly didn't feel like trying for both so we agreed to just do #15.
The OM asked if I wanted sedation or to go without. Mentioned last time I had sedation to have a couple of wisdom teeth out. He said that would be fine if I felt nervous but the OM felt confident he could do it either way but that I didn't have to decide that moment. However, I decided I would go without. The IV set up is what makes me the most nervous. Maybe if I had opted to have both teeth removed I would have wanted it.
So to scheduling...I asked the receptionist if they had any other appointments open later this week since I had time off. At first she laughed and said there had been a cancellation later that day in about an hour and a half. Otherwise the next opening was in October. I decided to just do it and get it over with same day. No lingering worrying about it and since no sedation, no need to get other family involved. It was around noon when the appointment ended so I killed time by getting a sandwich and trying not to focus on this too much.
Didn't have to wait long when I got back, figure I was the first appointment after lunch. The extraction wasn't bad and it took about 20-25 minutes including time to get numb. The most painful part were the injections. The first two felt fine and I barely noticed them. The third I think may have been closer to the roof of my mouth and that did sting quite a bit. When they came back to the room after letting things get numb I was kinda surprised they left he chair in the mostly up right position. Wasn't laying flat but I wasn't perfectly upright either. The OM wasn't super chatty but he did let me know what to expect as he went along. They warned me my tooth might break and there was a pop sound while they were working it out. The thing that kinda surprised me was they needed to use the drill more than I would have thought. My tooth had three roots so I think that may have made things more difficult but I was so numb I couldn't feel anything, not even any pressure. Have a couple of dissolving stitches on either side of the hole. Think I'm still a little numb even though its been 3 hours since the surgery.
As a reward for having the tooth out I left with a large baggy of gauze, their printed at home care guide, and a prescription for mouthwash and pain killers. The OM said the pain killers were meant as back up, he didn't think I would need them and would be fine with ibuprofen/advil. Plan on just using advil, maybe tylenol/acetaminophen at night since advil has given me night time heartburn in the past. Filled the rx for the mouthwash but they said it would take a few hours to be ready. The directions say to use the mouthwash a day or two later so I'll just try to pick it up tomorrow. Going to go lay down for a bit and hope the bleeding stops soon so that I can quit with the gauze (forgot about that part from last time). Glad its over and done with.
Consult was rather quick. He asked if the dentist had tried to do a filling in the tooth and if I was OK with having it removed. Mentioned to him the idea about root canal but he said since my roots are so curved the success rate was small. That made me feel a little better about carrying on with this. He asked if the tooth was bothering me and I mentioned the cold sensitivity. He took a quick look with a mirror and said that he would remove #15. #16 is still fully impacted. He said it may move in the future but the OM doubted it due to my age so it was up to me if I wanted to take out both. Honestly didn't feel like trying for both so we agreed to just do #15.
The OM asked if I wanted sedation or to go without. Mentioned last time I had sedation to have a couple of wisdom teeth out. He said that would be fine if I felt nervous but the OM felt confident he could do it either way but that I didn't have to decide that moment. However, I decided I would go without. The IV set up is what makes me the most nervous. Maybe if I had opted to have both teeth removed I would have wanted it.
So to scheduling...I asked the receptionist if they had any other appointments open later this week since I had time off. At first she laughed and said there had been a cancellation later that day in about an hour and a half. Otherwise the next opening was in October. I decided to just do it and get it over with same day. No lingering worrying about it and since no sedation, no need to get other family involved. It was around noon when the appointment ended so I killed time by getting a sandwich and trying not to focus on this too much.
Didn't have to wait long when I got back, figure I was the first appointment after lunch. The extraction wasn't bad and it took about 20-25 minutes including time to get numb. The most painful part were the injections. The first two felt fine and I barely noticed them. The third I think may have been closer to the roof of my mouth and that did sting quite a bit. When they came back to the room after letting things get numb I was kinda surprised they left he chair in the mostly up right position. Wasn't laying flat but I wasn't perfectly upright either. The OM wasn't super chatty but he did let me know what to expect as he went along. They warned me my tooth might break and there was a pop sound while they were working it out. The thing that kinda surprised me was they needed to use the drill more than I would have thought. My tooth had three roots so I think that may have made things more difficult but I was so numb I couldn't feel anything, not even any pressure. Have a couple of dissolving stitches on either side of the hole. Think I'm still a little numb even though its been 3 hours since the surgery.
As a reward for having the tooth out I left with a large baggy of gauze, their printed at home care guide, and a prescription for mouthwash and pain killers. The OM said the pain killers were meant as back up, he didn't think I would need them and would be fine with ibuprofen/advil. Plan on just using advil, maybe tylenol/acetaminophen at night since advil has given me night time heartburn in the past. Filled the rx for the mouthwash but they said it would take a few hours to be ready. The directions say to use the mouthwash a day or two later so I'll just try to pick it up tomorrow. Going to go lay down for a bit and hope the bleeding stops soon so that I can quit with the gauze (forgot about that part from last time). Glad its over and done with.