Teeth Extraction, help! so scared, terrified! please i need support!

[RaptorZX3]

on this Monday, i took my courage and went to see the dentist, thinking it wouldn't be so bad and i thought "i'll take my courage and get the needle, if this will remove my tooth pain"...well, i learned with time to never expect positive or you might be very deceived.!

i'm on social aid right now, and there is a dental healthcare insurance, but it doesn't cover the root canal treatment...

So the dentist did a scan (with this "3D digital scanning machine" that rotate around your head) and concluded that i have 2 teeth with big cavities, on the teeth numbering, i think they're the 30 and 29. There are more teeth to repair, but the dentist said those wouldn't need root canal treatment or being extracted, but i think this will be done later when the extraction will be done and healed correctly.

Now...when the dentist told me that, i think my face was going to turn white, first because i knew that even if i asked my father (who have more money than my mother) wouldn't agree to pay, but later i tried to beg my father, i said it would cost about 1200$. My father never had a root canal treatment and he always asked to extract those teeth. But teeth extraction is covered by the insurance...as well as the prosthetics it seem.
But then my mother and father agreed on 1 thing: root canal treatment most often doesn't last and often they have to be redone because something went wrong.

Now i'm extremely scared about teeth extraction, i don't know how it's done and i still have this image of a dentist pulling out a tooth so hard...you know, like in a horror movie. Please tell me it's not like that, we're in 2012, not in the 70's or 80's, there must be a way of doing it without it looking like a horror movie!

The secretary told me she had to have a tooth extracted by a dentist here, she said he's good, gentle, and it take about 45 minutes. She also told me that wisdom teeth hurt more than the ones i have to get extracted.

The secretary, meanwhile, gave me an appointment for root canal treatment, but i'll have to call back to get the appointment for next Monday (Aug.6) for teeth extraction, if it's still available... She also said that if i need a medication to take before the appointment (i don't know what it is, but it must be to feel better, to help with stress...)

Please help me! And i have almost no moral support here!

 

[Steve In Cleveland]

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation, RaptorZX3.

Extraction sounds way scarier than it actually is, so let me describe the procedure to you. I had a molar extracted about a month ago and was terrified too, and it turned out to be so easy and painless. There's no pulling or tugging or barbaric looking tools.

The dentist will start by getting you good and numb with local anesthetics, the same thing they do for any procedure. This will ensure you won't feel any pain in the tooth. Then, he'll slowly and gently push on the tooth, nudging it from side to side. The goal is to separate the tooth from the surrounding tissue, so it releases all on its own. The pushing is pretty firm but it's not violent. For me, the dentist pushed for about 5-10 seconds, then moved and pushed in a different direction, about 5-10 seconds. After about the sixth of these pushes, she said, "That's it!" I didn't really believe her-- I never felt the tooth come out, never felt anything. The whole procedure took make 10 minutes. They do use some kind of tool to do the pushing, but I didn't see what it was because I try not to look. But there were no pliers or anything of that kind. And no pulling or yanking, just these few firm pushes. It does feel a little weird to have someone pushing hard on your tooth, but really it doesn't hurt at all, it's quick, and nothing like a horror movie!

After the extraction you'll have some gauze to bite down on, and you have to switch it out a few times because there will be some bleeding. This is yucky but not painful in any way. I took some over the counter pain meds for the first twelve hours or so, just in case, but it never really hurt. The important thing is to follow the directions they give you for post-care. No smoking, spitting, or any real chewing for the first 24 hours or so. Plan on having some applesauce or pudding or something to eat for the first couple of days, to let the tooth socket heal properly. After that you can go back to more solid foods.

I understand if your financial situation doesn't allow it, but root canal therapy is really very reliable and with a crown, would allow you to keep your original teeth and actually make them stronger than the original ones. I have teeth that were root canaled and crowned almost 20 years ago, and they're going strong. Your dentist can give you an idea of whether they're risky or not. For just a deep cavity there's probably a 99% change of success. This really would be the preferred way to go here, if there's any way you can beg or borrow the money for it. Sometimes dentists work with lending firms, and maybe you ca n get a small loan and pay it off over time.

Whichever way you go, let your dentist know that you're terrified so he can help keep you relaxed. Neither extractions nor root canals should involve any pain at all.

 

[RaptorZX3]

thank you very much for the informations, Steve.

I called today for the appointment, it's next Monday (Aug.6). I asked if they could prescribe me something, i got a call from the pharmacy, and later today i went to get it. It wasn't covered by the insurance, sadly, but it was 9,99$, so not a bit deal...

The medicine they prescribed me is called "Ativan", 3 very small pills of 1mg, and the pharmacist told me to take the 1st pill 1 hour before the appointment, and 2nd one 30 minutes before, and to keep the last one for the appointment, the dentist may tell me to take it or not. Do you think this medecine is strong enough to maybe put me to sleep for 1 hour?

I'll try to get my mother to come with me and take care of me, hopefully she will...

Do you think i can take Advil 200mg for the pain? Or should i (or my mother) ask for 400mg instead?

Since i have other cavities to be repaired, how much time do you think i should take between the extraction and going back? 1 month maybe?

 

[FearfulInMA]

RaptorZX3,

You're asking a lot of technical questions and I'm NOT a medical professional. But, I have some experience with these things, so I'm going to try to answer your questions.

First, 3mg of Ativan (even taken over the period you've described) is A LOT of Ativan. That being said, people have widely varying responses to it. I've never taken it, but I work in mental health and have seen a lot of people take it. I know that, if I took that amount of Ativan, I would be very sleepy (perhaps even unable to stay awake). It's purpose is NOT to put you to sleep, but rather to significantly decrease anxiety. It is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines (also in this category are valium, xanax, klonopin, etc.) which are anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) medications. If you are taking Ativan you SHOULD NOT DRIVE -- so, you will want to have someone go with you. Even if you live somewhere that you will be taking public transit, I would still recommend that you find someone to go with you as you do not know how the Ativan will affect you.

In terms of the Advil, you should ask your dentist how much s/he recommend you take. The maximum dosage is actually 800mg up to 3x/day. Advil actually works in 2 ways (in low doses only a pain reliever and in higher doses -- 600mg or more as a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory). Advil should always been taken with food as it can cause stomach upset if taken on an empty stomach.

I think that the time between the 2 appts is probably up to you. The dentist may want to wait for a period of time if the fillings that you need are close to the extraction sites. I had some fillings done after wisdom teeth extraction and I think that my dentist waited a couple of weeks because it was the last remaining molar that needed to be filled.

Again, I'm not a medical professional and you should definitely talk with your dentist about these questions.

Best of luck to you!

 

[RaptorZX3]

yes, i do have the impression i won't be able to even take the public bus to go there...like you said, i would need someone to be with me, and probably afterward as well for some care.

for Advil...are you sure it's 800mg and up to 3x a day? on the 200mg label here, they say it should be 1x per 4 hours, and not more than 1200mg (so 6x 200mg) in a 24hours period. Maybe they are only trying to be more-than-safe to avoid peoples doing overdoses by taking more than 6x in 24 hours.

 

[FearfulInMA]

Here is a link to info on ibuprofen (the active ingredient in Advil). There is dosing information in there. It does say that doses greater than 400mg are not shown to have greater efficacy for reducing pain. However, if you look at the usage for other conditions (those requiring the anti-inflammatory property) the doses are higher. You should ask you dentist what s/he recommends. Some dentists will even prescribe Motrin 800 (exactly the same things as 800mg ibuprofen) after extractions. I don't take opiate pain medications (like percocet or vicodan) so, if I'm in a lot of pain, I take 800mg of ibuprofen and 1000mg of Tylenol. I've been told many times that this is also ok. You need to be more careful about the Tylenol dosage because it can be very toxic to your liver if you take too much. Again, I would ask your dentist what s/he recommends for post-extraction pain. You could also post your question in the Dentistry Questions part of this forum and one of the dentists is likely to answer.

 

[RaptorZX3]

Do you think i can still drink coffee while waiting for my appointment? i mean...not the same day of my appointment, but i would probably stop taking this 24 hours before. I stopped eating candies and coffee altogether, but i must say i miss eating chips sometimes, and coffee.

 

[takingflight]

Hi Raptor,

Good for you for getting this taking care of! I had a tooth extracted years ago with nitrous and recently one with oral sedation. With it being numbed I can assure you I felt no pain whatsoever. There was a feeling of pressure but nothing more than as if he was pushing down on my tooth.

In regards to the Ativan; I used to take it before appointments and it calmed me down so I didn't have the anxiety I usually deal with. I ran out so I'm afraid I don't know the dosage size. I'd assume your dentist gave you the appropriate amount for your size/situation. If you are truly apprehensive perhaps you can ask to have an extra prescription for one or two pills so you can try one to determine how it affects you.

Lastly, I wouldn't drink anything with caffeine the day of the appointment. I just went today to get crown prep done with oral sedation and they recommended no caffeine to ensure that I got the most benefit of the sedation. I had a soda mid afternoon yesterday but nothing after that and it must have worked - I don't even remember seeing the dentist. That was a first!!

I'm sure everything will go very smoothly and you'll soon be writing a success story!

 

[RaptorZX3]

funny you mentioned nitrous oxide...because i do remember when i was young, instead of using a needle, they used what they told me is a "clown nose". But i think dentists doesn't like to use this anymore as it take more time to take effect...

it just seem to be so much of a hassle to change gauzes often and all that...
I asked my mother but i had to force her a little, she didn't sounded pleased, but she said she would come on Monday morning. I think she doesn't like to stay here because she usually come here when she work, so.

Did you just rested and slept for days afterward? or did you used your computer like a day after?

 

[Patti]

In April, I opted to have a tooth extracted rather than hace a root canal and crown. I was petrified but as it turns out it wasn't really that big of a deal. i got the niterous and the whole thing took about 4 minutes. I never felt anything because I was so numb. You will be fine, I promise.

 

[takingflight]

Did you just rested and slept for days afterward? or did you used your computer like a day after?

When I took Ativan for cleanings and easy appointments I would take one pill (I'm sure it was a low dose) about an hour before going and was fine throughout the whole day. It just helped me to not be nervous rather than feeling "out of it." I remembered everything about the appointment but wasn't anxious at all. I only took one pill though so your experience may be different. I'm sure you'll be fine a few hours after the appointment to use the computer and carry on your day. Even after having Oral Sedation (given in the dentist office and more potent than when I took Ativan) I'm okay about 4 hours afterwards. I also act fine but don't remember any of it; as evidenced by my husband recording me babbling on the way home yesterday.

 

[RaptorZX3]

thank you very much for your words of encouragement, i wish i could give you all a hug. There's still the fact that i hate needles...i think i'll close my eyes at this point...

Hopefully my mother will be able to support me when i'm back home, if i don't feel too well and just want to sleep, cos there are things to take care of, along with me, there's my guinea pig, food, etc...can you see here that i really don't know how i will feel when i'll be gone from the dentist? Hopefully all will go well afterward...until i have to go back to get other teeth fixed, probably in a month after this appointment.

I also got prescribed some "Penicillin V", they say it's to reduce the swelling on the gum, when i asked if it's infected somewhere else, they said no it's not, that was a relief at least...

I remember the dentist assistant i saw first, after the scan, was always insisting on "big cavities!" she never said "there's a smaller one here", always "big", i don't know why, maybe she wanted to scare me more...but then i saw the dentist and me told me i should come back for the other cavities before December, or what he said "holiday season".

 

[RaptorZX3]

ok my mother called so i talked to her if she could stay after the appointment. She said "i'll take you to my chalet, you never came there before"...the problem is the suburbs is far from everything, what if something happen? plus i have my guinea pig here that need care (the bottle contain enough water for 1 day only, and i don't put much food in the bowl because sometimes it goes on the side and food fall on the shavings...and shavings need to be changed sometimes.

i'm getting out of topic, i know, but this is all related though, because first, i don't want to go there, and like i said, it's far from everything, what if there's an emergency? you never know what could happen, i bought some Advil here to be ready to take them to relief the pain...and i plan to buy chicken noodle soup, apple sauce, yogurt and other soft stuff...Should i buy gauzes as well?

Anf my mother said "i won't stay with you for a whole week!" then i said "not a week!" and then she said we will talk more later...She probably try to convince me to go out of my house because "i'm on the computer too much", while i wasn't even thinking about this at all, more like "i won't be in the mood for nothing else but sleep, eat a little, take my Advil"

My mother need to come back to reason...she called me from her chalet, and she's on the "thrill" right now, you know, the same thrill she you're in a night club and there's awesome music playing, you just want to call your friend and tell them "hey come here! the music's great and it's awesome!"

I hope she will have a much better reasoning...you know, profitting someone's vulnerability isn't good at all.

 

[kittykat]

ok my mother called so i talked to her if she could stay after the appointment. She said "i'll take you to my chalet, you never came there before"...the problem is the suburbs is far from everything, what if something happen? plus i have my guinea pig here that need care (the bottle contain enough water for 1 day only, and i don't put much food in the bowl because sometimes it goes on the side and food fall on the shavings...and shavings need to be changed sometimes.

i'm getting out of topic, i know, but this is all related though, because first, i don't want to go there, and like i said, it's far from everything, what if there's an emergency? you never know what could happen, i bought some Advil here to be ready to take them to relief the pain...and i plan to buy chicken noodle soup, apple sauce, yogurt and other soft stuff...Should i buy gauzes as well?

Anf my mother said "i won't stay with you for a whole week!" then i said "not a week!" and then she said we will talk more later...She probably try to convince me to go out of my house because "i'm on the computer too much", while i wasn't even thinking about this at all, more like "i won't be in the mood for nothing else but sleep, eat a little, take my Advil"

My mother need to come back to reason...she called me from her chalet, and she's on the "thrill" right now, you know, the same thrill she you're in a night club and there's awesome music playing, you just want to call your friend and tell them "hey come here! the music's great and it's awesome!"

I hope she will have a much better reasoning...you know, profitting someone's vulnerability isn't good at all.

Are you really nervous about caring for yourself afterwards? I had 3 teeth pulled and was totally fine afterwards. I just napped and played Pokemon and was fine the next day. Went back to school. I was a lot younger, 13 at the time and they were baby teeth, but maybe 3 baby teeth = 1 regular tooth? It really wasn't that bad from what I remember. Just eat soft foods, I don't remember how long it took for me to eat real food after that, but I don't think it was that long! I think you're getting yourself a little too worked up... It's not wisdom teeth is it? Should be OK then... Good luck

 

[RaptorZX3]

it's a lot more painful when they're wisdom teeth? Well the dentist didn't said a thing about them, so i guess they're ok. I know a lot of peoples need them removed, but hopefully it's not as bad as i think it is.

I've just reach the website's "do's and don't after extraction", and it seem like there's a lot of stuff to think about...

And for Advil...i know they have to be taken when eating and never on an empty stomach, and for now i take 200mg sometimes, but for when i'll have those 2 teeth removed, do you think the dentist would tell me to take like 400mg instead? Someone even told me to take "Aleve", is that better than Advil?

 

[RaptorZX3]

hi again! you must think i'm annoying by now, i know i am, i'm sorry...

i would like to know if a bit of pain, from time to time, in the jaw, is normal with Penicillin? (the kind of Penicillin i have here is called "Penicillin V"). Is it a common side effect?

 

[kittykat]

it's a lot more painful when they're wisdom teeth? Well the dentist didn't said a thing about them, so i guess they're ok. I know a lot of peoples need them removed, but hopefully it's not as bad as i think it is.

And for Advil...i know they have to be taken when eating and never on an empty stomach, and for now i take 200mg sometimes, but for when i'll have those 2 teeth removed, do you think the dentist would tell me to take like 400mg instead? Someone even told me to take "Aleve", is that better than Advil?

Regarding wisdom teeth, my dentist never said anything about them, and when I looked at my x-rays, I only saw one! Which the assistant confirmed that yes, there's only one, so maybe you only have one or two and they're not gonna cause problems?

The dentist might prescribe you something for pain, probably not because you're not getting wisdom teeth removed. Not sure which is the best pain reliever, maybe get one that's also anti-inflammatory?

 

[RaptorZX3]

I think Advil is anti-inflammatory. i'm 29 years old, so i guess the wisdom teeth must be all there. Though when i called, they say they recommend the "liqui-gels" type of Advil, though she didn't say anything about the probability about 200mg or 400mg. They say on the box that 1200mg is the maximum you should take in 24 hours, but i don't know if it's just to be "more than safe" that they're saying that, so doctors are able to prescribe a higher dose (400mg) safely. Here in Canada, the Advil 400mg are over-the-counter, and to get those, you have to explain to the pharmacist, which will probably tell you to take 2x 200mg anyway.

When i talked about it to my mother yesterday, she said "they won't use sutures for that", well i don't know. It feel like i'll have my eyes closed for most of the time...

In the "do's & don't after extraction" there's a part where they talk about "small bone residues in the blood" and that i should go see the dentist if i do. Do you think it happen to everybody? or it's just in some rare cases?

 

[takingflight]

Yes, Advil is anti-inflammatory and I've always taken the recommended dosage (400 mg every 4 to 6 hours) with the exception of one time when my old dentist had me take it in combination with Tylenol. I wouldn't do anything like that without a doctor or dentist prescribing it though; best to leave the pain relief plan up to them to keep you safe! I can say that it's very important to start taking any pain meds immediately and to stay on top of them; it's much easier to keep any discomfort at bay than it is to get rid of it once it starts.

Over the years I've had a couple of teeth extracted (not wisdom...yet) and don't recall bone fragments in the blood. I had sutures for one of them because I also had bone grafting done immediately afterwards. The worst thing (and it wasn't really bad, just annoying) was that I kept playing with them with my tongue. I'm sure you'll be given full instructions on how to ensure that you heal properly and stay pain free with or without sutures.

I've been where you are and while I'm not AS fearful as I was 6 years ago I can fully understand how you are feeling. I've been through quite a bit the last few years, some with sedation, some without and I have to say none of it was as bad as I anticipated. I'm sure you'll find the same to be true. Take a few deep breaths and tell yourself - "if all these people can do it, so can I." And the best part, you'll have a bunch of us from all over the world thinking of you and sending positive vibes during your appointment.

 

[RaptorZX3]

thank you!

And i thought i could take 200mg Advil before going to the appointment, but i would like to know if "Penicillin V", "Advil" and "Ativan" can get in conflict, like a bad reaction or something.

i'll most probably eat and drink something before going...and hopefully the dentist will ask the receptionist to print out the things i have to do (because i guess there are a lot to remember), sometimes i can forget stuff...

And how many days, in average, does it take for the bleeding to stop and blood clot to sets in correctly and not getting dislodged?