teeth pulling the horror story?

[scifiemz]

so after everything my only option seems to be to have my tooth pulled out
so I have two questions
1) do the NHS have to offer you a bridge? ive been told they don't so I could be left with a massive great big hole which I wont agree to, I would rather be in pain than look like a crone or witch.
2) we I think of teeth being pulled I think masses of pain both during and after, lots and lots and LOTS of blood , and a sound like braking bone. the whole idea makes me feel faint and sick. what is the truth and please don't just say '' its all fine.'' as im not likely to believe you, after all that's what they say about other medical procedures that can be painful.

 

[Judythecat]

Where is the tooth? If it’s a front one I don’t think any dentist would leave you with a massive hole, looking like a crone or witch!

In terms of the extraction, you will be completely numb, with no pain. I had a lower molar out a couple of years ago, and although it was a “difficult extraction” because my teeth have very big roots, I was in and out in less than 30 minutes.

Honestly, I personally found the actual procedure quite traumatic, but everyone is different, and ultimately it is a means to an end which you just have to get through. My tooth had been giving me pain for months, it had had a replacement filling, then a root canal, and I made the choice to have it removed, which I knew would get me out of pain. It was uncomfortable for a few days, but healed very quickly. I was on holiday at the time, and I had the extraction at 10am, went to the hairdresser in the afternoon, and out for dinner the next day, so it wasn’t painful enough to limit me or stop me enjoying my time off work.

Once the tooth is gone, it’s never going to hurt you again, so you won’t have to go through it again!

 

[MountainMama]

I can't answer to the NHS, but I have had to have quite a few extractions in the past year. I was absolutely terrified as my childhood extractions were as you described (but without lots of blood). After going through it many years later now, I will say that technique has improved greatly and they were nothing like I had in childhood.

It isn't "fine" or "easy", because it is a procedure no one wants to have to do, but it is over quickly and painlessly. The molars I had pulled this past year did not even have the cracking sound, just some pressure. It was very quick, without much tugging and pulling like I remembered from childhood.

 

[Enarete]

There can be some noises if the tooth breaks along the way and your dentist should be able to warn you if they see this may happen. There won‘t be any sound of similar to breaking bones. There won‘t be much blood, your nurse will be there with the suction instrument ready and take care of it in the real time. In my experience, very often there is hardly any blood. Judythecat and MountainMama gave you some experiences already, I would only add there are still enough extractions that are very easy and over in few minutes and patients surprised it‘s over, but that all depends on the state of tooth. Keeping my fingers crossed for your extraction to be an easy one.

 

[thisisme]

It’s different for everyone but I have a non horror story.

I got an upper erupted wisdom tooth pulled with local. The Good: It took maybe 3 minutes.. not even a full song on my phone. The first shot was not bad at all. The second shot was was inside of the mouth and was a bit uncomfortable. He was nice about it, though.

The Bad: There was a lot of tugging and pulling (no pain, though) and he kept asking me to move my lower jaw to make it easier for him. I was nervous and my legs were shaking a bit. The assistant kept checking it. It wasn’t painful at all but remember it’s big hands, small mouth. I did hear a slight crack sound. At that very moment, I cranked up my headphones. It must have been the moment it came out because he said he was done right after that.

I did not taste ANY blood. That was my biggest fear. The assistant put gauze in and checked it 5 minutes later. She said the clot formed but to leave it in for an hour or so. The first time I saw blood was when I changed my gauze and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Pain was maybe a 1-2 out of 10 for a day or two after it. I just couldn’t open my mouth all the way and ate soft foods.

Hang in there! Keep us posted.

 

[scifiemz]

it sounds a bit better than I was thinking but I don't think it helps that I have nightmares about teeth ether falling out or worse being pulled out. it really is my worst nightmare coming true. as to the hole they will leave I was told '' the NHS don't do cosmetic dentistry.'' ( such a friendly dentist she was) it is a upper side so if I laugh or smile you can see the brake so if its pulled you will see it. I will live with the pain over looking like a crone I hate what I currently see in the mirror and if the tooth is lost then it will only be worse, ive given up so many things because I cant stand my mouth and people looking me,also im meant to be getting married next year, but the idea of photos being taking of me. its a whole lot of not good.

 

[Judythecat]

If the tooth is visible there will be options to fill the space, even if you have to pay privately. Perhaps a partial denture if money is an issue, or a bridge or implant which are more expensive choices. It sounds like you are not certain the tooth is definitely going to be extracted, so fingers crossed it can actually be saved.

 

[nicnac]

I can't answer NHS as I'm in Australia.

I have had 7 teeth pulled though in my short life time (I'm in my mid 30's)...3 of them were wisdoms. Every single one of them was fine, no problems other than the general discomfort afterwards for a few day to a week, which i find Ibuprofen is usually enough to knock the ache on the head. As others have said you do feel the tugging/pulling and hear slight crunching sounds, but no pain. They will ensure you are completely numb. The only thing i will raise is to watch for dry socket. All of my pulls had stitches, except for my most recent pull where i had an abssessed tooth, the dentist didn't give me stitches or antibiotics. I had the gauze in for around and hour and a half/2 hours, when i took the gauze out i noticed it had a clot attached to it, it wasn't huge and I didn't think much of it as the area had stopped bleeding. But within the hour i was in horrendous pain, far more than I'd ever had from an extraction before. I thought it was because it was highly infected before extraction and lived with it for another 2 day (in hindsight i was silly for not going back sooner). I ended up going back for dry socket treatment, but as i was so sore i refused numbing needle, this was the worst mistake of my life as the dentist cleaned out the socket and put a dressing in with no numbing. It was by far and away the most horrendous experience i have ever had in my life. So, moral of the story, if you have excruciating pain after extraction, that ibuprofen doesn't ease (at all!!) Then you probably have dry socket, get it seen too immediately and get it numbed. Don't do i what i did!

But, as an overall statistic, 1 out of my 7 pulls was difficult, so I'm absolutely sure you will be fine. All the best!

 

[scifiemz]

sadly it seems like NHS CD do only pull out teeth ( I got a phone call from them yesterday) so if you want a root filling, crown or any way of having a gap pugged they don't do it as they don't do '' cosmetic dentary '' I wont be left with a massive hole , the only reason I was thinking of getting this prob fixed is because im getting married next year and want to told my head high, and they just want to make it worse! I cant afford to go privet , im on min wag and can only just afford to go NHS. so it looks like I cant get help and will just have to live with tooth ache. the dentist yesterday was pos the worse one ive seen so far in that she tried to scare me with horror story's to get me to agree to let her pull it out. I wont let her treat me as wont be left looking like a crone. also I don't trust her. I was meant to be going for two small fillings that was why I was referred to her , but that has now changed to ,pull one out, and the other one will be ''a large filling that im not sure I can save so you may have to lose that too.'' oddly I told her no and cancelled all future appointments. im NEVER stepping foot in a dentist EVER again.

 

[scifiemz]

If the tooth is visible there will be options to fill the space, even if you have to pay privately. Perhaps a partial denture if money is an issue, or a bridge or implant which are more expensive choices. It sounds like you are not certain the tooth is definitely going to be extracted, so fingers crossed it can actually be saved.

sadly I know that the NHS will only pull it, and I cant afford to go private, im on min wag and can only just afford to go NHS. if you cant go private you cant have a bridge or implant so im very very stuck, I just going to leave it and live with the pain, at lest that way I get to keep my teeth and hold my head high at my wedding, something the Community dentest really couldn't care less about.

 

[Judythecat]

sadly I know that the NHS will only pull it, and I cant afford to go private, im on min wag and can only just afford to go NHS. if you cant go private you cant have a bridge or implant so im very very stuck, I just going to leave it and live with the pain, at lest that way I get to keep my teeth and hold my head high at my wedding, something the Community dentest really couldn't care less about.

Ah, sorry, I didn’t realise you were under community dentistry, I don’t know how that works. One of the dentists here @Gordon used to specialise in community dentistry so might have some helpful insight. I’ve tagged him in here if he’s about.

I’m an NHS patient, but if I was to need a visible tooth extracted I know I would be given an immediate replacement. I would have to pay privately for some options (more sophisticated, like a bridge for example). My surgery is mainly private so I can dip in and out.

Is there a different dentist you could see, or is that not possible for health reasons? If the tooth is causing problems, leaving it alone when it needs treatment might be a risky plan. I completely understand your worries about money. I had to get a root canal done by a private specialist last year which was SO expensive. My mum was able to lend me money, but I did notice that the private surgery offered interest free credit.

 

[MountainMama]

There has to be some kind of option, like a flipper, for at least a temporary fix. That dentist sounded extremely rude! That makes me angry to hear that they wouldn't even give you any options as to where to get help.

Please reconsider having the tooth pulled or at least looked at again, if you can possibly see another dentist at the office. I don't know how NHS works, as I am in the US. I had a tooth infection that went on for years, as I had no idea because it didn't hurt. The tooth died, and eventually abscessed, which didn't hurt until it got huge. Long story short, I ended up spending a fortune (and will be paying it off forever) trying to save my front tooth, but ended up having to have it out and have extensive bone grafting because of all the bone loss. So if your tooth stops hurting eventually, it may have died, and could cause a whole new set of problems.

 

[Judythecat]

There has to be some kind of option, like a flipper, for at least a temporary fix. That dentist sounded extremely rude! That makes me angry to hear that they wouldn't even give you any options as to where to get help.

Please reconsider having the tooth pulled or at least looked at again, if you can possibly see another dentist at the office. I don't know how NHS works, as I am in the US. I had a tooth infection that went on for years, as I had no idea because it didn't hurt. The tooth died, and eventually abscessed, which didn't hurt until it got huge. Long story short, I ended up spending a fortune (and will be paying it off forever) trying to save my front tooth, but ended up having to have it out and have extensive bone grafting because of all the bone loss. So if your tooth stops hurting eventually, it may have died, and could cause a whole new set of problems.

I think the issue is that the OP is under a very specific type of NHS care, where they are limited in treatment options because of patients’ individual needs. I have had root canals and crowns under the NHS, and I know my dentist would absolutely definitely provide a flipper, then a partial denture once the gums heal. The NHS are there to preserve dental health, so they don’t tend to offer “cosmetic” treatments - eg, white fillings on back teeth, or implants.

Many surgeries are a mix of private and NHS patients, like mine is - so for example I can have an NHS scale and polish, which costs about £15, but choose to have a private air-flow polish which I pay a lot more for. My own dentist does both of these treatments, in the exact same consulting room, although some people might see the hygienist instead - I just prefer to stick to the same person.

 

[Judythecat]

(Oh, I should also say that I am in Scotland, so it’s slightly different to the rest of the UK in terms of NHS care. Here I pay for individual treatments, so if I needed ten fillings it would be 10 x £Y. I think in England people pay for a course of treatments, so £Z regardless of whether it’s one filling or ten fillings.)

 

[scifiemz]

(Oh, I should also say that I am in Scotland, so it’s slightly different to the rest of the UK in terms of NHS care. Here I pay for individual treatments, so if I needed ten fillings it would be 10 x £Y. I think in England people pay for a course of treatments, so £Z regardless of whether it’s one filling or ten fillings.)

yes we go in they look at what needs doing then you pay once for all treatments till your finished.

I just cant understand why when I said '' I hate the way I look, I cant stand to look in the mirror'' she just wasn't bothered. the tooth is a side one so when you laugh or smile you can see it but when I talk you cant. I hate dental treatment , all that's ever happened in the past is ive ended up in pain and terrified , CD seemed idea, knock me out so I stop going nuts but they don't seem to care about your mental health. ive been in tears nearly daily now for three months!!!! which is why im thinking about abandoning all hope of any treatment, if I don't go then I will stop being frightened and can calm down enough to start eating properly and stop crying. the only problem is it hurts.

 

[Judythecat]

yes we go in they look at what needs doing then you pay once for all treatments till your finished.

I just cant understand why when I said '' I hate the way I look, I cant stand to look in the mirror'' she just wasn't bothered. the tooth is a side one so when you laugh or smile you can see it but when I talk you cant. I hate dental treatment , all that's ever happened in the past is ive ended up in pain and terrified , CD seemed idea, knock me out so I stop going nuts but they don't seem to care about your mental health. ive been in tears nearly daily now for three months!!!! which is why im thinking about abandoning all hope of any treatment, if I don't go then I will stop being frightened and can calm down enough to start eating properly and stop crying. the only problem is it hurts.

My understanding - but am not a dentist - is that CD works within quite strict parameters. A mainstream NHS dentist would probably have more options for you, if you felt able to do that? I am shocked and saddened to hear your dentist was unkind, because in that setting they are dealing with vulnerable patients daily.

I think the NHS gets a bad rap a lot of the time, but there are excellent NHS dentists about - mine is so kind and patient, and just an all round nice person. Maybe if you say where you are someone could suggest one? If you were closer I would recommend mine in a heartbeat!

 

[MountainMama]

I think the issue is that the OP is under a very specific type of NHS care, where they are limited in treatment options because of patients’ individual needs. I have had root canals and crowns under the NHS, and I know my dentist would absolutely definitely provide a flipper, then a partial denture once the gums heal. The NHS are there to preserve dental health, so they don’t tend to offer “cosmetic” treatments - eg, white fillings on back teeth, or implants.

Many surgeries are a mix of private and NHS patients, like mine is - so for example I can have an NHS scale and polish, which costs about £15, but choose to have a private air-flow polish which I pay a lot more for. My own dentist does both of these treatments, in the exact same consulting room, although some people might see the hygienist instead - I just prefer to stick to the same person.

Got it. Thanks for the explanation. I get the non-cosmetic deal. Would it be different for a tooth in the smile zone? Just curious, because that seems to be more of a necessity.

 

[Judythecat]

Got it. Thanks for the explanation. I get the non-cosmetic deal. Would it be different for a tooth in the smile zone? Just curious, because that seems to be more of a necessity.

I have - thankfully - never experienced that, but a replacement would absolutely be offered as standard. When my top front tooth started acting up I was terrified it would need extracted (it turned out just to be my neuralgia, as ever!) and my dentist said the only way someone would ever walk out with a missing front tooth would be if they had smashed it out on the pavement immediately before, so a complete on the spot emergency with no time to prepare. It would not ultimately be an implant though, they are only available on the NHS in very special cases, eg, after oral cancer, as far as I know. I think there is a poster here having implants on the NHS, and I imagine her circumstances are extreme to have qualified. A partial denture or bridge would probably be the ultimate plan.

Last year I had a root canal in an upper first molar which is just on the edge of being visible if I smile widely. I asked the endodontist if I could get a bridge if it didn’t work out, and he said he thought that would be “overkill”. I was really surprised at that, as having that gap would make me very self-conscious. (Plus I was paying him ££££, not NHS!) My teeth are very big, and I had four pre-molars extracted for orthodontic reasons, so I did wonder afterwards if he was thinking more generally rather than about my specific teeth, as I imagine that tooth might not be visible in others.

 

[Judythecat]

Also, thinking on this a bit more, loads of people don’t see an NHS dentist - for years it was almost impossible to. Lots of companies offer a private healthcare package for staff, which can include dental. My partner could actually cover me under his work’s scheme. I have been at the same surgery since I was a child, and at one point they stopped taking new NHS patients, only new private patients. I (and others, obviously!) was allowed to remain as an NHS patient, which was great, and it meant I had the option of private treatments if I wanted them. They do now take on a limited number of NHS patients each year.

If my dentist moved to a purely private surgery, I would go with her.

In Scotland it is, I think, again, a bit different because you are “registered” with a surgery and dentist. They might remove you from their books if you never go, or repeatedly miss appointments. In England my understanding is that you are only registered for a course of treatment, and the surgery is not obliged to keep you on their list once the treatment is complete. If I am correct in that, it might explain why some people (who are not phobic patients) end up not seeing a dentist for years on end, then find themselves in pain, and a bit stuck.

 

[letsconnect]

I get the impression that the Community Dental Service is a bit of a postcode lottery - each area offers different services, and it seems that some areas are severely underfunded. I suppose it also depends on the individuals who are in charge and their philosophy. It's by no means a national policy that things like root canal treatment are not available to people with dental phobia.