F
FrozenFear
Member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2019
- Messages
- 33
- Location
- Orange County
Wow!! I’m sooooo happy for you!!! You did it!!!! I’m so glad it wasn’t terrible for you. The worst is now over. It’s so reassuring to hear positive experiences ?
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So, I don’t know how I didn’t see this coming. I had a treatment plan, which had an order (treatment 1, 2, and 3), and yet, I feel so blindsided. The whole day I was getting two fillings. I had some anxiety but nothing too bad. I was able to work without issue and didn’t really feel my heart start to pound until I was about 2 minutes away.
Anyway, I get there, and the dentist is like, “Okay... looks like we’re extracting that troubling wisdom tooth...”
Me: “Oh? I thought I had two fillings scheduled.”
Dentist: “We have to get this out first because it’s causing issues, so we’ll just do the fillings next time.”
EASY FOR YOU, MISTER.
Anywho, why fight it. It would be like fighting the inevitable anyway. He does one shot, which was not bad at all. I thought I was done before he came back and was like, “we’re going to do one more.” Oh great...
It was on the inside of my back tooth. It was unpleasant but not the worst thing. Out of nowhere, he puts his hand on my shoulder and says, “You did really good. I know that one isn’t fun.” It was comforting because 1.) he’s adorable, and 2.) It made me feel less alone.
Then the assistant read me some of the “warnings,” which is great and really reassuring, haha. Things like “this probably won’t happen, but we need to tell you it anyway.” Great.
So, he comes back and leans me back all the way and I put in my music. He tells me I shouldn’t feel anything sharp but may feel some pressure and tugging.
Then, he was exactly right. My god. It is crazy how they take out a tooth. They literally start rocking it. At times, he told me to slide my jaw to the right to help. I don’t know what that does, but I trust him. The assistant checked in on me once. Probably could see my hands shaking. It wasn’t painful... don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t the best experience of my life. You can feel the tugging and hear some crack sounds. I don’t want to scare anyway because it was 300 times better than I imagined, but it wasn’t like going to Disney World. Anyway, it felt like forever. I legit felt bad because it seemed like he was struggling, but it took probably like 3 minutes total, haha. I felt like my mouth was open so wide, and he had to pull it wider. I felt so bad thinking this might be the most challenging extraction he’s ever had.
Then, it was out. I wasn’t 100% sure it was out because I didn’t taste any blood but there were no more hands in my mouth. Then, he said it’s out. Yay! They put gauze in and five minutes later, she checked it and said the clot already formed. I still have gauze in now to be safe. I will tell you that all of my fears about this extraction were pretty much put to rest.
They both told me it was one of their easier extractions and they didn’t have any complications. That is reassuring. I joked and said if that was easy, I’d like to see what a hard one looks like! Haha. I am hoping I do not bleed anymore and will try to eat something soft in about an hour or two.
At the end, he asked if I wanted to see my tooth. I said pass. Then, said he’s going to a root canal conference at the end of the mouth and asked if he could keep it. I guess they need to bring in teeth? I was like “Uh, sure.” And, then, I felt so thankful I have a job that doesn’t require me to bring in teeth.
I can’t believe I did it. I really do have a fabulous dentist and team. I was also in the room I was in for my first appointment, which was oddly comforting.
Anywho, two more appointments for fillings, and I am basically caught up at 16 years of avoidance!
Yeah I’m still nervous to open my mouth all the way and I’m getting all crazy about not getting dry socket. You are a trooper for going into work today!! I had my done on Saturday and had Sunday to kinda still relax. I’m starving and tired. I haven’t slept well since extraction. The whole sleeping propped up sucks. Good luck today.
I was finally able to open my mouth more last night to eat which was amazing!!! Day by day getting better and feeling more excited and happy that I accomplished this!! We concurred a phobia!! ?
I’m feeling a bit better today. Still super cautious about extraction site. I smoke so every time I’m still covering it with gauze, smoking lightly and then doing salt rinse. I can’t wait until Saturday when he says all is good. I still have a little puffy pocket where the tooth was taken out on my jaw and cheek. I have to have him check to make sure infection all went away when tooth was taken out. It’s probably me worrying as I always do and it’s probably just still puffy from procedure it self. It’s not noticeable but I can feel it when I touch the side of my face. It’s tender. How are you feeling today?
Totally me too. Very high canine, very self conscious to smile properly, and I think that's what started me avoiding, before my mouth got so bad it felt like I just couldn't face it. I don't know if I want braces (especially at this age), but I do want the results so I'll probably have to eventually.Today, I’ve realized how far I’ve come. I remember when the thought of the dentist (gosh, just saying the word) would make my heart race. Now, it’s like I’ve been to the dentist 3 times in a month!
One of my biggest fears is they would make fun/say bad stuff about my teeth. I know I have higher canines (they aren’t embedded in my gum, but they never came fully down) and some overcrowding. I avoided going for so long because I was so afraid they would say how horrible it was and force me to get braces asap, but they are focused on getting my teeth healthy
Glad to hear you are healing well and that things went smoothly during the surgery. It might help if you use a warm compress, like a warm wet wash towel, on your jaw if its feeling sore. Guess you and I can both add a badge for having a tooth removed while awake. ??
Don't think that is based on phobia vs non-phobia. It will depend on the person and their situation as a whole. Some people with dental phobia will always need extra assistance in some way with getting treatment. Others will gradually improve overtime and may not always need sedation or the extra TLC. Either way of approaching treatment is acceptable.Do you ever feel like phobics handle awake extractions better than non phobics?