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Tooth extracted - sensitive molar - scared I've stuffed up

B

Bellablonde

Junior member
Joined
May 2, 2018
Messages
9
Hi All,

So for the past six weeks or more I have been having dental issues that are driving me crazy with anxiety. I'm on meds for anxiety but they're simply not cutting it now.

Firstly my filling fell out of my top second molar. I didn't know it was my filling I just suddenly had a big hole in the tooth which was scary AF. Forced myself to the dentist next day and it was refilled... however when they filled it they went deeper and now I have the pain of exposed roots + filling. I hoped it would go away but four weeks of hoping wasn't enough to fix it. Went back and was told what I feared but expected - root canal.

Now I really don't have $3200 lying around which would have been the total cost inc crown. I'm going on a holiday to America in two months and everything I earn has been going into that. The price of root canal alone was enough to cause some sleepless nights.

But my main issue was my history with dentists and my teeth. I actually don't have any lower molars on my left side. I paid for a root canal in those and they had to get pulled regardless when I was about 22 and the cost of it all nearly sent me flat broke. I heard of so many root canals going badly that it put me off.

I wrestled with whether to root canal or pull the tooth. And by wrestled I mean thought about it every waking moment of the day and worried about what to do. It came due for the appointment when I had to decide and the dentist nearly convinced me to root canal before looking at my xrays again and saying I probaboly wouldnt lose too much chewing efficiency we can just pull it. It was over so quick and suddenly my tooth was gone and instead I had instant regret.

I've been replaying it all over and over in my head. It makes no sense since what's done it done but I feel like I made the wrong decision. One of the main reasons for this is how my mouth feels at the moment. It has been one week since extraction. The first molar that was in front of the extracted molar is sorta poking into my cheek. I'm not sure poking is the right word. It's like is someone touches you shoulder and just leaves their hand on you - it's a constant feeling and it's driving me nuts. I can just always feel my tooth touching my cheek. I'm scared it's never going to go away. I'm not sure if it's the tooth being more sensitive or just my mouth not used to a new shape but I'm freaking out that it will always be this noticable.

Secondly I'm scared about my capacity to chew with only one set of up and down first molars on my right. I have all my molars down the bottom of that same side but now the wisdom and second molar are gone it's my first molar only to have something big to chew against.

I'm thinking of saving up for an implant on my other side (to replace my first molar so at least I have a set of first molars on right and left) however now I'm worried I'd need to get an implant in the one that was taken and the cost is just insane. Not to mention my forever fear that an implant would fail or I'd mange to choose the wrong dentist.

On top of everything I'm just stressed about wanting to enjoy my holiday, be able to eat whatever American food I want to eat (like crunchy nachos!) and not have any stupid teeth anxiety. I think that played into why I had it pulled too cause I just didn't want the angst that I had with my last root canal. Now I've just caused myself a new world of angst.

Can I ask if anyone has had molars extracted and if the molar next to them felt strange? and if so for how long? Did the change in your mouth shape cause that cheek touching thing I have? Is this normal?I think out of everything that's my number one anxiety because it's constant. It's like that molar/cheek are super aware of each other touching because it just didn't happen before with the second molar to stop it.
 
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Hi All,
Can I ask if anyone has had molars extracted and if the molar next to them felt strange? and if so for how long? Did the change in your mouth shape cause that cheek touching thing I have? Is this normal?I think out of everything that's my number one anxiety because it's constant. It's like that molar/cheek are super aware of each other touching because it just didn't happen before with the second molar to stop it.

Hiya, it's really not unusual for you to notice a changed feeling when you've lost a molar like this, there's a big change in the shape in that area of your mouth. Plus things are still healing after the extraction, bone is busy remodelling itself and so on.

It's very likely that you'll get used to the change in shape soon, probably when you're on your holiday because you'll be too busy enjoying yourself to notice!

if it still feels a bit weird after your hols, then it's not a massive thing for your dentist to reshape the edge of the remaining molar a bit to help, sometimes they can have a bit of a sharp angle on them that isn't noticed when there's a tooth behind to cover it, it's a simple and painless thing to smooth it off a bit, a bit like filing your fingernails.
 
Thanks Gordon, I've thought about it more today because it's so hard to explain. The tooth itself just feels... foreign. Almost like it was pulled out itself and chucked back in again. Or maybe it's hyper sensitive I don't get it. Every other tooth feels normal it's just this one that feels so strange. I'm really hoping as you said it will go back to feeling normal. I started thinking about what if there is a problem and I need this one pulled or root canaled today and nearly gave myself a panic attack. Having the anxiety makes it worse I think. I try to think back to what it was like when my second molar was pulled over the other side but I cant remember it being like this. Then again I dont think I was as anxious back then either.
 
It's possible that the dentist used that molar as a fulcrum to help remove the one behind it, so there may be a little bit of inflammation of the supporting structure of the tooth, in which case it would feel a bit off for a week or so until that settles back down again.
 
So I went back to the dentist nearly paralised with fear that they would say the first molar is stuffed. However they said everything seems normal and sent me on my way.

I'm thinking now it's just that the first molar is sensitive without it's second molar buddy sitting against it. I still feel it against my cheek ALL the time like an annoying pressence. Or it's my cheek that doesn't like the sensation. I hate being so aware of the tooth all the time. It's nearly 3 weeks now but my anxiety is telling me this will never go away cause it should've stopped by now. I keep searching the internet trying to find anyone that this happened to and what they ended up doing or if it went away.
 
If it helps any, I've had to reshape a few teeth after extracting their next door neighbour, like I said it's an easy painless job.

If the tooth is sensitive to hot/cold/sweet etc then get some sensitive toothpaste, Colgate Pro-Relief is the best I've used but there are plenty about, brush your teeth last thing before bedtime as normal, then get some of that paste, put it on a finger and massage it into the neck of the sensitive tooth. Then don't spit/rinse or anything, just go to bed.
 
So they tried to dull the tooth a little today at the dentist to help with the odd feeling of my mouth now. However all day since this the tooth has been hurting. I'm not sure if taking a little bit off is the culprit or the tooth is just annoyed at having anything happen to it still since it's next to the extraction site. They keep saying the tooth itself is fine but havent done any new xrays since the first extraction. Working myself up again thinking by asking them to do something to help Ive stuffed it :( hoping this new constant pain goes away. It's not horrible pain just low and fairly constant.

I did feel a bit of high sensitive pain when they sanded it a little too. She did say she wasnt going to do much so the tooth doesnt become sensitive though. Not sure if this constant pain would be here from a little sanding. Hope it goes away! So tired of tooth issues.
 
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