tooth extraction- nervous!

[jane.air]

H,

I'm new here to this forum. I'm having an extraction tomorrow and I'm very nervous.

My dental history: I love sugar so I've always had a lot of cavities. I really disliked my dentist as a teenager so I didn't see a dentist again till I was 27 and needed a root canal. I had all my fillings replaced then as well. It was not a completely bad experience as that dentist was nice. He was just very expensive and I never went back. One of my fillings fell out about 4 years ago and I saw another dentist. I just wanted him to fix that one problem but he insisted on x-raying my whole mouth and overwhelming me with everything that was wrong even after I explained that I had just finished cancer treatment and did not have the money for all those procedures. He said that my tooth was not fill-able and would need to be pulled along with the root canal tooth. He put in a temporary filling and I left and never went back and have basicly ignored the problem ever since.

Now I have to have the tooth pulled finally. I've been in pain for about a week from my front lower teeth that hurt when I breath in to the back of my jaw and even my ear. I'm nervous as heck and I think that it's not just the extraction itself but the fear of being taken advantage of or being ripped off in other words. During my consultation the office guy showed me a written estimate of the cost but when I got home I saw that the estimate was not in my packet. I will be sure to ask for a copy before the procedure.

I'm also afraid of damage to my other teeth during the extraction. How common is this? Also, they put me on penicillin for the infection but 2 days later I'm still having pain. Is penicillin the best choice of antibiotic? Is it bad that the dentist doing the extraction is not an oral surgeon bur just a regular dentist?

I would really appreciate any advice or to hear of anyone else's experiences.

 

[CameraGirl]

Hi Jane..

Just saw your post and by now you would have had your extraction. Hope it went well. I am in the same boat as you except my extractions won't be for a bit until I can afford them (no insurance).

I don't know much about extractions, these will be my first. As far as Penicillin, a lot of people I have talked to have had this prescribed. I am getting ready to start my second round on Pen.

Well just wanted to say I hope your extractions went well.

 

[jane.air]

Hi CameraGirl,

Thanks for the reply! I feel bad admitting that I ended up not going. The dentist I made the appointment with was going on vacation and the dentist taking over for him had no information on him that I could find on the net which made me nervous. Eventually I realized I was spelling his name wrong and found out he had a probated suspension of his license a few years back. I don't know for what he got in trouble but I did know that if I went and something went wrong I would feel really stupid, so I canceled. I suppose I will have to pay a cancellation fee now but I think that is preferable.

I found someone else with lots of good reviews so I'll be seeing him on Monday- just for another consultation. I'm not sure when he'll be able to squeeze me in for the extraction but hopefully soon.

The penicillin finally started working for me yesterday. Right now I'm in no pain and it's so good! I don't have insurance either. The other dentist was going to charge $350 for the extraction with no replacement- can't afford one!

I hope that you don't have to wait long to get yours done. Are you in a lot of pain?
Thanks for the well wishes and I'll be sure to post back here how everything went.

 

[gerbilnut]

I just saw your post today. I would've done the same and hope you can get your tooth out soon. I am getting my last wisdom tooth out this friday afternoon,I did have another out 8 years ago when I had a bad cavity and horrible pain, and then it happened in my other top wisdom tooth(with an abscess as I left it thinking it was due to my sinus congestion) last month so had that out last month. It was worse than I remembered and almost had a panic attack,felt I couldn't breathe,but made it through until it was done. No complications either time,although i was in pain until the next morning last month. I am covered by medical which I'm grateful for but my dentist isn't that understanding about patients with anxiety. I have also had 3 cavities in some molars which were also not fun and have a couple more to get done this Wednesday. I am trying to stay calm,I have had all my wisdom teeth out without sedation so seeing her doing it probably doesn't help me but i try not to look and think of good things that I enjoy doing. what helps you stay calm while you are in the chair? Good luck at your consultation Monday.

Tammy

 

[jane.air]

Hi Tammy,

Thanks for saying you would have done the same. I'm still feeling kind of guilty about canceling at the last minute.

Sorry to hear that you had such pain with your extraction! The only procedure I recall ever hurting excruciatingly was my root canal and even then only at the end when he packed the tooth and used a whole lot of pressure. I'm going to do like you and have the extraction next week without sedation.

I am happy to say that I think I finally found a good dentist. A really good dentist! He had a lot of 5 star reviews with everybody talking about how nice he is. He came in, asked what I wanted done and when I explained about wanting to only do the one tooth and try to hold on to the other, he said he completely understood my reasoning- he did not make me feel at all silly. He asked about the cancer treatments I had and said I had to double check that I was not treated with zometa and some other drug. He said if I was treated with these drugs then extraction would not be an option- would have to do something else. I'm pretty sure I wasn't though. The dentist I went to last week did not even raise this issue with me. Makes me wonder if they even read the chart they had me fill out!

I don't have any good tips for staying calm other than keeping my eyes closed. I also concentrate on breathing through my nose or otherwise I hold my breath. I wish you luck with your appointment on Wednesday!

 

[K-Bird]

Congratulations for doing the right thing and checking this guy out!!!
I would cancel my appt. in a heartbeat if I saw that! And I know that sometimes people (the dentist) make mistakes--but that is NOT your responsibility!!

Good job and Good luck!!!

 

[gerbilnut]

thank you. Good luck on your extraction next week,when are you having it done? i did listen to my MP3 player last month but it didn't really help as much as I hoped it would. I am not too nervous tomorrow about the fillings but am worried about Friday,I have a bit of a cough so if it gets any worse,will ask if I should postpone my extraction or not,tomorrow when I'm there. I'd like to get it over with but want it to heal so want to do what is best. I am trying different remedies as I think it's due to my nasal congestion but no luck,yet. This tooth doesn't hurt so at least I can postpone it if necessary. I will try deep breathing and guided imagery as I've read in a book i took out from the library. I am more calm than i was last time.

Take care.

 

[Justdoit454]

Dear gerbilnut and jane.air,
You are to be admired for your perseverance in making the appointments for the extractions. I can't imagine it without sedation- I am in awe of your courage. G, we will be thinking of you tomorrow for the fillings and for the extractions on Friday. J, our thoughts are with you during your extractions. You were wise to reschedule!!! My extractions are on for Thursday, so I'm with you in spirit.

 

[gerbilnut]

thanks justdo it. The reason I want to do it without sedation is I have a very big fear of needles in my arm,fear of any type of drugs(i have arthritis so I can take some pain and have a high pain threshold),not to mention the side effects that may happen. I've had novacaine without problems and had the first extraction 7 years ago without sedation and didn't have any bad reactions. My filling went okay yesterday,nervous but had my front teeth fixed(small chips) so I guess it was worth the uncomfortableness to look better! I had to wait an hour though as she was behind which doesn't help the anxiety! I hope she is not as behind tomorrow. The worst thing is the feeling I can't breathe right(i have nasal congestion) as she is doing it and worrying about swallowing something as she is also doing a filling(my last one and a small one!) just before the extraction. I will and can do it,so I will be brave. I'm sure yours will go fine next thursday,i wish i had made my appt. for next week but will get it done tomorrow.

Tammy

 

[jane.air]

Good luck with everything tomorrow Tammy! Mine is not till next Wednesday.

About the nasal congestion, I read where someone with difficulty breathing used nasal strips during her procedure and said it helped a great deal.

K-Bird wrote: Congratulations for doing the right thing and checking this guy out!!!

Well, all I can say is thank goodness for the internet! I don't know what I would have done without it- found a good mechanic last week as well.

Justdoit- I hope your extraction went well and that you are doing allright.

 

[gerbilnut]

I am trying to stay positive everything will go fine today. I have a nasal strip on now which i wore all night and will take one along and see if I need it later. I hope she isn't too behind or else I may decide to reschedule but i will try to go through with it whatever happens,it is the last thing i need done and I do want to get it behind me.

Tammy

 

[gerbilnut]

I didn't have the extraction yesterday,she said it would be complicated as it was my bottom wisdom tooth and they didn't leave enough time for her to do it,what a relief that was for me! I did still get two fillings done and she numbed me soo good that i couldn't eat or drink until near 6pm which was abit annoying. I do still need it done,darn, and soon but it isn't an emergency. She is also going to charge me $130 instead of covering the costs,so they went back on their word which makes me abit angry. I may look into another dentist but i'm sure most would charge me much more as I had the other extraction and afew fillings plus cleaning done already.

As for the anxiety,I fear having a panic attack as sitting in the chair with my mouth open for that long won't be pleasant. I can't take drugs but what else do you suggest-like a natural remedy or something? I am going to do my own research what is available. deep breathing and thinking about something else doesn't seem to be enough for me.

I have two canker sores now,i put some goldenseal on them and no pain since last night,minor i know but they did hurt,but i guess after all i've been through,glad it's not worse.

Tammy

 

[Justdoit454]

Dear jane.air and gerbilnut,
Regarding tips to decrease anxiety, mikeyboy lists some very nice ideas on his post from April 9. I also highly recommend asking your dentist to Rx some sort of benzodiazepine. Some meds should be taken just before the appt and other meds should be taken the night before the appt + just before the appt. I had never taken any of those pills before, but was Rx'd alprazolam to take just before my recent root canal. The meds, plus my kind endodontist made all the difference.
jane.air, we'll all be thinking of you tomorrow with your extractions. I have had a decent recovery from my extractions and hope yours goes well, too.

 

[gerbilnut]

I don't like to take pills for anything,have a high fear of side effects so I am in search of something natural that may help. I am going to search anxiety sites to see if there is help in my community as well,i feel I need someone to talk to even if it costs money.

Tammy

 

[jane.air]

I did have my extraction finally yesterday, and what a relief to have it over and done with! Thanks for the kind words and encouragement Justdoit- I hope you are continuing to recover well.

I didn't get any medication for the night before, just injections right before the procedure. Three if I remember correctly- one at the back near the jaw and a couple next to the bad tooth. The whole thing took less than 30 minutes which was great. The doctor was as kind and reassuring as I anticipated he would be. I think it is always best when a doctor or dentist talks a patient through the procedure, explaining in advance what he is about to do as he goes along, but also reassuring the patient the entire time. That's exactly what this dentist did yesterday and I am very grateful to him! Best of all- I was charged a hundred dollars less than the other dentist would have charged so it was a positive experience all around.

I was given more penicillin and vicodin pills for the pain. I took two vicodins yesterday and one today- fewer than what was suggested- mostly because I don't want to be sleepy. I figured I could take an additional pill if the pain was too bad, but so far I've been lucky with almost no pain at the moment.

Tammy- I hope your procedure goes as well as mine and that you finally get some relief. Let us know how you are doing!

 

[gerbilnut]

Glad to hear it went well for you and good wishes on a good recovery! I'm not sure when I will get mine done,she left it up to me and said it could take an hour as it's a bottom tooth so that scares me alot! I thought the half hour was bad enough,but i have been in the dentists' chair that long before,just not to do one procedure. I'm on the search for help in my community but no luck yet. I will call some soon if i don't get emails returned,I need some type of help,I feel soo alone and want to deal with this better. I can't wait too long as my gum needs to be cleaned each day as food/debris gets in it and I don't want to get a bad infection there. My dentist used a dental dam for the first time last friday so that kind of freaked me out,sure wish she had warned me then maybe i could've been calm about it.

Take care,

Tammy

 

[jane.air]

Ah yes, the dreaded dental dam. I had that only one time with that bad dentist and it was very uncomfortable. I seem to recall metal clips pinching my lips and my mouth being cranked open too wide. I was expecting the dentist who did the extraction to use that so I was pretty much resigned to that notion. Fortunately, all he used was a round circular rubber wedge on one side of my mouth that was somewhat flexible and very comfortable.

I hope you get yours done soon but I understand that you want to go when you are feeling ready. It's good that you are being extra careful about not getting an infection because I can tell you that is extremely unpleasant! Best of luck Tammy and let us know when you are going.