• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Top 2nd molar extraction

  • Thread starter Thread starter neilw
  • Start date Start date
N

neilw

Junior member
Joined
Jan 7, 2025
Messages
1
Location
Barnet London
Hi. I am a 48 year old long-time anxious patient however in recent years, have been using IV sedation which frankly has been fantastic and enabled work to be done which otherwise could have been far worse (wish I'd used it years in the past!)
Recently, an xray has revealed a large hidden cavity in the 2nd molar on the top left which is asymptomatic and not cracked so would not have been aware of it other than the xray. Simultaneously I have a large externally visible cavity on the top right 2nd molar. Again asymptomatic currently thankfully, though mindful this is only a matter of time! I have had 2 failed fillings on this tooth and another dentist thinks it cannot be restored due to the shape of the cavity and has recommended extraction on this one also. Given my experience with sedation, I do not have any undue concerns regarding the actual procedures themselves. However, my concerns relate to how this will impact my ability to chew and how this will 'feel'. I am a very anxious eater at times which means I over-chew as ultimately it relates to a phobia of choking or large pieces getting stuck when swallowing. Whilst more than 1 dentist has advised there will be no impact on my ability to chew from losing these molars, I need to understand how I might potentially adapt to this. Will I just end up naturally just moving food about from tooth to tooth until I am ready to swallow or is there some impact from having a large gap now. NB I have had one wisdom removed top right and no noticable impact in this respect, although this was not really errupted so presumably not in use anyway for all intents. I could look at an immediate implant as one option, or waiting for 6 months for the other type of implant. Equally, perhaps root canal / crown might work. I've read also that the lower 2nd molar may still bit against half the remaining upper molar anyway - is there a way to test the bite in this regard? The dentist I was using has retired and his colleague has provided a treatment plan, however whilst the immediate clinical assessment is not necessarily in doubt, I need to inform myself of the likely next stage impact in my case. Also looking for other opinions in the North London region. Thanks in advance.
 
I really doubt you would notice the difference, you'll still have plenty of chewing surfaces available.
 
Back
Top