Two wisdom teeth extractions booked next week - IV but still scared

[mouthsewnshut]

So it's finally coming, my appointment. I am having both my right side wisdom teeth removed, I am scared and although I am having IV sedation, my appointment is in the afternoon and my dentist doesn't want me to take any oral sedative on the day, she said my usual diazepam the night before is ok but not on the day. When I went for my assessment, my BP was through the roof, so much so the dentist was worried and wrote to my GP about it. I had to take my BP twice a day for a week and send the readings to my GP who is happy with my normal BP. so now what.

Healing worries me, I bruise easily, I clot badly, and I am over 60, I was told that healing is longer and more tedious when you're older. Who can hold my hand? (I rang my oldest sister and she doesn't understand the phobia and told me I should just get over it, even though my phobia stems from sexual aggression, she has zero empathy and told me that 'other people get over it why don't you', that didn't help matters )

 

[NervousUSA]

@mouthsewnshut Did you have the appointment yet? It is hard when your family isn't understanding about this type of thing, mine definitely aren't. Sometimes I think no one can understand phobia if they haven't gone through it themselves.

 

[mouthsewnshut]

@NervousUSA Hi! Thanks for taking the time to reply. No it was meant to be on the 23rd but had to be cancelled (their end, not me) and now it's next Monday. My family is far (different country) and not many members left to speak of. I only have 3 siblings. But only one who is nice. My sister is just hurtful and callous. She used to be so nice and supportive, maybe she is developing cognitive issues. I don't know.

I am so not looking forward to this, I just want it to be over and healed, but I wish I could just sleep through the first week

 

[NervousUSA]

@mouthsewnshut It is hard not having good family support. I know that feeling of just wanting it over, it is a relief to get this stuff over with. If it's any use to you, I had all my wisdom teeth removed, two at a time, last year. I am middle aged. My experience was that how bad both the procedure and the recovery are, are overhyped. The procedure was no big deal for me (with local only), and the recovery was more like "irritating" than "miserable".

 

[mouthsewnshut]

@NervousUSA It's really good to hear of your positive experience, thank you. I have heard both extremes regarding the procedure and healing, either really bad or a walk in the park. I would personally choose the walk in the park, literally But my brain being its own person, has decided that things will be awful, I will have a grim mouth, I will feel sick, my tongue will go inspect the grossness of the holes as tongues do, the pain is not even on top of the list. As the days go by, I am getting nearer to the appointment and I am not doing well mentally, my stress and fear levels are creeping up, my mood is going down. Rationally I know that it will most likely be a lot easier than my brain is trying to make me believe, but my phobia is as you know, irrational and I am trying so hard to push that back but damaged me seems to be scoring the most points

I wish I were like you and able to get all this done with just a local. Thanks again for taking time to reply to my post

 

[NervousUSA]

The run up to the appointment, and feeling like the worst can happen is horrible, I know. I was doing all this stuff trying to calm myself before my extractions, the 54321 coping method, box breathing, taking calming amino acid supplements, and more, but I was still really, really anxious. It was such a relief when it was over though and I hope it will be for you too. I actually had to switch dentists and work hard to find someone to do it with a local, most wanted to send me to an oral surgeon to be sedated. The guy I got to do it tried to back out of doing it with local after agreeing to do so, also. One thing that might work out for you too, it was actually kind of hard for my tongue to go to the holes, with them being so far back. I hope this goes the "walk in the park" way for you!

 

[mouthsewnshut]

Thank you!

What amino acids do you use? I take tryptophan before bed, and I have inositol, and theanine. But I am still anxious in the run up. I am also worried that they will call it off if my blood pressure goes too high - as I said in another post, it is usually ok, but just for the assessment it went up pretty high, so I am worried that it will go even higher on the day of the extractions. I am annoyed that the dentist won't let me take a premed like diazepam on the day.

 

[NervousUSA]

I have taken a bunch of different ones, GABA, L-Lysine, L-Theanine, L-Argitine, 5-HTP and Tryptophan (which I took at bedtime too). I feel like they help me. I also took some herbal remedies, kava and saffron. I have white coat hypertension too, luckily my dentist doesn't take my blood pressure so they don't know, but I always get a lot of attention for it at the doctors office (it's normal at home) I wish I knew something to do about that. I guess if my dentist wouldn't treat me because of my blood pressure I might try asking my doctor for something to lower it for the appointment, maybe they have some medication for that. I don't know why the dentist wouldn't let you take a pre-med, maybe drug interactions? I'm sorry they won't let you have it.

 

[mouthsewnshut]

@NervousUSA Sounds like we take similar supplements then.

I spoke to one of the nurses at the clinic yesterday, calling me to remind me of my appointment, I said she didn't have to worry, I can't forget about it at all And I mentioned the raised BP and how I was worried they might cancel my appt and that alone was an additional worry that made my anxiety worse, she said that would be fine and not to worry. I also said that the dentist said diazepam ok on the night before, but not on the day, so if I woke up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night, would it be ok to take it then (if I get to sleep at all) and she said yeah sure. No problem. So I am feeling a bit less stressed now. The dentist said about diazepam, that they do pure titrated midazolam sedation and they prefer to not have other drugs in the mix. Hope they can get that started in the waiting room

 

[NervousUSA]

@mouthsewnshut That sounds like some positive news, that's great! Makes sense that it is to do with mixing drugs. I am glad you are feeling a bit less stressed. I like thinking about how once it is done and over the stress and pressure will be all gone.

 

[mouthsewnshut]

@NervousUSA Thanks for the reassurance - I am still very stressed today, but I am not feeling well today so might not help. I'll go have a bath, do some breathing exercises, sort out my comfy clothes for tomorrow so I don't have to rush. I'll keep you posted Thanks so much for your support

 

[NervousUSA]

Hope you feel better, and best of luck for everything, I will keep my fingers crossed and send positive thoughts for all to go perfectly for you

 

[mouthsewnshut]

@NervousUSA A little update, you were right about it not being as bad as people say, so thanks for all the reassurance, I really appreciate.

For one, I went into complete dissociation Sunday evening, as if nothing was going to happen, not a thought about the extractions the next day. I took a sleeping tablet so I could get a good night sleep. We got there nice and early, and what took the longest was for the dentist to find a vein, she said Oh might have to make you come back, I said NO! You squeeze that arm as tight as you need, you will find a vein

Eventually, other sedationist came and did the needle for me. I don't remember much at all, only that I reached out to one of the nurses at one point and she held my hand. I thought the whole team were kind and compassionate, it was a good experience given the nature of the visit. The dentist stuffed some Surgicel into the holes (I didn't want the holes left open to gross me out so she said no problem) The top one fell out last night, the bottom one is still in there half in half out and it's pretty grim, I think it will probably fall out with one of my salt water rinses sometime today.

Last night I did put cold compresses on my cheek, I took arnica (I don't normally 'do' homeopathy but thought hey if it works fine, if it doesn't oh well?) and I had my pain relief.

All in all, today I feel hungover from the sedation, had a massive headache which woke me up, possibly from sedation and also because I slept with an extra pillow. My jaw where my bottom wisdom tooth came out is a little more tender today, but all in all a lot less dramatic then I was anticipating in my anxious brain. No swelling of the face, no bruising, no bleeding in my mouth. I think this might set a precedent for me, but I will probably still need sedation. But I am really grateful too to have had such a caring and gentle team to look after me.

 

[NervousUSA]

@mouthsewnshut Hey that sounds great! I'm glad it went so well and they were kind and treated you so well. It sounds like you really aren't having a bad reaction either, sounds like it even is going better for you than it did for me, I did get swelling and blood in the mouth for a while, and had to take tylenol and ibuprofen, and had to ice for a couple days (none of this stuff was particularly bad, more inconvenient). Well thanks for the update and I will cross my fingers that everything keeps going smoothly for you!

 

[mouthsewnshut]

@NervousUSA Thanks! I am still taking painkillers. I tried to do a little work today (self-employed) but then ran out of energy. I am aching all over probably still getting all that sedation out of my system. Back on the sofa now