wisdom tooth temoval and panic disorder

[kpa]

I've been having problems with my wisdom teeth for years now. They're grown in, but the top right one is broken and currently painful. I know that I need them out but I'm so scared of the dentist. I suffer from panic disorder and have so many phobias, I'm even scared of IV sedation as I'm scared of not waking up and not trusting dentist as far as proper anesthesia guidelines. I google wisdom teeth removal and the first thing that pops up is deaths due to the sedation and removal I have an appointment tomorrow for a consulation and am so terrified of even that.

any advice is appreciated. has anyone with panic disorder gotten their wisdom teeth out with just local anesthesia?

 

[Dr. Daniel]

Hi
In order to extract an upper wisdom tooth the dentist needs to anesthise much smaller area compared to treating the lower wisdom tooth.
Here are the most important things your dentist should do in order to avoid complications:
1) I don't know what is the tooth's clinical situation but if there is spread out inflammation around the tooth it might be better first to have a cure of antibiotics for a few days and then extract the tooth, by making the inflammation smaller before the extraction, you will have a much easier extraction and less chance for complications.
2) Right after the tooth is extracted the dentist should test that there is no damage to the adjacent tissues, by asking you do blow gently though your nose while blocking your nostrils. If the dentist sees air escapes through the extraction site.
3) If needed, the dentist should suture the area. This is usually the needed treatment for the comlication mentioned above and for other complications.

What can you do to avoid complications:
1) choose a dentist who has experience with wisdom teeth extractions. THe best would be an oral surgeon.
2) Be careful with the information you read on the internet (except for this forum of course ). There is so much information which contains non relevant information. The best would be ask for information which is relevant for you is getting it from your own dentist.
3) follow the post extraction instructions.

 

[cober6711]

I've been having problems with my wisdom teeth for years now. They're grown in, but the top right one is broken and currently painful. I know that I need them out but I'm so scared of the dentist. I suffer from panic disorder and have so many phobias, I'm even scared of IV sedation as I'm scared of not waking up and not trusting dentist as far as proper anesthesia guidelines. I google wisdom teeth removal and the first thing that pops up is deaths due to the sedation and removal I have an appointment tomorrow for a consulation and am so terrified of even that.

any advice is appreciated. has anyone with panic disorder gotten their wisdom teeth out with just local anesthesia?

Ive had 3 out of 4 wisdom teeth removed with Nitrous Oxide and Carbocaine Plain. They had all grown in. It was VERY easy. The worst part is likely the palate shot they use for freezing the upper jaw.

If its going to be a fast procedure, you might ask them to use Carbocaine Plain as this does not contain any adrenaline. Though it doesn't last long in the upper jaw it worked just fine for me. If you choose to get the lower ones out, Carbocaine Plain is your best choice period. This is because it turns out that you are less likely to get a 'dry socket' when epi isn't used...and so what about a little extra bleeding, its a good thing in this case!

Needless to say my recovery was uneventful. Didn't even need a narcotic pain killer, and even then I only used 1 Aleve total.

 

[reallyginny]

Hi kpa. Believe me, I understand. I have multiple phobias, including agoraphobia. When I found out I needed four teeth extracted, I did much the same as you; I went online and googled all the possible disasters that could befall me. I was frightened of being too far away from home and losing control. I was frightened of the local anesthesia but because of a vomiting phobia, I was more frightened of the idea of conscious or general sedation.

I ended up having the first three extractions (two back molars and a premolar) done under local anesthesia with Carbocaine. Of course I was nervous and even had a mini panic attack in the chair before the work got underway, but now that I'm through it, I couldn't imagine having extractions done any other way. I think if I would have had conscious or general sedation it would have made everything seem very dramatic and medical.

As it was, the extractions were no different from the numerous times I've had fillings or root canals...relax in the chair, receive the numbing shots and then some fiddling around in your mouth and you're finished. It took thirty minutes all told and that included the five minutes to allow the Carbocaine to do its job and ten minutes after the extractions to make sure I was forming a good clot.

So they weren't my wisdom teeth, but since your wisdoms aren't impacted, I would imagine it would be similar to a regular extraction. Good luck! If you have any specific questions about my numerous phobias and how it affected the dental work, let me know.

 

[out_of_order]

I have panic disorder too along with agoraphobia and a severe vomit phobia so EVERYTHING about the dentist terrifies me for various reasons, even sedation. But all my teeth needed to come out because they were too far gone to be saved, including my wisdom teeth. Long story short - in one appointment I had all my teeth removed and implants put in. I was sedated for several hours. When I woke up I didn't remember anything about the procedure, I wasn't nauseated, I just felt very sleepy. Recovery was much easier than I expected. None of the things I feared (and there were MANY) happened. Had I known it was going to be this easy, I would have fixed my smile years before I did.

I did tell my dentist well ahead of time of my "issues" and he and his staff were very accommodating and did everything possible to make the whole thing less terrifying for me. For example, they made sure to add an antiemetic to the sedation AND give me another shot of it "just in case" as soon as I came to. They also didn't pack my mouth with guaze so when I woke up I didn't have that gaggy blood-tasting stuff in my mouth. They also thoroughly explained the procedure, including the sedation, to me ahead of time (not the day of surgery), and also prescribed pain killers and antibiotics that were less likely to cause any side effect that might trigger one of my many phobias. So I strongly encourage you to be brutally honest with your dentist well ahead of time to give them time to come up with a plan that will make it easier for you and them.

Even under the care of the best most understanding dentist in the world, when you suffer from panic disorder and other phobias, it's always really hard to get through a dental procedure but it's SO worth it after the fact.