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Would rather die than have wisdom tooth taken out

H

hatemyself

Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2017
Messages
79
Location
UK
I know that sounds like a melodramatic thing to say over teeth but it's true :( Sorry I'm just going to vent for a bit...

I've visited this forum for a little while but it always makes me more scared to read the stories and wisdom teeth to be honest. I had a wisdom tooth extraction consultation yesterday and I basically went into shock and couldn't stop crying afterwards because of my dental phobia.

I have depression as well, so as I was walking back from the hospital honestly all I could think about was throwing myself in front of a car or onto the train tracks, or how I'd go to this place I know from my childhood to lie down and die...

I spoke to my GP about my depression a while ago and mentioned my dental phobia and this upcoming surgery and she suggested taking diazepam (valium) which sounded great but the consultant yesterday said that that wasn't allowed.

I have to be sedated for this surgery and that FREAKS ME OUT but I can't have GA (I asked) as that's too risky for a tiny tooth extraction...

Sorry for the rant. I guess I'm looking for some reassurance...

Surgery is in two weeks. I don't know if I'll be able to go through with it. I've been thinking whether it's the humane thing to do, putting myself through this (the consultant even asked if I wanted to go through with it at all if I was this anxious!).

Is it humane to let myself live with these emotions? Is it worth it?

I hate my life sometimes. Sorry for the rant :cry:
 
Have you ever been sedated before? It's super good stuff - you will be utterly relaxed and probably won't remember much if any of the procedure. Afterwards you'll feel like you just had a nap. Loads of people on this forum rely on it for dental procedures that they couldn't do otherwise.

What are you afraid of specifically? The recovery? I had full extractions, including all four wisdom teeth, and recovery was a breeze.

There is no dental procedure in the world worth ending your life over. Have you been in any therapy for your depression and anxiety? Suicidal thoughts are not normal, and you shouldn't have to deal with them.

Hang in there :hug4:
 
I was sedated as a child for dental and don't remember much at all up to about 12 years old? and then i've been sedated as an adult for other procedures like endoscopies and colonoscopies. I was really scared too, it is a scary thought to lose that control over your body. But Sevena is right it is pretty amazing how relaxing and easy it is you just are sleep wake up and its done. and its a peaceful feeling. the worst part is the thought about it.. then its done! You are worth getting this work done and hopefully good caring dental staff can explain this hwell and take you through the process patiently and compassionately.
 
Have you ever been sedated before? It's super good stuff - you will be utterly relaxed and probably won't remember much if any of the procedure. Afterwards you'll feel like you just had a nap. Loads of people on this forum rely on it for dental procedures that they couldn't do otherwise.

What are you afraid of specifically? The recovery? I had full extractions, including all four wisdom teeth, and recovery was a breeze.

There is no dental procedure in the world worth ending your life over. Have you been in any therapy for your depression and anxiety? Suicidal thoughts are not normal, and you shouldn't have to deal with them.

Hang in there :hug4:

Thank you so much :) I'm sorry for being so melodramatic... I'm feeling a bit better now...

I am indeed in therapy, and taking antidepressants. No pill or counsellor can stop life's ups and downs though, I suppose, and this phobia has been in the making for a while...

It's just the hospital environment that scares me, really. I am also afraid of any male dentists/doctors (bad experiences when I was younger with men) which sounds stupid, but I had to explicitly ask for a woman to perform the actual surgery, which they allowed.

Also this sounds so stupid but I'm worried about saying stupid stuff when under sedation... like those creepy videos you see on Youtube, the ones where they film their friend after having their wisdom teeth out. I don't want to lose control of what I say, I just want to be a bit... out of it I guess.

Can I just say everyone is so lovely on this forum. Thank you again for being so kind and replying to me. :)
 
I was sedated as a child for dental and don't remember much at all up to about 12 years old? and then i've been sedated as an adult for other procedures like endoscopies and colonoscopies. I was really scared too, it is a scary thought to lose that control over your body. But Sevena is right it is pretty amazing how relaxing and easy it is you just are sleep wake up and its done. and its a peaceful feeling. the worst part is the thought about it.. then its done! You are worth getting this work done and hopefully good caring dental staff can explain this hwell and take you through the process patiently and compassionately.

Thank you :) I think you're right, the worst part is the thought, and I'm overthinking it. Do you actually go to sleep then? Or do you just sort of zone out then get amnesia afterwards so you can't remember whether you fell asleep or not? If you see what I mean?

The nurses were so lovely at the consultation. The actual dentist guy creeped me out though, but I'll be having a different dentist for the actual surgery.

It's happening in two weeks so not much time to think about it, which is a good thing.

Thank you so much again :)
 
People who say weird things are usually coming round from general anaesthesia, not sedation, though it's fairly rare. When I came out of GA, I didn't say anything embarrassing, unless you count thanking the anaesthetist for...doing a good job I suppose? Haha, I was just so relieved it was over and nothing went wrong. But where GA puts you properly to sleep, sedation mega relaxes you and induces amnesia. You can respond to the dentist asking basic things. It's very safe and effective.

It's common fear "losing control" but you will be fine. Extractions, even complicated ones, are fairly quick, as they don't require painstaking drilling and filling, so you won't be out of it for long. :)
 
People who say weird things are usually coming round from general anaesthesia, not sedation, though it's fairly rare. When I came out of GA, I didn't say anything embarrassing, unless you count thanking the anaesthetist for...doing a good job I suppose? Haha, I was just so relieved it was over and nothing went wrong. But where GA puts you properly to sleep, sedation mega relaxes you and induces amnesia. You can respond to the dentist asking basic things. It's very safe and effective.

It's common fear "losing control" but you will be fine. Extractions, even complicated ones, are fairly quick, as they don't require painstaking drilling and filling, so you won't be out of it for long. :)

But what if I say something crazy during the forgetful phase? They'll laugh at me so much :(

I had GA once before for a dental surgery and did say some loopy things but not too bad, was just very out of it and felt exhausted.

I hate that I can't have diazepam before I go in... I don't know if I'm even going to make it into the chair. I think I'm the most phobic patient they've ever seen! :cry:
 
They wouldn't laugh at you. They're professionals. It's scary because you become vulnerable, which is not a nice feeling, especially for people with anxiety and depression. We like to have utmost control over ourselves and our environment because we want to minimise our own fears and worries. I'll confess, my least favourite thing about being in hospital or another medical setting is feeling vulnerable and dependent, at the "mercy" of other people. I hate it! But it's absolutely worth it to get our health problems treated, including dental ones.

The people that work there are fellow humans, and they want to do a good job. I've also worked in medical settings, and there are so many compassionate healthcare workers who just want to help people. They're also not perfect, some of them are scared of being patients too. I've met nurses who use needles to take blood or give injections every day, but are totally not comfortable if they themselves need a blood test etc :giggle:

And you won't be the most phobic patient ever, trust me. From working in healthcare, and from being on this forum for years, I've seen and heard it all. I've been there too, when I was about to be put under for my extractions, I was sobbing kind of pathetically and rambling on about "what if I don't wake up from the GA?" and "I'm too young to die!" It was not my most dignified moment, but I can laugh about it now. And the nurse and anaesthetist were really kind and not judgmental at all!

By the way, the feeling of relief when it's over is the absolute best feeling in the world and it's worth going through with it just for that alone. You'll feel like a weight was lifted off your shoulders. :)
 
They wouldn't laugh at you. They're professionals. It's scary because you become vulnerable, which is not a nice feeling, especially for people with anxiety and depression. We like to have utmost control over ourselves and our environment because we want to minimise our own fears and worries. I'll confess, my least favourite thing about being in hospital or another medical setting is feeling vulnerable and dependent, at the "mercy" of other people. I hate it! But it's absolutely worth it to get our health problems treated, including dental ones.

The people that work there are fellow humans, and they want to do a good job. I've also worked in medical settings, and there are so many compassionate healthcare workers who just want to help people. They're also not perfect, some of them are scared of being patients too. I've met nurses who use needles to take blood or give injections every day, but are totally not comfortable if they themselves need a blood test etc :giggle:

And you won't be the most phobic patient ever, trust me. From working in healthcare, and from being on this forum for years, I've seen and heard it all. I've been there too, when I was about to be put under for my extractions, I was sobbing kind of pathetically and rambling on about "what if I don't wake up from the GA?" and "I'm too young to die!" It was not my most dignified moment, but I can laugh about it now. And the nurse and anaesthetist were really kind and not judgmental at all!

By the way, the feeling of relief when it's over is the absolute best feeling in the world and it's worth going through with it just for that alone. You'll feel like a weight was lifted off your shoulders. :)

What a kind kind thing to write. I can't thank you enough. I'm just overthinking the whole stupid thing...

I had excessive, invasive and traumatic dental treatment for almost four years starting when I was 14. I was very young then, and just forming my opinions of the world, and unfortunately due to some very bad experiences I just got it into my head that all dentists (and doctors really) are depraved monsters who take a perverse joy in torturing people who are helpless, in pain, scared, and sometimes semi-conscious/unconscious. Of course I know that's not true, the very opposite is true. But it's what I've learnt from the experiences I've had.

I have had compassionate dentists, yes indeed I have. I just need to find more like them. When I cry in front of dentists (and I have done many times) I feel so embarrassed, the guy at the hospital came really close to me, I think he was trying to be reassuring? But it was actually very threatening, I felt too uncomfortable to look him in the eye, so I felt like he was judging me or he thought I was less than him.

I'll feel better tomorrow I'm sure... and every day after that, and you're right when I get it done it will be such a relief. Who knows, maybe it will even be a good experience! And I'll feel better about the whole thing.

Thank you again, Sevena. You're a kind lady :)
 
I am soooo bad with the youtube videos... ugh.. i have watched a ton on anesthesia before my procedures a few years ago i had several to detemine my anemia like 3 times sedated within a month, i was scared each time and nearly talked myself out of doing procedures that were hugely beneficial for my health. one time i even told the anesthesiologist.. thats it. i'm done.. no i'm not doing that type.. he looked at me like i was crazy... and I was so anxious.. he got my dr who i trusted and he just had to say... we do this all the time, its safe. I trusted this man wtih my life.. after many years of trust .. so I did it.. but..... I needed to trust and I needed to know I was in good compassionate hands before I did it.. but the youtube vidoes really threw me off.. alot of them are no good and just give place to fear.

The more I trust my dentist the less tempted I am to look.. when something brings down my trust level maybe I look for a bit.. but.. i'm pretty good now...im encouraging you don't look :)..trust your gut , ask questions, but sometimes just rest in the fact we don't know everything and they went to school and have experience in this.. :)




Thank you :) I think you're right, the worst part is the thought, and I'm overthinking it. Do you actually go to sleep then? Or do you just sort of zone out then get amnesia afterwards so you can't remember whether you fell asleep or not? If you see what I mean?

The nurses were so lovely at the consultation. The actual dentist guy creeped me out though, but I'll be having a different dentist for the actual surgery.

It's happening in two weeks so not much time to think about it, which is a good thing.

Thank you so much again :)
 
I am soooo bad with the youtube videos... ugh.. i have watched a ton on anesthesia before my procedures a few years ago i had several to detemine my anemia like 3 times sedated within a month, i was scared each time and nearly talked myself out of doing procedures that were hugely beneficial for my health. one time i even told the anesthesiologist.. thats it. i'm done.. no i'm not doing that type.. he looked at me like i was crazy... and I was so anxious.. he got my dr who i trusted and he just had to say... we do this all the time, its safe. I trusted this man wtih my life.. after many years of trust .. so I did it.. but..... I needed to trust and I needed to know I was in good compassionate hands before I did it.. but the youtube vidoes really threw me off.. alot of them are no good and just give place to fear.

The more I trust my dentist the less tempted I am to look.. when something brings down my trust level maybe I look for a bit.. but.. i'm pretty good now...im encouraging you don't look :)..trust your gut , ask questions, but sometimes just rest in the fact we don't know everything and they went to school and have experience in this.. :)

Thank you for your reply :) I think my problem is I don't really trust any of them! In my mind they just don't care about me as they see loads of patients and probably just see me as a problem, a set of teeth to be worked out, not a person.

I am not looking at any videos anymore... my sister watches them and I think it's fucked up that a. anyone would film anyone else after surgery and b. anyone would actually watch that shit for pleasure. WTF?

Thanks again :)
 
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your replies...

I had my surgery today and it went well. You can read all about my experience here:


Thanks guys :bear:
 
That is soo good to hear!! I'm going to go read your story!! What a relief to know it went well for you and it is all done, and hope you can get some rest and somehow reward yourself!! :)
 
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