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Extremely nervous about tooth removal

Jakey

I got the news today that I need both my wisdom teeth removed. This is 10 years of not going to the dentist due to a lie the NHS told me where me having a panic attack about going means I cannot get appointments for free, so I never got a checkup. Since I started to get toothaches, I wondered what the issue is, and it is the wisdom teeth creating the pain, and decaying it seems.

I've never had a tooth removed, so I don't know how worried to be. My gums appear to be touching the teeth so I don't know how they're going to solve that. But I'm constantly panicking about going through that, I had fillings done before and didn't find it too bad compared to what I expected, but they only managed one because I couldn't stop swallowing my saliva and needed breaks in between. 

My other worry is about afterwards, I don't really have crunchy food which is fine, but I don't really know what I can eat? I don't eat any animal products. And I'm not sure what to do if I get food in the stitches. 

  • in reply to Specialanddifferent

    Reminder Rule 6 do not give medical advice

    Thanks

  • On the food thing,

     [removed by mod - rule 6]. Maybe eat blended veggie soups for a few days to avoid getting bits of food stuck. I hope it goes well. Best of luck.

  • Hi Jakey.

    I had mine done many years ago. You will feel no pain whatsoever, just tugging and pulling. To be honest you will hear some " crunching and cracking noises " but no pain. It will be fine. Beast wishes.

  • in reply to Kate Kestrel

    The sedation wait list is over 1 year... I can't wait that long because I have nearly daily tooth aches. Not severe but they are there. 

  • in reply to Kate Kestrel

    Thank you, that's really helpfully. We hadn't really looked into it, I'm grateful for this thread as now I know what foods to plan/not plan in the dinner plan for next week!

  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing

    I think for the first day or two it’s important not have anything that’s really hot. 

  • in reply to Bunny

    I remember really wanting some savoury food that was soft so I had scrambled eggs with loads of butter in the pan and I really enjoyed that! 

  • Hi - I really empathise - I had a large four rooted molar taken out a few months ago, and my son had a wisdom tooth out last year. My son had his taken out with sedation (not totally sedated to be ‘asleep’ - just a mild sedation where he was still conscious. He found it very helpful. I didn’t have any sedation for mine and I wish I had had sedation! So I recommend sedation for sure! As for eating - you can’t eat much at all initially - and then only very soft foods and importantly using salt water to gently wash the area for a few days. They’ll tell you everything you need to do - don’t worry. I won’t lie - I found it very difficult because my tooth broke into many pieces so it was a longer process to pick out the ‘bits’ - whereas my son’s wisdom tooth extraction went more smoothly. Either way though - mine was very difficult but once a few days of recovery are all done you just forget about really - and it feels good to have got it over with. You really will be ok - and if you don’t get them out when they need to come out then it will be much worse in the long run. Good luck! 

  • in reply to Olivia Mod

    Thanks for responding. I might have to try PALS, I dread using the phone though. I feel like I'm owed compensation somewhere for these amount of problems this caused me, I bought it up with my support workers too, not sure I got the point across though. 

    I'll have a look at the health passport

  • Dear Jakey,

    I am sorry to hear that your wisdom teeth have caused you pain and the panic attacks you have experienced. I was concerned that you mentioned that the NHS misled you about appointments. If you wanted to you could contact PALS What is PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)? - NHS and discuss what happened. 

    I can see you have already had some really great advice from the community but I thought I would share a resource My health passport this can be a really helpful communication tool to fill out before seeing health professionals.

    Please remember that your comfort always matters including during medical procedures so if you need to take breaks, or have any other accessibility need they should try their best to meet this. 

    Take care,

    Olivia Mod

  • Jakey said:
    My gums appear to be touching the teeth so I don't know how they're going to solve that.

    I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed under general anaesthetic, due to how difficult they were to access. I remember them telling me that each tooth had to be cut into quarters as part of that process. Perhaps you could ask about their plan?

    Jakey said:
    My other worry is about afterwards

    I suggest asking your dentist whether they can provide you with general aftercare instructions now, so that you know broadly what to expect in advance, and can also buy any items that you might need (perhaps including, for example, salt to use for mouth rinses).

    Here's an example of the kind of thing I'm referring to:

    NHS England - Your guide to having teeth removed

    I suggest being sure to prioritise your dentist's advice over anything suggested in certain earlier replies here (some of which contradict NHS advice and could cause harm).

    Jakey said:
    but I don't really know what I can eat? I don't eat any animal products.

    Some vegan suggestions:

    • Swedish Glace Non-dairy vegan ice cream - I distinctly remember how much I favoured something as cooling and soothing as this after my operation.

    • Sorbet (similar benefits).

    • Alpro yoghurts, in various flavours and styles.

    • Bol Power Shakes - don't contain any solid pieces and are described as "100% nutritionally complete". My NHS dietician approved me using these to boost my calorie intake.
       
    • Huel - I second  's suggestion that this could be helpful. I'd personally avoid the Hot & Savoury range in the immediate aftermath, due to the risk of getting food stuck - but Huel powder or ready-to-drink are sold as "complete meals" and are perhaps worth considering. 
  • in reply to Jakey
    Jakey said:
    Flossing is a no go. I tried it once and found it too uncomfortable, my teeth are crowded though. 

    There are different types of floss - the tape type is very thin and does a great job of scraping the food and bacteria out from between your teeth, and is a great way to reduce cavities while improving breath.

    I used to find it very difficult as I had not flossed as a child / young adult. Once I started it was tough, and it takes some time to get the technique right but it gets way easier with time.

    Ask the dentist if he has any tips.

  • You've got some good advice from  . Worrying beforehand is understandable - but try to focus on other things. What you fear is pain but the modern painkillers are excellent in my experience and the needles they use are thinner than of old. I've had 4 teeth removed by different dentists and there was very little pain, just a small ache. It is vital to follow the after-care advice too! Remember, when this work is achieved, you'll feel much better - try to focus on that. I'm sure we all wish you the best of luck. 

  • in reply to Iain

    I'll have to try mouth wash. I have been using mints and fruit pastilles to wash out the taste that food leaves in my mouth. Never really had mouth wash before though, not sure how much I need or how expensive it is. 

    Flossing is a no go. I tried it once and found it too uncomfortable, my teeth are crowded though. 

  • Perhaps you could get some Huel if you enjoy it and it meets your dietary needs. Soup is another good one, when it comes to the work itself they're professionals and this is so routine to them. You won't be the first person to turn up to the dentist after 10 years. It's been longer for me, probably significantly so and I dread to think of the world of hurt they'll discover. 

  • in reply to Jakey
    Jakey said:
    Not sure how viable the washing is because I do have a gag reflex. 
    I dont think you need to gargle for this part - you just take a capful of the mouthwash into your mouth and slosh it about, focussing on the area where the tooth was removed for now but all round generally.
    I find the best way to do this is to puff my cheeks out and back in rapidly (with my mouth tightly closed) to move the liquid around. Typically I do this for around 30 seconds or until if feels like my cheeks are burning then I spit out the mouthwash into the sink.
    The gargling part is most useful for getting the mouthwash to the back of your tongue and top of your throat. By breathing out quickly while tilting my head back I find the mouthwash does not reach the part that triggers my gag reflex.
    One last thing on oral hygiene - using your toothbrush or a scraper to take all the bacteria off the top of your tongue seems a common area people skip. It is easy to trigger the gag reflex when doing the back of the tongue so I find it easier to stick my tongue out and down as far as I can before brushing it which reduces the sensitivity for a few seconds - typically long enough.
    This is how I deal with it - it is a great way of keeping your breath fresh as well as maintaining good oral hygiene. At nearly 60 I still have all my teeth (3 with crowns admittedly) and my girlfriend reports I don't have bad breath.
    If you have any doubts, ask the dentist to show you how it should be done - flossing is a tricky one to get right if you are not doing it often and it makes a lot of difference to your tooth decay and breath smell too
    [edited slightly by mod - rule 6]
  • in reply to Iain

    Thanks, that does explain a lot. My wisdoom teeth are at an angle, but it is both of them. 

    I don't really have any phobias, the worst part of my fillings was the saliva build up, close second was a thing they put in between the teeth, annoyingly I could feel pain and discomfort during part of it, no idea how though, they gave me anaesthetic

    Not sure how viable the washing is because I do have a gag reflex.  

  • Jakey said:
    I've never had a tooth removed, so I don't know how worried to be.

     

    The last time I had a tooth removed was when one of my wisdom teeth as growing sideways into the rest of my teeth and causing too much pressure.
    The removal was actually painless for me - they used plenty of pain killer injections to numb the area, the dentist cut back a bit of the gum (I could feel it happening but there was no pain) and then the difficult but was when the dentist had to pull the tooth out of what was effectively a corner - hard to get leverage but a bit of a tug of war soon got it out.
    If you have phobias of needles, blood or someone working inside your mouth then I can see it being really challenging but otherwise it is a lot less painful than say having a part of you waxed or even your eyebrows plucked.
    I got some strong pain killers for when the injections wore off but never needed to use them - but it is worth discussing pain management with the dentist as you can typically use over-the-counter pain medication in combination, but only with the direction of the dentist and taking into consideration your sensitivity to the drugs in question.
    Recovery time for me was a day until I could eat normally on the unaffected side of my mouth and 4 days until I could eat carefully on both sides - the dentist should be able to inform you what to expect after they are finished as it will depend on the damage they cause or find during the removal.
    Soups are great to eat, as is jelly, soft desserts, soft bread - anything that doesn't really need to be chewed.
    I think that cleaning out your mouth after eating will also be important so use brushing (with a soft brush and very gently in the area of the removal) and a good, strong mouthwash. Try to keep up the high hygiene standards even after it heals to limit future decay.
    I think I have avoided medical advice here - this is mostly a case of speak to the professional and get their advice and use good sense afterwards.
    Good luck

    [Edited slightly by mod - Rule 6]

  • My husband is going next week to get his removed as they are at a bad angle too. He was referred to the hospital to do it. He's not ND though, so doesn't have the same sensory issues.

    But I was thinking maybe having soup handy after? Having lots of easy food in the cupboard so you don't have to think too much or go out would probably be a good idea to prepare.