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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. 

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  • 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]

  • 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.  

  • 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 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.

Reply
  • 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.

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