I've been pretty fortunate with my teeth. No new cavities since around age 16, and no real problems with anything else. Had my two top wisdom teeth pulled at ~age 22 and have watched one of the bottoms grow upward ever since. One has remained asleep and under my gum to this day. At my last cleaning, they declared that The Tooth finally needed to come out. I walked in for the extraction and was promptly given a shot in my gum that felt much deeper than my previous dental shots have been. "Where's the nitrous?" my white knuckled hands asked as they clenched the armrests. 15 minutes later they asked how I was feeling. I'm never really sure how to answer the dental assistant when they ask that. I just nodded and the sunglasses that they had placed on my head slipped down a little. "I'm going to see if your numbed up enough", the lady in white said as she grabbed a pokee thing and proceeded to jab it into my gum. It's a little tough to talk with someones fist in your mouth and a large screwdriver shoved into your gum but I was able to nod or grunt that "Yes, it hurts". Maybe it was the tear that welled up in the corner of my eye that tipped her off. More 'juice', she prescribes and walks off to find someone qualified to give me another shot. Another woman walks in with a rubber glove and a syringe. I'm thinking she was wearing a dominatrix outfit under that white coat because she looked like she was going to enjoy the next step. She slides the needle in until it bottoms out. She then asks me how it feels. I drool and grunt and she (without removing the needle), changes the angle and pushes the plunger again. This happens about 4 times and I'm starting to taste blood. I suppose i should be thankful that she was able to hit North, East, South and West of #33 while only having to make one hole in my gum. I started to wonder if I was in the bone marrow donor room instead of the extraction room. Oh boy, that's some good stuff, I think as my toes go quiet. 10 minutes later, I realize I'm hallucinogeniclly numb as I've chewed the right half of my tongue off and feel it slide down my neck. The Dentist comes in and starts asking me how my work is going? I'm so numb that I'm having trouble breathing from my right lung and just give him that 1000 yard stare. He was quick with the tooth, I'll give him that. About 45 seconds and it was all over. They pushed something into the side turned it 3 or 4 times and then grabbed it with a set of pliers. Stuffed some gauze in the hole and told me to bite down. I'm walking, stumbling into the receptionist area with a mouth full of unmentionable and the receptionist starts asking me questions. I'm afraid that I'll drool blood if I open my mouth so I just try to nod and fish out my wallet. It's then that I realize that the right side of my face is so numb that my right eye has started to track down. I can see my boots as well as the clerks face at the same time.... odd sensation. I slap a $100 on the counter to cover my portion and deductible and wait for my change. She's still trying to chat as I walk out the door and to my truck. 30 minutes later, I'm asleep on the couch at home, recovering from the mental anguish.
Ouch! Hate the Dentist! They are right up there with Lawyers and Bankers! :0) Hope you're feeling better...
Lost all of mine at 6. Had dentures up until I was 9. Had those all removed in 1987. ( only 17 left by then) I Have had dentures since then. I HATE toothaches! Not the dentists I have had though, they were decent types....Dentures are ok, if your gums dont shrink ( yeah right!) Then its re-lining time, or get those denture liner fix it kits! I keep 6 boxes that do 2 plates, only have to do the lower, and each lasts about 8-9 months per liner. Despite all the contraptions, braces and such, the teeth it seems were just destined to go! I had all teeth extracted, and went back to work the same day...boss sent me home, he said it looked like I had lost a fight with a baseball bat! Mentally, it drains you, and I think your system goes into a form of shock. I found the pain was as bad as the sounds! Especially when you have root canals ( but then again, that did hurt!) Hope you get well soon!
Hehehe.... you obviously weren't in The Navy - those buggers INSIST you have ALL wisdom teeth removed before they let you off 'recruit side'. Since I was a 'submarine volunteer' at that time, made it more insistent. I had avoided this during my first USAF hitch, but the Navy used the strongarm tactics. So off to the Hospital I go. First the Lt. Cmdr cleaned my teeth, and he actually tried to NOT hurt his patients. Then he had to leave, and a female Lt. finished up - she had NOT learned to not hurt! She poked and prodded, soon we were actually cussing each other and I am biting her danged fingers! Somehow, we came to a mutually antagonistic understanding, and she declared me 'clean'. Now, they sent me upstairs to get the wisdom teeth pulled. The E5 who would be doing it asked if I wanted two out now and two later? I told him, "No, take 'em all now, I will NOT be back!" So he shoots me up with novocaine. A half hour later - I'm just getting numb. He pops the first three out lickety split! Number four ain't budging! It's little 'fangs' are wrapped around the jaw bone! So the guy shoots me the juice again, and waits another half hour. Well, it ain't working this time, but I tell him, "Do it!" He doed it.... He dove in with something that looked suspiciously like a prybar and pliers - these are DENTAL tools!? Looks like what I use to work on my bike! He pushed, he pulled, he heaved, I groaned...... Bang! Three chunks of wisdom come out. The worst pain was on my jaw bone he had been prying against! He packs my mouth with those little cotton chunks, and I toddle off to get my car and do some resting during the afternoon - they gave the day off duty. DANG!!! A ticket on my car! Seems the Master-at-arms passing by could not see my base decal on my bumper! So now, I gotta go to their office. Soon as I get there..... ruh roh! - the last shot of novocaine is coming on with a vengence! The whole right side of my head is DEAD from the neck up! So soon I am standing over the Chief Master-at-Arm's desk, drooling blood and trying to mumble my case..... He finally screams, "Seaman, just GET THE "H" OUT! I'll take care of the ticket!" I spent the rest of the evening in bed...... next morning my pillow was bloody. A couple years later on board ship, a co-worker and friend had to get his wisdom teeth out - he had them use gas and put him under. I told him he was a wuss and would miss all the fun! Fortunately, the gas did something to him - he woke up and his cheek was sore, and the cute female dental assistant looked embarrassed.... He had some fun after all - just couldn't remember it......
Heh. I was on the ship before they pulled mine. Routine visit to the toothy guy on the tender, and he said, "We gotta yank those two wisdom teeth. Now or later?" "Now" I says, "we are getting under way tomorrow." "OK" says he and called in a real dentist, a Captain (O-6.) Half an hour later (all up, novacaine shot to finished, Darvon 65s and light duty chit in hand) back across the brow I go with a fat jaw to an unhappy MDiv leading first; was late for watch change. He got used to the idea when I started drooling blood out the corner of my mouth while waiting out his diatribe. (Never did go back for the other two, still have one.) That captain was a first class tooth quack. Gentle, quick, efficient. The rest of the civilian dentists I've seen since mustering out should have been that good, I'd still have some of my other fangs instead of gaps and bridges.
dentist yearterday one wisdome to be pulled on the 2 8th of April and 1 capped and 3 filled. ugh scary scary.
Better to get all this dental stuff done... I had a root canal done... then it got infected... talk about pain... When my jaw started swelling... my dentist came in off the golf course as soon as he got my call that it was swelling... saw me at his office... took one look... made a phone call... next thing I know I'm in an oral surgeons office and the tooth is history... he scraped the jaw bone because the infection had gotten that bad... not good... Just had to go back and get a filling refilled.... Guess all in all these guys and gals are a necessary evil... man I was in major pain with the infection... didn't even need the pain killers after the tooth was out... extraction was nothing compared to the infection... Take care of your teeth and get those dental need taken care of quick.... No matter how much you hate walking and sitting down... :0)
Yep. Be tough to fix if there were no dentist. I have 4 fillings from circa 1985 that I'm thinking about getting replaced with composites so I don't have any problems later. Might as well get all patched up before I can't.. Not really sure I want to go the route of just pulling them all for a set of dentures just yet. Unless they were made of Ti by Rick Hinderer.
Yup.. get all the dental work done while you can and can afford it... Waiting could mean pain and you may not be able to fix it... Talking to my dentist this week... things are slow... I was sort of shocked by that... but he said folks aren't coming in as often for cleanings etc... and cosmetic stuff is slowed way down... May be a good time to get some work done at a good price... maybe haggle or even trade some gold or silver :0) Hmmmmmm.....
I had a wisdom tooth break last year. Went to my dentist to get it extracted. Went in, pulled off my jacket and he said "you are armed". I said "thats right, if you mess up you will be using those bandages on yourself". Gave me a minor local and pulled it. The nurse thought I should get NOx. Doc said " he ain't no crybaby ". The nurse about passed out, she didn't know the doc and I are neighbors. And besides he is a retired Marine and I would trust him with my life anytime.
Nitrous is your friend! It's gotten me thru more procedures than I like to think about. OP, you've got my sympathy! Kajun
I'm going through something very similar with infection in the lower jaw bone (osteomyelitis). Had bone scraping (debriding) done last week and am currently on 4 to 6 weeks of Rocephin via a PICC line. There is still more to do, so I hope it's done before the balloon goes up; I'd probably last a couple years, but it would be a long, difficult path to the grave. It's all a long story that I'll have to write about in my blog someday soon... To summarize, I'm hoping this is the culmination of 4 years of weird medical problems that are starting to see some relief -- problems including hearing loss, headaches, body pains on right side, paresthesia of the jaw and right side of head. My insurance has spent thousands and thousands of dollars on doctors that can't see past their specialization (I'd say worse for some). A passing mention of symptoms to a small-town dentist in Minden, Nevada brought a complete diagnosis and plan of attack that's about 1/2-way complete. Here's to doctors that don't quit studying once they're out of med school and are not satified with the red cool-aide they're supposed to give patients!
I'm convinced all dentists are direct descendants of Josef Mengele......ugh. I have to premedicate before I go.....Bad experience as a child, and it's stayed with me my whole life.....
