dentist wisdom teeth aaargh

For each compacted wisdome tooth (they crack it and take it out in bits) it will hurt more and more. My lower 2 wis-teeth were compacted and i suffered the worst pain (screaming) after the general pain killers wore off. I took the medicine they had prescribed me but it wasn't enough, and they told me to double or triple the dosage. If you are in bad pain afterwards you should go to the emergency and get some strong pain killers. But you have to get them pulled because they will cause you more trouble the more you let them sit. :(

Oh, and while having them pulled, if the teeth are compacted, definately have them put you out completely! I just had topical anesthtics (sp?) and they weren't good enough. ;)

-M

Mine weren't impacted or feeling any pain, but the gum line was pulling away from one of them and generally they were hard to clean. My dentist recommended it; found a good oral surgeon on their recommendation and it went like a charm, only a day of discomfort at most. Like Nicole said, I think it's all down to who does the removing -- a good surgeon will do a good job, so seek out specific recommendations from others if it comes down to a full removal. I've heard plenty of horror stories, so it definitely pays to check around.

Nevertheless if I was in pain I would bite the bullet. "Spotting all sorts of mouth diseases well in advance" is another way of staying on the right side of the bank manager. All dentists are charlatans.

Obv. answer "I am half shark, that happens all the time."

Since I am the a practitioner of the sweet science of pugilism, I have knocked out many teeth. From what I understand, clove oil soothes but will not subside the pain completely.

Here's my advice. Take the pain. You don't want a fucked up mouth. So quit your bitching and get them pulled. It's time to grow up now.

My pleasant German dentist - no jokes abt 'Marathon Man', pl. - put me down for three extractions (of rotten old wisdom teeth at back of mouth), a root canal and one filling, to be carried out over three 30 minute sessions.

I was given two STRONG injection for the extractions; the pulling out was moderately uncomfortable, but not very painful. Afterwards my gums were bleeding (for a day or two, off and on) and sore, and it took ages for the numbness in my face to go away. Unpleasant but not terrifying. The injection hurt (for abt 10 seconds) more than anything really. My dentist has MTV playing above his chair, so I gave my attention to Holly Valance.

The filling was a breeze, and in fact anything involving the dreaded drill was 100% no prob. I have bad memories of my old dentist hitting a nerve with his drill, and the sound/vibration in the head is still awful, but (assuming a decent dose of knock-out drop) it's really nothing to worry abt.

The root canal was a bit of a different story. First time round, the German dentist decided to proceed without anaesthetic for some mad reason. Result = sudden terrible pain (surprise!) while he was digging away. Had to have temporary filling put on it and returned for a fully numbed-out try the following week. This time - long drawn out sesh, not very pleasant, but basically endurable.

And now I can eat properly without pain. I have no tootache, only a winning smile haha. Like a reformed smoker who can't stop banging on abt the 'benefits', I'm now urging anyone afraid of dentists to bite the bullet, conquer yr fear - you really really will be better off, and it's never quite as bad as you think it might be.

The after surgery was fairly painless. Got a prescription for Vicadin, took one right away and went to sleep. You'll have to press gauze on your gums to stem the bleeding, which for me stopped about a day later. And I still have a bottleful of Vicadin... any takers?

Oh hell yes.

Go to the dentist. If you don't want them to remove your wisdom teeth, tell them you're not willing to do it, end of discussion. Any decent dentist won't push it. They'll still be perfectly happy to take your money for a cleaning and filling cavities.

Oh my gosh a man (husband of woman) who came into my job (at maternity clothing store) the other day asked if I would put out his chiropractor business cards because "many pregnant women say it relieves them a lot, and they could really use my services." I said I could not do that. Then he asked me if I had any back pain. I said, "No, the only problem is my wisdom tooth is coming in some more, and my ear sounds like it's always underwater." He said, "Well come on in, we can help you with that!" And I was like: 'wuzzuh?'

At any rate damn upper left one is growing in more and the whole jaw is like "ow ow" when I move it. And even being shilled by the grand shill supreme of chiropractors did shit all. (I did get his wife to buy a lot of clothes tho bcz I had absolutely none of my typical qualms about 'super sales' after being the object of such a shill.)

however i now sympathise with ickle teething babies as i know what they are going through.

OTM :(

mine are coming out soon, i scared :[

I wonder if this is the cause of my newfound morning migraines. Anyone care to wager a guess? They've never really been this frequent.

yes i think it could definitely impact that, i think i've heard of headaches happening

oh FUCK this hurtz

I have two coming, and they have no idea where they're going. Wisdom, I think not. And they're both bottom ones

xpost you're a guy, you're entitled to moan. trust me, doesn't hurt half as much as having contractions.

well nothing does, except maybe passing kidney stones.

ah yes, true

i had my two upper wisdoms taken out last year, they were all chipped and crooked, harder to get out than usual.

don't sweat it though, 'cause it didn't turn out to be as bad as i thought, didn't even hurt that much afterwards, like people said it would, just had to take it easy on certain foods for a few days. it's always worst when you're waiting to go in, once you're in the chair, it's not so bad.

Feeling for you, Mr. Coleman. My situation hasn't changed since I last posted in July.

it's always worst when you're waiting to go in, once you're in the chair, it's not so bad.

unless you go to the dentist I went to as a kid, who extracted one of my wisdom teeth using local anesthetic, scalpel, pliers, and a headlock

This is why I'm glad I had mine taken out under a general anaesthetic.

Holy shit, Edward, was Steve Martin yr dentist????

i don't think i'd want to go under for any operation, really. i like to know what's happening, even if i'm if it's scary.

xpost

if i'm

damn

even better, he was a construction worker before he was a dentist. he used to curse a blue streak when things didn't go well.

xp to abbott

I honestly don't know what the fuck my parents were thinking. I mean, he was their dentist, too.

OK i feel better now. turned out to be an "extruded wisdom tooth" basically a gum thing treated w/antibiotics and my dentist not only saw me right away he didn't charge for the visit! how often does THAT happen (I have medical but no dental insurance). gotta get the tooth removed eventually though or it'll happen again. and this guy won't do that so oral surgery here I come.

Oh man, what a lucky day! That's incredible. Even 'super discount poor people for cheap Spartan dentistry' here charges for such a pop-in.

unless you go to the dentist I went to as a kid, who extracted one of my wisdom teeth using local anesthetic, scalpel, pliers, and a headlock

uh so did mine.

what's the dealio, wusses?

i don't think i'd want to go under for any operation, really. i like to know what's happening, even if i'm if it's scary.

When I came round in the recovery room, it felt at though my jaw had been pried open with a car jack. I used to have a problem with my jaw locking up, not any more! It was like I'd been smacked in the face with a plank if wood. Also, one of the teeth that was removed was already broken and lying forwards, so the surgeon had to slice open the gum above it with a scalpel, remove all the bits, then sew the gum back up again.

uh, great.

this is just so fucking exciting.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2545/3686919253_2fc6a402b2.jpg

Gone.

Aargh, that was like when I got one of mine out in my lunch hour, had it stitched up, then went back to work, I was basically dribbling blood all over my desk.

I have recently bitten the bullet re. dental treatment, having avoided all but emergency patching-up-of-painful-things for years, and find that having a v. handsome dentist helps you not act like a completely scaredy cat in front of him :-)

re. being put out for dental treatment, when I was little, I was knocked out for just about everything, until I came round once and promptly threw up all over the dentist. Local anaesthetics from there on in for me!

(ps have never had contractions, but still feel able to point out that incoming impacted wisdom teeth, especially with added abscess, hurts like holy fuck)

Scik Mouthy living up to his name.

worst high school yearbook photo ever...

The left side of my face is fucking massive.

"You can swallow a pint of your own blood before you get sick."

My lower two were impacted, one of them, going off the x-rays, very much so (basically horizontal, the fucking thing). Had an upper removed as dentist suspected it was biting down on gum and causing problems; problems continued, infection, WORST PAIN EVER, another referral to hospital "yes yes please take them all out now, never want to feel that again".

So had three remaining ones yanked on Saturday. Chin, lower lip and jaw all numb until Sunday morning. Face now enormous, and painful. Lower left one was the horizontal bastard, and that's where the pain is. Codeine, paracetemol, ibuprofen, saltwater mouthwash, some other prescribed mouthwash. I want this pain over.

gaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

It sucks soooo bad (just went through this) but it's nice to be done with it. And my mouth feels so spacious and roomy now!

why are these a thing

it's all atheists' and Darwin's fault.

creates empathy w/ teething babies?

ended up just being one infected tooth removed but the anesthetic's begun to wear off and ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHGHGHGHGHGHHGHGHGHGIHGKLJDLJGNLONEGFJKLDNGK:LJNDEJKL:FND

had mine out in 9th grade, OVER THANKSGIVING because my parents didn't want me to miss any school

shoulda gone into foster care, iirc

is it weird to grow wisdom teeth at age 25?

http://www.healthscape.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/1984-wisdom-teeth.jpg

http://www.aaoms.org/wisdom_teeth.php

Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last teeth to erupt in your mouth. This generally occurs between the ages of 17 and 25, a time of life that has been called the "Age of Wisdom."

"Age of Wisdom"--that's you, you just passed the bar, Welcom to the Age of Wisdom

this is not WDYLL, que

oh great

you'll get good drugs when you get them out

first & only time fuckin w/ vicodin

slept sooo good

watched the godfather movies, ate avocadoes

this sux

you're entering the Age of Wisdom

but i didn't ask to enter it

Ten percent of American high school seniors have abused Vicodin; says wikipedia. prob b/c they got it during the wisdom teeth removal

my binge lasted 3 days

i just had tylenol with codeine

friend in hs worked at cvs in the pharmacy and would *accidentally* drop vicodin pills on the ground so he couldn't put them in bottles, then put them in his pocket. bad.

lol

so obvious too

high schoolers are so stupid imo

today is my first round of extractions.
so bummin.
gonna get a sick key lime pie milkshake afterwards tho.

only one tooth out today.
they were out of key lime pie.
how long can i expect this bleeding to continue?

i think the bleeding stopped.
but not before i fell asleep & drooled blood all over my pillows.
new pillows today.

hope you got some fun pills!

tylenol 3 not much fun just makes me sleepy.

Argh how annoying. Also for future use, ice helps slow bleeding.

when i had mine out i held a teabag over the place wherethe tooth was - apparently the tannin's good for blood clotting? also a teabag's big enough that you don't have to clench your jaw to hold it in place.

i have been icing this bitch like nobody's business.
i've heard the teabag trick works, will have to go buy some bags later when i get outta here.

So this wasn't too bad. My dentist convinced me to get all 4 out at once with just a local anesthetic and it was well worth it.

My wisdom teeth never came in--which is a good thing, because there's barely enough room in my mouth for the teeth I have.

I'm getting one pulled tonight and I'm so scared. I fucking hate dentists. What's this gonna feel like tomorrow. Is it a good enough reason to miss work? :(

I'm having one pulled on Wednesday. Are you having a local anaesthetic or sedation? I opted for the latter in case things get tricky.

Oh god just local. The one thing I fear more than getting this fucker pulled is being put under.

i had two pulled fall 2009 and it wasn't bad at all, really iirc

wow, one of my wisdom teeth is giving me trouble too. sedation is crazy expensive -- the local anaesthetic is usually enough.

x-post This is happening in your town btw. Where can I get a milkshake on my way home? I expect you to know this snackman.

sedation is crazy expensive

Hurrah for the NHS!

I only went for it because my sister's experience scared me - they tried to pull one of hers out with a local and it proved tricky. They cracked the tooth but couldn't pull it out. So then she needed sedation but there were no appointments that day so she had to wait a couple of days with an exposed nerve. OW! (not so hurrah for the NHS)

I think with sedation you're conscious the whole time - it's not a general anaesthetic. You're just WOOOOOOZY.

uhhh thanks for sharing that story. I feel so much calmer now. >:(

My tooth is actually already cracked. Let's hope this goes better than hers did.

I have to drive myself home so I couldn't be woozy even if I wanted to.

i thought hospitals required you to have arranged some sort of ride home?

Sorry! I'm sure it will all be fine. Now I'm worrying about my sedation! My mum's coming with me to the appointment in case it all goes wrong. WHICH IT WON'T.

In the dentists office and I think the reason that doesn't apply is because I'm only getting local.

E, i drove myself to and from my appointment. left with an "oh, that wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it would be" kinda feeling abt the whole thing iirc

i had all 4 out a few years ago and it wasn't too bad, though it was a bit uncomfortable right afterwards when my mouth was all swollen up and numb. you might want to take tomorrow off from work depending on how much swelling you end up with.

Hope that'll be my experience. btw got yr msg - thank you!

:)

you might consider attaching a small note to the tooth that says "this one"

lol

I had a couple taken out 20 or 25 years ago. I'm a total coward when it comes to pain--I made them put me under, and it was done in a hospital.

I got all 4 of mine pulled a couple years ago while under general anesthesia. I experienced very little swelling or pain afterwards, although I ruined one of my t-shirts by dribbling blood all over the shoulder. I went for a bike ride on the same day as the operation, but I would not recommend this.

my greatest fear wasn't so much the actual tooth-pulling as the chance that the resulting scar tissue might fall out of one of the empty sockets, exposing a nerve and causing crazy pain. it didn't happen though. I was careful not to disturb the sockets while eating or brushing my teeth, and it wasn't that difficult really.

my conversation with the anesthesiologist right before I went under was kinda funny:

"Imagine you're on a peaceful tropical island, and just drift off. Or maybe your a mountain person. Do you like mountains?"
"I don't care where I drift off to as long as you put me to sleep." [passes out]

i had two wisdom teeth taken out a few years ago, a month apart, aargh - well, even more aargh, it ended up being two months apart over the course of three attempted operations. local anaesthetic each time.

#1: not particularly nice, the tooth was coming up at an angle so it took them fucking ages to get it out. being able to hear them hammering and excavating and crunching away at your mouth for half an hour is a disconcerting experience. still, all things considered, that went better than i thought it would.

#2: tooth number two. first one had gone fine and painlessly so i was quite confident about it. then, THE ANAESTHETIC DIDN'T WORK. let's just draw a veil over the rest of that story, that one sentence should give you an indication of the trauma.

#3: rescheduled attempt at extracting tooth number 2. it went amazingly well and was over, painlessly, in like 5 minutes.

(then the socket got infected and led to another three months of really really fucking intense pain OH GOD THAT YEAR WAS BAD FOR ME. also i kind of wasted away from subsisting entirely on yoghurt, soup and pâté for basically HALF A YEAR, like you could see my ribs and everything.)

@unregistered the last convo i had with an anesthesiologist went something like

"the fluid will feel cold going into your arm, and you'll fall asleep pretty soon after that, ok?"

"ok" .... "i'm not asleep yet, just so you know."

"i haven't done anything yet"

and then i said something like "ok everybody, let's make this a good one!" like we were about to play football or something

All I remember before drifting off was that the dentist was bald, had a German accent, and kept saying "Is it safe? Is it safe?" for some reason.

that was right before you passed out and he took advantage of your anus.

Compared to what I was expecting, this was a piece of cake. He let me take my tooth home too! Alba, good luck tomorrow but you'll be fine.

Last thing I remember the anaesthesiologist doing was trying to chat up the nurse. I was pretty concerned that he should have been, you know, checking to see that I went under. I started to say "er excuse me, but shouldn't you..." and then passed out.

All I remember before drifting off was that the dentist was bald, had a German accent, and kept saying "Is it safe? Is it safe?" for some reason.

http://www.theonering.com/images/medialibrary/gandalf010612a.jpg

the scar tissue falling out bit is called dry socket yeah? if I start a punk band I'll probably call it that.

had all 4 out once when I was a teenager. went under, woke up all woozy in a room. had hotpot the next day.

I guess the coolest part of the whole experience was how food would get stuck in the holes, and then you could use tweezers to fish them out. it was like going fishing - you never knew what you would find.

I had all four of mine out 2 days after Christmas - just went for local anaesthetic ($600 for sedation? no thanks) but took a couple of Xanax beforehand and the whole thing was really easy, even though one was impacted and I'm generally really squeamish.

Less good was when I got dry socket a couple of days later and had 10 days of agony afterwards. Really not fun at all.

Yeah, I do not want to get a dry socket. What causes them?

dry sock puppet

Gone: http://twitpic.com/3y1q31

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17085308/Photo%20Feb%2009%2C%205%2039%2048%20PM.jpg

Is that my starter?

It does look rather tasty. It's a shame the sedation hadn't worn off sufficiently for me to focus my camera.

they're...lovely?

Wasn't totally sure if my "Is it safe" reference was clear. In case it wasn't:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG5Qk-jB0D4

To be clear, that is just one tooth, cracked up.

oh shit ow ow ow ow

why are these a thing

― xuxa pitts (donna rouge), Friday, October 2, 2009 7:46 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark

CONS

My face is FAT. Codeine is making me sick and crampy. My mouth tastes like rotting meat. Also they fucked up the extraction by
a) anesthetising my face accidentally
b) smashing one of the teeth in my mouth
c) not sure what the third one was but there was a period of about 5 mins where they stopped and didn't say anything and looked at each other nervously while they waited for a more senior dentist to come along and have a look.
d) suction girl was daydreaming and I swallowed a LOT of blood which made me feel sick.

PROS

It was free
Sexy student dentists
Was sorted relatively quickly
Got to look like I'd been in a fight spitting blood around London bridge.

an easy win for the cons.

i dunno, check item no 2 on the second list again imo

cons opening line plus items b) and very probably c) render pros item 2 utterly irrelevant.

The smashed tooth might turn out to be a long term problem.

I have a tooth that was in front of a wisdom tooth that's been a constant source of trouble (multiple fillings) for years. Although admittedly the tooth wasn't damaged by the extraction, but by the force of the impacted widsom tooth against it.

I think Sexy Dentists was rendered unhelpful by the whole thing as they had to work inside my bleeding mouth. My friend told me directly after leaving

'holy shit it looks like a massacre in there'

The smashed one was always going to be smashed kinda. One side the tooth was over a nerve so they were going to cut it in half and sew gums over it. The problem was that it didn't cut properly and kind of exploded and made me choke a bit.

pfft if she's the one none of that will matter cf face off

oh god make it stop

i hope you are feeling better now, owenf.

Thanks for the concern. I apparently have dry socket now. Going to get my crevices filled with gauze later.

the beanette just had hers out today, and the surgeon refused to give her anything but novocaine, and now it's worn off and oh man my poor girl :(

guys, this surgery is barberic. beanette was told by asst. that she had to eat something afterward, before she took the painkillers. wondered aloud what would taste good. her answer "dentist meat, with a side of hygeinist" was the funniest thing i heard in ages. we didn't make any friends there.

Was it a normal extraction, or were they impacted or difficult, etc?

Tell her she can take up to 4 otc Advils to equal one prescription dose.

percocet or gtfo

yeah, i don't know why they wouldn't give her the percos. the vics are just insufficient. all four wisdoms were impacated; the oral surgeon insisted on doing hte whole thing with only novocaine.

That sounds TERRIBLE. I've had 3 teeth pulled out with just novocaine and otc painkillers for after (I got Vicodin once but didn't need it), but none of mine were impacted or growing any way they shouldn't be, and it's STILL pretty amazing how much force it takes to crack them and get them out. I'm sorry for the beanette. :( Is she home and in bed and hopefully in a slight haze at the mo? I'm deadly serious about the Advil gelcaps, btw.

I had two wisdom teeth out recently, but I was completely knocked out for it (general anesthetic). That probably makes the experience less stressful. I was able to get by on just Advil for the recovery.

I think in general dentists are supposed to try to avoid GA, did they give a reason for it?

I mean, I got it for mine and it was several days before I felt "normal" again. I tried to do it without but apparently mine were badly impacted

Not a wisdom tooth, but I do have to get one extracted because of some infection where a root canal was done 15 years ago. I'm as cowardly as can be when it comes to physical pain of any kind. I'm quite terrified--I'm hoping they'll put me completely under.

lol first dentist visit in 10 years, first visit in US. she was NOT happy with my mouth.

i was exactly the same when i moved to the us ... $5000 of work needed

she gave me a lecture about flossing. i thought that only happened in films.

I had all five out in one go. 3 days in hop, week off school...

she wants me to have a consult with a surgeon about my 3 remaining wisdom teeth. usual shit about "hard to clean", etc. am i right that once they've come through, it is a weird american thing to want to remove them until and unless they are actually causing pain? and i can just say "no", right?

having them out was part of the work i had done. i don't know what state they were in but i had other molars that needed crowns so i wasn't gonna argue with the "hard to clean" argument.

argue/argument argh

My wisdom tooth broke this morning! Half the back came off it but it doesn't really hurt so the dentist said "keep it clean" and made an appointment for tomorrow a.m.

Not quite sure if I am keeping it clean as I don't know if the stuff there is the remains of what I was eating when it broke or general stuff which is meant to be inside a tooth, but that does hurt to touch, so leaving it alone seems like the best plan.

I fear several of my other teeth are in almost as bad a state so I am really not looking forward to tomorrow. Aargh.

how'd it go?

i'm in the club now btw. 2 less teeth tonight than i had this morning. sedation was weird. not general anesthetic, but something that took me just to the verge, and then something else to block my memory. apparently they were telling me to open my mouth, move to a new bed, put on my glasses, etc, and i was doing it. fuckin spooky.

Getting one pulled on Thursday. :( It broke. Considering I hadn't been to the dentist in 15 years (shamefaced), I was impressed that was the only issue, and that was what I was going in for.

I've come to the conclusion that the fucker about four from the back on the left upper jaw is my 'portrait in the attic'

I am suspicious of the dental industrial complex. The dentist my kids go to wants to remove all of their wisdom teeth preventatively. They are not causing problems now, but he listed the various ways they could in the future. I know this is pretty common, but on googling the science behind it seems sketchy. There aren’t really good studies showing benefits, it is all a bit speculative. There is the cost to consider, it will be in the vicinity of $1800 to do both of them. But I am more concerned about potentially subjecting them to unnecessary surgery. On the other hand, I have a lot of friends whose kids have had them removed, and it has been no big deal.

she wants me to have a consult with a surgeon about my 3 remaining wisdom teeth. usual shit about "hard to clean", etc. am i right that once they've come through, it is a weird american thing to want to remove them until and unless they are actually causing pain? and i can just say "no", right?

― caek, Friday, November 1, 2013 4:22 PM (eleven years ago) bookmarkflaglink

haha.

i ended up getting them removed one at a time as each one began to cause problems. removal of last one was horrendous. by the time you're that age they're pretty much part of your skull. it was like dental surgery on a royal navy ship ca. 1805.

lol ok you've sold me caek. Out they go.

I don't think it's at all a given that they will all eventually cause problems, and a 40 year old adult is probably better emotionally equipped for the surgery. I was a brave boy, but pretty shaky for the rest of the day.

I don't think it's nuts to wait and see. I do see the appeal of getting it over with under heavy sedation (general anesthesia?) in your late teens though, if the kids are willing.

If they pull them after they've come through and aren't impacted is it still surgery? I've had three pulled but only when they started to cause issues (had cavities) with just novovcaine and, while not pleasant, none were that bad at all.

My regular dentist sent me to a dental surgeon to get mine pulled but they were just a dentist with bigger muscles. It wasn’t like an operating theatre. I think when teenagers get them removed all in one go it’s a bit more like surgery with sedation though?

I think that's definitely the case if they're impacted but maybe otherwise as well, no clue.

I remember the first one. I must have been like 19/20 and had driven myself and the dentist was like yeah there's no point in filling that I'm going to take it out now. I'd always heard horror stories so I asked if I could call my mom from the office phone before I let him do it. lol.

My kids' dentist uses general anesthesia for the surgery. This would be the first time either of them have had any kind of surgery or sedation. That gives me a little pause, although again everyone I know who's had this done for their kids says it was fine. There's also the slight risk of permanent nerve damage, which ... I guess you just hope you're not the 1 in 1,000. As a parent my instincts rebel a little at subjecting them to all this when they don't have any actual issues yet. But their mom is pretty gung-ho on going ahead and doing it. (Probably figures into the equation that she ended up having to have hers done in her later 20s and wished she'd done it earlier, whereas I still have mine and they're fine.) Plus our older kid is 20, so legally this is his call to make. He'll probably only do it if we put pressure on him. I guess I'll leave that to his mom.

This isn't going to make you feel better about dentistry as a medical practice but I think Pareene and the NR did a podcast episode about dental fraud.

https://newrepublic.substack.com/p/more-reasons-to-hate-the-dentist-28e?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Sometimes I wonder if my dentists (yes multiple) have all been sadists. I've never been offered any type of sedation or even laughing gas by one just novocaine and I've had 3 wisdom teeth pulled, two root canals, and a shit ton of other stuff. They never even offered!

Part of my own suspicion comes from personal experience with a dentist who — maybe frustrated by my then-trouble-free teeth in my 20s — proposed a series of 12 prophylactic crowns for various teeth that could be prone to cavities. I felt like I was being pressured into something so they could make money, so instead I just switched dentists. No subsequent dentist proposed such a thing. I have had some cavities over the decades since, and for all I know some of them may have been in teeth that that dentist wanted to cap. But I haven't had 12 cavities, and I still think it was a swiz.

I think the only reason to remove them in teenagers (outside of pain or infection) is if they are likely to cause the kid to need braces as they get older. Mine were impacted and only two got removed because of infection / growing too close to other teeth and that was when I was almost 40.

i had a wisdom tooth taken out this week! when they took it out the tech guy went "Woah!!". and i went *wushitiswuttt???". they liked my roots. i mean we are talking about a tooth that is half a century old, you know? i kept it. its huge. it is easier to take them out when they are small.
i went there to have them take out another tooth that had basically been cracked in half and it was next to my wisdom tooth so they did both. my wisdom tooth had a big cavity and was gonna be bad news at some point in the future.
i did take two days off. it left me woozy and sleepy. stayed home on pain killers and watched Chopped and slept. i feel better now. they gave me antibiotics to take before and after and i do not like antibiotics. they mess up my stomach.

They definitely aren’t as generous with the opiods afterwards as they used to be … I think I just got antibiotics and super mega ibuprofen, which was fine.

had one out last year under conscious sedation. absolutely no big deal. I remember the cannula going in and then my partner picking me. nothing in between. apparently I was talking a lot of pish on the drugs so business as usual really

picking me up*

proposed a series of 12 prophylactic crowns for various teeth that could be prone to cavities

this is insane!! i think this guy may have needed money to feed his drug addiction, or something??

That does seem insane. I know there are coatings (sealants?) and stuff you can paint on cavity prone teeth. I had that - I have terrible teeth. Never heard of prophylactic crowns though. The couple I have were like a grand a piece!

I switched dentists 10 years ago and wished I'd done it sooner. My last one would find a cavity nearly every time and I'd have to go back to get drilled. Which I hate. My new dentist has only found one in the last decade and that was probably because I didn't go for 2 years due to COVID. It's not like my flossing has gotten any better. If anything it's worse. Makes me wonder how many of those "cavities" were legit. Side note my old dentist was in the local news recently because he got busted for soliciting prostitutes...not really my business, but it does amuse me to imagine this guy staring in someone's mouth thinking "fuck! I gotta find a cavity! I need more HOOKERS!!!"

"They definitely aren’t as generous with the opiods afterwards as they used to be"

i got oxycodone for the week. its not as fun as it used to be though. it just makes me sleepy and a little nauseous. i'm actually using it for pain and soreness! i'm so lame in my old age.

between the oxy and the antibiotics and my own medicines...ugh. nofunsville.

https://scontent-lga3-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/475071664_10162799712232137_7806790204156117965_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=0cEijQKa0EoQ7kNvgGys7Cg&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-3.xx&_nc_gid=AeK3RuHThGPTenYnF6_gxd4&oh=00_AYCK-XxpabLoRPYmrXHGUhFo78UgR8U6lQdSH2tiv5CZFw&oe=67999C62

https://scontent-lga3-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/474967208_10162799712647137_8377238718694649646_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=kF4YP8x557IQ7kNvgEGiVbl&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-3.xx&_nc_gid=ADnKSmPFC0uleR1Dy3cMXm2&oh=00_AYDOAdpP3uNcLavh11wpWNhuIsXKbIhOWWCTN5_5nq6A4A&oe=67999EF0

There are definitely lots of scammy dentists out there. I tried to change to a new practice some years ago and they gave me a VERY rushed scraping, including actually cutting me with the pokey tools, and then a kind of soap-opera-handsome, kind of smarmy guy told me I had a gum condition that required a deep gumline cleaning that would be painful and expensive but it was important that I agree to it right away. Spoiler: I did not agree to it. I can't remember if I've been back to another dentist since then actually. I should do that soon.

xxxp WHOAH COOL TOOTH!

I switched dentists 10 years ago and wished I'd done it sooner. My last one would find a cavity nearly every time and I'd have to go back to get drilled.

Had something similar with my old dentist. He kept finding all kinds of issues with my teeth despite me personally not really experiencing any issues. At some point I decided to just switch dentists and have now only had a couple of cavities in the last 5 years since I switched. The whole thing left me skeptical of the entire dental industry. In Canada, even though we have public healthcare, this does not cover dental care (except recently it was added for people with low income) and this has very much pointed out to me how wrong it is to have for profit healthcare.

legendary readers digest article on this https://www.rd.com/article/how-honest-are-dentists/

I had two wisdom teeth come up and both have now been removed because they were impacting my back teeth and bite; I imagine that’s why a dentist would suggest preemptive work?

That is one of the reasons they suggest it. The other is that they're so far back they're almost impossible to clean properly and almost always get cavities as far as I understand it. That's why I've had to have 3 of the four yanked.

I like my current dentist because she always shows me photos of the cavities - I’m highly suspicious when told I need a filling but haven’t had any problems.

I'll be honest I'm suspicious of my current dentist. I remember when I first went there noticing that everybody outside of the dentist himself (who looked to be about retirement age) was tall, blonde, thin, and female. Now the guy's son does it, who does kind of look like a model, there are some new incredibly attractive women working there, and they seem to be focusing way more on "facial aesthetics", to the point where I had to ask if they were planning to phase out all the teeth work. but they seem to do good work so, whatever

my oral surgeon was very handsome. he could have been a Bollywood star!

I love my current dentist and my hygienist who works for him. He was trying to give me the hard sell on invisalign for a couple visits but he read the room last time. My only issue is he doesn’t seem to be in network for any of the dental plans I can get at work!

dental insurance is not really insurance. it's a book of coupons you or your employer buy for that includes two cleanings per year, and a % discount off the first $X of real work. above $X you pay 100%. this is the opposite to car and health insurance.

if you personally pay anything for the coverage (i.e. the premiums are not 100% covered by your employer) it's often better opt out and pay for your visits with cash. you save money, and you are no longer stuck with dentists that accept your coverage.

my masshealth paid for my extractions. and opioids. and antibiotics. #socialismisreal

I am suspicious of the dental industrial complex

A buddy of mine was talked into some kind of 'laser gum treatment' because he had not been a good flosser or something.. anyway he had to fork out $6K out of pocket

I told my dentist about it (she's very, ehh, 'minimalist' in her care) and she just shook her head and muttered something like 'a fool and his money'..

i remember when dentists wanted to do those dental implants on everyone where they drill a hole in the roof of your mouth. i think my mom had that done. no thank you! my mom went through hell with her teeth.

A buddy of mine was talked into some kind of 'laser gum treatment' because he had not been a good flosser or something.. anyway he had to fork out $6K out of pocket

This may have been the thing I refused. I was like, I floss, mouthwash, AND brush, and you're telling me I have gum disease??

well that was me except maybe not a tremendous amount of flossing and sad to say x-rays revealed bone loss in my jaw that has made two of my front teeth ever so slightly wobbly and if i had waited another 6 mos or so it’s likely i would have lost those teeth lol but i went ahead and got the (ongoing) periodontal treatments eg deep below-the-gumline cleaning as well as really stepped up my own routine and the bone loss has been stopped in its tracks

i have an ongoing issue with deep pockets behind my back teeth because of f’in wisdom teeth that never grew in but the nerve is too close to em so i can’t have them out without an unacceptable level of risk apparently

fwiw my periodontist recommends interdental brushes rather than floss, and if you really want to nerd out you can get a “single tufted brush” for any jumbled/wonky teeth you may be harbouring

i am not eating any more hard food. ever! and i am one of those idiots who always liked to chew on ice. just oatmeal and pudding for me from now on. that oughta hold 'em.

I don't mind the dentist, I've had hardly any major work done (one filling). I loathe the hygienist, I get lectured on my poor gum health and poor brushing technique (regular and interdental) then have an extensive cleaning operation which I find incredibly painfil, I don't know if I have extra sensitive gums or what. I finally asked if there was anything she could do and she rubbed some stuff on my gums which numbed them and stopped the pain but I still find it uncomfortable and unpleasant. And she wants me to come back every three months till things improve! Rather than drastically improve my oral hygiene I'm inclined to just not go back :(

i am not eating any more hard food. ever!

dentists hate CornNuts

oh my dentist asked if I drink soda and I said "NEVER! Or rarely.. a Coke once in awhile... mostly just seltzer water."

She said that unsweetened seltzer water IS soda, there's carbonic acid that makes little divots in the enamel :{

yeah apparently lacroix and friends are relatively acidic

yeah but fuck that i can't live without carbonation in my life. i have so little left in the way of fun. its more fun than dumb regular water!

i also brush softly now with extra soft brushes. and i use those green floss things.

i'm just so happy to have my cracked tooth gone because every time i ate i got food in my tooth. so gross.

my wisdom teeth are doing just fine, I thought you'd all like to know. I only have 3 though, although it probably wouldn't surprise anyone that I'm lacking in that area

fwiw ledge, I had all that from the hygienist a year or so ago, had to go every 3 months (luckily I did have dental through work then) but just using an interdental toothbrush every now and again completely solved it and she told me I didn't need to go back any more

Yeah every now and again doesn't seem to be cutting it for me. My last visit was three months ago, I guess my best strategy would be to use them religiously for three months from now then go back. If I can face it.

I think that would definitely do it. tbh I would usually just go oh shit I have that appointment in a couple of weeks, use it most nights for 10 days, show major improvement, then go back to not using it for 2 months. repeat a few times and all the problem areas are fine