This is a very long story, so I will make it as short as I can. About a year ago I noticed that my back left bottom wisdom tooth was a little sharper on one edge of the tooth then the other. While eating a sandwhich one day at work, my tooth started hurting. I went and checked it out in the bathroom mirror and it looked to be broke off. My job being demanding I couldn't seem to take the time off to go to the dentist. It didn't hurt and didn't really bother me, I kept it cleaned out etc.
A couple of weeks ago while chewing gum on the opposite side of my mouth, my filling fell out of one of my top teeth. I was instantly over came with fear. It has been about 9 years since I have been to the dentist. The last time I went I didn't have any cavities. The dentist told me everything was fine, the only reason why I had to go was my cap had fell off. He fixed it and that was the last I seen of him.
After loosing the filling in the top tooth, I started eating on the opposite side (the one with the broken wisdome tooth). The gum around it became swollen and irritated and I had to stop eating on that side and went to eating just potato soup and brushing directly afterwards. It has kept the tooth cleaned out. I noticed that the gum on the wisdom tooth is now over lapped the broken tooth. I am sure it has decayed completely, but the gum is over it now. It still does not hurt.
My question is, am I looking at a long drawn out process. Is this going to hurt really bad? Or is it just as easy as having a normal tooth pulled. I am scared to death of the dentist. For a week after the filling fell out I was sick to my stomach, couldn't eat (not because of the tooth) and couldn't sleep. That is how horrified I was. I finally have calmed myself down and into believing it is going to be ok. But then I get this over whelming fear of what if I have to pull more then that tooth, what if I have something wrong with my other teeth? I brush generally about three times a day, sometimes more. I also use listerine cool mint. Anyone have any opinions?
Thanks,
Escared
__________________
There is nothing to fear but Fear it's self. And I am pretty darn afraid of that.
You'll be fine. These fears are always worse than what reality will be. Make an appointment with a good dentist... he / she will give you an evaluation of everything you need. They'll definitely have to fix that tooth that lost the filling and perhaps some others- 9 years is a long time.
A referral to an oral surgeon to extract that old broken wisdom tooth is most likely and the best way to go. The oral surgeon will probably discuss the possibilty of taking the rest of them out too (if you've still got them), which will save you from having to go through it all again. They'll definitely want to take out the upper one over the broken one (if you've still got it) as a tooth without a biting partner will tend to start erupting.
Once you get the report after the first appointment then people can tell you more what to expect.
Last edited by Doppler4000; 02-26-2004 at 08:14 PM.
I have an apointment this morning at 9:30. I forgot to mention that. I am a little nervous about it. The place I am going is pretty highly rated here in California. My biggest thing is the whole money issue. I know it's going to cost a lot.
I do have my upper wisdom teeth on both sides. My right bottom wisdom has already been pulled, it came in before the left bottom one. The doctor pulled that when I was about 16 I believe. He said the upper ones were fine.
I have calmed myself down. I think it will be ok, I am actually looking forward into going, finding out what all I need to have taken care of. I think the biggest fear right now, is not knowing.
9 Years is a long time, a lot has happened in that 9 years for me to put off going for a check up. I wish I had taken better care of my teeth, going to the dentist etc. But both my parents were older when I was born, they only seem to worry about that stuff when I complained of a tooth ache or something. Don't get me wrong, I have good parents. But going to the dentist was not a big deal when they were growing up, in the 30's.
Thanks for the information. I do appreciate it. I will let you know what the Dr. says when I get back.
Thanks again,
Escared
__________________
There is nothing to fear but Fear it's self. And I am pretty darn afraid of that.
Well I went to the Dentist yesterday. I am not a happy camper. The tooth where the filling fell out of, the dentist said that it might need a root canal. This root canal is going to cost me 1300 dollars. That's a lot of money. And I knew it was going to cost a lot. They said I can make monthly payments of 65 dollars. No interest. Which is great. But they want a down payment of 500 dollars. I almost fell out of my chair. It was all I could do just to get the money together to get to the dentist in the first place. They told me that when I could come up with 500 dollars, they would do the root canal. And could complete it in 3 or four visits. Now the real catcher here is, the dentist then says, well it could be that I will get in there and you won't need a root canal, could just be a filling. In which case it would only be about 200 dollars. So the point to all of this is, I have to wait till next month when I can come up with the 500 for a down payment on the root canal, then when he gets in there, if it is a filling. Then I have waited all this time just to get a filling, that I could have paid off yesterday.
I do not understand the dental world. No wonder half of America doesn't take care of their teeth, they make it too hard for us to do it.
The wisdom tooth on the other hand, the oral dentist guy is only there once a month. I will go in a few weeks to see him. The General Dentist said he would guess it would cost anywhere between 150 and 200 to pull the broken tooth. In the mean time keep it cleaned out and take some antibiotics to keep it from getting infected. He also told me I have no cavities, I do need a root canal on another tooth but it's because of the filling or something. And eventually he wants to replace my old fillings. But I was shocked that I had no cavities. After 9 years, not too bad at all!
By the way, the Dentist is really nice. I don't think I will have a problem with him working on my teeth.
Escared
__________________
There is nothing to fear but Fear it's self. And I am pretty darn afraid of that.
Yeah, at some point that decay just gets too deep and the bacteria makes its way into the root. I don't know all the ways they can diagnose a need for root canal, but you should feel a little good about the fact that your doc is honest and won't do it if he gets in there and decides it's not needed. Hopefully the extraction will be smooth. I'm surprised they didn't want to take the rest of them out, but that's everyone's individual choice.
As for those other old fillings- talk to him and make sure you don't wait too long to work on them if they're leaking (ie, bacteria are getting in and causing new decay between the tooth and the old filling)... but if if you've got any that are still sound I'd leave them alone until you really need to replace.
I went to an O.S. two days ago. He pulled the wisdom tooth. I have to tell you in spite of the cracking I heard, it was the best visit I have ever had to a dentist. I told him right off the bat that I was scared. His reply? "Yes I know, I can see it in your eyes." Which almost brought me to tears, him just knowing how scared I was. He was very nice, very polite, and likes to talk about what I am interested in. I was wearing a 2002 World Series shirt, he noticed right away and the conversation turned to baseball and how everyone is in it for the money. We both agreed. I have to say I look forward to visits with him in the future. It took him about 20-30 minutes to get the wisdom tooth out. He said I had a special tooth, it had hooks on the bottom of the roots. I was so relaxed and enjoying my jaw being tortured, I wondered in the back of my mind why the subject had changed to fishing. I am very pleased with his work, I have had very little pain. I have only taken two maybe 3 pain pills since then. However, the swelling is unbelievable. It is swollen from my ear to the middle of my chin. He told me when he was done that it would be really swollen, mostly because the tooth was so hard to get out. He said it was wrapped around my jaw bone? But that to give it 3-5 days and it should ease up. He also gave me antibiotics, he said that I should take them regularly because of all the bleeding. I did bleed a lot. But I am still so happy to have the tooth removed. I feel a ton of weight has been lifted. Now if the swelling will just go down before Thursday. I have a concert to go to that night. I am using an ice pack, 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off. Any other suggestions on how to get the swelling down?
Escared
__________________
There is nothing to fear but Fear it's self. And I am pretty darn afraid of that.
Glad it went well for you. Im having my top two wisdom teeth out tommorrow plus a molar that is growing up behind it, so thats a total off 3. Im hoping it goes quick. My surgeon is pretty good after the needles i dont feel a thing. So im hoping it goes quick, he did it within 20 or 30 minutes last time. I just hate the needles, i think thats the worst part of it all, the rest doesnt bother me at all.
I think ice packs are the only way to go with reducing the swelling and also alot of rest, It usually goes down after 3 or 4 days, well mine did anyway.
Does the dentist want to do the root canal? I think going to a specialist such as a peridontist (dont know how to spell it, but it sounds like that) is best. I had a couple friends that had root canals by dentists and they left part of the root behind which can cause more pain and more dentist visits, a periodontis is trained in doing root canals. Not sure what is offered in your area..but sometimes there are studies being done where they will actually pay you do take your wisdom teeth out b/c they are testing new drugs or something. That may be something to look into when $$ is a factor.
The visit went by really fast. Waiting in the waiting room took longer then being in the room. I was only in the room for about 30-45. It was pretty quick after he numbed me. You know the qtip thing? The thing they numb your gums with before they give you a shot. He left that in my jaw for like a couple of minutes. I didn't even feel the shot go in. Well I did, but it didn't hurt. So you might ask your dr. about that. Then you won't even feel the shot. The swelling afterwards was the worst part to me. I am on day 4 since I had the tooth removed. I am in some pain today. But not enough that I would take a pain pill right now. I will wait till I take a nap or go to bed. I have got lots of rest and ate lots of potato soup. You will do fine. Praying the entire time, and threatening to kick your dr.'s butt if he hurts you works well too. lol
Yes my dentist is going to do the root canal. I don't have a choice really. I am among the 80% (not sure the exact percentage) of americans who do not have dental insurance. I am paying out of the pocket so I have to go where they except payments etc. As for going where they pay you to test drugs or new dentsist things like that. They were lucky I went to a dentist who's been in the business for over 30 years. lol Let alone go to some one where they aren't sure if they know what they are doing and aren't sure if the drugs will work. Forget that. lol But thanks.
Escared
__________________
There is nothing to fear but Fear it's self. And I am pretty darn afraid of that.
Happy to hear everything went well. I am going tomorrow to have a broken wisdom tooth pulled (lower right), I also lost a big piece of the tooth, it broke off while I was eating. I have pain in my right ear and in my jaw, and have been on antibiotics for the past five days. My biggest fear is that there is a massive infection going on, and that pulling the tooth will only make it spread. But then again, I tend to worry and obsess a lot. Plus I too am terrified of the dentist. I'll write a follow up tomorrow after the extraction.
I was totally horrified of going to the dentist even the thought brought me to tears. But I went. I knew I had to do it. First visit was fine, although the cost almost gave me a heart attack. But I knew it would cost me big bucks. The second visit I got the tooth pulled. The first visit I was in an exam room. The smell wasn't what I expected, you know the "Dentist" smell. Then on the second visit they took me into a side room on the opposite side, there were four different rooms with in this one big room. The second I walked into the big room the smell hit me. I thought I was going to pass out. Not because of the smell, but just the thought of what goes along with that smell. I am happy to say though I was in there for a few minutes when the smell seemed to go away. After the dentist came in and talked to me, things got a lot better. It was a week ago yesterday since I had it pulled. The swellen has gone away except a little bit back by where the tooth was pulled. I have no pain really. It is rather tender back there. But out of all the horror stories that I have heard. It was nothing like that at all. The next big thing I have to go through, is a root canal. I have heard they aren't as bad as getting a wisdom tooth pulled, then some people say it's ten times worse. I guess I will find out.
Escared
__________________
There is nothing to fear but Fear it's self. And I am pretty darn afraid of that.
My wisdom tooth extraction went well, it only took a few minutes, and it was out!! It's been about 8 hours since the procedure, and my mouth is VERY sore, and the procedure was expensive, but I 'm glad I got it done. The tooth was giving me a lot of problems. Now the next step is fixing some cavaties, then getting a bridge. $$$ up ahead, but that is what I get for years of neglect. Oh well, live and learn. Ciao.
I am glad it went well for you. Take the pain pills like you are suppose to, one every four hours. My Dr. told me I could take two if it was really bad, but not to take anymore after the two for about 6 to 8 hours. But be prepared to be knocked out. I took them as directed, it was bad at all. I still have some tenderness back there, but it's only been a few days over a week since I got it pulled. Glad it went well for you. Hope you aren't sore for too long! Oh and use the ice pack. Other wise the swelling will get really bad!
Escared
__________________
There is nothing to fear but Fear it's self. And I am pretty darn afraid of that.
my right side wisdom tooth is killing me, part of it is broken off.... I have an apointment for coast dental on the 24th of this month of Oct.. i hope the oral surgeon doesn't charge me a fortune, most of the time they charge you out the rear compared to the carribean, south america etc... cause I don't have insurance through the company I currently work for...
Wisdom Tooth Broke 
Re: Wisdom Tooth Broke 
I am using an ice pack, 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off. Any other suggestions on how to get the swelling down?
