Dental extraction question - Dental Health Message Board

sugaredwillow · 02-15-2005, 07:56 AM

I am getting my last tooth on my bottom right side pulled in a few days it is totally cracked and broke and has to be pulled. It has to be pulled by an oral surgeon and I don't have much money to spend. His office tells me it will be anywhere between $98 and $298 to have this done and this is just with the shots to numb the area laughing gas is $96 more and to be totally knocked out will be about $200 more. What should I do? Is laughing gas really worth it or will I be able to take it with just the numbing stuff? My dentist said the surgeon will probably have to cut my tooth in sections and scoop it out (that's his exact words) What should I do gas or no gas? I can't afford to be knocked out. Thanks

aztecman1 · 02-15-2005, 08:15 AM

I guess it would seriously depend on your anxiety levels.
Could you tell them to keep it there in case you needed it, but that you're going to try to make it without. That way it's there as back up... just in case.
It's just one tooth, so you're talking probably 30 mintues max. 10-15 or so for the local to take effect and then a few minutes to section and "scrape" and that'll be it. It may sound wretched, but I think it'll be over really fast.
It's amazing how much they charge to get one tooth out. Remember when the toothfairy used to pay YOU when you lost a tooth? LOL!
Good luck!

SusanGene · 02-15-2005, 02:26 PM

Does laughing gas help pain? I didn't know that.
I'd forget the gas and try to get the $$ together to be knocked out. Why? Because my friend had a tooth that had broken up into pieces and they could NOT pull it ; they tried. He said to come back another time and he'd put her to sleep

That's what she did. Stuck an IV in her arm. Then he took it out in several pieces one at a time.
GL

antoinettev3 · 02-15-2005, 03:08 PM

I just had the same tooth extracted 3 weeks ago and it had to come out in pieces because it was so decayed. I'm a pretty anxious person and had the IV sedation on stand-by but didn't end up needing it. It's really nothing and the anticpation of the whole thing is a LOT worse.

I was totally numbed up and didn't feel a thing. I was really surprised when he said the tooth was out, I would have bet money he was still working on it. I was also having some bone grafting done in prepartion for a future implant so my whole procedure took about 40 mins. but it felt like 20.

I've had crown work that was WAY more painful and anxiety provoking.

All in all I was really glad that I didn't have any additional sedation since I was able to leave and just get on with my day instead of having to sleep it off.

Good luck.

Antoinette