How bad is a tooth extraction? scared...Any dentists around?

[littlemissindecisive]

I've had failed root canal work on one of my molars. I need to face up to it and get the thing taken out. I have an abcess, but it doesn;t hurt, but flares up every few days.

How painful is an extraction? Can i have a ton of pain relief end numbing? Does it take long?

I've had 3 c-sections but this terrifies me! Plus i'm gutted i'm going to loose a tooth

[TrillianAstra]

Depends on the tooth, but DP once had a wisdom tooth extracted while we were on holiday in New Zealand, had only ibuprofen and pacetamol afterwards, and walked up a volcanic island the next day without seeming particularly different (apart from having soft food).

[littlemissindecisive]

Shit - i've just read some old posts on here, people talking about bits of tooth getting stuck and dentists kneeling on your chest to pull them out

[littlemissindecisive]

Thay sounds better - bit of paracetamol and ibuprofen!

[TrillianAstra]

If you can, get your dentist to prescribe something good with codeine, or some diclofenac (which is like ibuprofen but stronger).

[thisisyesterday]

it shouldn't hurt at all.
i've had 2 out, first was fine, second one was not so great. it didn't hurt but it did take her a long time and there was lots of pulling which just isn't that nice

but it honestly isn't that bad and i would not be worried about having another one out

[mamalovesmojitos]

mine didn't hurt at all. the pulling sensation was strange, but afterwards i just walked home and carried on as usual. didn't take any extra painkillers after the extraction. not a bother, don't worry

[ThatVikRinA22]

having teeth out is way easier and less hassle than a filling.

i used to be terrified. i had all my wisdom teeth out at dentist and was amazed at how easy it is. ive never been scared since.

my 12 yeear old had an adult tooth out last week as her teeth are overcrowded. its really not painful at all and its quick and easy. dont be scared. she was totally fine with it too - you really wont feel a thing.

have some soluable pain killers in for after if you need them.

[StealthPolarBear]

I had one out (not a wisdom tooth) and it wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't dreadful. Same as you - abcess & no chance of root canal work being successful. I went bathroom shopping straight afterwards - DH has to interpret a lot of my pointed looks that day!

[neversaydie]

I have had two teeth out. One was done by a very slight woman dentist, the other by a hulking 6-foot man. While I would normally look for a dentist with the smallest possible hands, when it comes to extractions a good solid weight behind the pull seems to help.

I hasten to add that neither extraction hurt at the time, but the bloke had the tooth whipped out in moments, while the woman had to have several tugs before it was all over!

[KurriKurri]

Another encouraging one, - I had a big upper molar taken out, no pain - sensation of pressure as they pull it out, bit bruised feeling once the LA wore off. Fine next day

[littlemissindecisive]

Thats more like it - sounds a doddle! thanks all

[coolma]

I would agree that it's easier than a filling. The injections take a few seconds but after that it's just a matter of the dentist whipping it out! Feels a bit odd to begin with with, when the numbness wears off but it's the thought of it that's the most scary! I've had a couple out in the past few years (v attractive me ) and the terror is a million times worse than the actual event.

[TheBride]

I had 2 wisdom teeth (upper ones) extracted in the chair. Wasnt too bad- the pulling sensation is weird as it can be a bit of an effort, especially with back molars where the roots can be long, but it's not painful.I had the rest of the day off work and was a bit sore that evening but was fine the next day

Dentist asked if I'd like to keep the teeth. Apparently some people like to have them set in a paperweight.

[littlemissindecisive]

at the paperweight idea!!!!!

[TheBride]

Dont worry- I declined.......but I mentioned it to a friend and she said it's quite common with tonsilectomies apparently.

[Flighttattendant]

Honest answer coming up.

I've had a few out. There were a couple that did not hurt at all, they were just in the way, not infected or anything.
Another that didn't hurt, which had come to the end of its useful life - thatw as also fine. No pain, just some pulling.

There was one other which was not painful at all but it did break when it was being taken out, so they had to cut the gum slightly to remove the other bits - not pleasant, but I wasn't in pain, just anxious iyswim.

The last one I had out was very infected as the root had cracked and it had within a few days become unbearable. There was no point waiting for antibiotics to work because it was in too bad a state, so I had it out without them. Because of the inflammation the anaesthetic didn't work, and I felt the entire thing. It took about 10 minutes to pull out and it was incredibly painful.

However the thought of the relief afterwards and knowing there was no alternative got me through it and I did get a sticker

Basically, when a tooth is grumbling you are best getting it out then rather than waiting till it is full on painful. You should have no problems with the anaesthetic, from what you are saying.

Btw codeine isn't that effective for dental pain and makes some people sick so I don't use it. What worked for me for a couple of days before the extraction was something called Naproxen, which is fairly hardcore but without side effects as far as I could tell, and just took the pain away completely - I could have stayed on that for weeks and not known if my head was falling off tbh. Which is why you have to watch it - it can 'mask problems that need attention'

good luck don't worry, have shared the best and worst case so you can see where you are likely to be on the spectrum of pain and it looks like right near the good end, to me

[moocowme]

my last tooth only took 90 mins to extract as thy did a surgical extraction. it was not nice but i coped with several top ups injected.

tooth before that took about 3 hours to get out.

i have very tough teeth and they only got infected due to having hairline cracks from a car accident a few years before.

[coolma]

Blimey that's ages! Mine took about two minutes!

[TheOldestCat]

Had two wisdom teeth out under 'conscious sedation' a couple of weeks ago - it was excellent! Wasn't aware of the extractions at all and recovery was super fast - just a bit of soreness for a couple of days along my jawline.

Good luck.

[littlemissindecisive]

Thank you - may make 'the call' tomorrow

[violetqueen]

Another vote for conscious sedation .

[ThatVikRinA22]

DD brought her tooth home with the biggest root imaginable to show me!

bless! not!

[elsiepiddock]

I had a tooth out last week. It was a very back molar that had broken off at the gumline and was infected (but not hurting).

I can honestly say I didn't feel a thing! I had about 3 injections and had to go to the waiting room to wait to be properly numb. Then about 3 minutes of pressure on the tooth (I was so numb I couldn't tell you what he was doing) and it came out in two halves. The roots were huge!

It has left me with a crater in my gum in which food gets stuck and it's a bit hurty now - but on the whole it was a doddle.

[lira14]

i've had 14 teeth out and 2 root canals (yes i do still have a full set of teeth) and i'd say that an extraction is a million times more pleasant than a root canal. it's a bit like a c section in that you can feel the pulling and pushing, just not the pain and ibuprofen or paracetamol should be enough afterwards, it only tends to be painful/tender for a couple of days. sometimes however i've noticed that nhs dentists take out teeth which could be filled just because it's less hassle for them, probably quicker and cheaper. my father was a dentist and warned me about this, but if it really does need to come out then don't worry. just don't eat crisps!

[littlemissindecisive]

Thank you - i;ve actually found the root canal to be ok so i should be ok with the extraction then. Not that I want to loose a tooth but it's looking likely.