Wisdom tooth/dental fear

[wisdomtoothout]

I need someone more adult than me for advice!
I have a wisdom tooth, lower that needs to come out. It’s got curved roots and my dentist doesn’t want to do it

my options are
GA - but it’s hurting and the list is 3 years

dental surgery that does sedation - but has some bad reviews on Google (happy to share which one if someone wants to see the reviews!) covered under denplan

pay privately - I don’t know if I can do this? To go elsewhere with good reviews and sedation

I have money to throw at this so any advice welcome. Had an upper wisdom tooth out ok no sedation but I’m a v nervous patient

No, it has to go to the central referral team first and then I’ll get an appointment, they can’t give me a date yet, it’s the same as a hospital type referral

I can’t afford anything until end of sept anyway so if it’s earlier than that I will take it. There is a possibility they won’t do it as they are saying BMI has to be under 28

my dentist says he’s never heard them say that before and he will send the referral and see what happens

he said it’s close to the nerve, a complex extraction and with me being so nervous he won’t do it/recommend it without sedation

I recently had one taken out by my dentist. I’m severely dental phobic so they put numbing gel on my gums before the local anaesthetic injections. It was a bugger to get out but I managed to cope ok. I had a stitch to help healing and since I also have rheumatoid arthritis I have ALL the good pain killers at my disposal which I did need for a week after.

I would if I could but he won’t take it out
am fine with injections now thankfully!

If your dentist doesn't want to do it and it's going to be tricky why doesn't he refer you to hospital to have it done there?

I was referred to the dental department of UCL for some bite adjustment - I had to pay to get there which cost a lot, but nothing for the treatment. I have also recently been referred to the dental department of my local hospital for removal of the roots of two deciduous teeth, my dentist doesn't want to do it due to some increased risks caused by my cancer treatment. Again - completely free!

He did refer her but it’s a wait of 3 years for a general anesthetic.

Also I was referred to my nhs dentist for a complicated extraction and even for a local anesthetic it was a wait of around six months. If you didn’t wait as long it may have been due to the dentist informing them of your cancer treatment.

My other option is my own dentist with an oral surgeon that comes in
they said they can ask if he will remove it but it will be chargeable and no sedation
going to see what the sedation place says and if not maybe look at that option

Take the hospital referral. The waiting lists for GA are very high but they also do basic sedation with much smaller lists. Of you have pain they see you faster. I waited 3 weeks to get an appointment for removal of a painful tooth, but the non painful one that wasn't causing any issues I waited 5 months.

I had a complicated 3 root molar extraction last month under sedation. You are awake for it but the drug they give you causes you to not form memories. They worked on me for an hour but it felt more like 5 mins and what I do remember is very blurry.

You can always pursue other options while you wait to see what the hospital waitlists are like.

That is probably the best option. An oral surgeon will know what he’s doing and will be a lot quicker. I got referred to an oral surgeon at another dentist and he had my impacted wisdom tooth out in less than a minute, then stitched it.

I would go private and do it sooner. But pulling a tooth is pulling a tooth. The actual method they use won't really differ much though they may have some specialist equipment.

In the NHS hospital they have less time so it does seem a little rushed and conveyor belt like. But still perfectly acceptable.

Could you ask for diazapam to use an hour before the surgery? My private dentist prescribed this before.

I watched my mum having a molar pulled the other day and even though it was really stubborn it still only took five minutes to get out. She's recovering well and was able to eat Nandos the day after her surgery. And she's in her 80s.

You will feel so relieved once it's gone! X

I’ve done both
so hospital referral (approx 3 year wait) apparently they don’t do basic sedation and it is purely GA
sedation at local dentist referral (checking if my BMI is too high and waiting on that)
if my BMI is too high then my dentist will ask the oral surgeon if he can do it but I can’t afford that just yet

If the sedation place can’t do it I’m going to ask my dentist to check if their oral surgeon can do it and I could ask about diazepam
my dentist 100% won’t touch it, he said it’s close to a nerve, a complicated extraction and I’m not a great patient (although he admitted I’m 100 times better than I used to be as I can tolerate injections now!)

It's great you're ok with the injections as that really is the only painful part. The rest is just loads of pressure/pulling and vibration.
I was in with my mum for moral support, at her request. So you can ask if you can have a loved one with you?
I'm sure it will be fine. I wish you well x

OP has trouble being numbed which can be quite traumatising when they start and it still hurts. I do understand why she wants Ga

I too had annoying roots but was able to have it out at my local hospital with local anesthetic instead of sedation. It was fine, I don't do well with sedation (I'm hard to wake up) so it was less stressful.

Yeah, I totally understand. But it's good she's less afraid of the injection than before. I used to be absolutely terrified. Didn't go for ten years!
I hope she gets whatever sedation she feels she needs.

It’s the cracking noise/tugging/fear of something going wrong really
i am also a nightmare to numb or sedate (redhead..) my last filling was 6 injections

I don't remember any tugging (had a molar out last week), it's a pushing feeling. The numbing was definitely the worse part for me.

Could you wear headphones?

Oh yes, always do!
even if I would have it out without sedation, that’s going to be a more expensive option as I would have to pay AND see if he will remove it
I might see if the sedation place (free) would do it without sedation otherwise

Yeah I understand. My mum needed about five the other day. I hope it's works out OK for you.

Does having red hair make you need more anesthetic? That's interesting!

Yep! Basically the gene means it’s not as effective or something

I didn't know that, thank you, that's fascinating!
I'm Irish but only a couple of cousins are red/ginger.
But they are on my mum's side so maybe that's why she needed so many injections? X

Came back to update the oral surgeon is looking at my X-rays on Friday and going to quote me if he can remove it

had a quote elsewhere with sedation which is.. doable but not for a while as it’s about £850

i am using floss, a tuft brush, salt water rinses, gum gel, basically everything I can throw at it but it hurts and my ear hurts too. I’ve already had antibiotics for it a month ago

I am a terrified patient, not in the UK though so practices are possibly different. I had one horribly infected wisdom tooth taken out just with anaesthetic as it was an emergency. But its neighbour had to come out too and this was done by a (super nice) dental surgeon under light sedation. No talk of BMI but I had to be accompanied. They said the reason my usual practice wouldn't do it is that clinics offering sedation needed to have extra equipment on hand in case a patient took a bad reaction to it.

On the other side, my wisdom tooth was taken out again just with anaesthetic, by then I had overcome most of my dentist fear. But they did have to give me a LOT of anaesthesia, apparently it's a hypermobility thing that anaesthetics just don't work as well on us. So we must be a bit like redheads. 😃

Oral surgeon says he won’t take it out

< sigh >