# DIY Dentistry **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2007, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200 "2007-03-31T09:31:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/1 "2007-03-31T09:31:05Z")
Not that I’m planning on doing such a thing, but I remember reading an essay about a guy who’d packed a bad tooth with ice and then yanked it out with a pair of pliers. :eek: The times I’ve had a tooth pulled, they’ve always stitched the socket shut so that it could properly heal. What happens if you _don’t_ do that? Does the socket remain open for a longer period of time? Is there a greater risk of infection? Given that I’ve practically had a dentist sit on my chest while trying to pull a tooth, how can someone pull their own? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/2 "2007-03-31T10:24:43Z")
Fishing line + tooth + door handle + slamming of door. That’s the way I’ve usually heard it being done. Having a dentist kneeing you in the sternum makes it look difficult, but then the dentist is doing it properly. Analogy: break into a car by spending five minutes with a piece of nylon tape, or break into it spending 0.5 seconds with a brick. I don’t think pulling your own tooth is that hard. Doing it for a living, with patients willing to voluntarily submit themselves to the process on subsequent occasions might be harder. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/3 "2007-03-31T10:26:18Z")
And FWIW, I’ve had teeth pulled without stitches. Just a couple days of tenderness and specific instructions from the dentist, and I was right to go. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/4 "2007-03-31T11:41:00Z")
I’ve had teeth pulled and left to heal (no stitches). Once I got a dry socket, which blows moose udders in hell. My son told me that some homeless guy came into the bar he works at. He was in agony over a bad tooth. The drunken bar patrons pulled his tooth. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/5 "2007-03-31T12:48:04Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Given that I’ve practically had a dentist sit on my chest while trying to pull a tooth, how can someone pull their own? [/QUOTE] Gee, now I feel a WHOLE lot better about my oral surgery on Monday… _hides in a corner_ ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/6 "2007-03-31T12:53:23Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Gee, now I feel a WHOLE lot better about my oral surgery on Monday… _hides in a corner_ [/QUOTE] This happened to me, too. The dentist told me the root was shaped more like a radish than a carrot. This is why I recommend being knocked out for any and all procedures. You really don’t need to know everything about yourself. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/7 "2007-03-31T12:54:32Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] This happened to me, too. The dentist told me the root was shaped more like a radish than a carrot. This is why I recommend being knocked out for any and all procedures. You really don’t need to know everything about yourself. [/QUOTE] They won’t knock me out completely. They’re worried about airway issues (legitimately, considering I have sleep apnea), so all I’m getting is local and nitrous… ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/8 "2007-03-31T13:01:27Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] They won’t knock me out completely. They’re worried about airway issues (legitimately, considering I have sleep apnea), so all I’m getting is local and nitrous… [/QUOTE] Sloosh it with warm heavily salted water, do it more than once an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/9 "2007-03-31T13:56:46Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] They won’t knock me out completely. They’re worried about airway issues (legitimately, considering I have sleep apnea), so all I’m getting is local and nitrous… [/QUOTE] The Nitrous should do the trick. That stuff is awesome. You won’t care about anything that’s happening. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/10 "2007-03-31T23:56:55Z")
My dentist told me the following story about a toothache. Late one Sunday afternoon, his office closed for the weekend, not able to contact his partner or his hygenist, he went to the office and did a root canal on himself. GAH! :eek: He’s my hero. ---
**Author:** ![bluezooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@bluezooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluezooky)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/11 "2007-04-01T00:49:20Z")
Stitching the socket shut to heal is new to me, I’ve never had an Australian Dentist bother,don’t tell me you pay for the stitches to be removed? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/12 "2007-04-01T00:56:34Z")
Not only that, but (and IANAD) wouldn’t there be a huge risk of infection if you stitched it over? I thought the idea was to heal from the base _outwards_. ---
**Author:** ![Arien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arien)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/13 "2007-04-01T01:42:11Z")
[QUOTE=bluezooky] Stitching the socket shut to heal is new to me, I’ve never had an Australian Dentist bother,don’t tell me you pay for the stitches to be removed? [/QUOTE] When I’ve had oral surgery done, they used resorbable stitches. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/14 "2007-04-01T02:08:08Z")
When I had my wisdom teeth out, they used dissolving stitches. About a week after the procedure, I was rinsing my mouth with saltwater, and four big hunks of stitches and scab came out all at once. ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/15 "2007-04-01T02:44:32Z")
I got mine out yesterday. No stitches were used. For the record, I’ve experienced very little pain (less so than when I had a gum infection in fact). Hopefully that’s comforting, **jayjay**. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/16 "2007-04-01T02:52:49Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] My son told me that some homeless guy came into the bar he works at. He was in agony over a bad tooth. The drunken bar patrons pulled his tooth. :eek: [/QUOTE] Did the bartender try to charge the homeless guy a corkage fee? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/17 "2007-04-01T03:27:47Z")
When I was a kid, I had terrible teeth. My grandfather took me to the dentist he’d used for years. Grandpa had dentures that fit so poorly he only used them for company. The old dentist took me into the treatment room, shut the door and told me not to make a sound, then puled two of my permanent teeth without anesthesia. I go to the Dental Fears clinic now… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Chasing\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@Chasing\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chasing_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/18 "2007-04-01T03:31:51Z")
[QUOTE=ltfire] My dentist told me the following story about a toothache. Late one Sunday afternoon, his office closed for the weekend, not able to contact his partner or his hygenist, he went to the office and did a root canal on himself. GAH! :eek: He’s my hero. [/QUOTE] Shouldn’t a dentist be able to catch his own dental problems before they turn into full blown cavities? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/19 "2007-04-01T04:54:30Z")
String on the door handle? Had it done as a kid, it’s only used for baby teeth so far as I know. Speaking of DIY dentistry if you read the instructions that come with your Dremmel tool, you’ll see several mentions, in bold cap letters that you should NOT use it for home dentistry. And it says it over and over. Like maybe this is a problem. Made me shiver just to read it. And another vote for nitrous, it has changed, for the better, my entire dentist going experience! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200/20 "2007-04-01T05:28:18Z")
So…the nitrous. I think I’ve had it once before, but in conjunction with something else (don’t know what). If I’m just getting nitrous (and local), what will it do? Does this vaguely defined sense of “euphoria” make me forget the whole ordeal or was that whatever the other thing they gave me was? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-dentistry/398200.md?page=2)