Oh-at age 12 she had the surfaces of all her back teeth sealed or bonded, so she wouldn’t have any cavities there.
Don’t be scared. I had mine out already-and it was NOTHING. Twice-the first time I had one wisdom tooth and an abscessed tooth (oh god, did THAT hurt, though, before it came out) and then again a few months later for the remaining three.
I slept through the whole thing, and then came home and slept off the anasthesia. No big deal, and I got off work for a week the first time (because my jaw was so swollen and I was in so much pain, my boss was kind enough to just let me take the week off).
Oh, and sealing? Is that possible? How expensive is it? I should ask my dentist about it! That would be so wonderful-not to have to worry!
(And lately, like I said, I can’t even BRUSH very well because it hurts like the dickens.)
They gave you a full anasthetic for a wisdom tooth extraction? Why?
Coldfire: I’m guessing because they have to poke under the gums (the teeth are not out yet)?
Yep, its possible. They put this plastic on the tops of your molars. It makes it easier for the bristles to reach the bacteria and keeps the acid that causes tooth decay out.
$24.00 - $40.00 is the ballpark cost. I am quite sure they only work on molars.
http://www.animated-teeth.com/tooth_sealants/t1_sealing_teeth.htm#page.top
http://dental-faq.info/health/dental-sealants.html
I’d join a dental plan if i were you like one of these so you can get your sealants done cheaper. I’m guessing you’d need 10-12 if you don’t have your wisdom teeth.
That’s one of the reasons I’m scaird. Maybe I should have took the name Chicken Little, instead of Ashkicker. 
You should read this thread. I don’t mind the needles it is just the fear of the unknown. I don’t know what to expect. Some people don’t have problems and then from others I have heard horror stories.
God they would have to knock me out, or I would pass out if they didn’t.
Because not all of them were out. It was an IV drip, though-not a mask and all that. THAT was the worst part, actually-the IV-I HATE needles. I cried both times. They had to cut into my gums.
The nurse held my hand both times when the IV went in-it pinched a bit, but it wasn’t that bad. The last thing I remember was feeling groggy, and then it was almost like seeing these big black bubbles and then I fell asleep. And then the next worst part was on the way home-my mom drove me-because I just wanted to curl up in my bed and fall asleep for about ten years!
Ashkicker-I think you misunderstood-my swollen gums were BEFORE I had them taken out-not after. It was from an infected tooth-SEVERELY infected-and I was on penicillin for a few WEEKS to get rid of it-and eventually developed an allergic reaction to penicillin. My boss let me have the week off BEFORE the operation. I had to call in the one day to say I couldn’t come in that day because I had to get to the dentist. Then when I heard from the dentist, I had to tell him I wouldn’t be in the rest of the week because I had to run all over the place and have oral surgery that weekend. (My dentist was out of town that week, it was hell going from place to place!)
However, the swelling had gone down a bit by the day of the operation, and I didn’t feel a thing. A little soreness afterwards, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I didn’t even need to take any of the codeine pills I had a scrip for, either.
You’ll probably have to rinse with warm saltwater for a week or so, and then you’ll be fine. Good luck!
Thanks for the info on sealing. This dentist also had this mouthwash that is supposed to keep you from having bad breath 24 hours a day. It sounded nifty.
My wisdom teeth are not showing, so they will have to cut and dig. The guy said he would do everything at once, while I was asleep.
I found him using this service, I called, I didn’t use the website. They were way nice… I said, I need a dentist for chickens. BEEEEg Cheeeeeekuns.
They looked in several cities around were I live until they found one that did IV’s and sedation.
It’s a pretty cool service, so you can find the people to do what you want.
http://www.dentalreferral.com/
Still freaked, but you guys are helping,
bwk
My teeth are like chalk and I don’t think I have a tooth in my head that hasn’t been worked on. DH has laughingly kept a running tab on the work - over 17 years we’ve spent $18K on my teeth :eek:
Complicating matters considerably, I am terrified of the dentist even though I’ve been going to the same GREAT guy for 30 years. I’ve involuntarily growled at him, bitten him, thrown up on him and passed out several times. About 10 years ago we came to an agreement - he would give me MAJOR drugs to take before I came in for my appointment and I would cease all behavior which caused me to wear their office scrubs home (snagged three sets by barfing before we finally figured it all out). I also wear headphones to drown out the sound of the drill and sniff essential oils to mask the smell of the drill eating into my teeth.
Who me? High maintenance? naaaaaaaaaaaa
I currently have 7 porcelain crowns. One from being hit in the mouth with a rock when I was 14. The rest are from my terrible habit of severely grinding my teeth in my sleep. In other words, I’ve cracked six teeth from grinding and had to have them crowned.
All wisdom teeth are present, accounted for and fully erupted - a fact that drives most dentists nuts, apparently, since they all seem to want to remove them. My current dentist and I had that conversation a few years ago and we came to an understanding. The wisdom teeth are in good shape, they’re not crowding the other teeth, they’re in the correct position, they’re able to be kept clean and they have no fillings. Why remove perfectly good teeth? We’ve agreed that if they ever need work like a major filling or a crown, etc. then I’ll have them taken out, but until then, leave them alone, thank you.
Otherwise, I have 11 amalgam fillings and three composite ones. No root canals, extractions, etc.
Ooh, ooh!! raises hand I had that done as a kid!
I have been to the dentist exactly 3 times in my life.
-
My aunt was a dental tech in training, and took me in for my first cleaning, etc at age 10 or so. (Mom was a poor single mom, no insurance). Dentist amazed that my teeth were strong, white, no cavities. Teeth coated with some substance promised to protect them.
-
At 17 - not sure why I went. Doc was a major jerk - my wisdom teeth were starting to come in, mouth was crowded, gums bled. He threw his hands up and yelled “I can’t work with this!” and stormed out. Talk about a drama queen!
-
Last summer, age 31. Decided to make use of the dental insurance I’ve been paying for. 4 wisdom teeth yanked - painful, but worth it. Head & jaw aches gone. 2 tiny cavities filled, the very back molars. Doc thinks they were caused by my teeth grinding - the tooth surface was getting squared off. Dental ass’t asked me how old I was when I had braces - teeth are super straight. I love her!!
So, was it good genetics or the coating? Not sure, but grateful to both. I use a Sonicare brush. I rarely remember to brush before bed, but I do brush after dinner.
I’d go for the coating - it can’t make it worse!
Numerous fillings, broke lower mandible in 1973-7x fracture which cured crossbite, upper wisdoms extracted around 1986 by Dentist, lower wisdoms were impacted and were taken out Oral Surgeon around the same time, two root canals along the way.
4x mandibular fracture in latest accident. At least I’m accustomed to arch bars and ID wiring.
Drinking Big Macs™ through a straw gets old after a while.
How many people here have cavities along the gum lines? All of my molars are affected by this and a friend of mine tells me that this is absurd because people are only supposed to get cavities in the biting surfaces of molars. Not only do I have these gum line cavities, there are plenty of fillings in my front teeth as well. Anyone else with this type of dental status?
(Please somebody raise your hand.)