Well you are dreading this, and who wouldn't!!? But you also know that dental procedures have improved so much, it shouldn't be so so bad. Let us know how it goes.

Aw Mike, I'm sorry you have to go through that. I would love to give you more support, but even knowing someone going through it is enough for me to cling to the ceiling too. Good luck my friend.
Linda

Good luck to you! I hope your procedure will be as easy as mine was ... It REALLY wasn't bad.

I had my upper wisdoms pulled at age 40. The shot was next to nothing, my dentist numbed the gum first and then did the shot. And really ... it took less than a minute to pull both of them.

I truely hate going to the dentist and put it off until I absolutely can't stand it any longer. When I'm in the chair, I take my glasses off and hold them in my hand. One of the dental assistants offered to put them on the table and I said ... no way! I need them to hold onto, and because they're my glasses it makes me consciously not clench my hands. She laughed, and said she'd hold my hand instead, but I was afraid I'd crush it.

The weirdest part is hearing the popping! sound when the root gives way. I was glad my dentist told me about that ahead of time, or I'd have jumped when it first happened.

OMG I'm about to have a panic attack just thinking about you having that done.
To me there is absolutely nothing worse than going to the dentist, and the thought of having a tooth pulled totally freaks me out.
You have all the luck I can find to send to you!

Oh.....ouch......will be thinking of you. B-T-W I'm sure it won't hurt one little iota.

Good luck...will be thinking of you. If the pain seems to be a bit much, be sure and just halt them in their tracks. That happened to me, they gave me another quick shot, which I did not feel, and it came out then with NO pain.

You'll do fine...and then just pamper yourself for a few days. Lay in the chocolate and pain meds b4 you even come home.

Oh Mike, I hate the dentist. I had such a mean one when I was little, and he put the fear in me. I also put it off until I just have to go. By then it has to be pulled, and I have them put me under for that. My Mom just got dentures on Tuesday. I suppose I'll end up that way some day too.
It'll be over soon.
Leslie

Take it easy when you get home!

Wishing you a pain free day Mike. DH recently had to have a molar pulled. Going into the dentist he was miserable. It only took a few minutes and as we were leaving he said the procedure didn't hurt at all. Just a bit uncomfortable having his mouth full of some other's man hands, and some weird noises and then it was over. He said he immediately felt 100% better.

~Betsy

I recently had two molars pulled, on different days. No pain with either of them and they healed fast. I was also very nervous, how silly of me! Good luck to you!

Lots of luck today Mike!
I sooooo understand! I dread going to the dentist. AND ours is a really nice guy! LOL

When I had my wisdom tooth pulled, I asked if I could just wait out in the waiting room until he was done.

I don't think he got the joke; maybe yours will?

It went SO fast and SO easy, that I asked the oral surgeon whether he was sure all the other teeth would stay in. Again, he looked at me like I was weird.

Years ago when I went to the dentist, which I hated to do, I would keep thinking to myself, "this time tomorrow I will not be in this chair, this time tomorrow I will not be in this chair." lol

I haven't read the responses yet Mike, but just wanted to wish you good luck with an easy extraction. It should go smoothly. Also want to warn you about not sucking on straws or drinking anything carbonated. Those can cause you to unclot and get a dry socket and you sure don't want that to happen.

Check in when you get time.

Ouchie! I too dread going to the dentist. Take deep breaths...hard to do, tho, with all that apparatus in your mouth.

Hi luckyframe19/Mike,

Sorry - too late to get to you prior to The Visit.

Please relax. Tell yourself that it'll not be a Big Deal ... and when have you ever known yourself to lie?? Especially to yourself ... (oh, did you say that the one that we're most prone to lie to is ... ourselves?). That they even have a word for it ... self-deception?

I had more than a dozen out a couple of years ago. On one occasion, 5 removed ... the dental school charged $32.00 for the first in a quadrant and $16.00 for each extra one within that quadrant, so the student said when she was making up the bill at the end. I said, "$96.00" - which no one seemed to pay much attention to at the time. When she had it all figured out and it came to that amount, she looked at me and said, "How did you figure that?". I said that One $32.00 is $32.00, and 4 at $16.00 each is equal to two more $32.00s ... that Three 30s is 90 and Three 2s is 6 ... 90 and 6 makes 96, right?

(Watch out for these magicians/illusionists ... they get your attention, your mind, somewhere else ... then they pull their tricks).

They stick that little Q-tip with the deadener in to rub around the gum where the shot's soon to go (aren't you glad that they don't rub it around your brain?) ... and soon it eases the gum so that you scarcely feel the needle.

Then you feel some pushing and pulling while the guy/gal with her/his hands on the other end of the pliers wiggles back and forth (see if you can cast the eyes down far enough to see whether the hips wiggle at the same time - no, not yours, silly). Oh ... you say that yours do? Or ... wanted to?

Sooner than you can figger ... the pliers come out of the mouth and move away ... with that widdow peece of white stuff clutched in their jaws!

Imagine ... all of that fuss over such a small piece of ... stuff!

I've had a dozen or two out a couple of years ago ... and I'm still here!

You'll feel a great sense of relief en route home ... sucking on that major piece of gauze that they stuck in there to replace that precious tooth and on which they told you to clamp down (lightly).

By the way - as someone said - no suckin' on nuthin' for a few days, till things get healing.

I hope that your jaw doesn't hurt too much as the freezing comes out - I think that it'll be unusual if it does. Maybe a little ache at the hinges where they were pulled in a rather unusual fashion.

My hinges pop out rather easily ... the first time that they do it with a new dentist, s/he just about jumps out of his/her skin!

They gave me a prescription for some pain-killer, which I didn't fill. Thought that I'd wait and see what developed, as I seem to have few complications after such experiences. For which I'm thankful ... very thankful.

I hope that you're feeling relaxed and happy after the experience - that you enjoy the same good fortune.

Did you take a putty knife with you, so that they could scrape that part of your psyche off of the ceiling?

As I drove down the street from son's place last fall, saw a small cupboard out in front of a dental office, waiting for the garbage truck. Went down a couple of blocks, doubled back, stuck it into the hatch.

About 2' square, 3' high, with the top half sunk back to a little over half depth. Doors in bottom, had been a drawer above, in the narrowed part, with a pull-out shelf above that, just under the top, which was about 1/2 - 2/3 depth of the cupboard, set back.

Casters on the bottom.

Landlord uses it in his shop, rolls it around whereever he's working on his equipment, with wrenches, etc. on top ... aren't you glad that the dentist wasn't using half-inch wrenches (up to an inch, as a mattter of fact - farmers use fairly large equuipment) on you when you were in his/her clutches?

Please, folks, take it from me - visits to the dentists are rarely ever even a tenth as bad as advertised.

Relax.

Trust that things will go well, that it won't be more stressful than ...

... driving downtown, maybe??

Oh - perhaps that was a poor simile?

How about ... watching a rather boring movie?

Good wishes, everyone, for a minimally stressful visit to the dentist.

Can I ask a favour of you?

If you're overdue for a visit - get your tail down there.

Procrastination dealing with our teeth is not a great idea - often leads to major trouble ... instead of a problem that could have been fixed easily, earlier.

And ... another request, if I may - take care of your teeth ... or you'll end up with an empty mouth, like me.

Which makes it a bit difficult to talk correctly (with dentures leaves a bit to be desired - a whistle or so, here and there, plus some indistinct sounds at times).

Teeth sure help when it comes to pronunciation ... and enunciation!

Have yourselves a great weekend, everyone.

ole joyful

One word: DRUGS! LOL

I was feeling so good the other day at the dentist that I was reaching up on my head for my glasses and the dental assistant was laughing and telling me that I was wearing them!! LOL

Hope you're doing okay. Take a pill and get some sleep when you get home.

joyfulguy, I just have to ask, why did you go to a dental school? For something that major, I think I would have gone to an "already" dentist.

OK, I'm back.

The anticipation was, as with most things, bad.

The procedure wasn't terrible, but it wasn't pleasant. The pressure and cracking was bizarre in the extreme. I was involuntarily moving my head, the nurse had to grab me.

That office doesn't do oral sedation. She shot the living hell out of me with xylocaine. That shot on the inside of the tooth in the hard palate stings like mad, but I didn't feel anything during the procedure.

The doctor (a woman) had all the bedside manner of a zombie. The nurse, however, was fantastic. More than made up for the Doctor's lack of personality.

I got a good look at the tooth when it was out of my mouth. Given the size of the cavity on the back side I simply do not see how I wasn't in excruciating pain. It was huge.

I've got one dissolving stitch.

The local is starting to wear off, but I just took a vicodin and my first dose of zithro in me. I'll wait about two hours and then take 800 mg of ibuprofen.

I think thAt's not the only hole in your back side, Ken!

Can't testify as to the size of the other one!

Sorry that your experience was less than satisfactory.

Hi tahoe,

I had good experiences with the dental school while doing other procedures earlier.

Once my East Indian really nice female student went to see about getting some time at a newer section of the school (small wafer with tail attached to put into your mouth to show pics of your tooth on computer screen). I said to the rotating female supervisor/assistant that she had gentle hands, and the lady immediately answered that she really did.

Every action that the students took was checked with their supervisor, who oversaw all of the procedures on an ongoing basis.

After they'd done a root canal and some other work on some of my other upper teeth, the advisor related to dentures suggested that, instead of a partial, they go for a full prosthesis on the upper, so they gave me a substantial credit.

I ended up giving the dental school a contribution, thankful for the good service received (and aware that, though most of the issue related to the upper teeth related to work rather than materials, that some materials were involved). Also, I don't remember what portion of the costs of the extra work was reimbursed.

I was pleased with the work that they did.

I didn't wear my bottom partial plate as much as I should have, and I think that one tooth (a single and a double were retained) shifted, for it's been a poor fit for some time. I should return for adjustment - but I hasten to add that the fit was good in the beginning.

I should add ... that I have a certain reputation for being stingy (on occasion).

Keeping your original teeth in good shape is much preferable to the synthetics, folks - they deserve the timely maintenance.

Brushing and flossing, as well.

Good wishes for success in getting your teeth into that one ... or that one into (on to) your teeth!!

ole joyful

Sorry about hanging the wrong moniker on you, Mike!

o j

I should add ... that I have a certain reputation for being stingy (on occasion).

I thought you (and I) were frugal, not stingy. A stingy person would not have made a contribution to the school...or to so many other things.

I know several folks who use a dental school and have always been pleased. Everything they do, is overseen by a trained professional/instructor.

Sue

Glad that's over for you Mike, except for the healing part. Keep the pain killers near to get you through this if you need them. Take care.

Linda

bummer...hope it feels much better for you soon Mike!

Hopefully today will be a great day for you, Mike. Your tongue will get used to the new configuration in your mouth pretty soon, Woody informs me. He had his first tooth pulled a few months ago and he said it wasn't too bad, once he came to grips with losing one.

Vicodin is a wonderful drug, take one and in 15 minutes, the pain is gone for a good 4 hours. Amazing stuff.