The month of May has always been very challenging for me. This May, I have a long list of hurdles to tick away from the Awful May list. The biggest hurdle was ticked last week after Cass went for her Urodynamics Test.
I just had my lower tooth no.5 extracted today and gawd, it was one of the worst experiences for me. Besides a miscarriage, an Amnio test when I was carrying Cass and my 3 C-section deliveries, this tooth extraction is one of the most chilling experiences for me. Because of the positioning of the tooth, which was crocked due to lack of space in the mouth, the dentist had to use a dental plier to pull and tug very hard while the nurse pulled my head. I felt like I was in a torture chamber being pulled to death slowly. You know in the olden days in China, criminals were tied to 4 horses and pulled apart to death? I felt just like that just now. When the dentist told the nurse that he could not pull it out, I felt like oh fark, what’s next? Surgery?? More LA jabs?
Finally after 3 jabs of LA, lots of pulling and tugging and head pulling, the tooth was finally pulled out! The whole procedure fr the moment the 3 jabs were administered to the time it was over was over an hour! *sweat & felt like crying*
I felt like crying when I was seated at the reclining dentist chair waiting for the LA to numb my mouth. I was totally freaked out. I freaked out as I could still feel pain on the tooth. Even after 20 minutes I could still feel pain. The dentist did some knocking on the sides of the tooth and since I could feel no pain, he went ahead to extract the tooth. I was alone at the dentist’s office and I was scared shit! I think the fear of what was to happen was so much more greater than the pain. No doubt, it was piercing pain when the LA jabs were administered. The yanking part ain’t that painful but freaking scary. I really did feel like I was going to die from all the yanking of my tooth and pulling of my head!!
I am so relieved that it’s now over. One hurdle ticked. Three more to go before June rolls in.
Check out the big hole on the tiger’s fang. Despite brushing my teeth after every meal, decay can still happen. The dentist said that because the tooth was crocked, the position made it very easy for food to be lodged inside.
As I still have another similar looking tooth on the other side, I will have to do a bi-yearly check up of my teeth at the dentist’s office from now onwards 🙁
My diet for today and tomorrow will be only fruit smoothies, bread and some porridge that I can just swallow without chewing. My stomach is growling now but I can only see the delish food that my MIL has cooked but can’t eat as the gums are still painful.
On a side note, I LOVE my MIL’s new Blendtec blender. It can whirl out 3 glasses of smoothie at once at the push of a button and the motor and blades are so powerful. My Shimono can only churn out 1 glass at a time. Boost Juice and Juice Works use Blendtec too! 🙂
I think the only good thing that I am going to gain from this chilling experience is that I think I will loose some weight. Since Saturday, I have not been able to eat well because of the pain. Today and tomorrow will just be fruit smoothies. So yes, I hope my mummy tummy will be trimmed as a result of my diet 🙂
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I hate going to the dentist….I think I will faint if I need to have that extraction done. hahaha……You are brave !
Hi MNHL, I am not brave. I was really very nervous and scared!
I salute you, you are a brave woman.. If me, I think I cry non stop liao even before reaching the dentist.. I extracted one wisdom tooth after I delivered Kz, the upper one, but that one ok lagi, the position was ok, but decayed coz the toothbrush could not reach that place..
Louiz, so did you cry when you had yr wisdom tooth extracted? 😉
Wanted to cry, tears already out, but the dentist kept saying “you delivered a baby already the pain is much much much bigger than pulling out a tooth lah”.. So I pretended to act cool lor.. Then really, the tooth was out and I didn’t even know it.. Depends on position also la..
Your description reminded me the day had my 3 teeth extracted for braces. Hope you are feeling much better now. I found sucking on small Ice cubes helps to numb the pain around swollen gums in the first two days.
Speedy recovery!
Hi Kcan, I shall try ice cubes tomorrow. I managed to get thru today w/o popping pain killer yay! Hopefully by tomorrow all will be A-Ok already. Thanks for the handy tip!
A couple of tylenols work too. And rinse after eating to get any small particles of food that may get lodged in the hole. Have had similar experiences before and I waste no time telling the dentist I need freezing. Was at a dental clinic and the student dentist couldn’t get the freezing to work and had to go back a few days later when the prof came in and eventually got the needles to work. Once I had a bit of a panic attack when the rubber dam made me feel I couldn’t breathe (I know it is silly), and I made home remove everything and stop for a few mins. He was obliging.
Hi Chris, my dentist actually chided me off for being overly nervous! He said my nervousness made him nervous and he blah-ed a whole load of shit at me at the end of the procedure. He was a real drama king and me, a drama queen as well lol! But i quite like him. He managed to get the job done and I’m seeing him again next week for scaling and a check of all my teeth. Now I have to be very cautious with my previous teeth as I def. do not want to go thru what I went thru again! What is freezing? Is it numbing of the gums?
Yes, freezing refers to the LA. I wouldn’t take no crap from any doctor as long as I know I am right, and you were right to complain! Don’t forget you are paying for his services and he is there to help you cos you are paying and not out of the goodness of his heart! Any good dentist should be well trained to deal with patients in pain. Btw, among health profession, dentists have a high incidence of suicides. And anaesthetists have a high incidence of drug abuse. Makes sense, huh?
Hi Chris, it’s shocking to hear that dentists have a high suicide rate! Yeah it does makes sense. One has to be really strong mentally to be in that field of job.
I HATE going to the dentist too. My last visit to the dentist was….hmmm…..6 years ago?
Just wondering, did you still get decay after brushing and flossing your teeth after every meal? The dentist told me to floss my teeth after every meal to prevent decay. He says brushing alone is not enough. I wonder how effective flossing is.
Hi Mun, dentist said that it is because of the position of the tooth (crocked due to lack of space) that caused food to be easily trapped, thus the decay. Best is to visit the dentist every 6 mths. I had not gone to the dentist for yonks!! I learned my lesson, the painful way! 🙁