I had a filling on a tooth that fell out. I will admit I am not the best with dentists. I should have gone, but I chose the healthy tactic of ignoring my problems. As a result, my tooth broke. It started hurting me again. Eventually, it got to where I couldn’t handle it so I went to a dentist. He said the tooth was infected and needed a root canal treatment. I sucked it up to get the treatment. It was AWFUL. Seriously. He wanted me to come back for a dental crown, but I went with my original tactic. Then, my tooth started hurting again. Shocker.
Back to the dentist. This one is saying that the tooth needs to be extracted. He said the tooth is in bad shape and it may be more involved. Now I am wondering if I should do this with an oral surgeon where I can be knocked out. But, that is more expensive. I don’t want to put myself in danger or get myself in a disastrous situation just to save some money. What do you think?
Lori
Dear Lori,
That is interesting that your dentist said that. While an oral surgeon is probably not necessary, he may be hinting that he is uncomfortable doing the extraction. I am going to suggest something completely different. Instead of using this dentist for the extraction or an oral surgeon, I would like you to see a sedation dentist. This will allow you to get the extraction done in an anxiety-free/pain-free way, without having the unnecessary expense of an oral surgeon.
Look for someone who offers oral conscious sedation. Most patients are so relaxed during this method of sedation that they sleep through the entire procedure. In fact, some have dubbed it sleep dentistry as a result. The only “downside” is that you will need someone to drive you to and from your appointment as well as stay with you for a few hours until you are lucid and steady on your feet. This would have been necessary with an oral surgeon too, so it’s not much of a downside.
Patients who’ve avoided the dentist for years find that dental sedation completely changes the way they view going to the dentist. They no longer have dental anxiety and are able to catch up on all their avoided dental work fairly quickly. You’ll no longer have to resort to ignoring your problems and can tackle them head-on with confidence.
This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.