The dental visit from hell

[buksida]

After 16 years of procrastination I finally got back into the dentist's chair yesterday. The delay stems from a childhood phobia created by my parents who insisted that we went every 3 months enduring more pain and discomfort than was probably necessary at the time.

I've had virtually no pain during my abstention from dentists so carried on regardless blissfully unaware that my mouth had probably evolved into the dental equivalent of the Gaza strip.

Anyway it was time to get a checkup, and take the family for one, so we booked in at a highly recommended local dentist (not in HH btw).

Kids went first and all was fine, then it was my turn and, filled with dread, I clambered into the chair and expected my last rites. Two very professional female dentists proceeded to have a look about and noted a few minor issues and obviously the need for a proper cleaning and a bit of a scrape. They also wanted to do an x-ray over concern about my wisdom teeth ... blood pressure rising ...

X-ray completed and the news was bleak, the recommendation was for removal, especially the lower one which was kind of impacted and not fully through. She suggested doing top and bottom on one side only so I reluctantly agreed, get em out.

... 3 hours later
The top one came out relatively easily but was still extremely unpleasant. This was nothing compared to what happened to its little buddy below who did not want to leave the safe confines of my jaw. Warning: sensitive viewers may wish to stop reading right now ...

This tooth was buried quite deep so I had to have an operation to remove some jaw bone so that they could access it. Out comes the angle grinder. A total of 3 hours were spent trying to get this badboy out, 8 injections, 3 dentists, and a world of pain. Now I remember why I'd left it 16 years.

They couldn't get the whole thing out and a bit of it still remained which she said she would cap/cover and monitor on a follow-up visit. Me, I felt like I'd just done 6 rounds with Manny Pacquiao. Time to load up on painkillers, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics and lament on the fact that I've always felt better before going into a dentists than after.

Next appointment: 2029. Ouch.

[richard]

Know the feeling all too well Buksi

I was present when my mother had all her teeth removed. In those days there was gas to put the patient out. All I could see and hear were the pulleys and wheels and grinding sounds. My mother was ill for two days and I vowed never to set foot in a dentists again.

I was persuaded to visit a dentist here in Thailand and I broke out in a cold sweat outside the shop. Inside I was a nervous trembling wreck. The dentist saw this and immediate consoled me that he was only going to clean and scrape about. Into the chair I went covered in sweat and trying to smile. Two pretty nurses were summoned to hold my hands while he probed around in my mouth. They could have been bollock naked as far as I was concerned.

I've now decided that at my ripe old age I'll just let them drop out

Why the fukc am I posting this? I'm sweating all over my laptop

[hhfarang]

Be careful Buksi. If the pain isn't totally gone in less than two weeks go see a professional oral surgeon in Bangkok and keep the following story in mind:

I had a similar experience years ago in the U.S. My regular dentist (who was great and painless) sent me to an oral surgeon for a wisdom tooth removal. They actually put me to sleep and removed a lower wisdom tooth so no pain until a few hours after I woke up... which then went off the charts but I had been given a script for some strong pain meds if needed so started taking them. About two weeks went by and I was still in excruciating pain so I went back the oral surgeon and he suggested that the root of the adjacent molar had been damaged by the wisdom tooth removal and sent me to a root canal specialist.

First, I went back to my regular dentist and he did some hot and cold tests on that tooth and said he didn't think I needed a root canal and sent me back to the oral surgeon for another look.

The oral surgeon insisted on the root canal and sent me to yet a third specialist for this procedure which was very painful but he said I should be pain free in a week to 10 days. Two weeks later my pain was much, much worse and I was becoming suicidal.

So here I was over a month after my original dentist visit and still in the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life. I called my dentist and he told me to go back to the oral surgeon and he would call him ahead of time and set up an emergency appointment. So, I go back and get in the chair. He starts looking around in my mouth with some tools and then I see this look of horror come over his face. It turns out I had ostiomialitis, which is a bone infection, in my jaw bone from the original removal surgery. It had gone so long that I had lost so much bone that the molar that I had the unnecessary root canal on could not be saved. He actually had to pull that tooth because the bone below it had rotted away to the point that it was barely supported. He then proceeded to scrape out bits of rotten jaw bone and pus and I had to go on antibiotics so strong that they made my mouth and entire digestive system break out in painful ulsers for several more weeks.

So to make a long story longer, after a simple wisdom tooth removal, I had an unnecessary root canal, experienced about two months of incredible pain, and lost a perfectly good permanent molar.

[PeteC]

Yeah, me too back in 1976. Four out at the same time, two on bottom impacted and had to be split into four pieces each for extraction. Bottom jaw area is close to an artery which he nicked and what a mess that was, and life threatening. You can't put a tourniquet on your neck!

No one has a GOOD wisdom tooth story. Pete

[Big Boy]

I thought I had some good dentist stories. I've not even got to first base yet.

[MrPlum]

No one has a GOOD wisdom tooth story.

Rising to the challenge... I had a wisdom tooth removed and the dentist came into the surgery with a sly grin and a pair of pliers. I gave him a look that said 'Please tell me you are joking.' He was. The tooth came out with lots of sucking sounds. There was very little pain and I spent the next few days with my tongue playing in the hole until it healed.

No drama.

[Name Taken]

I have had all four of my wisdom teeth removed, the dentist put me to sleep before he removed them so I didn't feel anything. I also had one tooth removed(upper leftside) because it had eroded near the gumline, and it was very painful.

[Huahinian]

Not been to a dentist for more than 40 years! No intention of going either!

[Jimbob]

two years ago my dentists advised me it was a waste of time repairing my top teeth. she showed me x rays of all the past work and explained all the issues suggesting I look at implants.
After referrals etc the quoted price when up and up in Australian dollars.

I still went ahead and had it done. Full anaesthetic and trial fitting the new teeth on implant pins the same day then home. I can say I was so drugged up for four days at home. I had no pain just swelling. On reflection, while expensive, it was a good outcome.

My bootom are are fine except for one that needed crowning and the dentist had a high tech computer teeth mapping and ceramic milling machine to make a good fitting crown. I have/had chalky teeth so dental decay has always been a battle.

[Bristolian]

two years ago my dentists advised me it was a waste of time repairing my top teeth. she showed me x rays of all the past work and explained all the issues suggesting I look at implants.
After referrals etc the quoted price when up and up in Australian dollars.

I still went ahead and had it done. Full anaesthetic and trial fitting the new teeth on implant pins the same day then home. I can say I was so drugged up for four days at home. I had no pain just swelling. On reflection, while expensive, it was a good outcome.

My bootom are are fine except for one that needed crowning and the dentist had a high tech computer teeth mapping and ceramic milling machine to make a good fitting crown. I have/had chalky teeth so dental decay has always been a battle.

Where did you have this work done?

[sargeant]

I have no wisdom teeth well not according to MrP and Buksi

[Bristolian]

I have no wisdom teeth well not according to MrP and Buksi

Reading the previous posts, you are probably best off without them. Keep gnawing away with what you have

[Vital Spark]

Buksi, you made my toes curl up.

I've never liked going to the dentists, even in the UK. Stories I've heard about dentists here have convinced me that I'll not go unless I'm climbing up the wall with pain. I feel that dentists here are a bit like the doctors, they feel that they have to find something wrong to justify your visit.

Hope you're feeling better now,
VS

[Jimbob]

two years ago my dentists advised me it was a waste of time repairing my top teeth. she showed me x rays of all the past work and explained all the issues suggesting I look at implants.
After referrals etc the quoted price when up and up in Australian dollars.

I still went ahead and had it done. Full anaesthetic and trial fitting the new teeth on implant pins the same day then home. I can say I was so drugged up for four days at home. I had no pain just swelling. On reflection, while expensive, it was a good outcome.

My bootom are are fine except for one that needed crowning and the dentist had a high tech computer teeth mapping and ceramic milling machine to make a good fitting crown. I have/had chalky teeth so dental decay has always been a battle.

Where did you have this work done?

Bristy, I had it done in my home town near Sydney. I had just been made redundant and 'forced to retire' With a comfortable handout after 35 years I gave a biggish tax donation. The implant cost was offset by private health insurance and tax medical claim rebate. I had considered going to Bangkok for the work. The operation had a complication of intubation (tubes up the nose) that caused required extra work on nasal passages. Glad I stayed at home. (don't snore anymore).

[Takiap]

Sorry to hear of your experiences, but for what it's worth, I have never had any trouble with the dentists in Thailand, and I don't use the top end places either.

The first place was a barely noticeable clinic in Bangkok. I had toothache that was literally driving me insane, and just decided to walk into the first place I came across, and duly explained that I don't want any treatment of any kind, other than an extraction. I wanted that tooth out ASAP. She sat me down and placed a few swab things in my mouth and then let me wait for a few minutes. These numbed everything so that I couldn't even feel the prick of the needle, and a few minutes later I was outside minus the problem tooth. No pain killers needed at all.


My last experience was in Hua-Hin with the dentist at the bottom of soi 6 when some veneers on my top teeth started becoming loose. Went inside; sat down; got taken around the back for X-rays, and was then informed that quite a lot of worked needed to be done on a number of teeth. I decided to rather have them removed - every single one of the buggers. She eventually agree to pull the lot and suggested I make two or three appointments for this. I declined her kind offer and said I would rather she remove them all at once. She very nearly refused, but I assured her I would be fine.

On my next visit, I got sat down and was given I don't know how many injections, and a few minutes later the bloodbath started. Seriously though, even though she had to make an incision to get the one out, I never even saw a drop of blood, and neither did I feel a thing.

The biggest inconvenience at the time was trying to enjoy a nice large ice cold Chang on my way home. With my mouth as numb as it was, I kept on drooling each time I took a sip of my beer. Anyway, after a s second beer I went home and that was that - no swelling and no pain.

It was however a pain in the butt being without any top teeth until I got my shiny new teeth, and an even bigger pain trying to get used to them. As it stands now, I don't regret my decision in the least.

So, all in all, I have no fear of dentists whatsoever, although I used to be terrified of them as a child. It was the pain that troubled me, but rather that damn gas they used to knock you out. I can still smell it to this day.