My Experience

Both of my first molars on the bottom were broken. The one I had removed was so bad the root and nerves were exposed. There was absolutely nothing left inside the tooth. I had a horrible infection two weeks prior to the extraction, which was not only inconvenient but also extremely painful. I was surprised I hadn’t had any pain sooner, the tooth had been broken for a while. After going through that horrible pain — I couldn’t talk, I could hardly eat or even swallow and I couldn’t sleep — I decided it was time to stop putting it off… that tooth had to go. So, I waited for my infection to clear up and I made an appointment.

My appointment was at 9:20 in the morning, and I had my mother drive me there because I didn’t know whether or not it would be a good idea to take myself. I didn’t know what to expect after having an extraction. I’ve never had any sort of procedure where any type of Novocain or numbing agent was involved, and I’ve never been prescribed any sort of painkillers so I thought it would be a good idea to have her there to drive me home

I signed in with the receptionist, who gave me several forms to fill out and sign. That by itself took about 15 minutes, because the forms were pretty extensive. But, I guess they have to be, it’s for my own safety. Ten or so minutes after I gave the woman the forms I was called back by the dental hygienist, who took me back to the procedure room. I was a little nervous, because I hadn’t been to the dentist since I was a child and I didn’t exactly like the ideas of needles in my mouth. I made sure she knew this.

After we talked a bit she took my picture, though I’m not sure why. Then she had me sit down and gave me one of those bibs to clip on around my neck. She took a look inside my mouth and then proceeded to give me an X-ray. The contraption she put in my mouth pinched a little, but it didn’t hurt, and it tasted sort of funny. Five minutes later I was looking at my X-ray, which was sort of neat to see. She showed me where the remains of the infection were and told me that she didn’t think the dentist would refer me to an oral surgeon, she was pretty sure he could get the tooth out.

The Dentist Arrives
I got to relax for ten or so minutes before the dentist showed up. He took some time to explain to me what exactly was going on with my broken teeth. He told me he was pretty surprised that I wasn’t in constant pain, because the tooth I was looking to have removed was in the worst shape possible. There was no pulp remaining in the tooth, and the roots and nerves were completely exposed. Ouch. Then he explained to me what he was going to do to remove it. We went over the Novocain and he assured me that he wouldn’t be yanking or anything when he took the tooth out. He would take his time and be gentle. That really put me at ease.

Next in line came some sort of flavored anesthetic on a long cotton swab. It was pink and tasted like cherries. He placed the first cotton swab all the way in the back, and left it there for a minute or so. Then he brought out the needle, which scared me a little. He told me to relax and he went to work. I waited for the pain to come, but it never did. I didn’t even feel the first prick. He poked around a few times and told me I would feel the numbness all the way to the center of my bottom lip, and on the right side of my tongue. Then he brought out some more flavored anesthetic and placed it along the gum, right below the tooth. We waited another minute or so and then he poked me again. I didn’t feel any pain that time either. I was really surprised. Not to mention happy. The worst part in my opinion was over.

While we were waiting for the numbness to kick in, which didn’t take long, the dentist explained to me what dry socket was. I had never even heard of it before. He also told me that during the time that I could develop dry socket, he would be gone and unable to treat it. So, he put together a little kit for me to take care of the problem myself, just in case. He gave me an oral syringe with a curved end to irrigate the hole and remove any food particles that might get trapped in there. Then he gave me this medicated solution to put in the syringe, and I also got some of this awful smelling packing stuff to put in there and stop the pain. Oh, and some extra gauze.

Numb: Ready to Start
Twenty or so minutes later he checked to see if I was completely numb. He poked around inside the tooth and on my gums with a couple different tools. I couldn’t feel anything at all. It was like the lower right side of my mouth just didn’t exist. He told me he was going to begin, and he showed me the tool he would use to grip the tooth and pull it out. He also told me I might feel a little pressure, but it was nothing to worry about and that I should tell him immediately if I felt any pain at all. And then he went to work. I could feel that he was in my mouth, pulling at the tooth, but it didn’t hurt at all. I was more annoyed that my mouth was getting so dry, but even that wasn’t bad because the dental hygienist kept spraying the inside of my mouth with water and using that little suction thing to suck it out.

The dentist kept working at my tooth. He said it was moving, but because one side was broken all the way down to the gum he was having a hard time getting it. He decided to take another approach. He brought out this little drill thing and told me he was going to separate the tooth into two pieces so it would be easier to remove. I said okay and he began. I was still feeling no pain. After he was done drilling he went back to pulling at the tooth. He had both pieces out in about two minutes, with nothing left behind. I could taste a little blood in my mouth. The hygienist put some gauze over the extraction site and had me bite down firmly.

The dentist talked a little more about dry socket and went over what I had to do with the materials he gave me in case I got it. I had to sign a few more papers that went over the risks and such of having a tooth pulled and then I got to watch a little video about extractions and dry socket. The hygienist told me to keep firm pressure on the site for an hour or so, and if the bleeding hadn’t stopped I should replace the gauze and bite down for another hour. She also told me not to smoke for at least 72 hours, not to suck through a straw or on candies, to try not to cough or sneeze (which is extremely difficult, I might say), not to brush my teeth or rinse for at least 24 hours, and after the bleeding stopped if I ate anything it needed to be soft foods and I would need to chew on the opposite side. Basically the main rule was, protect the blood clot at all costs!

Aftercare
After everything was explained the dentist told me it might be a good idea to set up another appointment after a few weeks or so to get the other tooth taken care of. He also gave me his cell number just in case something bad happened and I needed to talk to him. It was the first time I had gone to him and I must say, I was impressed! The dentist scares me and with him I felt comfortable and at ease. It was a good experience.

I was numb for several hours after, so eating was out of the question; I was afraid I would bite my tongue or something. The bleeding stopped pretty quickly, but I changed the gauze an extra time just to be safe. I was prescribed some painkillers and I took one before the numbness wore off so I wouldn’t feel any pain for a while, as instructed. I kept waiting for the pain to come after the painkillers wore off but it never really did. It was just sort of tender. My mouth tasted like blood, but I’m guessing that’s because of the clot. I didn’t really eat much, but I drank a lot of water. I didn’t brush until late the next day, and when I did I used a tiny amount of toothpaste and I was very gentle, especially around the extraction site.

After 48 hours I began eating normally, just being extra careful to chew on the opposite side. I also made sure to rinse my mouth with warm salt water after every meal, even after a small snack. I didn’t want anything to disrupt the clot. Two or so days in I began to notice this whitish looking goop in the hole. Two days after that I noticed it starting to go away, and the hole gradually getting smaller. I never really did get swollen, and I was never really in any pain. The tenderness went away after the second day. I still rinse with salt water after every meal, and I’ll continue to do that until the hole is completely closed.