I dread going to the dentist and work myself up into a state of anxiety even when going for a check up. So imagine how I felt yesterday when I had to have a tooth extracted! After sitting and shivering in the car park for ten minutes I finally told myself to "man up" and went inside. My dentist is lovely and know how I feel so was very reassuring but I still started crying!
I knew I would need extra injections as I always do but it took three lots to fully numb the area - she was so patient and kept checking my gums to make sure I could not feel anything. I have an infection in my gum which has affected the bone so my tooth was wobbly. So, although I was there for almost an hour, it took her just a few seconds to yank out my tooth! It did hurt a little bit but not enough to have to ask her to stop.
I was also worried about the after care as I made the mistake of googling the procedure and reading some nightmare situations! I made sure I had soft foods to eat ( yoghurt, jelly, ice cream, soup and eggs) and had cleared my diary for two days to let things settle down. However, the bleeding stopped within half an hour, I had only minor twinges in my jaw and enjoyed a really good nights sleep. Now I can clean my teeth again and use salt rinses to help the gum to heal.
What a fuss I made about nothing! I plan to eat soft foods for another day or so as I do not want to dislodge the scab that is forming. I just hope I did not jinx things by saying this!
I hope this account gives other dentalphobes some reassurance should they need an extraction.
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