| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| saralou |
Posted - 07/22/2010 : 08:55:17
Ok so here's the deal..i have been having a lot of teeth troubles lately that some have turned out to be real problems (ie the tooth died & abcessed!!) however amongst all this my gum above my impacted wisdom tooth decided to get infected for the first time ever (i'm 36). So off i troddle (is that even a word lol) to the oral surgeon today who looks at the gum, looks at the xray and says yeah we can take that out but it's up to you. we don't normally extract them till you've had 3 infections and 3 rounds of antibiotics. The infection i managed to clear up in a week using natural herbal oils (oil of oregano if anyones interested) but the gum still has an opening to the wisodom tooth that could potentially get infected again.
so here's the part that scares me..he showed me on the xray where the nerves that supply the lower face passed very closely to the wisdom tooth and said that in 'rare' cases you can PERMENANTLY loose feeling in lip and chin area below it. What scares me about having the tooth is extracted is now i know that and am tms prone will i think myself into that happening (or it's tms equivalent!!)
anyway for now i'm not having the tooth removed but we're gonna keep an eye on it..i'm lucky that i work opposite a dental school and the oral surgeon just told me to contact him if i want it out.
anyway your opinions would be grately appreciated!
thanks saralou |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| susan828 |
Posted - 07/23/2010 : 14:48:16
Hi Sara. I have the same situation and just had a cat scan. One oral surgeon said I have an infection and 4 others said there is none. You are perfectly correct..depending on the angle of the tooth, they do lie close to a nerve, in my case, the inferior alveolar nerve. This is the one that can cause paresthesia of the areas you mentioned. Sometimes temporary, sometimes permanent and hopefully, none at all. It's best to have them out at age 20 but we didn't so it's scary.
Mine is deeply impacted and has no communication with the outside as yours appears to have. Try to keep the area scrupulously clean. You've chosen someone you trust so this is good. Would you know what angle the tooth is in? Did he mention this?
I know what you mean about the psychological part. I had pretty severe jaw pain this week. I went to the dentist for one thing and they saw it on the x-ray and addressed the issue. I know, I have known about this "time bomb" tooth for many years but the minute they mentioned it, I started feeling pains all along that side of my face. I am 100% convinced that thinking about a body part can bring on the pain. In fact, that was my first post on this board, asking if that could be.
Did they give you any advice as far as not getting infected again? Please know that IF you get it out, it will hurt for a week or so but they will give you strong painkillers + you can take ibuprofen, use a lot of ice and it WILL pass. I am petrified of this myself and pray that mine never acts up. It has another problem that could lad to infection but so far, no and I could go my life without this happening. And know that they have to tell you the worst case scenario (paresthesia). The rate is NOT that high and it would not affect your speech or looks...would just feel like you have had a novocaine shot. Not a happy prospect in any case, I know. I hope you stay pain free and that the infection never comes back. Keep me posted and the best to you.
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| saralou |
Posted - 07/22/2010 : 11:52:51
hi susie
the oral surgeon i saw is a top class guy..he teaches there and also works privately so i think he's very good.he saw me at the school as a favour instead of paying 100's privately as i also work for the university. he also said that he would get a senior dentist to do it not a student. here in the uk most dentists refer you to hosiptal for impacted wisdom teeth removal. i'm just concerned about these nerves running close to the teeth. i even saw myself on the xray where they were..anyhow gonna see how it is for a few weeks/months as its never bothered me until now.
thanks for reply
saralou |
| Susie |
Posted - 07/22/2010 : 09:38:49
Sara, Let me also add that wisdon teeth are very commonly pulled. I wish I had pulled mine at a younger age as they have crowded my mouth and caused some crooked teeth. Whichever way you go, be glad it is a wisdom tooth if you decide to pull it. No biggie. |
| Susie |
Posted - 07/22/2010 : 09:33:57
Sara, Go see another dentist! I've never heard of such stuff. BTW, dental schools are probably the worst place to go. I studied at one. Students are just learning and the dentists teaching are usually not great or they would be in practice. We worked on patients that could not afford to go to a dentist. I felt sorry for the people I worked on. I was never good with my hands and had the attention span of a knat. Hence, I never went into practice. |
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