blood
blood clot
dentist
having teeth pulled
orthodontist
pulling teeth
teeth
wisdom teeth
wisdom teeth removal
...And two days later I almost bled to death...
@youngsweetheart (772)
United States
January 28, 2009 9:09pm CST
Tomorrow I'm having my wisdom teeth removed. All four of them. The bottom two are impacted, which makes it even MORE fun. And I am TERRIFIED.
But why, you ask? It's a common procedure, not very complicated.
Well, I'll tell you why. The last time I had teeth pulled, I almost bled to death...two days later.
That's crazy, you say? Here's what happened.
I was 16, and the orthodontist had to pull two molars (one on each side) because I had too many teeth for my mouth. Simple, routine stuff. I wasn't too concerned; I didn't like having it done, but it was over quickly and I went home.
Cut to Sunday night, two days later.
I woke up at about 2 in the morning with blood in my mouth. Not a little bit of blood, like if I bit my tongue in my sleep or something, but a LOT. I went into my mom's room and told her I was bleeding. She thought I meant I started my period at first, and couldn't figure out why I was bothering her. Then she woke up and figured out what I was talking about, told me to rinse my mouth out and go back to bed. So I did.
And an hour later I woke up again, with more blood in my mouth. I woke up my mom, who told me to rinse my mouth out and sleep with my head propped up just in case.
Good thing she said that.
When the alarm went off for school, I woke up, and my mouth was full. I opened it just a little, and blood came pouring out - until a huge clot the size of a golf ball blocked the flow. I panicked, and my exchange sister ran to get my mom, and we couldn't get the darned thing out of my mouth. I had to go the ER, and they had to cut it out. They didn't think they'd be able to get the bleeding to stop.
To this day we still don't know why it happened.
Naturally, I warned my new dentist about this, and I was assured proper precautions would be taken. But I'm still terrified!
Anyone else have a dentist horror story to make me feel better?
1 person likes this
9 responses
@phoenix25 (1541)
• United States
30 Jan 09
This kind of thing happened to me when I had my wisdom teeth cut out. I started bleeding one day at the end of French class at about 3:15 and I didn't stop bleeding until 5 o'clock the next morning. It happened because the scab over the suture just came loose and I had been taking ibuprofen (which hinders the natural clotting of blood) because my doctor told me to stop taking the pain killers I was prescribed. I had to keep putting gauze in my mouth and changing. The nurse told me to go to the ER if I was soaking a piece of gauze every 30 seconds or something, but I was having to change them at one point every 10 seconds. I stayed up all night doing this and didn't go to school the next day because I was so tired. You could tell I had lost a lot of blood because I was so pale for a few days after that.
@phoenix25 (1541)
• United States
30 Jan 09
P.S. I wouldn't worry too much. Just don't take ibuprofen! Also, if your pain increases about 2 days after the operation, you need to call your doctor because that probably means that you have a dry socket. I won't scare you with the details, but that's why I was taking all the ibuprofen in the first place...the pain from the dry socket I got after I had my wisdom teeth cut out. It's not fun, but you'll live. Talk to your doctor too about your concerns and see what he says. He might make sure he gives you medication that won't interfere at all with your blood clotting.
@ethansmommy06 (401)
• United States
29 Jan 09
well no wonder you are terrified!! thats so strange. i have never heard of that before! i dont have a horror story except i went a whole 8 days with teeth yes teeth aches that i finally went to the dentist and he deturmined i needed dentures at 25. it is heriditary. im sure as long as you informed your new dentist which im glad you got a new one, he or she will take care of you! i hate you have to to have em pulled just make sure you have pain meds cause those wisdom teeth hurt like hell for days! and just some extra advise in case you ever get a bad tooth ache and dont have meds to take for it, boil water and place a hot not too hot so you dont burn your skin, on your face where the ache is and omg it works great. good luck tomorrow you will be just fine!!!!!
@youngsweetheart (772)
• United States
29 Jan 09
I asked ahead about the pain meds - I have a high tolerance, and I didn't want them prescribing Ibuprofen when I was too out of it to protest! But no, I get Vicodin. I love Vicodin. Vicodin is my friend.
And thanks for the tip!
@jenseyedea (579)
• United States
29 Jan 09
I understand how you are feeling. I had my wisdom teeth removed when I was in High School. Recently, I also had to have a molar removed, due to complications from a filling. I know they told me it is very important to apply pressure for the first two hours with the packing they give you. This is to help the blood clot, so you don't bleed out.
I will pray for your fears and that you will have no complications when you go in tomorrow. I am sure things will be fine. I know when we have terrifying past experiences happen to us, it makes us very leary in the future. Get lots of rest. I am sure they will give you some meds to help with that!
Blessings to you.
@youngsweetheart (772)
• United States
29 Jan 09
They gave me Valium, lol - One to take tonight, two to take before I go in, and one extra. And I have my husband, who is taking off of work to take care of me. Still nervous, but I'm sure I'll survive!
@explorations (1712)
• United States
29 Jan 09
Great. Now I'm going to be terrified if I ever have to have this done again. I had all four of my wisdom teeth out in 2003, and they finished up everything in about a half hour. I went home, slept for about twelve hours (that happens everytime I'm "put out"), and then I was fine. I didn't experience any odd bleeding or much pain at all. It was tender where the teeth were, of course, but it was far less painful than cramps each month or something like that.
@CRIVAS (1815)
• Canada
29 Jan 09
Wow, I honestly can't say that I have ever had anything happen like that. I am a little frightened myself now, I am suposed to go get my wisdom teeth removed, all four at once. Now I am wondering if I can just live with the pain,LOL. I can't believe that happened to you, or that no one could figure out why it happened in the first place. But you have told your new dentist about it and I am sure that they will make certain that nothing will happen to you. Good luck and I look forward to getting an up to date report on how it goes. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
@wallfranklin (148)
• United States
29 Jan 09
I actually don't have a horror story. Maybe that could make you feel better. There are good dentists out there who do a wonderful job. I'd make sure you have done some research on this dentist to see if he's had any "unhappy" patients.
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
29 Jan 09
Well, god morning to you youghsweetheart. My son is having his dentist appointment this morning. He has been worried for at least a month about removing his wisdome teeth. As his dentest have said they have to be removed. However, he have said, never as long as I am awake. So now he is on a waiting list of being a sleep while removing them. In the mean time, they have to fix two of them since there is a hole in them. And he is so worried, since they have not yet came up totally, that it will be hurting him. He really do not like dentist appointments, and he also feel as a 17 he should be able to go there by him self, he is a bit embaresed that he had to take me with him.
I can not give you any stories that will make you feel better. I am just as many other people worried when goes to the dentist. I have teeth problems and I might have to make prosthesis instead, since I have lots of problems with them. I guess, it would be a great way of getting rid of problems, and it will shore be less expensive. No, I am kidding, I do have a lot of problems with my teeth, and we are thinking about prosthehesis, if it is the best thing to do, I will go for it.
@Paula1966 (1102)
• United States
29 Jan 09
OMG, that's scary! Sorry I don't have a worse story to make you feel better. I hope everything goes normally for you with this extraction.
@moneymommy (3418)
• United States
29 Jan 09
When I had an infected wisdom tooth I went to the dentist to have it pulled. So they sat me in the chair and gave me a shot of Novocaine. Then they began to pull the tooth. Well the tooth wouldn't come out no matter what they did. Also mind you the Novocaine wasn't working. So they told me to go out in the waiting room while they called for a specialist. So they let me sit in this waiting room with my tooth half out and in terrible pain for hours. Finally the dentist came and he did the job and pulled it. But what a nightmare!
