Musings of the Misguided: Dentists and being preggers

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Dentists and being preggers

One of the *joys* of nearly 7 years of not giving a damn about my physical self is that it's having repercussions. One of those repercussions is my teeth falling apart. The medication I am on doesn't help either. One of the worst would have to have been when I was pregnant.

My teeth usually hurt on and off all of the time. I was about 33 weeks pregnant with Devil Spawn. I had been eating on one side of my mouth for a while and had been putting up with it. I was pregnant, what was one more body part hurting. Then the unthinkable happened....another tooth started hurting and I had to do something about it.

Most stupid thing I have ever done in my entire life.
We're lucking in the Great Southern Land...we have access to free health care. It might take forever and a day to get to see someone, but then at least we still get to see someone at the end. There is also the emergency lists. Ringing up the dental clinic and complaining about how much pain you are in, then casually throwing in that you are pregnant, is pretty sure to get you seen pretty quickly.

Obviously the baby had stolen any kind of rational thought I had left in my brain. Which I admit pre baby wasn't very many to start with.

I figured a filling and I would be outta there. Oh how wrong was I! What I wasn't aware of was that unless you are willing to wait elebenty hundred years on the public waiting list (or can afford to pay for it yourself) then the only 'treatment' the offer is to rip out the offending tooth. In my case a molar.

I avoid dentists like the plague. Hate them. Hate the drill. Hate the smell. Hate them altogether. I have to be pretty desperate to go to one, and I was.

The first step in ~~tooth ripping out~~ extraction was to make the area numb. I'm all for feeling no pain. What I'm not all for is the big arse needles. Yeh I'm not too keen on them. I don't faint or anything like that but they freak me out. So there I was 33 weeks pregnant, 21years of age, with my eyes clamped shut like a child while they stuck a giant (obviously) needle in my gum. After a few minutes I was drooling out the side of my mouth like a zombie.

Next came the tooth ripping out. Have you ever had a tooth ripped out? You can't feel it but you can hear it. It is gross, horrible and disgusting. It feels like it goes on forever and I'm sure the dentist was mere seconds away from putting her foot on the chair and pulling like something out of a cartoon. I had no idea what she was doing of course because I still had my eyes closed.

The dentist then informed me that because of the state I was in..all I could take was paracetemol for the pain. The pain that was likely to radiate through my head for the next three days. Here is the clincher...I have an intolerance to paracetamol. Multiple OD will do that to you. Turns out I was just past the threshold for being able to safely take nurofen unsupervised. Yay!

I may have gone into my local chemist and asked if they could give me anything at all that didn't have paracetamol in it. The answer was a bit fat no. I lay in bed for the next few days being shit scared of getting dry socket. The dentist had been so lovely and outlined, complete with pictures what happens when dry socket occurs. She reminded me of our crazy Year 9 wood work teacher who told us the worst horror story about a machine then expected us to use it.
I am embarking on the public dental journey again. However this time I can take ALL THE PAINKILLERS!

Do you avoid the dentist like the plague too? Or am I just a big sooky la la?

Linking up with Jess for #IBOT

Labels: balls, crying like a bitch, IBOT, pain oh pain

9 Comments:

At 8 January 2013 at 08:19 , Mrs M said...: I'm a regular dentist visitor, and I'm trying to instill a six montly visit in the kids. They've already had numerous visits in the chair, in the hope that when the time comes that they need some action it won't be the only experience they've had, then they'll have some perspective that it's not all bad. Good on you for facing your fears and going.
At 8 January 2013 at 08:59 , Redcliffe Style said...: I like dentists but then I have good teeth. I'll be forty next month and have never needed a filling. Fingers cross because I dread that day. Rachel xx
At 8 January 2013 at 13:47 , Anonymous said...: You know I went for the first time after 7 years, I was pregnant for 4 of these so I used that as some sort of excuse. However, now I'm the biggest dentist advocate ever. It's all about prevention now, like Mandy I go every 6 months now, otherwise I'm going to have major trouble in 20 years time. But it's not as bad as you thought - right??
At 8 January 2013 at 14:33 , Anonymous said...: Last year I went to the dentist knowing that I was going to be in a pretty severe state but got told I needed approximately 10K worth of work. For me it was a combination of being pregnant or breastfeeding for 1/2 my life plus years of anti-depressants causing dry mouth and so the buckles on my bottom teeth are pretty stuffed. So yes I have seen far far too much of my dentist.
At 8 January 2013 at 14:53 , Me said...: As kids we used to get taken to the dentist every 6 months. 13 years ago we moved to Australia and all of a sudden I didn't have a dentist that I trusted. Hence no dental visits. Found a nice elderly guy for a year then he sold his practice to someone who just hurt so never went back.
My daughter has since found a really really gentle guy and so I have been and had a catch up visit (1 filling) and have managed to nag A enough so that he has been too. He needed about $8k worth of work done and is about 3/4's of the way through - I am so happy he has finally got his teeth sorted out - they look so much better now !!!!
They are definitely not my favourite visit but with this new guy certainly not as bad as they used to be !!!
Have a great day !
Me
#IBOT visitor
At 8 January 2013 at 21:12 , Anonymous said...: Our dentist is pretty gentle but then again we don't major issues. You may change your mind slightly this time with access to the painkillers ;o)
At 9 January 2013 at 07:36 , Unknown said...: Oh no you poor thing, dentists have the ability to strike fear into just about everyone I think? Well at least at one time. I was like that until I found a great dentist. Now I don't even feel a thing!

I agree, having a tooth pulled out is an awful sensation. I have had 7 teeth out now in total. And a few of them were wisdom teeth.

I think if you can get ontop of problems before they get too bad it makes a big difference too.

#teamIBOT was here.
At 10 January 2013 at 11:35 , EssentiallyJess said...: I've had six teeth taken out in my life; I'm not a fan of it either!
At 12 January 2013 at 00:52 , Unknown said...: Well I must say, that is the one thing I have NOT done! A trip to the Dentist whilst pregnant, and thankfully, it is no longer an option (and that's not because I have no teeth). I have had good and bad dentists over the years, my favourite being a fellow who retired long ago, but he would tell me when the needles were coming so I could close my eyes, he would gently support my head while he gave me the needle; I think in case I chose to try to leave and he always moved slowly (no sudden movements) and was very calm. Now, I don't see the Dentist much due to finances, but if I had a choice, I would be there every 6 months! I am assuming all went well with the rest of the pregnancy?

Dentists and being preggers

Musings of the Misguided

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Dentists and being preggers

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