Great, My Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Removed
Why I am not doing sedation.
I lasted 53 years without being diagnosed with a cavity, until today. One of my wisdom teeth is finally succumbing to decay; the recommendation is to have them all removed so I don’t have to deal with wisdom teeth cavities at the age of 80.
I seriously wish I had these massive molars pulled when I was a teenager; curse my mouth for having enough “room” for them.
I’ve been told on and off for years that it might be best to have my wisdom teeth extracted, due to the difficulty in cleaning them and the potential aggravation of gum disease, but different dentists disagreed. My recent dentist didn’t see a need to touch them until today’s x-ray showed the hole forming in my tooth.
I’ve declined sedation. They wanted to give me something akin to Valium. I asked if it helped with the pain. No, that’s what the topical anesthesia is for. The sedation is to keep you relaxed, and also so you will “forget” part of the operation.
I told them I’ve had enough weird neurological reactions to drugs…including seizures…so if I don’t need it, I’d rather not take it. They still insist on having some nitrous oxide on hand “just in case.” I’m thinking maybe I’ll take some ashwagandha a few weeks before the procedure and leave it at that.
Ashwagandha is not an instant calming herb, but it does help mellow you out overall if you have anxiety. What about herbal sedatives? I looked into passion flower, but it has blood thinning properties. Valerian root can slow down liver processing of other drugs, which can be problematic. Never mind. I can tough it out.
I’m also going to have to take steroids, antibiotics, and ibuprofen following the procedure for a week or so. The dentist says I can still take my other herbs, but I need to double check…right now I’m on some complex herbal formulas, so I will ask my Ayurvedic Doctor. And…great, I’ll need to fix up my gut again after this latest assault on my gut microbiome. I tolerate amoxicillin just fine but it’s still not ideal.
How about you? Do you take sedation for procedures like this?
Uk is considering banning Gas and Air (name given in UK for nitrous oxide). https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64408790
Miswak is a twig from a tree that grows in the Middle East. It's been used as a natural combination toothbrush/toothpaste for over 7,000 years. If you've ever traveled to the Muslim regions of the world, you can see people selling it in bundles on street corners, and everyone uses it from the time they're children. This explains why they have so few cavities and almost always perfect teeth. Miswak has an enzyme that has potent antibacterial properties, so it's able to destroy the bad bacterial that would otherwise eat away at the enamel. It's readily available on Amazon in its natural twig form, and you can even buy miswak toothpaste, though I'd stick to its natural twig form just to be on the safe side.