i think i am going to have to pull my own tooth

anyone ever done it?
i have a tooth in the bottom front that is chiping away and it is discoloring. it does not hurt but here and there i will get a flash of pain and i can only assume it is going to get worse.

of course the dentist is the best idea but our dental insurance blows. i had to have a root canal done and it ate up all our coverage and i had to sign up for this friggin card. i never even got that finished. i am sitting on a temp crown.
they told me it wouldn't hurt and it was intense for about a week so that alone is putting me off.

anyway, my son needs braces and that is coming in at just under 5 grand. i need to pay half. my wife has wisdom teeth that need pulled so my tooth is way down the list of getting in and getting it done by a doc and i'' be dammed if i am going to have something else put my in pain every day.
so....

that leaves is with me pulling my own tooth, or, if it continues to not hurt, just letting it chip away...

i'm leaning towards pulling it but i don't know how...it is not loose from the gumline at all which worries but but i guess thats good cause i need to get the root.
the other day i had a pair of needs nose on it puling, not that hard just kinds testing the waters..even with little pressure i really couldn't hold the tooth.

i know this sounds crazy but it is what it is.


possible to do without leaving a gaping hole and/or infection?
if not, what does one do when you can't go?

and i thought the NHS here sucked
i mean i was dropped from the list at my local dentist so they wont accept me under a NHS paitent anymore

anyhow dont kids in the US get free medical as all kids here get that when they are under 16, medical/dental?

and dont do it on your own and fudge your self up

I wouldn't pull it yourself. If you really can't afford a root canal, you can have a dentist pull it -- that's much cheaper than the root canal. Remember though, you don't have to get a crown right away if you get the root canal, you can get that much later when you do have the money. If you get the tooth pulled, you'll need an implant or a bridge or at least a denture appliance eventually and it'll probably end up costing you more.

edit:

Also, make sure you do price comparisons between a lot of different dentists, their prices can vary widely. If there is a dental school in your area, check that out too, you can get it much cheaper there if you're willing to become a guinea pig.

[edit on 10/15/2007 by djohnsto77]

Boondock...Been there done that.Do not advise it.Hurts worse than I'm sure your knucks did.Go to a dentist.A least you get painkiller that way, and less risk of infection.
Iam and have always been a do it yourselfer when it comes to my health.However I must advise you not to. If the tooth was loose from the gums...might work.But there will be a gaping hole there regardless.
Juniors braces can wait.This is a situation more important.I'm sure your dentist will understand.

I hate to advise you on a medical problem because of the liability involved, but I can give you some information that may help.
Keep in mind that this is coming from an unknown person on the internet that is not a dentist, and has no formal dental training.

First off I want to know which tooth it is.
Use the FDI two-digit notation if you can, it's what I'm familiar with.
www.drbunn.com...

Second, if the root is healthy and not causing any pain, I would leave it alone until you have an opportunity to see a dentist. Just that you say that you've felt a shot of pain in the tooth means that the nerve is alive, and you have a living tooth that may be repaired in the future. Being solid when you attempted to pull it means that their is no infection and the root is solid in the gum.

If you are determined to remove it without a Dentist, don't do it yourself.
You will need a friend to do the work for you, and you need to familiarize yourself with the basic procedure. You will also need some basic supplies on hand to carry this out, such as gauze, sterilized tools, topical pain relievers, an analgesic with codeine, etc......

We don't want to do more harm than good.
Give me a tooth number and we'll work from there.

reply to post by anxietydisorder


you a dentist?
if so how do i get rid of this grey stuff thats at the back of my front bottom teath at the bottom?

reply to post by djohnsto77


i might have confused you..

i am thinking about pulling my bottom tooth. it is chipping away and is starting to discolor.

not to long ago, i had a rot canal on my top tooth. it ate up my insurance coverage and i had to get this credit card deal to pay for it.

i still have money left in this card but my wife has wisom teeth issues and my son needs braces so i need to pay for that.

because of that, i am thinking of just yanking it myself

Originally posted by bodrul

you a dentist?
if so how do i get rid of this grey stuff thats at the back of my front bottom teath at the bottom?

As I stated, I am not a dentist, and I have no formal dental training. I do have a familiarity with teeth and orthodontics in a general sense though.

The stains you are talking about are probably not gray, but more of a brownish colour and feel slightly rough when you rub them with the tip of your tongue.

Proper brushing twice a day with an anti-tartar toothpaste, and paying special attention to that area of your teeth should eliminate the problem. I notice that a lot of people brush the outer surfaces of their teeth, but then they ignore the interior surfaces, and particularly the front portion, top and bottom.

And hey, floss daily. It only take a couple minutes, and it makes a huge difference.

reply to post by anxietydisorder


cool, thanks for the heads up
sure you dont have a background

Bd, is there a dental college anywhere in driving distance of you?

They'll do it for free, for the practice. It's better than trying it yourself. You could break the tooth off at the gumline, or infect yourself or lots of other terrible things.

Originally posted by bodrul
sure you dont have a background

Jack of all trades, master of none.
I have a background because I value education, but I don't practice dentistry.
(OK, I might practice, but it's still a work in progress...)

Your teeth are a valuable asset as part of your body, and the care you take now will have a direct effect on your future health. It behooves you to care for the teeth you have, and oral health care can, and will have a direct effect on your health as you age.

I urge everyone to take care of their teeth.
Simple things like rinsing your mouth with water after an acidic or sweetened drink will save your teeth for the future things you want to chew. You really don't want a set of dentures.:shk:

Tea, coffee, cigarettes, etc......
Some things stain the teeth better than others, but they stain the tartar before they stain the enamel. Reducing tartar buildup will reduce the stains.



Edit: I like to edit...

[edit on 15/10/2007 by anxietydisorder]

reply to post by MajorMalfunction


I agree with MM. Dude, your tooth goes deeper into your gum than you realize and if it's not already loose, you could break it off.

Don't pull it yourself. Call the Dentist and tell him your plight. I'm sure he could work something out. You might ask to speak to him directly and mention you feel compelled to do-it-yourself and I bet he'd do it for you cheap rather than see you suffer.

Good luck!

Originally posted by Badge01
I agree with MM. Dude, your tooth goes deeper into your gum than you realize and if it's not already loose, you could break it off.

Don't pull it yourself.

Badge01 is right, these things go deep, (as much as a 1/4 inch appx.), and they have nerves attached, plus other tissue. Doing stitches in the cavity can be very difficult if there is any bleeding, but much of this is depending on which tooth it is.
Most bleeding can be stemmed with packing the hole with gauze for a few hours, and keeping pressure on it by biting down on the cotton or gauze.

Breaking the tooth, if you use the wrong tool, is a problem.
This could cause complications down the road, or immediate pain. A shattered or incomplete extraction will only make the problem worse, including infection. An antibiotic course could be recommended if there is any pre-existing infection.
You don't want to need to have the root surgically extracted later on.

If you decide to go through with this, let's talk about tools, blocking, and levering with packing to protect the other teeth.

[edit on 15/10/2007 by anxietydisorder]

i cant believe anybody would even consider pulling a tooth.

i am so glad i dont live in america where money comes before somebodies health.
is health insurance very dear....

your teeth have roots that attach onto your jaw and if you broke one of those roots off while still deep in the jaw, you could have a lot of trouble and a lot more money to fork out.
dont do it dude.
i am not a dentist, i just think it could turn out very nasty, you might even get an infection in the jaw bone and that would be very bad.

do the right thing m8

The Lys demands fotos!


/shakes fist







You know man, you could find a dental school and I'm sure their students would want to do it, and it would cost a lot less!!!!

i have never even heard of dental schools/colleges round here...
i will check it out.

honestly, i get discouraged too. the last dentist i went to i was not happy with and i don't feel like dealing with it...that is a large part.
if they would yank my tooth for a note, icould come up with that..

we start talking in the hundreds and i just don't have it..

something needs to be done but other things are more important.

my medical coverage is much better so what i was hoping/thinking that if i yanked it out, of course i would have a hole/wound there...
i was gonna just pack it with whatever, a friggin rag and go to the ER and see if hopefully they could stitch it and give me a script for pain...

i just don't know if they could do it....if you come in with a hole in your mouth, bleeding, i am thinking they can do something right?

i don't know...

I know it may not seem great, but, search around. I was getting ripped off by one dentist, and, he was pulling teeth that could have been saved (and a lot cheaper at my current dentist).

The dentist looks at the x-ray and knows how the root is growing around the jawbone. They aren't just randomly wrenching away.

I just got two major fillings done for $288 ... the last tooth I had pulled cost the same.

It is better to save them. I understand that it is chipping and discoloring ... but, if you at least get the decay removed and covered up ... then working on it from there can be done in the future. If the decay isn't to the nerve, I suggest saving it ... and this is from someone who if had the money would get all permanent replacements and be done with it. I have a lot of small cavities, some a bit similar to yours, and when I switched dentists, it went from 3000+ estimate to get them all done to less than 1000. It can be that much better. My next three teeth will be less than the last two.

I know if your wife's wisdom teeth are bothering her, what a pain that can be. I had one that grew in the wrong way ... it killed me in my mouth and killed me getting it out ... I also don't recommend ever getting a tooth pulled while an abscess is nearby ... worse pain I have ever felt.


I do have a cousin who ripped one out, but he used substances that I will not suggest on here ... he also killed the nerve by shoving a piece of metal into it. He is a bit wild to say the least.

Good luck on getting it taken care of. Sounds like the dental school is a much better option imho than a self-extraction. It doesn't quite work like on the movies (string and a doorknob).

I hope the best for you and your family. Sorry to hear your plan doesn't do you justice.

I'm right with you BD. I hate dentists with a passion. I've had three bad experiences with three different ones in two different countries!! They're all on the take and they don't care a damm if they hurt you.

What ya gotta do is just as they start work you grab them by the danglies and say,

"Hurt me, hurts you. Do you get me?"

Good Luck Dude

MonKey

reply to post by Boondock78


I don't think there's a confusion, that's usually the two choices you have if you have a bad tooth -- either a root canal or getting it pulled.

don't get a root canal i got one 2yrs ago and last yr my tooth started hurting again 10x worse than before the root canal my advice just get it pulled