More about pulling teeth
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85137)
Shingle Springs, California
December 9, 2010 11:56am CST
I spoke to the dentist about the 4 teeth that Dearra has to have pulled. They suggested that they remove 2 teeth on one side, allow her time to heal, and then pull the other two teeth. She'll have to go in two times, but at least she'll be able to chew on one side at some point. So I tentatively set up the appointments, and then I talked to her about it.
When I asked her if she would rather have all 4 pulled at once or 2 now and 2 later, I got the "teenager glare". "Duh mom, the answer's obvious."
Well it wasn't obvious to me. I thought the 2 now, 2 later option was better, but often when I assume somebody's going to feel the same way as I do about something, I am surprised to find out that they don't.
I stood back, asked again, didn't get my head bitten off, and found out that she would much prefer to do 2 and 2. That's when I told her I had already scheduled the appointments and she looked at me and said, "what, without asking me?"
Ya can't win. 
1 person likes this
14 responses
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
9 Dec 10
KIDS!
Now, my baby sister had to have 4 teeth pulled when she was about 6, but her front teeth were a mess, dare I ask why (oh, you've probably explained it all ready)
in my sister's case, they did all 4 at once, the 2 baby bicuspids on top, and the top baby eye teeth...
That's because she didn't have adult bicuspids, and they wanted the adult eye teeth to shift forward... one of her front teeth on top was also coming in backward, so she had to try and get it turned around.
In 9th grade she went into braces for "6 months" (I think they always lie with the least amount of time to get kids into them) turned out to be closer to 4 years, but unless you KNOW what to see, her front teeth look pretty normal now.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Dec 10
When my son had his teeth pulled, they did it one at a time. In hindsight, I wish I'd had it all done at once. I think the second time was worse on him because he knew what to expect and it was so painful and awful for him to go through it. I still feel badly for it and it's been over a year since it's been done.
However my son was 6 at the time.. and hadn't had any teeth pulled before then.
I think in Dearra's case going with the 2 and 2 is definitely a good option.
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@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Dec 10
They did all 4 of her baby teeth last June, and she was miserable. Hopefully, this will go better. But one of them is impacted, so I'm not hopeful...
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Dec 10
By impacted.. do you mean it hasn't even broken the surface yet.. or it's just squished? Hubby's wisdom teeth are impacted, they haven't broken the surface and never will. He doesn't care since it doesn't cause him any pain. If it starts causing pain he'll worry about it.
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@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Dec 10
Heck I don't know. He just said impacted and showed me the x-ray. It didn't really look as if it were stuck where it couldn't come out, but it also didn't look as if there was quite enough room for it to come in.
@celticeagle (189820)
• Boise, Idaho
9 Dec 10
Kids!! It is one of things where you are darned if you do and darned if you don't. I bet if you had did it differently and set up an appointment to have all four done in one setting she would have had something to say. And it is like pulling teeth to please everyone all of the time. Pulling teeth and pulling out your hair. Scarey look we'd have going on, huh?
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Dec 10
If I'd set it up to have all four pulled, but mentioned the other option, I'm sure there would have been some scathing 13 year old know-it-all comment flung at me!!! :D
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Dec 10
Yes and almost everything and everybody is STUPID!!!
@celticeagle (189820)
• Boise, Idaho
9 Dec 10
I bet there would be too. They know so much more than we do!
1 person likes this
@savypat (20216)
• United States
9 Dec 10
Well, Mom you stole her power, no one likes that especially a teenager. In hindsight I would have started out with I made these appointments but they can be changed, here's the deal, 2 and 2 or all 4. Oh well no one ever said parenting was easy, heck living ain't easy. Blessings
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Dec 10
I guess I could have started out that way. Isn't 20 20 hindsight a wonderful thing?
@cynthiann (18612)
• Jamaica
9 Dec 10
You certainly can't win. That is for sure. I hope that it goes well for her though. My daughter had two rows of baby teeth removed when she was six or seven. She actually had two sets growing in her mouth. It looked awful but it didn't hurt her at all. Actually I cried so hard the Dentist, who is a friend of mine, didn't charge. It looked so gross and then the new teeth were bent at an angle and I cried harder until he explained that they would straighten and they did. I embarrassed her - the cardinal sin is to embarrass your children.
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@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Dec 10
Two rows of teeth, really?
Yeah you don't want to embarrass them, but at 6 or 7 she can't have been all that embarrassed. Now embarrass a teenager and they will tell you that they want to die...
@cynthiann (18612)
• Jamaica
10 Dec 10
Just the front ones upper and lower - not the molars. She did nt like me crying - and neither did the Dentist
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@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
9 Dec 10
How dare you not be a mind reader my dear, you are a mommy and are suppose to know what they want, need and feel every second. LOL...Too funny
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@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
9 Dec 10
If you find a great one please make sure you sign me up as I too need a few lessons on knowing it all.
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@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
13 Dec 10
No you cannot win...You should know that (LOL)! I would have all four teeth pulled at once so that I had to go through the discomfort and pain just one time instead of finally healing and then having to go back again to start over again! I only needed one tooth pulled when I had braces. My daughter is getting a plate tomorrow to fix her cross bite and I am hoping that will be it, no teeth pulling, and no braces…That would be good…Only time will tell...
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@Nadinest1 (2016)
• Canada
11 Dec 10
You're being a good mom.
Treat her special when her 1st 2 teeth are out and she might not balk at getting the second ones pulled.
All of my children have had teeth pulled....my oldest at 19 had to get wisdom teeth out.....he needed a mild sedative.....my youngest at 12 had no problems getting 4 pulled out at once. Huh?? LOL
Good luck...I hope everything goes good for you and her.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
13 Dec 10
Let her have the TV and the laptop and she will hopefully be happy. Or if not happy, at least not miserable...
@jshekhar (1562)
• India
10 Dec 10
Hello Friend,
Greetings from India!
I had my teeth pulled a few years back and I was a kid back then, about 10 years old. 2 of my teeth had to be pulled out and the dentist advised me to get them out one by one. In Derra's case also, I do think she should have agreed to get them out turn by turn, as suggested by you in the first go itself. Getting 4 teeth pulled out all at once might be too much for anyone and there can be complications, which would be very difficult to handle.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Dec 10
Yes, I agree, and I'm glad that she did too!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
12 Dec 10
Well, if it would have been me that we were talking about, I would say get in there and get all four of them pulled at the same time. That is how I had my wisdom teeth done and though it did hurt for a couple of days, it was only a couple of days that I wasn't able to eat. Now, if we want to talk about the surgery that I had for TMJ when I was fifteen, I wasn't allowed to eat solid food at all for a month.
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@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
13 Dec 10
I had all four wisdom teeth pulled also. But she likes the 2 and 2 approach, so that's what we're doing...
@hofferp (4734)
• United States
9 Dec 10
No, I don't think you're going to win until she's about 30...maybe 40. Just get use to it, I guess. Personally, I would have gone for all or nothing. If you're going to look like h*ll and feel like h*ll you might as well do it once rather than twice. But then maybe with your approach she won't look or feel like h*ll...never thought about that when I went through it?
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@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Dec 10
Not sure what I would have gone for myself, but important to have her input...
Not that she'll be any happier. :D
@aeiou78 (3445)
• Malaysia
10 Dec 10
In the past, the dentist advised us to extract our tooth one at a time only.
But now, many dentists extract few teeth at once.
This was happened to my brother-in-law too.
When I went for the dentist recently, the dentist told me that the treatment or extraction should be done at one side first because the injection would immune the pain at one side only.
May be the other two teeth were at the other side. As such, the dentist did it side after side or two after two.
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@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Dec 10
Seems to be a common practice. Also if you read Holly's response, there are some good reasons for it as far as how the anesthetic works,etc.
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Dec 10
Yeah, I agree. Too bad though, she's off school for 3 weeks, and 2 of them are not gong to be fun. :-(
