Tooth Decay/cavities + opiate tolerance

[CaseFace]

I recently came to realize that i have been fucking up in terms of oral hygiene for the last few years. What makes it worse is i spent the last year or so smoking weed and cigarettes everyday and drinking coffee.

I have an opiate tolerance, am i fucked? I am hoping at most i will need a crown. For the most part its not that bad, only 1 tooth i think i might need a crown for. But i will no doubt need a few fillings.

 

[mariacallas]

^Before you put a crown, usually the decaying tooth has to be either cleaned, treated and filled, or if it is really bad, root canaled. You cannot put a crown on a decayed tooth because that would be like burying a sick person alive (sorry for the odd analogy lol.) Have you seen your dentist? What does he /she say?

 

[CaseFace]

What i mean is do they usually prescribe/give you opiates for those procedures, or is it just a shot like when they give you a filling? if so i am pretty screwed.

 

[mariacallas]

I honestly dont think you will be screwed...the anaesthesia (a topical ointment on my gums, than maybe 3-4 injections of anaesthesia) numbed me so much I couldnt feel my mouth for half a day after the procedure.

But I remember my dentist telling me NOT to drink at least a couple of days before my root canal (I never asked why...) I was a meth addict at that time and I remember taking clonazepam an hour before my procedure to calm me down....everything went smoothly.

Anyway after I had three root canals the most I was given after was just a really strong NSAID or mefenamic acid...and yes, I survived. No opiates. I dont know how it is in the States. Maybe other Bluelighters can share their dentist experiences.

 

[dirkduck]

I think you will be fine. Worst case you have a root canal, and even then you can get by fine without an opiate. Based on my experience, you will probably only get a local anesthetic during the procedure, and then afterward may (depending on dentist) be prescribed hydrocodone or oxycodone, around 5mg pills. In my opinion the prescription is unnecessary (but I wouldn't complain ), and you will be able to get by fine with OTC painkillers.

At worst you may be uncomfortable and in some mild pain following to procedure, but it's nothing that you need to panic about.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Most likely, they will give you a local anesthetic such as lidocaine with epinephrine. Being an opiate addict will not effect these injections. Being a cocaine addict could potentially kill you.

Do the right thing and make an appt with a dentist or dental school. Get a complete exam with a full set of x rays. If you have broken down and badly decayed teeth, it may be easier to get them pulled.

If its been 3 years since your last dental cleaning, that means you missed 6 cleanings. You have that much more gunk on your teeth. You may need scaling and root planing if the gums are compromised.