Torture - Tooth Extraction

IAMWRITER

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Hey wonderful AWers:)

Writing a scene in my novel where my MC gets in a bit of a pickle. Captured, she's tortured and eventually bad guy gets pliers and starts for the molars.

My questions:

1) I'd imagine extracting teeth with less than sterile pliers is going to cause infection, right? Say if untreated for 24 hours what sort of complications would that cause?

2) Again, stating the obvious, the pain is going to be incredible. I'm guessing it would be a fair assumption that pain on that scale could cause great problems managing to speak?

3) Immediate aftercare? When she escapes roughly 24 hours later, the dentist would be the first place to visit. What would be the treatment she'd receive?

Thanks for reading. Much appreciated.
 

RunWithWolves

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I'm no dentist but...
1) Infection could set in, but doesn't necessarily have to. However it is your most likely complication. There will be blood loss but it probably won't be enough to cause real problems. Your biggest complication will probably be extreme pain. In addition removing a tooth is going to cause the other teeth to shift, adding pain to other places.
2) The pain is a huge factor. She won't be eating anything without significant pain. Liquids only. Also the gums will be extremely swollen. If infection sets in this could be a prolonged problem.
3) Pain pain pain. She'd get some kind of pain killer/number. There will certainly be stitches. There could have been complications in extrating the tooth. Pieces could be left behind or the root could have been inflamed. This would have to be dealt with. I'd imagine a doctor would also prescribe something penicillin like to deal with potential infections.
 

melindamusil

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If there's an infection, I can imagine a fair chance that the infection would move into the tongue. That might result in a part of the tongue being removed, which could have long term consequences for speaking.

ETA: and drooling. Betcha she'd drool a lot.
 

Docaggie

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Infections from teeth don't move to the tongue. They progress to cheek and can extend down into the throat. Mouth opening is limited and painful but they can still speak.
 

alleycat

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Just a casual comment. You might want to be careful with this detail, it's such a famous one from the movie Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier.

Or you could make the movie part of the scene. Preface the beginning by having the bad guy say something like, "Did you ever see the movie where the old dentist yanks on the guy's teeth? Must have hurt like hell. Well, I guess you're going to find out . . . "
 

Shakesbear

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I have had four teeth extracted over the last five years. Three of the extractions resulted in infections, despite being performed by qualified dentists in a surgery. The dentist had no idea why the wound became infected. One infection was something, iirc, called dry gum. I was given antibiotics and the dentist placed a medicated strip in the wound which alleviated the discomfort and reduced swelling. Having a tooth extracted, imo, causes discomfort rather than pain. What can cause extreme pain, and this can be negated when extraction is carried out by a professional, is if the roots of a tooth are curly at the end and will pull at another tooth during extraction. This is not a good scenario!
Also have you thought about the whole procedure? Getting someone to open their mouth and keep it open long enough to extract a tooth is not easy. Unless some kind of implement is used to keep the victims mouth open the perpetrator is at risk of being bitten. A hard enough bite on a finger is very nasty.
 

Bufty

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There would definitely have to be more than one bad guy present and even so I suspect molars would be the last and most difficult teeth anybody would even attempt to extract.

There are far easier ways to torture folk.
 
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onesecondglance

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I would go for canines or incisors first - easy access. Without incisors (your front teeth) speech would definitely be affected.

I would also think of Marathon Man, like alleycat, but it wouldn't bother me. There are only so many areas to torture... :)
 

GeorgeK

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Infections from teeth don't move to the tongue. They progress to cheek and can extend down into the throat. Mouth opening is limited and painful but they can still speak.
Right, infections spread along fascial planes and the gums are separate from the tongue embryologically. Anatomically a straight line is often not the fastest route.
 

IAMWRITER

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Thank you all for the replies - this is why AW is such a great place! :)


RunWithWolves - Extreme pain, yep I figured. Didn't really think of how it'd cause other teeth to shift, so that'll have to be considered.

melindamusil - I had always just thought of the dripping blood, never really drool. Thank you.

Docaggie - yikes! I still need her in some state, so I might want to hold off on the whole infection idea.

alleycat - never seen Marathon Man but I totally get where you're coming from. I like the whole prefacing idea, thank you.

shakes - yikes, that must've been horrible for you. I had initially thought of two other bad guys jamming her mouth open...hmm, some sort of implement might be more practical.

Bufty - yeah, i'm starting to think that now. Probably going to move from the back to more of the front teeth. Again it's more practical.

osg - yep. There are only so many...

GeorgeK- did not know that, so thank you.


Again, thank you for answering. All of this is gonna be very helpful when I redraft/rewrite this scene.

:)
 

Orianna2000

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Pulled teeth as a form of torture was featured in the first season of the spy-drama "Alias," as well.

Depending on which teeth are taken, your character will need to consider what kind of dental work needs to be done. If she has limited resources and the teeth are in the back, her dentist will probably recommend just letting the empty sockets heal. This takes a surprisingly long time. I had a molar extracted about six months ago and there is still an indentation in the gum where it used to be. It took a couple of months before it filled in enough that food no longer got trapped in the hole. For the first few days, there is a risk of what I believe is called "dry socket," where the blood clot that closes the wound is pulled loose. It's exceedingly painful, although it can be treated. (Someone mentioned this earlier.)

If your character's missing teeth are closer to the front, she'll either need a bridge or a dental implant.

Implants are EXPENSIVE, but they are the most realistic-looking replacement. You need a specialist for this, not a regular dentist. First, they screw a hollow titanium screw into the jawbone, then they place a metal screw into the hollow. Once it's fully healed, a special crown is made that attaches to the screw and gets cold-welded in place. (You can Google "dental implants" for more info.) I am in the process of getting an implant for a tooth that's on the side, near the front. The surrounding teeth were healthy, so I decided to pay the hefty price tag and avoid a bridge.

If she opts for a bridge instead, it's much cheaper, but they basically have to ruin two perfectly good teeth. They crown the teeth on either side of the gap, creating a three-tooth "bridge" that's cemented in place to anchor the false tooth. My former dentist wanted to do this when I broke my tooth, but I opted for an implant instead.

If you want more info on what it's like to undergo dental procedures like these, PM me. I've had an implant and crowns. I have also had extractions--done with local anesthesia and nitrus oxide, but I can tell you about the recovery.
 

melindamusil

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I am clearly not a medical professional. :) However, *if* you wanted infections, it'd be easy enough for one of the instruments to cut the tongue or cheek, and get infected that way.

Many years ago, when I had braces, my dentist put something kinda like this in my mouth:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gag_(medical_device)
Now the purpose at the time was because putting on the braces would take a long time, and this would stress the muscles around my mouth less than holding my mouth open. But no reason you couldn't do it for nefarious purposes. (I'd add some sort of chain or band that would wrap around the back of the head, to make it harder for the "patient" to get it out of his mouth.)
 

Kregger

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I've taken out a few thousand teeth in my life, some with anesthetic, some without.
The average villian will be incapable of total tooth removal with household tools. Believe me, as an amature I tried and the teeth break off at the gumline. It's a lot harder than most people think.
If your idea is to have your character experience mind numbing pain, retain the ability to speak or confess, and still be able to function post escape without countless hours of dental care, then it is unneccesary to remove any teeth.
A sharp knife tip forcibly pushed between two teeth (central incisors--easy access) and a sharp twist will provide all the pain neccesary without all the blood and destruction.
To add realism you'll need an adequate description of the physical effects such an act causes. Be sure to include a red face and profuse sweating like someone ready to blow a gasket, as well as all of the screaming, thrashing and so forth. Otherwise anyone having previously had an extraction will know you as uninitiated or unprepared.

If all of this is too scientific or academic, then a ballpeen hammer to the front teeth will work just as nicely. I've repaired people who've experienced a similar treatment. They're still ambulatory, speak without a lisp and are not incapacitated for lack of teeth.

Urban dentistry has a way of rotting your soul.

Your story, your rules just make it appear real.
 

Bufty

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And remember the reader has to be able to read it ...and continue reading.
 

LBlankenship

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2) Again, stating the obvious, the pain is going to be incredible. I'm guessing it would be a fair assumption that pain on that scale could cause great problems managing to speak?

FWIW...

When I got my wisdom teeth pulled, I asked for just Novocaine. Afterward, they gave me a prescription for painkillers and told me to go straight to the pharmacy. Which I did, but... yeah, the Novocaine wore off. I popped a pill right off, but it took a while to kick in.

Meanwhile, the pain. I can't say that I exactly felt it. It was like a black hole in my head, sucking down my thoughts. Tears were pouring down my face. I was still able to function, but only at autopilot-level complexity. I could still speak (as well as you can with wads of cotton in your mouth) if it was simple sentences.

Then the painkillers kicked in and I was OK.
 

MythMonger

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Meanwhile, the pain. I can't say that I exactly felt it. It was like a black hole in my head, sucking down my thoughts. Tears were pouring down my face. I was still able to function, but only at autopilot-level complexity. I could still speak (as well as you can with wads of cotton in your mouth) if it was simple sentences.

Then the painkillers kicked in and I was OK.

What a great description. Sorry you had to go through it to describe it so well, though.
 

ShayneTWright

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I've taken out a few thousand teeth in my life, some with anesthetic, some without.
The average villian will be incapable of total tooth removal with household tools. Believe me, as an amature I tried and the teeth break off at the gumline. It's a lot harder than most people think.
If your idea is to have your character experience mind numbing pain, retain the ability to speak or confess, and still be able to function post escape without countless hours of dental care, then it is unneccesary to remove any teeth.
A sharp knife tip forcibly pushed between two teeth (central incisors--easy access) and a sharp twist will provide all the pain neccesary without all the blood and destruction.
To add realism you'll need an adequate description of the physical effects such an act causes. Be sure to include a red face and profuse sweating like someone ready to blow a gasket, as well as all of the screaming, thrashing and so forth. Otherwise anyone having previously had an extraction will know you as uninitiated or unprepared.

If all of this is too scientific or academic, then a ballpeen hammer to the front teeth will work just as nicely. I've repaired people who've experienced a similar treatment. They're still ambulatory, speak without a lisp and are not incapacitated for lack of teeth.

Urban dentistry has a way of rotting your soul.

Your story, your rules just make it appear real.

Now THIS is an awesome description for how to induce pain whilst maximising infomation extractions! I cringed as the words turned to a movie in my mind...bravo!
 

Megann

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I had my wisdom teeth removed by a dentist who did a hack job with the local anesthetics. I was lying on his table screaming and hyperventilating when he took the teeth out.

The pain of the aftermath, as I was lucky to get no infection and good painkillers, was confined to my stomach. I got stomach cramps because you're not suppose to take heavy painkillers on an empty stomach and after you got teeth removed you can only take liquids. Which means a lot of soup.

Have you thought of the emotional mess your character would have to deal with? Any food eaten in recovery becomes food she will likely find disgusting and can't even stand the smell off. For my part I felt nauseous when I would smell soup for about a year or two after my surgery.
Also certain smells and sounds and sights trigger heavy emotional outbursts without your character being aware of feeling afraid or anxious. It's like you snap your fingers and you go from feeling perfectly calm and relaxed to crying your eyes out. I had this happen when my sister took care of me after surgery and she asked if she could watch my season 2 House DVDs. I had no problems with it until the sound of a surgical drill or electric saw in one scene had me bawling my eyes out before I could even make the connection back to the surgery. Only after I started thinking about it I realised why I suddenly had to cry.
Also dentists or some dentists procedures cause intense fears and panics. It is a very strange experience, but you feel blocked from doing certain things or allowing certain things to be done to you. It's like a big gap from where you are to where you want to be. A good example of this is the hallway scene in the Jody Foster movie The Brave One. After she returns from the hospital she has trouble for a while walking through to hall to the front door. I thought it was very well done.
 

vagough

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Just a casual comment. You might want to be careful with this detail, it's such a famous one from the movie Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier.

Or you could make the movie part of the scene. Preface the beginning by having the bad guy say something like, "Did you ever see the movie where the old dentist yanks on the guy's teeth? Must have hurt like hell. Well, I guess you're going to find out . . . "

I'm 100% with AC on this one. And if you haven't seen Marathon Man, it's a must. The phrase "Is it safe?" will definitely enter your permanent lexicon afterwards.