• Dental Phobia Support

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What could this be?

Good Luck tomorrow, Drummerswife. I'll be thinking of you, sending good thoughts your way. :)

Mona
 
Thanks Mona. The biggerst issue we face in this thing is how are we going to pay for it. Insurance doesnt cover everything and right we are streched tight. So whatever he wants to do, I hope it can wait
 
Just a quick one to send you some love and strong thoughts :) You will be absolutely amazing, and I really do hope you've got nothing to worry about. As you say, Dr Katy is just getting it sorted for you, doesn't mean it's bad just that she needs someone else's opinion. :XXLhug:
 
Thats for that ladies. I am leaving in just a few minutes to get the bus to make the cross town communte to the OS office. Its about 90 minutes on 2 buses. I am going to be forced to keep myself together today because I have a job interview afterward. Now if only my hands would stop shaking:scared:
 
You are strong, and you are getting this sorted :)

All my love and prayers xx
 
Good luck Drummerswife with both your appointment and the interview! You will do great at both!!
 
Hope everything went well on both accounts:hug2:
 
I'm thinking especially good thoughts right now for you, Drummerswife. Although, you might be done with your appointment by now. Time difference between us. I certainly wish you all the best on your interview.

I hear you on money being tight. I still have no insurance myself. With TMJ, have not been able to look for full time work. I'm counting on that being changed when I next see the "fancy" oral facial pain doctor next month.

Anyway, my :thumbsup:.

Mona
 
Re: The good news ans the bad news

As I was riding the bus home this afternoon, one of the first things I wanted to do is log onto my computer so I could talk to all of you.

My visit to the oral surgeon today was a good news/bad news experience. I was so nervous because I had no idea what he was going to say.
When I checked in, the receptionist asked me to update my info for health history and insurance. When I tried to sign the form my hands were shaking a bit and I had to concentrate to make my writing readable.
As I sat in the waiting room, I told myself "You have been here before. You know this doctor. He was really nice to you last summer. Whatever he says you will be okay." While I did this, I was doing the breathing technique I learned from Stress Doc.
I heard my nane called and looked up to see his assistant stading there smiling at me. "Well, hello again" she said cherrfully" I remember you. How ya doing today?" I remembered her too. She was the assistant I told off last summer because I thought she was being dismissive of my fears. Maybe thats why she remembered me lol!
So we go back to the exam room and she has me sit in the chair so can take my blood pressure which, not surprisingly was much higher than it normally is for me. She smiles "Are you nervous?" I said "Yes, I am. but I'm not as terrified as I was last time I was here" She nodded "Yes, thats okay. You had a positive experience last time you were right?" I said 'Yes, Dr. Engel was really nice to me and did the IV in one shot. That just about never happens for me" She said "Yes, he is very good at that. Well, he will see you in just a couple minutes" With that, she left and I was alone in the room.
Last smmer I remember sitting in that room staring at a frightening consent form with tears running doiwn my face as I was on the phone with my husband who tried his best to calm me down.
Today, I sat there in the dental chair waiting for Dr. Engel to come in calmly playimg a game on my cell phone to distract myself and keep the anxiety in check. What a difference a year makes.
The door opened and DR. Engel walks in with a broad smile "Well, hi there! How are you today?" We both laugh because he knew how I was and I knew he knew. "So you've got a problem with your back molar?" I said "Yes and dr. Katie saw something in the x-ray that concerns her because she doesnt know what it is and what we should do about it so she wanted me to see you so you can maybe tell us what it is" He nooded and reached for the x-ray I had brought with me and put that up in the light bix next to the one he had done himself last summer. He studied these for a minute and then he said "Can you show what. Dr. Katy is concerned about?" So I pointed out the area
where the strange comfiguration was. He smiled "Oh, thats not a problem. Thats just part of your bone but its denser in that area so it shows darker but its just bone"
Thats the good news. Wow, what a relief!

And now for the bad news
I explained to him about the pressure in my ear and the continuing discomfort with my back molar. He nodded and this time there was no smile "Yes, I can see on the x-ray that tooth is not in good shape. Can I have a look?" So he leaned me back in the chair and the anxiety started flowing over me again and I asked nervously "You're just gonna look right?" He nodded "Yep just looking today. Smiling at me he said "Do you mind of I can the area we did last summer. I just want to see how it it has healed" I said "Sure" So he looked all around my mouth and said "Looks great" and then he looked carefully at my back molar. And then he said "Okay, now I want to look at the tooth with a small probe. This might be uncomfortable so you tell me if it is" I could feel him poking something into my gums and it hurt so I said "Stop that hurts"
Sitiing the chair up, he nodded towards the x-ray "You see here it shows that the gum disease has affected the bone and the pressure you feel in your ear is coming from this tooth" This is probably what lead to the abcess DR. Katy had treated me for. I was almost afraid to ask "So what do we do about it?" He explained that there were two basic options. The first was that he could send me to a periodonist who "could some really in depth cleaning and other things to try to save the tooth" I could feel myself cringe "Sounds painful" I said. He nodded "It can be and there is no gurantee it would be effective" The second choice, he said, was he could extract the tooth and clean out the area and allow it to heal. This, he said, would solve the problem fairly easily. He said the tooth is intact and should come out without much difficulty.
I couldnt believe I was so calmly discussing this with him. "So" I said, "if you extract the tooth, could I be knocked out like I was last time with an IV?"
He chuckled "Oh yes. I think you and I will both be much happier that way. Even though its just one tooth, with your history, you will do much better that way" And then with a broad smile he said "I have to say though you are much calmer today than the first time I met you. We're gonna win you over yet" We laughted and I said :You already have Doc. I requested you"
He patted my shoulder "Thanks I appreciate that."
The procedure is scheduled for Monday, 15th. My husband is off that day so it was a good time.
And what about my upper wizzie thats still in there?
I asked him about it and he said "Yeah I see it there. Does it bother you?" I said "No, in fact I didnt even know it was there until Dr, Katy found it on the x-ray last summer" He smiled "Yes, well here's my position on that. It doesnt bother you and at your age, I doubt it ever will so we are going to leave it alone. The way its positioned, it would be a fairly major deal to get it out and theres no point. I have one myself thats in there and thats just fine with me"
 
Drummerswife, you are awesome, or rather continue to be so as well as an inspiration. :) Go you! From afar I am so proud of you. I know come Monday you'll do just fine--better than fine in fact. :hug2:

Mona
 
Great job today Drummerswife..You conquered that appointment beautifully!
I wish you the best of luck on the 15th but I am confident you will do just great!
 
Way to go gf, you handled it so well, I would have been a basket case with all the fear of the unknowing. And it turns out you need a tooth pulled, well even I could handle that!

rp
 
Wow! You are my hero!
 
Thanks all of you. I really am proud of myself for keeping myself calm---at least until Monday lol!
 
It sounds like you did SO well and have a great surgeon who you feel very comfortable with. It definitely helps a lot! I too still have a wisdom tooth which is hard to get to that I have decided to leave alone and have regularly monitored. My dentist didn't suggest this as an option, but the oral surgeon gave me the option to do it that way, explaining that it is unlikely to cause problems if it hasn't already. I am very happy with my decision to do that.
 
I'm proud of you, drummerswife.:yay::jump::respect::grouphug:
 
Thanks Wits_end.:)

Jessica--thats exactly what my OS said about my upper wizzie. He said its been there all these years and not only does it not bother me, I didnt even know it was there! He said he sees no point in trying to remove it. And thats just fine with me. LOL!
And yes it does make a big difference that I know him from the surgery last summer. I really struggled with having any male dental person work on me but I am so glad I gave him a chance because he couldnt be nicer.
 
Re: Here we go again,!

Well I am off to the oral surgeon tommoorow morning everybody. Please send positive thoughts my way. :scared:
 
you got it drummerswife, you'll be awesome! Only one this time, you've done much more.
 
Good luck tomorrow Drummerswife! You will do awesome!
 
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