Off I go!

[Knightsaber]

Here we go...this is my original forum post a month ago...

First, hello and greetings to everyone.

I've been pretty naughty with my teeth but I'm sure I'm not the only person who hasn't behaved. I went through my whole childhood and teen years and even my 20's without taking care of my teeth like I should have. But I never had any pain, never broke anything, and I never needed any fillings or any such thing.

Now (I'm 34 now), a few years ago all my teeth decided to rebel...they broke, cracked, fell apart, dissolved, started fights with each other, and I think two of them are going through a divorce. But really, they just started to crumble. I can look in my mouth (I hate looking), and see that there is not a single tooth left that is whole. Some are broken at the gum line (actually quite a few). It looks like that 'meth mouth' business. Except I've never touched anything like that.

So, after a few years of multiple infections, and many many sleepless nights with -that- pain. (I'm sure most of you know what I mean.). I decided this can't stay this way. Unfortunately I have such severe anxiety and panic that I'm actually on disability for it. It is quite difficult for me to leave the house, but I can usually grit my teeth (tee hee) and fight my way somewhere if I have to.

So I cheerfully called around to many many places and finally found one dentist in my small town who said he'd take a look without actually charging me. Keep in mind I have little money and no insurance...I wish I lived in a place that had the NHS, despite the few bad things I've heard about it. But anyway, this dentist is a very nice man, and he sat me down in his office and reassured me he would just look. So I showed him, and he rushes out of the room to bring his oral surgeon friend that has an office across the hall, who also peers in there. They're both quiet for a bit then they ask if I do drugs. Very nicely, though. I told them no, I take anxiety meds and blood pressure meds, which is probably from my anxiety in the first place, but anyway...they ask me what kind of money I can come up with and I tell them I have about $2000 on hand and just Medicare really. Of course, here in the U.S. Medicare doesn't cover any dental at all.

So the nice oral surgeon gets on the phone right there in the office and calls the University of Iowa Dental College (hello from Iowa, everyone!). It's about a 3 hour drive from here to the University, but that's not important at the moment. So after some help from this oral surgeon, who said, by the way, that he would love to help me but he just can't, because of the costs, the Dental College made me the following agreement.

I will go September 20th for X-rays and impressions. (I didn't know what an impression meant at the time but I went with it.). They are not going to charge me because the surgeon insisted that I need help fast. I'm pretty happy about this. Then he called the local Human Services department which agreed to sign me up for some state program in which I don't have to pay for extractions. At this point I'm starting to figure out what's going on....

So in a month, I go get X-rays and impressions and a week later they will send me to the actual University Hospital to extract everything. The oral surgeon wants me to have it done at the actual hospital because some of it looks 'extremely difficult' and he would rather I had real hospital staff nearby. At this point I can feel my anxiety waking up and sniffing the air.

I finally asked him what all this meant and he says, well, you need it all taken out and you need dentures or implants. He's looking at me all sad-faced, as though this news will crush me. Heck no! I am gleeful. I haven't been able to chew properly in a long long time, and I can't stand the infections and the antibiotic regimens, and the throbbing toothaches, not to mention the pain from something breaking. I know I'm a bit young to have this sort of thing done but to be able to actually open my mouth when I talk to someone sounds wonderful. Oh my God, ice cream! Maybe even a date!

So everything is all set, and all parties have agreed to do everything. I even have the money ready to flat out pay for my dentures. I just have to wait. This was on Monday that this all happened.

Then today...my muscles are so tight I can barely move. My anxiety is trying to break world speed records for how fast it can kick me in the rear, and all I can think about is the three hour trip down there, and the trip home, and the second trip there and so on, not to mention the actual surgery, as I've never had surgery in my life. On top of that I've been worrying excessively about how painful it must be after you wake up with having multiple broken teeth practically cut out of your gums, and what happens if the dentures fit badly? It's a long trip to get them adjusted.

Now I'm nearly terrified, and I have to wait another month just to see what happens next. Not to mention I need to find someone willing to give me rides that far, as I won't be in any condition to drive, even to the initial appointment (my panic is that bad).

Agh! Sorry, I just had to vent. Hopefully this will all end well. If you read this, I appreciate it.

Well, the 20th of September is Monday. It's a three hour drive one way, so my anxiety is actually more focused on the six hours of driving! Actually I will be a passenger, as my dad was kind enough to offer to drive. He knows how worked up I get going somewhere. In fact, he knows there will be multiple visits, and he's offered to drive to all of them!

Monday won't be a big deal, it will be the exam, the X-rays, talking to the surgeon, and scheduling the actual extractions. I'm assured there will be little need to 'convince' anyone of what needs to be done, it's painfully obvious when I open my mouth. If there's time, they said they may even do impressions on Monday. It's completely possible that I will go back later in the week to get the actual surgery!

Actually I'm pretty calm considering it's only two days until this first trip. All I know is that it's going to be a lot of driving. My dad is hoping on the extraction day that I will experience the sedation a little bit on the way home and 'entertain' him a little.

So, the journey has begun. All I really want is to feel better. And being able to eventually chew something would be a huge deal to me. Not ever having another abscess would be a beautiful thing. I think that anyone that ever has to suffer through one with the pain and the not sleeping and the antibiotics...well they had to suffer one too many. I've had well over 14 in the last six or seven years.

Off I go! (Armed with much reassurance from TerrifiedWoman, who isn't really Terrified anymore, judging from what I read.)

[NervousNellie70]

Best of luck to you on Monday! (...and on your following appointments )

-nellie

[vita]

Hi Knightsaber:
Best of luck tomorrow, this is the beginning of a journey to get you healthy again, keep us posted

[SandySea]

Knightsaber, I know you don't believe it at the moment, but in what will seem like a few moments it will be the day AFTER surgery and yo'll be wondering what the fuss was all about. You will be free of pain, and that also means free of any need to have fear of dentist visits again.

I spent more than a year being too afraid to get mine out, and now I look back and wonder why I delayed it for so long. I have no doubt you'll be just fine, and we'll all be in there with you - gets a bit crowded, I know, lol.

Please report back the moment you can, we'll be waiting to hear every detail.

[tooscared]

Knightsabre. Hope everything went well with your appointment today. I look forward to reading about it soon.

[Knightsaber]

I have just returned, about an hour ago, actually.

Everything was pretty good, really. This being the first appointment they only did two things.

First, after a three hour drive to the College, and wandering about for a bit to figure out exactly where in the maze I was supposed to be, I found the right place. I handed in the obscene amount of paperwork they had mailed me a month ago, and had a seat. Not four minutes before I was called back. My hands holding my papers were shaking and I was asked if I was alright, and I mentioned my extreme anxiety, to which they were quite sympathetic.

They also are taking into account the long, long trip for me to make on each appointment and are going to try to fit everything into as few trips as possible.

Anyway, the dentist came (an actual dentist and not a student). He grabbed a mirror and told me all he needed to do was take a look. I figure eventually someone is going to see everything so I opened up and he put the mirror down and told me 'they all need to come out'. Well, I guess I didn't have to convince anyone. He told me he would call the hospital surgery right then and see if they had anything available today! I was totally not ready! But first they sent me back to wait for an X-ray.

So I waited about ten minutes and finally a very pretty young lady came and took me back, which I will make no comment about but it was a lovely distraction from everything going on around me...and I get my head put into the panoramic X-ray super device, which promptly grabbed my shoulders and spun me around almost all the way. It took a little doing but we finally figured out a way I could stand without doing the Twist. The X-ray itself made me a little sick to my stomach to see.

Then the dentist reappeared and took a photo of my mouth because he told me I 'will want to see the difference for myself when it's all over with'.

It turned out the hospital surgeons didn't have any free time today. I had to make another appointment because the oral surgeon that is doing the actual work came by to see the X-ray. She says my work is 'complex' and she wants to do a tooth-by-tooth exam so that she can plan exactly what to do when it comes time. My choices were October 15th or....Wednesday, at 1:00.

I chose Wednesday. The sooner the better. If we have time left over Wednesday she will have the dentist do my impressions.

So I'm on my way, and today the worst bit was actually the trip. I have a bad back and six hours in the car are rough. All told I was in the car for three hours, in the College for about 30 minutes and in the car again for three hours.

So far so good. I did panic a little bit when they said it was possible they might do everything today, but I got mixed messages from all the different people I saw.

The first dentist thinks I can probably have everything out and immediates put in next week.

The oral surgeon thinks it will probably be early next month.

The lady at the front desk said I would be lucky to be done by Christmas. (What does the front desk lady know? I'll go by what the surgeon says I think.)

Now I get a day off!

[Knightsaber]

Six hours of driving tomorrow, a tooth by tooth exam, and probably impressions too.

Yay.

[ManUnitedRM81]

Hi Knightsaber!

I just joined here today.. I think you have my mouth!!!
I went to the dentist just an hour ago for my initial assesment and like yourself i was nervous, scared, embarassed and excited all at once.

My dentist said i had two choices, all out and dentures or she could try build most of the teeth up again with crowns altho some will certainly have to come out! I told her to do what she felt was the better option and she will try build with crowns and only 4 dentures.

First appointment out of what she thinks will be about 12 for surgery is 12th Oct and i now feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, i really cant believe how silly i have been for 15 years!!!!Let me know how you got on and i will do the same.
I cannot wait to smile properly again to friends without covering my mouth with my hands!!

[Knightsaber]

Well, yesterday I spent three hours driving, and then two hours being poked in the gums by a very pretty young dental student, which I did not mind at all

She just did a tooth by tooth exam and checked the bone under my gums to see how well they would hold dentures and all that. Then she tried to lecture me about being bad in the past and I had none of that, I don't care how cute she is. I said that I realize I misbehaved taking care of everything and I'm paying for that now, as it hurt nearly every time she poked me.

I was relieved to find out that the little bump I've had on my gums for a long time is nothing. Also I'm told it will be fairly easy to extract everything, and I finally got the sheet of paper that lists everything they're going to do. 29 extractions, IV sedation (woo hoo), and full upper/lowers.

I have two more appointments on the same day, October 11th...one for 'pre-surgery', which I have to visit the actual surgeon and apparently get a pep-talk or something. And the 2nd appointment an hour after that to get impressions done.

I heard that they don't normally do immediates at the University, so I may have to go toothless for two months. I wasn't too happy about that, but my dad pointed out that would be better than sitting around with toothaches in any case. I tend to agree.

I did fine today, I didn't panic about the pointy hook in the mouth. I let this young girl poke around in my horrible looking mouth, and I let two 'real' dentists look too. And I bled from the hook a lot but it didn't seem to bother me. I was just really really tired when I finally got home.

Next visit is in 18 days, so I really don't have much to say until then

I thought this whole process would be terrifying but I find it really incredibly boring so far. It seems like it's going to take a long long time.

[ManUnitedRM81]

Just think of the end results.......wonder smile and confidence boost!