B's journal

[B]

Day before first extractions.

Woke up this morning and cried again, adjusting to the news that I am to lose most of my teeth to gum disease. I was only informed of this yesterday so it's early days I guess. I really don't know why i'm so upset because I HATE these teeth, I know i will feel better once its done.

I have no idea what I look like smiling, I mentioned this to my boyfriend last night and he said "neither do I". how awful for him to never have seen me grin at him, I cant wait to do this.

I'm 36 and never had a smile I could be proud of. Crooked horrible ugly ashamed embarrassed smelly.

Anyway, the first teeth are coming out tomorrow, I was going to run around getting second opinions but
I've gone off that idea now. I just want them gone.

I am sitting an exam in the morning so it's probably not the best day to be having teeth pulled but I guess no day will be a good day. The dentist said "wednesday, 10.00am?" i said "this Wednesday?" shock horror, i then started in on the excuses, "I have an exam at 11.00am" he said "4pm?" I said "erm I have my son to fetch from school" these were real reasons but i realised i will always be able to find reasons to put it off if I want, so my mother-in-law is watching my son for me while i take the 4pm appt. I'm now glad he is starting working on them so soon, having to wait weeks will just be torture for me and I probably wouldnt go back if I had to wait weeks.

I'm still in pain and he said there was nothing he could do immediately to relieve this, I'm also glad about that, I'm more likely to go back if its hurting. I just hope the first treatment will go well and encourage me to go all the way. If he butchers me i will back at square one.

He's starting with the back teeth on the left side but I don't know how many he's going to take out or how hes going to do it. I imagine it will be a needle in the mouth, I really should of asked more questions and I plan to take a list with me tomorrow.

I will be without back teeth until he comes to take out the front ones, he is going to fit immediate dentures then. I wish I could fast forward my life and wake up 2 months down the line. I'm assuming it will be all over in 2 months, I have no idea how long it will take in reality.

I'm worried about not being able to speak properly but then I have a speech impediment already due to overcrowded teeth. There are no reasons and no excuses to not have this treatment no matter how many I try to make up for myself. I know this will transform my life and appearance. I'm not waiting for them to drop out before I do anything about it.

just had a look at "dentures a new smile" website, the pictures are amazing, inspiring, i cant wait for this to be over.It was nice to see some younger people on there and know I'm not alone. i'm not sure Im brave enough to post pictures of my ugly teeth (even though I walk around with these monsters in my mouth everyday) but I'm seriously thinking about doing the before and after pictures.

Will update tomorrow, or later tonight, with some nervous ramblings.

[B]

I feel so sick, went into work this morning for a few hours then cried off. The pain is on the move,
i'm not sure which part of my mouth hurts the most, it seems to get worse at night time, I have earache too which I think is related. The antibiotics dont seem to be doing anything tonight and the aspirin I'm taking is next to useless. if teeth could talk, mine would all be screaming at me.

I read somewhere once about a guy who had terrible toothache and couldnt get to the dentist for a few days because of work commitments, he told his teeth to stop hurting as he was going to the dentist as soon as possible, this worked apparently and his toothache went away. Ive tried this but my teeth are ignoring me, they probably cant hear me above their screaming.......

I'm sitting an exam in the morning, then the dentist at 3.50. I called the examination board today to try to postpone it , I said I had an emergency hospital appointment, I couldnt admit to an emergency dental appointment for some reason. They would not postpone it and i will lose £140.00 if i don't go. I'm going to go and sit it anyway, it might take my mind off my teeth for a bit.

Feeling very worried and daunted at the thought of what is ahead, not just tomorrow but for the weeks ahead, I'm panicked that I wont go through with it once I'm there. Ive scarpered from many a waiting room in the past. It's more dread than fear up until i get to the waiting room. I hate waiting rooms a lot, posters of teeth everywhere, teeth everywhere you look.Why cant you just skip the waiting bit? If my appointment is at 3.50 and i turn up at that time why should I then sit around for 15 minutes shaking with fear....

Really wish I had asked how he is going to take them out and how many he is going to take out tomorrow.
I'm so dumb for not doing that because now I am imagining the worst.

List of questions i will take tomorrow:

How many teeth need to come out in total

When will you take the impression (worst fear at the moment)

How many teeth can you save

Will I need time off work

Will I be in pain until all the work has been done

How long until the end of treatment

If anyone else can add anything useful to ask I would be most grateful.

[steffi]

Sorry you are having such a hard time. Your list of questions seems pretty good. Also if you dont ever want to be seen without teeth, ask how he plans to meet those needs.

You are so young to have to face any kind of denture; I was 55 when I got my full upper and felt I was too young at the time, so I know how you feel.

You can sleep with your teeth in, so don't worry about that right now.
I will be thinking about you and sending good wishes in the AM.

Steffi

[B]

Thanks for the advice Steffi. I am having immediate dentures as soon as he has taken the front ones out, I couldnt be without front teeth, not even for a day.

Very worried that if they are only being held in by plaque that they will come out when he takes the impression. I had an impression taken at age 11 which was a horrifying experience for me but my new dentist says that it shoudnt be that bad this time as the teeth havent been involved in any trauma. I went over the handlebars of a bike as a kid and apparently loosened all of my top set of teeth. I can remember him putting this huge metal shovel full of pink stuff in my mouth and pushing up so hard my legs were flailing in the seat and I couldnt breathe.I had my hands around his wrists trying to stop him but he didnt stop.

Sick to my stomach this morning....thinking about not going to my exam.

Has horrible nightmares last night where i was standing looking in the mirror watching all of my teeth break off one by one.

[steffi]

Here in the US, just having my morning coffee and thinking about you. It's helping keep my mind off the fact that there was an e mail in my inbox this AM from the dentist reminding me of my appointment Fri. Almost didn't hit the confirm button, but I did so now it is set!

When I had my impressions done for my upper, I had a very loose front tooth. Prior to taking the impression, the dentist used some bonding material to splint the teeth so they would stay put. I was still terrified,and had to have some local shots before I would let him remove the mould as the tugging feeling made me sure all teeth would come out. Well the dentist was right, they stayed put. Yours will probably be just fine also, but do tell the dentist of your fears.

Hope to hear later from you that all is well!

Steffi

[scaredstiff]

I am so sorry that I didn't check in earlier and was able to reply before you actually went to the dentist. Don't know if you read my journal - I know it got pretty long and possibly boring though I tried to keep a sense of humour going. Anyhow, briefly I had not been to a dentist for 40 years so my teeth were diabolical and in fact when I was 14 (several years before I reached that 40 year marker) I had made up my mind never to go to a dentist unless in complete agony or for having all teeth out. So, when I eventually went to dentist after front tooth fell out, although hoping in a way some teeth could be saved, I knew that after all the tartar and plaque build up, gum disease etc I just wouldnt be able to stand going through some teeth being removed, lots of deep cleaning, gum work, fillings, root canal etc. and then possibly anyway having to have the lot out. So, I plumped for total extraction straight away. Being such a coward, it was the easiest option for me - and though expensive, possibly the least costly in the long run. Anyhow, apart from dental phobia, I have a gagging problem and needle phobia. So even having impressions taken and the bite box thing was difficult for me. *Some of my teeth were very loose and I was afraid that I would lose some in that process, but although it seemed when the impressions were being removed, every single tooth in my mouth would come away with them, they remained in tact. Anyhow in all I was due to have 18 teeth extracted and immediate dentures. Having had impressions before meant that my teeth would look exactly the same, but of course when it comes to having permanent dentures then I will probably change for the better some of the teeth on the lower denture. *I had already gone a few shades whiter. Anyhow, for the extraction day I was on valium just to get me there and though shaking violently and still being scared stiff, my sedationist managed to get the IV sedation done and after a couple of seconds I knew absolutely nothing and woke an hour later - all done. If you read my journal, you will see I have had absolutely no problems at all and having these wonderful new teeth has been one of the best things I've ever done. OK if I'd been 20 years younger, I would have kept with my old teeth, but I am 65 so although I still feel young to have dentures because really if you look after your teeth there's no reason why you can't keep them for life.
So go for it, I know its easy to say it will be all right, because everyone has to face their own fears but I got through it and now 3 weeks later I still can't believe it.
Hope today went well for you and look forward to reading of your progress as you undergo your treatment. This is really the place to help you as the support really will carry you through victorious. As to timing, I got all my appointments scheduled from initial consultation to end in a 7 week period while I was off work. [smiley=grouphug.gif].
PS after reading your post about Dentures A Smile, or whatever, I signed in before I went to a meeting this evening. On my return, a few moments ago and checking my email there were 64 messages from that site. I've now amended my settings on that site - can't have that number every 3 hours, its ridiculous. I shall in future keep to this site only. Much better.

[B]

I did it, I even laughed in the chair mid treatment.

Ive had 4 teeth out on the upper left side which included a wisdom tooth and a tooth in the roof of my mouth.

It was totally painless. i had the gum injected with anesthetic, panicked a few times, went through referring me to hospital for a general with the D, shook a whole lot but the injections really didnt hurt, I didnt even feel most of them, at the most i felt a bit of a pricking sensation, he pressed his mirror against the gum at the same time and that helped a lot.

then he started to pull the wisdom out and the strangeness of the feeling made me stop him again and i had to sit up to shake a bit more and go through the hospital thing again.

He said "I really think you can do it this way" and i lay down and he pulled it,
I was running with my legs lying down and I think I may have broken the dental assistants hand but less than a minute, just a few seconds really and it was gone. i didnt feel anything more than squeamishness. I had a minute break sitting up after each one but I didnt even realise he had taken the last tooth out, I was ready for more, saying "go for it".

Next appt Monday 11.50 for the upper right 4. Cant say Im looking forward to it exactly but i wont be any where near as frightened.

so happy Ive gone through with it, no more tooth in the roof of my mouth, you just cant believe how annoying that bloody tooth was. very impractical having a tooth there....

I'd just like to say thank you to the people here, it has been an immense help to me over the last couple of days, reading everyones stories and advice. Thank you Thank you Thank you. And a special thanks to Scared stiff and Steffi, thank you for thinking of me. Your journal helped a lot Scared

The journeys not over but the first steps are taken, I feel happier already.

ps. I sat my exam too, I think Ive probably failed because I was worrying about the dentists too much but it's all experience . The worst day ever has turned out to be not so bad after all

[Issy]

Wow you are so barve * I'm so glad it went ok & it wasn't too painful *
You must be so relieved it's over *

[B]

Wow you are so barve I'm so glad it went ok & it wasn't too painful
You must be so relieved it's over

til next week lol

Thanks Issy and I really wasnt brave, I was a big baby to start with, then there really wasnt anything to be brave about, it was practically painless honest!!

[Roxychick]

Hi B,

You really are brave!! Well done!! * Am new to this site and feeling a little shy and scared at my upcoming first appt after maaaaaany years :-/ but I just had to post and congratulate you as I might be going through a similar thing myself in the not too distant future..

Did you get answers to your list of questions?

Love Rox * xx

PS A warm hello to everyone else too, I m feeling too scared to post at the moment * but you are all so lovely and suportive I hope to post my story soon *[smiley=grouphug.gif]