My teeth - 'medicine' phobia and periodontal battle

[Pianimo]

Hi Carys.

Just wanted to chime in and say I agree with Carole - I think you really should be proud of yourself! I read your first post earlier today, and my immediate and overriding thought was that you'd done really well. Then I checked back in just now and saw your post about feeling ashamed, and I had to say something. The way I see it, you had a difficult experience with the unanciticpated injections and the panic attack, but you dealt with it - seemingly pretty quickly - got through all the remaing work and came out victorious! As I see it, that's an achievement - you deserve a big well done!

I also get panic attacks, and they are not to be made light of. You often can't stop them coming, it can be a horrible experience, and it's far easier to give in than to fight it and regain calm. But you did just that! I know how hard that is. And I would think your dentist (especially if he's as nice as he sounds) won't think at all badly of you over what happened - to start with, it sounds to me like you didn't really require any extra work, just a bit of extra time. What's a couple of minutes in the grand scheme of things? Non-phobic patients may well need a break longer than that long smetimes (albeit they may not require it quite so suddenly! ) He was probably concerned about you when it happened, relieved when you were ok, and proud of you for getting through it. His aim in the appointment was to do the RCT, and you let him do it (injections and all) - objective achieved!

As for the way you're feeling now, I've learned that's all part of the phobia. I actually feel a bit hypocritical writing all of this, because I'm usually the one feeling embarrassed and guilty and stupid about the way I've acted during my appointments, and fretting that my dentist is now annoyed with me and/or thinks I'm an idiot! (Don't feel obliged to, but if you look at any of my past posts, you can see it's a clear recurring theme!) If nothing else, I can say that you're definitely not alone either in what you did, or in how you feel about it now. It's also always easier to see things objectively in someone else's situation! So, just in case it helps at all, it's my 'expert' opinion that your actions today are, in fact, something to be proud of. Just saying!

[Carys]

Oh gosh, thanks everso much for taking the time to write that thoughtful reply to me, I really appreciate it. You are right, you lose the ability to be objective when you are in that type of situation, after all the 'attention' is on you and the eyes of the professionals are on you and you don't see how other patients react and respond, so you imagine you must be the worst that they have seen/dealt with. Thinking about it, as you say, I didn't leave, I went to the end of the procedure with no more 'fuss' and got things under control. I guess I just feel disappointed as I thought I have cured myself totally of the fear, in previous weeks I have had a total of 9 other injections and didn't react in this way. My dentist is a sweet man; quite funny really, when I sat up and did my panic he quietly moved away and said he would get on with some paperwork on the computer LOL

[Pianimo]

You're welcome.

I guess it's all a perspective thing, and the phobia really affects our pesrpective. I totally understand your disappointment after doing so well at previous appointments but, again, there's more than one way to look at things. The way I see it, you got through 10 out of 11 injections without any problem - that's a success rate of over 90%! I reckon if someone had told you before you started all this that you could have a success rate like that, you'd have seen it as a really good (and probably impossible to achieve!) thing!

I do think it's understandable that a strong fear like yours hasn't just gone for good, even after all you've achieved. But if this is a battle, you're winning, by a mile! Again, I know it's far easier for me to say than for you to do, but I think you should try to remember and focus on the 90% success, not the 10% blip. The phobia will want to keep dwelling on those 2 minutes, and tell you you've failed, but it's wrong!

Oh, and I love this:

My dentist is a sweet man; quite funny really, when I sat up and did my panic he quietly moved away and said he would get on with some paperwork on the computer LOL

lol Your dentist sounds great!

[Carys]

Perfect sense Pianimo ! You are right, that is much much more than I would have imagined I would have achieved 2 months ago. Interesting how we can all be so objective until it comes to ourselves LOL

[Carys]

Cue the 'bad stomach' (trying to avoid too much information here) and sweaty palms. This dental stuff is doing wonders for me in terms of weight loss.

So, the root canal done last week on the pre-molar has settled well, took a few days longer than I expected compared to root canal part 1, but there is no pain at all now from the surrounding tissues. Today I am having the work done for an overlay on this tooth and having a front crown removed to have it 'reshaped'. It is only a temporary crown and at the time he put it on it was only expected to be a few weeks in place, so the front of it by the gumline isn't perfect for longer term use. Now that I am going to be using invisalign braces before replacing that crown it needs the shape slightly revising so that it is more suitable for the next few months.

Following the advice given here, I am expecting that I will have an injection or two today (actually I'm hoping not as both teeth being worked on have been 'root canalled' - can I make that into a verb ?) but I am mentally preparing myself that I will have them anyway.

I am looking forward to getting rid of this temporary filling in the pre-molar, it is causing some problems with following the regime set by the hygienist. Last night, not for the first time, my lovely crest flossing thingy - on a white plastic stick with squeezy handle - got well and truly stuck and I had to rush around the house to find scissors with it hanging from my mouth.

[Pianimo]

Well, today seems to be the day for dental appointments, judging by people on here....I'm starting to feel a bit left out not having one!

Seriously, I'm about to dash off, but before I do I just wanted to wish you the best for your appointment - hope it goes really well, injections or none (I'll be wishing for none on your behalf!).

[carole]

I had to laugh at you getting the floss thing stuck I've done that it gives you a bit of a start and causes quite a panic, until you realise you can just cut it.

You are having so much more done than me, it makes me feel like a right wimp, all the best for today.
I look forward to hearing how you go on.

[Carys]

You are having so much more done than me, it makes me feel like a right wimp, all the best for today.

Errr, Carole, I'm not having more done than you because I am brave my friend, it is because I have no choice !!!

So, here I am back home. Actually had some fun there today, something I never thought I would say. I was chatting to the receptionist when I arrived about unrelated things to dentists. After a few minutes my dentist called down and said 'send up Mrs.X, I know she is here as I can hear her 'distinctive' laugh from upstairs' LOLOL.

Anyhow I've had all the things done that I went for. No injections required ! It was a long appointment, 1 1/2 hours, and it was more boring than anxiety inducing. The tooth has been prepared for the proper overlay (and has a temporary overlay in place, made after impressions), the tooth next to it has been sealed at a potential point where it could have developed decay, then the one temporary front crown was removed and reshaped and replaced. Unfortunately as the crown was removed another bit of the tooth snapped off, it is very weak under there and it is what took me to this dentist in the first place. He has made a fabby job of the temporary crown, it looks better than the original 'proper' one that was taken off when I first went to him !

I need to go back in a few weeks and discuss my ongoing treatment plan in more detail. Obviously I have one temporary crown and one temporary overlay at the moment, but he says there is no point replacing them until any orthodontic work is decided on. The hygenist is concerned about starting invisalign too early with my current gum problems. I am addressing the gum issue to the best of my ability, with committed use of everything she advised twice a day but until they are certain the minor peridontal issues are under control they are (rightly) loathe to start introducing the idea of moving teeth around.

Ummm, what else....I asked to hold a mirror as I was interested to see what was going on and have a look at the prepared pre-molar and the tooth underneath the front crown. Also, there was a fault with the water coming through the drill thingy, it just kept stopping for no reason and so every few minutes we would all stop what was going on have a poke around at it and look dismayed and then it would start again. When I got downstairs to pay the receptionist she made comment about the 'much hilarity that she had heard going on' LOLOL. Well, that's good

[carole]

I am speechless. RESPECT

I can't believe you, when you read your first entry it's not the same person.y

My dentist is leaving I want yours he is lovely, I thought so when you first went, glad he is what we thought.

[Carys]

Ahh thanks Carole, you are very kind. BUT....remember this....there were no injections today and I have no fear about all the rest of the dental work