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Help - bad experience & panicking

C

celtic_girl

Member
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
50
Location
UK
I never liked going to the dentist but 6 months ago I developed a huge phobia & anxiety. As a result my doctor had to put me back on anti-depressants!

In October I went for my usual check-up and was told I needed some fillings replaced.
I went back and had this done (I had no pain then, it was just routine work). The next day, I had terrible pain in my very back tooth. I went back and saw a different dentist. He said the filling went through my nerve, making me need a root canal. I was a bit mad but had it done thinking that was the end of it. It was just the start.
They could only find 2 roots so I've worried about that every since. I also got a gum infection around that tooth the following week. This was successfully treated with antibiotics but when I'd gone back for these, I saw the original dentist who did the fillings and he was really rude to me and made me feel worse. He said he was too busy to see me and had people waiting so he didn't have time to discuss anything. He said I may have to lose my tooth which I was very upset about (I am only in my 30s). He just looked in my mouth and said "oh yes, I'll get that one out easily". I was really traumatised by all this. The thought of losing my tooth made me feel sick and give me panic attacks. I am very squeamish plus I only went in for an ordinary filling and to be told that was very shocking! Eventually that tooth settled and it was sealed up.

Then, about 10 days later I started getting bad pain in my premolar tooth which had also been refilled by that same dentist on my initial appointment. I went to an emergency clinic and they said the refilling of that tooth had caused an infection. The emergency dentist took the filling out & put a temporary one in to relieve it and gave me antibiotics and sent me away to attend my normal dentist for treatment. I chose not to go back to that first dentist and I went to a different one. They x-rayed the premolar tooth & said yes there was an infection. Trouble is, I had already had root canal treatment done on that tooth 9 years ago. That meant the NHS would not treat my tooth at all. They referred me to a specialist and I had to pay £600 for her to re-do the root treatment on that tooth. Looking at the x-ray she said the root canal looked like it had been done fine in the first place but she also thought the fact I had just had this tooth refilled caused the infection, especially because I also told her the filling had been too high and I'd went back for a bite adjustment.

I was so scared having been told I could have lost 2 teeth, one visible to everyone. My new dentist explained about implants to me but they cost at least £1500 just for one!

Next month, I have a check-up with my new dentist and I also have to have another x-ray with the specialist again to make sure my infection in the premolar tooth is disappearing (I have no pain anymore so that's good).

This whole experience has made me paranoid about my teeth. Every little sensation on my teeth or gums I panic about. I brush my teeth 3 or 4 times a day now (including at work), I floss, I use mouthwash and disclosing tablets. I still have a bit of tartar on my bottom teeth which is making me paranoid but I will speak to my new dentist about that when I go.

Is there anything I can do to stop all this panic?
Also, can anyone tell me why I would get an infection just by having a filling replaced? Does it mean the dentist used a dirty drill on me or something?

Many thanks,
Mo.
 
That dentist sounds incompetent and a jerk, it's well you don't go back to him, what he did was horrible and his manner afterwards was shameful.:XXLhug:

I understand the panic about the state of ones teeth. After things go wrong it's not that unusual to feel the way you do, what happened had a big impact on you, made you wonder what else could go wrong with your teeth, after all a routine procedure turned into complications that were hardly the norm, it's impacted on you and you've become focused on your teeth because you probably are worried something else could go wrong, so you're trying very hard to stop it but in reality no matter how many times you brush your teeth, floss, etc. you still feel the panic about them because you can't be sure, not 100%. I've never had such a horrible experience as you, however since my teeth started going downhill fast I've become far more fixated on them. Just a small bit of pain can cause stress, it's a reminder of something that could be wrong and like you I don't know exactly what is causing even a small twinge when it could be something very minor. Our fears just take hold and we panic.

How to stop the panic is the difficult part, I haven't reached getting over it by a long way, however I have learnt it's being driven my fear, fear of what could be wrong with my teeth and what needs to be done, keep my mind on my teeth and it just gets worse. If you get a fleeting mild pain in a tooth that otherwise seems fine for example try and accept the feelings you have associated with it and then move on without letting the feelings continue to affect you. That really sounds simplistic and it's not nearly that easy, it's a part of CBT, so it's actually rather complicated and needs to be taken slowly and practiced to work, however just at the beginning accept your panic and not actively fighting it despite the natural urge is a good beginning.

Also what you really seem to need is a dentist you trust to be able to explain these issues to and have reassurance, find out what is going on and what is just fear, one that will listen, one you can trust to work on you and will be more than willing to go at your speed and answer your questions without making you feel rushed nor stupid.

I'm not at all trying to downplay what happened to you at all, merely hoping to help you overcome the panic you have about your teeth in general since I struggle myself with any tooth pain causing anxiety.

As for what could cause an infection from a routine filling replacement, various causes but it needn't be a dirty drill, yes that is a possibility but it could also be if the drilling affected the pulp as since it got to the nerve that sounds clearly like it went through that area, as in the pulp got infected, really though I don't know, perhaps this other dentist you're seeing should hopefully be able explain what likely caused it. Regardless it's really not a normal occurence from such a procedure, he drilled too deep when he clearly shouldn't have, infection or not that would generally cause issues.
 
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