• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

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New Member with Upcoming Appointment

shamrockerin

shamrockerin

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
752
Location
New Hampshire, USA
Hi everyone,

I've been lurking around this site for months now but I just registered on the forum. I hadn't been to a dentist in about 12 years, and in May, I was happily munching on some french fries as I worked on my final paper for final class of graduate school when I spit something hard out on my plate- it was a tooth!

It did not hurt at all because that tooth had a root canal when I was 17, and had a porcelain crown on it, so there was no feeling left in it, but it was extremely traumatizing. I was already under incredible stress to earn an A on my final paper to maintain my 4.0 GPA and graduate, and then my tooth fell out. . .which led to my current dental odyssey.

Making the story short, I found a dentist who glued the crown (with part of my tooth still inside) back in, but warned me that the tooth itself cannot be saved. He also noticed, obviously, that I hadn't been to a dentist in many years and informed me that he could see decay. I decided to be mature and face my fear head on, so I went in for x-rays and an exam (kind of had a panic attack during the exam though). So far, I've had two cleanings, and the next one isn't for 6 more months, and two appointments for fillings.

The fillings went better than i expected, but after the last one he told me that my upcoming appointment will be filling some of my upper front teeth, and that even with using a topical, I am still going to "feel it" (the injections). I used Nitrous for the past 2 filling appointments, and it had no effect on me. I am dreading this upcoming appointment because I have no idea what kind of injections are necessary for filling front teeth, and I also am imagining excruciating pain.

I have been trying to research different types of injections so I know what to expect, but I am not a dental professional so I get lost in the jargon. This is very frustrating, and it also exacerbates my fear. I just keep hearing/reading how traumatic injections are in the palate, but I feel like I am not actually learning anything, just feeding my fear and anxiety.

Can anyone offer me some experiences they've had with having cavities in (upper) anterior teeth filled?
 
Hi :welcome: he can rub the topical gel on your gums, this will numb the gum, not the tooth. If he then inserts the needle you should not feel the tip of the needle, and if he injects really slowly you should at the most feel a pinch for a second, it will be over before you have time to stress about it. If you need any more injections as long as he does it slowly these should be done pain free. Ask him to take his time doing the injections and you should be fine. Feeling a sensation and feeling pain is very different, and I really don't want to feel anything when in the chair, but that isn't really realistic. I have had a tooth out and a couple of rct's over the last few months and all were totally pain free including the injection, I did feel something with the injection but no stinging or sharp pain, it may have been pressure, but I find it hard to describe, but as long as there is no pain that is okay by me. I also am pants at knowing if I am numb, so if you are like me ask him to test the tooth or teeth before he starts to make sure, if you feel no pain then he can continue, if not have a top up.
I remember when I was young a lot of years ago, injections did hurt a lot sometimes, but that would have been down to the dentist. I think if you feel pain it isn't the needle going right in it is the numbing stuff, so don't be afraid of that either. That happens if they inject the stuff too quick.
I hope this helps a bit, let us know how you get on. Is your dentist sympathetic to your fear, if not find another dentist that is. You do want the topical gel rubbed on your gums though so ask for it. It is really good stuff. :butterfly:
 
Hi :welcome:

I just wanted to add, make sure the dentist waits at least a minute or two after putting the topical gel on so it has time to work. It needs a minute or two to numb the area properly.

I hope it goes well for you. :clover:
 
I have had three dentists give me treatment on the upper front teeth. The injections given by the first two ( 30 years ago and 17 years ago respectively) were painful - no doubt about that.
However my current dentist built up my two front teeth using composite fillings. The injection for that was vastly different from the two previous experiences. First of all he used topical anaesthetic. And then the most I felt after that could probably be described as pressure - maybe a slight pinch. That could be what your dentist was meaning by 'you are going to feel it'.
For the fillings in the front teeth the dentist did not have to inject into my palate. On the very odd occasion when my current dentist has had to inject the palate side of my gums (not for front teeth though) the most I felt was a 'sting' for a second and then pressure.
Hope that helps a bit :)
Coolin
 
Congratulations shamrockerin, on facing your fears and getting your teeth fixed up. You make it sound so easy, but it sounds like it's actually a pretty big deal for you. Don't forget to be a little bit (or a lot bit) proud of yourself for overcoming your fears and for continuing to go back. It's a really big accomplishment and one you shouldn't just shirk off. Great job! :welldone:

As for the injections. You didn't mention whether you have a fear of needles or not, so I'm not sure how much of a trigger that is for you. In my experience, dentists can vary quite a bit in their skill and gentleness at administering local anesthetic. Most injections can be done completely painlessly. Some, to be perfectly honest, hurt a bit. But really, even these just feel like a sharp pinch for a couple of seconds. It's about the same as any other medical shot or injection, like getting a vaccine. Injections are always given up in the fleshy part of the gums and not really anywhere near the teeth themselves.

That couple seconds of sharp pinch? That's the ONLY pain you should expect, if any. It's nothing near "excruciating", and the rest of the visit you won't feel any pain, just the annoying sounds and vibrations. I think because we see our front teeth so much more, we think that it's going to hurt much more than getting work done on the big, manly molars in the back. But really once the local is applied, you won't feel a thing. If you "enjoyed" your previous fillings, this should be exactly the same.

Now, if you are phobic about needles, definitely talk to your dentist about that. For some people (including me, thankfully), the phrase "just like getting a shot" is comforting. For others it's a horrifying thing to consider. For these people, there are lots of alternatives to make shots easier, including "the wand" and sedation. Your dentist may not have some of these, but if needles are a big fear factor, it might be worth finding a dentist who does.

My last advice to you, shamrockerin, is to get in the habit of talking to you dentist more, and asking questions. It's really important to build up trust with your dentist, and to let him know what you need. Your dentist might have thought it was his obligation to let you know that the injections might hurt a little, but what you heard was "Hoo boy, this one's going to be excruciating!" If you asked, "What does that mean, 'feel it'?" he might have been able to tell you that he's just talking about a little prick and not a lot of pain. (You might also tell him that you'd rather not know about any pain in advance. Some dentists are born with good chairside manner, but most have to be "trained" by their patients.)

Really though, you've already experienced fillings, and I can tell you that a filling is a filling is a filling (at least in terms of the experience). Don't let your thoughts run away from you... you'll be surprised at how easy it will be.

Good luck and hang in there!
 
You didn't mention whether you have a fear of needles or not, so I'm not sure how much of a trigger that is for you.

Hi everyone- thanks for the support. I DO have a thing about needles, and that's kind of how the whole dental phobia started. When I was 10, I needed some of my milk teeth extracted b/c the permanent teeth were already erupting underneath them. The baby teeth weren't even loose yet, so they had to come out. When I went to the dentist, nobody had told me what was going to happen or what to expect, so I was sitting in the chair and all of a sudden there was a huge needle above me and the dentist said "This is the hard part." I flipped out, pushed his hands away, jumped out of the chair and bolted down the hallway. I ended up getting referred to a dentist who used nitrous b/c they thought it would calm me (altho I still remember being terrified and saying "No!" when i saw the needle again). . .

The teeth were removed, and as a teen I had a filling that got infected, which led to a painful root canal experience, which led to a painful crown experience. This is the same crown that fell out of my mouth in May.

Since I started going back to a dentist, I have had 2 filling appointments. I was a wreck before/during them, which was pretty obvious to everyone. I have a habit, which began during my painful root canal, of digging my fingernails into the skin on my arms, drawing blood. The nitrous doesn't really seem to work for me now any better than when I was 10 yrs old. I have to admit, that during the first appointment, I barely felt the injection at all. I did feel it a little bit more at the second appointment, but I made it through. Even though neither time was particularly painful, my arms were a mess afterwards. I was hoping that the appointments would get easier as i got used to going, but now that I know I am going to "feel it" more I only imagine them getting more and more painful, which will make it harder and harder to keep going back.

Like I said, I've been trying to research what kinds of injections are necessary for front fillings, and now I am terrified that I'll have to have a nasopalatine block, which are apparently very painful and traumatic.
 
My last advice to you, shamrockerin, is to get in the habit of talking to you dentist more, and asking questions.

Thanks, Steve. I know that i should talk more and ask questions, but when I am there I am petrified and I freeze up. When I first went just to meet the dentist and have him look at the broken crown, my fiancee had to come with me and do all the talking. I completely froze up.

When I started panicking during the initial exam, he did stop and give me a break. I was quite grateful for this, because i wasn't able to ask for it myself. He saw that I was in distress and suggested that we just talk for a minute and he asked me "What's going on inside?" Unfortunately, in my panicked state I just couldn't talk, which was frustrating for me, and him too probably.

So, when he told me that I was going to "feel" the next injection more, I again froze up and didn't ask any questions such as "

-How much?
-How many injections?
-where exactly will the injections be?

etc.

So now, I am stuck torturing myself, trying to research what types of injections are used for front fillings, and imagining all the worst possible ones and the most painful appointment ever.
 
Hmm, that's a tough one. Objectively speaking, injections don't hurt much if at all, but phobias don't work objectively, do they?

It sounds like your dentist is compassionate but might not be equipped to handle your level of panic. That doesn't make him a bad dentist, or you a bad patient. It just means that you might need more support than you're getting.

Fillings are something you should definitely get taken care of but they're not usually something that need immediate attention. I think you might want to see if you can schedule just a consultation with your dentist or another, to talk about options for calming prescriptions, conscious or IV sedation, or other options like "the wand" that are available at some dentists and don't involve injections. If you schedule an appointment strictly to talk about options, you'll be able to get some of these questions out in a non-threatening environment.

My concern is that you should be able to build up some trust that your dental appointments will go well, and if it's always hell for you, it's going to make it that much harder to go back and maintain your smile. I think there's a tendency among us phobics to think that we just have to learn to "tough it out", but that isn't always the case. Many of us find that once we get past the initial panic, the procedures aren't all that bad. Others learn to develop certain coping mechanisms that make it easier. In your case it sounds like you're getting treated, but you're not getting any signals that it gets better-- in fact, you're getting the opposite. If there were no other options but to "work through it", that would be one thing. But there are other options.

I'm not a professional or in any way qualified to dispense advice, dental or psychological or medical. This is just my opinion. But I think in this case I'd advise you to put off getting the fillings, and work instead on finding someone who can treat you without your having to "feel it". That may be your current dentist or another, but I think you have a right to say, "This is not working for me," and keep looking for something that does.

I'm going to give you one more bit of personal information: you are not a bad person, or a freak, or in any way "wrong" or "flawed" because you have this phobia. It does mean that getting dental work will be harder for you than it is for other people, and that sucks. But it doesn't mean it has to hurt or that you just have to deal with it on your own. If you had high blood pressure or diabetes, no one would think any less of you for seeking help or taking medications to get those under control. There are techniques and medications available to make dental work painless even for phobics, and I think you'd do better to seek those things out than to keep trying to force yourself to face something you find intolerable.

So keep your head up and be honest about your fears, and look for someone who can take care of your teeth without making you dig up your arms. Good luck!
 
I think there's a tendency among us phobics to think that we just have to learn to "tough it out"


Hi and thanks again,

For this week's appointment, I am trying Valium. I had used Valium before my appt's when I was a teen, and I don't remember it making much of a difference then, but I am willing to try it again,. I am hoping that a combination of Valium, nitrous, and my trusty MP3 player (with very loud and fast music so I don't have to hear anything).

I will say that my second cleaning was a little easier than the first one, and I didn't dig into my arms much at all during it. I'm not necessarily trying to 'tough it out,' I think I just need to find the right combination of things to help me.

a general phobia of doctors+bad memories and painful dental experiences+12 years of avoiding dentists have really conspired against me, but I am trying.
 
I am having the backs of my 2 front teeth filled next Tuesday and I was also concerned since my dentist, who gives painless injections, did tell me I would feel these because they will be in the roof of my mouth. I'm not looking forward to that either but I think for the couple of seconds it takes, it will be manageable. I will post about it afterwards.
 
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