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My Story (or How I Finally Got Into the Dentist Chair)

L

Limelight83

Junior member
Joined
Jul 29, 2014
Messages
8
I'll preface by saying the last time I was in a dentist's chair, I was 12 years old. I'm 31 now. When I was kid I had fillings and deep cleanings done -- all without anesthesia. Really it wasn't that bad, but my childhood dentist wasn't the most gentle doc either and did little to calm down a scared child.

After that, my parents struggled a bit financially so regular dentist visits weren't happening and after when I went to college I lacked any kind of a health insurance or income to go. During that time, two of my fillings had fallen out and by 23 the teeth were rotten and eventually broke off -- a REALLY painfully process that happened over the course of a few months. Right out of college, my biggest concern was paying my bills and student loans not my teeth. I also was a bit embarrassed by the condition of my teeth. (Funny thing is I get complimented all the time how nice my teeth look -- and the front ones look great, but if you opened my mouth, it was a different story.)

Finally this year my teeth were telling me something was wrong. My wisdom teeth were visibly rotten and my breath was so horrendous I was self-conscious about getting close to people. The tipping point was about a month ago when one of my molars started bothering me. Eventually, it started feeling loose and it became difficult to eat. I was actually having nightmares where my teeth would fall out and I would wake up crying.

So, I knew I had to do something. If I wanted to keep the teeth I already had I had to go to the dentist.

First thing I did was ask my friends for recommendations, asking for a dentist who was gentle, understanding, and, most importantly to me, a woman. (I prefer women docs, as I find them more nurturing.) One friend recommend a dentist about half a mile from my house. I called and decided to be honest with the receptionist: I had a toothache, possibly infected, and I hadn't seen a dentist in almost 20 years. She asked me why? And I said, "Because I'm afraid." She told me "You have nothing to be afraid of." I already started to like this place.

When I went for my oral exam and x-rays I was ready incase the dentist wanted to start work then and there. I told her the whole experienced was scary to me and she assured me that she would make sure I was comfortable as possible. After the x-rays, I expected really bad news. First thing she told me, "Relax, it's not as bad as you think."

I needed all my wisdom teeth removed because of decay, remove the roots out of the two molars that had broken off when I was 23, 10 fillings, and a deep clean. Great, I thought, this is going to take several session. But she said, "I can do it all in one appointment and in about 2-3 hours." Really? It sounded scary but I also liked the idea of getting everything done in one sitting. She scheduled me to come back in a week and prescribed me antibiotics and prescription-strength ibuprofen in the meantime. (The antibiotics was to tame the infection in one of my wisdom teeth and also protect my heart from bacteria that could enter my bloodstream during the teeth extraction.)

I'm not going to lie, I was a nervous wreck and cried the days before my surgery. Also, the antibiotic caused me a lot of pain as it fought the infection -- perhaps some of the worst pain I've ever felt. I couldn't talk for two days and was on a soup-only diet. But by the time my appointment came around, the infection was under control and the area so no longer tender.

Well, today I went and got all my work done in one sitting. I had a list of question to ask the dentist before she started and she answered them all truthfully and put me at ease. I requested nitrous, but she said she was going to do the cleaning and fillings first, so I could wait until the tooth extraction for the nitrous. Made sense to me. She numbed my mouth with novocaine and was so gentle that I didn't feel a thing as the needle went in or the novocaine going into my gums. As soon as she did that, I knew I got this. I was so relaxed after that that once she had finished cleaning my upper teeth she started to remove the top wisdom teeth. I'm going to be 100% honest with you: I was SO NUMB I didn't even realize what she was doing. And by the time I did realize what she was doing, she had removed two wisdom teeth and the two roots of the molars that broke off. I felt so silly of being scared.

The only uncomfortable part was one of my bottom wisdom teeth was so decayed it broke into pieces and there was one very small piece that it took her about 20 mins to remove. I could see the frustration on her face. She assured me she was going to get it out and couldn't leave it in there without risking infection. I felt a lot of pressure but not once did I feel ANY pain.

Now I'm at home recovering and the only pain I feel is a slight soreness from the area of the difficult wisdom tooth removal. It just sort of feels bruised but not really painful. The vicodin helps dull the pain but I don't think I even need it.

I'm glad I did it. I look my teeth in the mirror and they look so nice and white and the rancid breath is gone.

Really, the key is finding a dentist that makes you comfortable and I honestly now think any kind of sedation beyond novocaine is unnecessary unless you are having major oral surgery.
 
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Wow you did it :dance2::yayy::dance2:

That should be a great inspiration to many people, you should be very proud. It sounds like you have a great dentist too, I definitely agree with your last comment.

Well done for going through with your treatment. :jump:
 
congratulations!!
 
Looking back my experiences weren't all that traumatic but to a frightened small boy, they were.

My dental surgery in the seventies and eighties was in north Leeds. I won't name the practice as its owner is still with us although long since retired. The problem for me (not at all for my six older siblings) was the chair in the upstairs surgery. A big, monstrous, scary-looking contraption in pale blue metal and black vinyl. Upright, functional and sterile. Even for the mid-seventies I guess it wasn't the most modern equipment. Oddly enough the surgery next door was identical only pale pink in colour and I found it far less threatening. Weird. I've since concluded it was almost certainly Siemens equipment which would go a long way towards explaining the lack of aesthetics !

My poor mother, now sadly departed, and Mr ******* (dentist) tried everything they could over the years to get me to sit and relax in that damn chair but I wasn't having any of it. I cried and fought and kicked every time. They must have dreaded the four-monthly check-ups. As did I. I really don't know to this day why I was so scared.


Anyway time went by and our family was transferred to another associate dentist in the practice after the other fellow left to set up his practice. This meant being seen in the downstairs surgery which was rather more modern than those upstairs and less frightening to me. However I was a still a reluctant patient despite my relief at not having to venture to the blue and pink terrors any more.

In early 1981 at the age of ten Mr ***** (new dentist) decided my baby molars had to come out. Naturally I was terrified at the prospect. It wasn't so much losing the teeth or the thought of the general anaesthetic which would be needed. I knew full well that these procedures were always carried out in the upstairs surgeries, home of the horrid, nasty chairs and there would be no way out. On the morning of my appointment I woke up shaking like a s******g dog with an image of the big blue chair haunting me. Anyway my Dad drove us to the practice and we trooped upstairs after just a few minutes' wait. I was still terrified as we reached the top of the stairs and the pale blue surgery awaited us. BUT to my delightful surprise the nasty blue contraption was GONE and in its place a much newer full reclining number. I relaxed immediately and couldn't help blurting out "hey, it's a new chair ! " I took my seat without hesitation, dentist and anaesthetist explained what was to take place and away we went. I seem to remember the anaesthetist was a local GP who did this job as a sideline. Nice chap although the gas he administered smelled horrible and made me sick afterwards. I haven't been back in that blue room since (or the pink one) and I'm not likely to, especially now the building is an estate agents. I think I would have a hard time climbing those stairs even thirty three years on, let alone walk in those creepy,foforeboding rooms. I never willingly did so, so it will always be unfinished business.

However, from that day in early 1981 I lost my fear of the dentist and dentistry and have never looked back. I even seriously considered it as a career when I was in my teens. Unfortunately it wasn't to be but at least I'm not frightened any more :)
 
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Hi!!! :) I too have some molars that are completely gone and rotten.. I've had these for a while now and worried they may affect my health. Did you ever feel ill with your teeth before they were removed? x
 
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