not looking forward to it

Hi Folks

I havent been to a dentist for at least 8 years, but i now have an appointment on 24th Feb and im not looking forward to what they may tell me. Plus the last time i was in this dentist im going to i fainted on my way out and i didnt really have anything done!

Im almost 26 and havent had any real work ever done on my teeth so its the fear of the unknown really. Everyone tells me its nothing to worry about, i sorta do believe them but i seem to keep finding stuff wrong with my teeth.

Im sure most of my teeth have something wrong with them. Im probably being paranoid. I do admit to probably not looking after my teeth as well as i should but i did clean them everyday (although not twice) but now i clean twice a day and mouthwash and have sugarfree gum after meals/sweets/fizzy drinks.

Am i being paranoid?

Good Morning:

I do not think you are paranoid. I would say you are concerned.

Anxiety and fear always make things seem much worse than they usually are. Over 95% of the things we fear might happen usually never do.

Dental techniques are constantly improving and the focus is on patient comfort. Dentists can do amazing things very easily. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Anxiety focuses on the unknown.

In regard to fainting sounds like you had a vasovagal syncope. This can happen for a variety of reasons like stress, hunger, medication, extreme laughing, being in one position too long, usually standing or reclining.

Some people are prone to these and they are not life threatening.

The first time I encounter this was early in my practice. The patient was getting up to leave and they dropped like a stone. I immediately thought "I killed them" and called for a code. Everyone rushed in and ready for the worst. Turned out to be a vasovagal episode. They revived and I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. My mentor said to me: "It is good to error on the side of caution, just catch them next time!" They are fairly common.

You can prevent them by crossing your legs or tightening and relaxing your leg muscles if you will be sitting in a reclined position for a while.

Just take it one step at a time. Your first appointment will be a consultation where you can decide what options you have for treatment.

Write a list of thing or concerns you may have so you do not forget to address them.

Make a plan and stick to it. You will be fine. Good job in taking this action.

Keep us informed of your progess.

well i went today and honestly it was nowhere near as bad as i expected. I do need some work but i was expecting some after not going for probably 10 years.

-I need 2 top wisdom teeth extracted as there is not much of them left and may cause infection in the future (should be a simple extraction)
-4 or 5 mostly small fillings (2 bottom wisdom,2 top near front, 1 bottom near back i think possibly)
-2 teeth cleaned and fissure sealed

All in all not bad really and the experience was more that pleasant than i expected, now i know what needs done i feel a lot better and it hasnt worked out to expensive either which is even better.

All the above treatment will be done over 4 appointments and all will be done by the end of march! My next appointment is 2nd March where he would like to take out one of the wisdom teeth but told me it was totally up to me what i wanted to get done first and said id probably prefer the fillings first to wean me into getting treatment done. I will see how i feel nearer the time.

I seem to have found a really nice dentist who made me feel totally at ease, i do feel a little nervous for my next appointments but i think ive got away quite lightly only needing the above and having a very sweet tooth!!!

Hope your next appointments go as well. When I need any drilling done I always take a cd walkman / mp3 player with me with a relaxation cd, I find this drowns out the noise and helps me relax. Keep in touch.

well i had my first filling today, absolutely no pain at all but the noise is definitely a bit unnerving.

The filling feels a bit strange tho, not as in sore tho. I dont want to bite down on as ive got this fear it will break since its on the edge of the tooth. Will it feel more natural as time goes on?

Glad to hear everything went well. Yes, fillings or anything else which changes inside your mouth does always feel a bit weird for a while. I guess your tounge telling your brain it has to adjust to the new difference in shape and sensations.

I recently had a large filling to replace a broken off tooth. When it broke, it felt weird, then I got used to it and didn't notice it. Had a filling to restore it and it felt wierd again. Now I don't notice it.

Don't worry about the bite down bit. Thats a natural reaction of being careful not to damage it. I always have a tendancy to avoid biting on teeth which have had work done on them, but there will be a time when that tendancy disappears and you won't realising you are doing just that.

I had three fillings today, the minute I got sensation back in my lips I had some pizza! I just chewed carefully in case I felt/heard anything weird.

hey

glad to hear you got on well i'll admit i felt the same as you when i went thinking oh no there is going to be LOADS wrong and i had mostly the same as you, one top wisdom to be removed, a filling fixed, my front teeth need some fillings as there overlapping, scale and polish and braces

i had my wisdom tooth out on friday 13th last month and it wasn't too bad, yet again it was the noises etc that is unnerving but it took less than 30 seconds and it was done! i couldn't believe how quick it was lol

good luck with the rest of your treatment i'm in again this friday for a filling to be sorted a wee bit has broken off

my next treatment is on the 16th march but knowing what a filling is like i may go for getting one of the wisdom teeth out. Although I was really surprised how calm i was whilst getting the filling!!

i didnt like the noises but at least i know it doesnt hurt, only a tiny bit with the needle. i was told i had 3 shots and i was convinced i only had one. i did feel a bit funny when i was getting the local and afterwards waiting for it to numb up but it did go away and didnt feel any real panic when i went back into the chair.

The dentist i have is really good and explains any noises or feelings i may experience. He doesnt mind taking the treatment slowly which puts my mind at ease, i do have only 3 more appointments to get my treatment done but i think i may ask for more as one bit of treatment in a session is enough for me!!! Still 3 or 4 fillings, 2 top wisdoms out and fissure sealant to go!!!

I can put up with the discomfort the noises bring for the duration of my treatment! I Just keep thinking it will be worth it in the end. Not keen on the silver fillings but cant have it all!

I won't have silver fillings because of the mercury. I chose composite. It cost a bit more...but we'd just gotten our tax return, plus we have a health care reserve account that reimburses us, so no problem there. I looked at the two bottom teeth that got filled and I think she did a really good job...I don't even notice anything!

My dentist told me if I needed a break, just raise my hand. I just lay back and tried to relax--and trust them when they say breathe through your nose! And she also explained what she was doing as she did it.

i had a filling done on friday and i must say the music thing REALLY helped, normally i am a heavy metal ype fan but my mum gave me some now 71 or something to put on and i chose a few of the mellow songs and for the first time i didnt grip the seat till my knuckles turned blue! and in no time atall she said that all the drilling was done and all she had to do was fill it! i was really suprised i thought it went really quick and i felt so relaxed with the music, the 2 songs i listened to were sugababes - changes and one called "the man who can't be moved" can't mind who sings it and they worked wonders! i will be tellin my mates to do this now cause it really helped

ianto said:

i had a filling done on friday and i must say the music thing REALLY helped, normally i am a heavy metal ype fan but my mum gave me some now 71 or something to put on and i chose a few of the mellow songs and for the first time i didnt grip the seat till my knuckles turned blue! and in no time atall she said that all the drilling was done and all she had to do was fill it! i was really suprised i thought it went really quick and i felt so relaxed with the music, the 2 songs i listened to were sugababes - changes and one called "the man who can't be moved" can't mind who sings it and they worked wonders! i will be tellin my mates to do this now cause it really helped

Click to expand...

Oooooh - The Man Who Can't Be Moved is by The Script

I'm glad to see the music helped you Ianto, i always find it helps when I need any drilling done to listen to a relaxation cd.