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My Journal from phobia to full restoration

F

Fantazia

Junior member
Joined
Jan 22, 2018
Messages
17
I've decided to write a journal of my journey in hope that it will help others and also help myself through this journey which has been a long one so far and no where near complete.
 
My first history and first visit 26/10/2017

So I have had a handful of bad experiences with dentist which I am not going to go into as it will help no one who has a fear. I have over the years gained a great phobia of dentists. At this time I was 37 and had not visited the dentist since I was around 20.

With a combination of reflux, medication and poor oral hygiene my mouth had become a mess of broken teeth and I hold my hands up and admit I gave up on them.

Fast forward to my appointment (I have a 4 year old boy who had made comments about my teeth and this was my motivation to make my appointment).

I was booked in with the hygienist who informed me what I already knew - all my top teeth HAD to come out. To my surprise the bottom teeth could be saved if I could bring my gums back to good health. The dentist came and had a look and agreed that when my gums were in a better condition they would then start work on a denture for the top. I had severe periodontitis in top and bottom gums.

I was thinking they was just going to look but they decided a deep clean was in order to help me with my gums. After shaking like a leaf all the way through it was finally over and I walked out of the surgery thinking it wasn't too bad and not as bad as I thought with my teeth...OK so I was still shaking like a leaf for a few hours after...but I did it!
 
Second Visit 19/12/2017

Didn't feel as nervous this time but still took me a while before I would sit in that chair! By this time I had another abscess starting on my top tooth :cry:

I had stuck to the strict hygiene plan and my gum sockets had tightened up a great deal and my bottom front teeth were barely moving any more.

It was agreed that my top teeth could come out now and I would be transferred to the dentist while she continued to work with me on the bottom teeth.
 
Extraction Day 23/01/2018

I'm not going to lie...this date will probably be etched into my brain for the rest of my life for being the worst and best day of my life.

I had full extraction of my top teeth today - I had 21 (yes I counted) jabs with a needle - I have several abscesses so they needed to ensure I was fully numb. I even encountered my first ever panic attack while waiting in the waiting room for the anesthetic to take effect - it seemed like the longest wait in my life.

Being called back in felt like my world was ending and as soon as I sat in the chair he said he was just going to look at the first tooth...and boom it was out - just like that. He carried on with the extractions (alot were broken below the gumline) and it seemed like forever for it to be over.

I survived...it was over and all them rotten teeth were out - gone.

I was then told that due to all the deep infection that had built up it would be 5-6 weeks before he would do impressions - I was gutted. I knew it couldn't be instant but didn't expect that long!
 
Impression day 01/03/2018 - Didnt happen

So this should of been my impression day - NOPE! Instead the beast from the east decided to dump a load of snow and I couldn't get to my appointment- absolutely gutted :cry::cry:

My new appointment is 21 March - a whole two months after extraction and no top teeth :cry:

Since extraction I have avoided talking to people - probably coming across as really rude. I also went on holiday - trying to hide my mouth incase anyone saw I had no top teeth.

Truly feeling really down - I know at the end it will all be worth it and don't get me wrong I am already feeling the benefit. My breath doesn't smell, my food tastes nicer (weird but true) and the biggest is I no longer have daily pain!

While I avoid talking to people because I have no top teeth and I am embarrassed I also find myself asking why? because I was happy to talk to people when I had rotten horrid teeth on show? It's odd how it makes you feel.
 
Update - Good news!

My dentist just rang! there has been a cancellation and they will see me tomorrow for impressions....over the moon :):):)
 
Hi+join the club (could literally have wrote that myself) lol Abscess's are nasty surprised they didn't give you antibiotics first before starting work on you,fair play tho doing it awake I had to be fully out of it. Where abouts in the uk are you? (I'm assuming from your snow comment) don't think I talked to people more before or now so people prob still think I'm just rude. Good luck for 2moro you can't do worse than I did today.
 
Hi there I just caught up with your story and you are QUITE the brave person for having all those teeth extracted while fully aware. I had my teeth extracted but had to be sedated first and I’m also being sedated for my implants on Wednesday. You are a true inspiration for pushing through your fear and getting to the other side of it. Good for you!

Please continue to post and let us know how you’re doing.
 
08 March - Impressions

So finally I had my impressions done - didn't particularly like the taste of it but still they are done and I feel excited ;D

I'm back on the 22 March for my bite doing and a further appointment with the hygenist (can't believe I have a double appointment).

They are saying that I have another 3 appointments before I have my denture so look at mid to late April but better late than never right?

I can do this - come this far!
 
Hi+join the club (could literally have wrote that myself) lol Abscess's are nasty surprised they didn't give you antibiotics first before starting work on you,fair play tho doing it awake I had to be fully out of it. Where abouts in the uk are you? (I'm assuming from your snow comment) don't think I talked to people more before or now so people prob still think I'm just rude. Good luck for 2moro you can't do worse than I did today.


Thanks for your reply :) Yes to be honest it wasn't until after the extractions were draining :sick: and healing that I did wonder about antibiotics and whether I should of been given them. Although things were that bad they probably wouldn't of made much difference to be honest.

I'm in west yorkshire - it snowed again bad the day of my impressions - but I managed to make it this time lol

Yeah the way people look at me you can tell they think I am really ignorant or something as I just kind of grut at them when they say hi - they maybe in for a shock when I can smile again plus talk again properly)
 
Hi there I just caught up with your story and you are QUITE the brave person for having all those teeth extracted while fully aware. I had my teeth extracted but had to be sedated first and I’m also being sedated for my implants on Wednesday. You are a true inspiration for pushing through your fear and getting to the other side of it. Good for you!

Please continue to post and let us know how you’re doing.


Thank you for your reply and thank you for your kind words. I would of preferred sedation but the dentist I managed to get in at does not offer this and if I had of waited longer to find one that did I am pretty sure I would of just cancelled the whole thing. It's deffinately a memory that will stay with me for life for both good and bad reasons.
 
Thanks for your reply :) Yes to be honest it wasn't until after the extractions were draining :sick: and healing that I did wonder about antibiotics and whether I should of been given them. Although things were that bad they probably wouldn't of made much difference to be honest.

I'm in west yorkshire - it snowed again bad the day of my impressions - but I managed to make it this time lol

Yeah the way people look at me you can tell they think I am really ignorant or something as I just kind of grut at them when they say hi - they maybe in for a shock when I can smile again plus talk again properly)

I can't imagine talking at people rather than looking away from its been a long time,yes its prob rude but have bigger things to stress about. The snow happened a week before my appointment down here if it had arrived later I wouldn't have got to mine as the hospital is in a diff city.
 
So tomorrow I have my second lot of impressions done. Rather than worried about the actual visit I am worried I now have an additional problem. When I had my first lot of impressions done it got stuck on my bottom teeth and the day after I noticed my bottom front tooth was a little wobbly...fast forward to today and for some reason I decided to check my tooth moving in the mirror and yes it's very loose.

Now comes the panic that they are going to halt my top denture (they did say if my bottom teeth couldn't be saved then they would want to do top and bottom dentures together).

The problems with this is firstly I don't ever want to go through the whole process of having teeth pulled again - secondly finances just will not do the bottom set at the moment and thirdly I have managed to secure myself a job at the end of April (which is providing I have my teeth and of course if i don't have them there will be no job)

Im on 21 march and first had my teeth pulled on 23 January - this feels like a nightmare and now I feel like I am back to square one feeling terrified to go to the dentist due to anxiety about the loose front tooth :cry::cry:
 
22 March - Second Impressions

So yesterday I saw both the hygienist and Dentist - this time I had to take someone with me as I was in total panic and fear about going.

Good news and bad news!

Good news is my teeth are not as wobbly as I am thinking they are! The hygenist did another scale and root thingy and she is happy with how my bottom teeth are and how my gums are healing - so I don't have to see her for another 6 months now woohooo :cheer::cheer2:

I then saw the dentist and had my wax impressions done - all went well and nothing fell out. Now the bad news my dentist is now shut until after Easter....my next appointment for try ins is 17 April - originally he said May but I pushed for April. Once this next appointment is done he said it will be another 3-4 week before I see any teeth!

So there we have it - teeth extracted in January and finally have some teeth at the top by May. Cant believe how long this process has been especially as I was originally told it would be 4-6 weeks after extraction to get my teeth :(
 
So here I am...I had my try-in and now I will be collecting my new smile on the 1st May

I cannot even begin to say how this feels...although during my try-in I was looking in the mirror thinking what are these things in my mouth this isn't me - I don't have nice teeth like this. Wow this will take some getting used to and I'm under no illusion that it's going to be easy at all.

Here is to the 1st May (come round fast) :jump::jump::jump::jump::jump::jump::jump:


Just want to add - today I arrived at the dentist without that sickness and dread feel. I walked in happy and was able to sit in the chair immediately.
 
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