B
bigchungus
Junior member
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2025
- Messages
- 1
- Location
- texas
hello all! i am very happy that i found this support page. it was truly the only helpful thing when i would unfortunately try and self diagnose myself through google searches. if you’re anxious about your health it’s best you don’t search up anything!
i would like to share my story in hopes it will help someone else.
some context:
i was born with a genetic disability that caused me to never get my adult teeth. i was very depressed due to the other symptoms of my disability (that’s another story) and so i neglected my health in a lot of ways, my oral health being one.
i’ve had lots of procedures and dentist visits and they would always be so tense and painful. it was all to prepare me for my future implants.
when i was 17 i finally got a full set of dental implants / bridge. (2017) al of my original teeth were pulled out and titanium posts were put into my jaw
when i graduated high school i had a lot of bad things happen to me. after losing two close family members, i did not make the best choices and coped with my depression by self destruction/harm. this included me avoiding the dentist as much as i could.
after missing a few appointments i finally get a cleaning done in 2021. the dr had told me that my gums were super irritated
6 months after that i’m supposed to go for a cleaning but i canceled it.
at the beginning of 2023 i had started to feel anxious about my oral health. my gums would bleed so much and would feel like they were throbbing.
i started taking meds and seeing a therapist. i slowly began to take really good care of my teeth. i knew i needed to go to the dentist but i was nervous about what they would say. i didn’t wanna know about any bad news
i also felt like i would be in trouble for some reason.
did i mention a cleaning is $250
2024…
january- i had made an appointment and was going to use my tax return to pay for it. then life happened and i had to fix my car, pay medical bills for a broken foot and catch up on old bills. if i’m being honest , i was kind of relieved when i had to cancel it. i still had this crippling anxiety about the dentist!!
in the late summer i was brushing and i noticed more recession,and thought i could see exposed jaw bone. (the way my implants are designed is like screw in dentures so i couldn’t see part of the roof of my mouth) had a full blown panic attack and felt so horrible. i kept wishing that i could just go back in time and brush my damn teeth!! i also was nervous there was a new growth on my hard palate. i made an appointment but the soonest was january 7th 2025. it felt so far away. every day i would google my symptoms and would become more and more scared. just thinking about going to the dentist made me feel sick to my stomach.
i just kept telling myself, if something is wrong its better to fix it now before it gets worse
2025
january 6th i was up all night reading others testimonies and some scary posts. reddit has the most scary posts
STAY AWAY FROM GOOGLE IF YOURE NERVOUS ABOUT YOUR SYMPTOMS!!
the appointment- my dentists office is a 2 hour drive from me since it’s a specialty clinic. i am so anxious on the way there. i finally get there and i am shaking. they walk me into the back room and i immediately started crying and explained how i felt awful about the years of neglect, but i have been trying so hard to take care of my oral health now. i told them that i was scared somethings wrong but i wanna know now and fix it. the staff was so nice and understanding. they told me that it’s fantastic i’m here now and i’m doing the right thing. they said i should be proud of myself. i felt so comfortable there.
the assistant unscrewed my top and bottom bridge and said “for not being here in almost 4 years your teeth are actually pretty clean and your gums look good. some people that come in every 6 months don’t even look this good”
the dr came in and looked at my gum tissue and said it all looks good and the x-rays do too
i could not believe it. i kept telling them how relieved i was. it felt like all of this tension in my body went away!
CONCLUSION:
all of these posts are right! it is much worse in your head. i was convinced i had oral cancer, severe bone loss and necrosis in my gums.
schedule an appointment and explain your anxiety!
also, a water pik does wonders! get one with 10 settings though. the ones with 5 or less are too strong!
sorry for the long post i hope this helps someone else!
here’s a photo of the xray. you can see both of my nostril piercings
i would like to share my story in hopes it will help someone else.
some context:
i was born with a genetic disability that caused me to never get my adult teeth. i was very depressed due to the other symptoms of my disability (that’s another story) and so i neglected my health in a lot of ways, my oral health being one.
i’ve had lots of procedures and dentist visits and they would always be so tense and painful. it was all to prepare me for my future implants.
when i was 17 i finally got a full set of dental implants / bridge. (2017) al of my original teeth were pulled out and titanium posts were put into my jaw
when i graduated high school i had a lot of bad things happen to me. after losing two close family members, i did not make the best choices and coped with my depression by self destruction/harm. this included me avoiding the dentist as much as i could.
after missing a few appointments i finally get a cleaning done in 2021. the dr had told me that my gums were super irritated
6 months after that i’m supposed to go for a cleaning but i canceled it.
at the beginning of 2023 i had started to feel anxious about my oral health. my gums would bleed so much and would feel like they were throbbing.
i started taking meds and seeing a therapist. i slowly began to take really good care of my teeth. i knew i needed to go to the dentist but i was nervous about what they would say. i didn’t wanna know about any bad news
i also felt like i would be in trouble for some reason. did i mention a cleaning is $250
2024…
january- i had made an appointment and was going to use my tax return to pay for it. then life happened and i had to fix my car, pay medical bills for a broken foot and catch up on old bills. if i’m being honest , i was kind of relieved when i had to cancel it. i still had this crippling anxiety about the dentist!!
in the late summer i was brushing and i noticed more recession,and thought i could see exposed jaw bone. (the way my implants are designed is like screw in dentures so i couldn’t see part of the roof of my mouth) had a full blown panic attack and felt so horrible. i kept wishing that i could just go back in time and brush my damn teeth!! i also was nervous there was a new growth on my hard palate. i made an appointment but the soonest was january 7th 2025. it felt so far away. every day i would google my symptoms and would become more and more scared. just thinking about going to the dentist made me feel sick to my stomach.
i just kept telling myself, if something is wrong its better to fix it now before it gets worse
2025
january 6th i was up all night reading others testimonies and some scary posts. reddit has the most scary posts
STAY AWAY FROM GOOGLE IF YOURE NERVOUS ABOUT YOUR SYMPTOMS!! the appointment- my dentists office is a 2 hour drive from me since it’s a specialty clinic. i am so anxious on the way there. i finally get there and i am shaking. they walk me into the back room and i immediately started crying and explained how i felt awful about the years of neglect, but i have been trying so hard to take care of my oral health now. i told them that i was scared somethings wrong but i wanna know now and fix it. the staff was so nice and understanding. they told me that it’s fantastic i’m here now and i’m doing the right thing. they said i should be proud of myself. i felt so comfortable there.
the assistant unscrewed my top and bottom bridge and said “for not being here in almost 4 years your teeth are actually pretty clean and your gums look good. some people that come in every 6 months don’t even look this good”
the dr came in and looked at my gum tissue and said it all looks good and the x-rays do too
i could not believe it. i kept telling them how relieved i was. it felt like all of this tension in my body went away!
CONCLUSION:
all of these posts are right! it is much worse in your head. i was convinced i had oral cancer, severe bone loss and necrosis in my gums.
schedule an appointment and explain your anxiety!
also, a water pik does wonders! get one with 10 settings though. the ones with 5 or less are too strong!
sorry for the long post
i hope this helps someone else! here’s a photo of the xray. you can see both of my nostril piercings
