• 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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A new and continued journey , challenges and blessings along the way.

krlovesherkids777

krlovesherkids777

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Sioux Falls, SD
I have been thinking of starting a journal and have been so encouraged by many of you and your journals and your journeys. So thought I would just start one. Wasn't sure what to call it. but.. it is true we all have challenges yet days and moments of blessing along the way. Thought I would start with one of my favorite sayings .. which always challenges me to move forward in courage despite being scared and anxious many times.

cave you fear to enter.jpg
 
I have an extraction scheduled for Thursday.. well it was supposed to be last week because I just wanted to get it over before I thought about it too much.. then we got sub arctic temps in my state. and had to reschedule just didn't want to do it in that weather.

Challenge: Aghh. haven't had an extraction in 2 years almost and the last one was really emotional and I cried and had to get myself together , ended up also being teh beginning of an implant journey. but I hate losing teeth I really wanted to keep them all I had. Not looking forward to the aftermath and healing and hoping it goes really quick. I"m just nervous about this.

Blessing: I have a great , kind, competent dentist who cares about his patients pain level and has pain free shots and has been extremely honest and I get the feeling though I don't have a ton of experience with him that I can really trust him on this. He's an emergency dentist so has plenty of extraction experience. I do believe I'm in the best of hands.. The loss is temporary, eventually I'll have a more solid implant and crown in there that will be better for me in the long term.

just venting. new to this journal thing :). but wanted to get my feelings out there to process. .
 
Welcome to the journals! I really like going back and reading over mine from time to time. Also I like recording positive experiences as they encourage me later on days when I am having a harder time managing my anxiety. I think dental fear is far more complex than people realize and it is therapeutic to write things down and reflect on it. Best of luck with your upcoming extraction :XXLhug:. Unfortunately, I can’t relate well. I had some baby teeth extracted when I was very young with nitrous and don’t recall much. Later in my teens, I had my wisdom teeth out under IV sedation which didn’t actually work quite perfectly but I still did not have much awareness of the extractions on either occasion. The nice thing about the implant is you should never have to worry about that tooth again once all is said and done!
 
Thank you Kitkat :) I had my upper implant last year and now I get the pleasure of going through the journey of a lower one. so I'm all onboard, and will give me a chance to get to know my new dental team with fairly regular visits through the year, hopefully they won't tire of me. Anyways. Unfortunately MN has been doused with more snow... and the roads are undrivable for the most part , just bad .. so I had to reschedule this extraction for next Tuesday and hope its better than.. I already had to reschedule due to subarctic temps over -27.. :(. Can winter be done?? I"m ready..and I'd rather just get this extraction out of the way and not think about it anymore.
 
I live in Florida so no snow here to contend with! I actually wore sandals to work yesterday :grin:. I hate when I have to put things off...I’d rather just get it over with once I’ve made up my mind to do it. At least you are familiar with the implant process and somewhat know what to expect this time even though it will be on the bottom.
 
What I would give to be in Florida right now :) :love::love: We just got more snow and freezing temps last night to call off school another day . Well. Now I am dealing with my lower right side a little swollen and bleeding between the teeth and hoping nothing is too wrong there.. Trying not to worry to much. I have an appt this Tuesday for the extraction for the implant, but hoping this isn't serious enough to have to do something else instead :(.
 
Thinking of you with your upcoming extraction appointment. Hopefully you can get it over with and will not have to reschedule again! :XXLhug:
 
LOl aghhh KitKat, we are due to have 4-8 inches tomorrow starting tonight so driving will be crazy if it is true.. in the process of seeing if my work can give me off to reschedule.. just crazy weather here. I have to have a certain momentum and get things done quick or I start thinking too much about it and if I really want to. Well. of course I do rationally .. but. good ol phobia creeps in at points.
 
If it makes you feel better, I live in the lightning capital of North America and I once had an appointment for a filling when it was storming really hard. Just as my dentist was reclining the chair, I heard her say “I hope we don’t lose power” (either talking to her assistant or just thinking outloud). That never even occurred to me that, that might happen! :o I also don’t know what the plan is, if that does happen! All was fine and I can look back and laugh about it now. When I left the office that day, I was dodging tornados on the way home!
 
omg... that is awful..and funny hindsight.. :) I wondered about that as I went to an appt one day when there was a tornado watch .. a good phobic though, what would happen if the tornado ripped through as they were drilling or something? never did happen either.. :). I am rescheduled now for Wednesday . Crossing my fingers and prayers that works weather wise.

Glad you made it home safe!! tornadoes are no fun for sure.
 
Hurry up and wait is the name of your game! Luckily in Florida, tornadoes do not stick around very long. They usually break up shortly after they touch down, if they touch down at all. I’ve had some very close calls with lightning though. In two different locations, I have had neighboring homes struck and catch fire (literally 2 minutes walking distance from where I was living). I will cross my fingers for you that the snow slows down long enough for you to get to your appointment on Wednesday!
 
Sounds very scary with the lightning eeks. thanks for the positive thoughts and encouragement..
 
update: yesterday I called to reschedule until tomorrow since today was predicted to have 4-8 inches of snow. That will make 3x rescheduled this appt, I could have been done a few weeks ago. Tomorrow looks like no snow. so . I will start the process then. A bit nervous trying to remain on a positive note. so. I will say I'm with the right dentist I believe he is fully competent to get this out with no issues in a nice painfree way so I can get a good implant tooth in there eventually. Stocked up on soup and some soft food and Nsaids.
 
Well today I finally made it to my extraction. I was nervous but trying to be more rational about it. I had a little peace as yesterday as a friend was asking me about it someone else sent a pic of the most beautiful sunset . I looked at it as a good sign. :)

I went in the gals in the office are very nice to me and the assistant came to get me. I know She really cares about doing a great job and putting people to ease so its a blessing to have a great assistant. She took my blood pressure it was 162. Yikes so they waited a bit and come to take it again which it went down to 140.

He gave me the anesthetic which I felt numb but not entirely so told him he gave me a few more shots and left me to get more numb. I felt the like this time but not bad only like 3 seconds.

I was a a little scared though my dentist was so nice about things , gentle and patient along the way. The noises and feeling of pulling stuff out were a little hard. Trying to tune that out but it was hard. It was a complicated extraction w the calcified roots and such but it happened and its over.

Once again my new dentist proved he cares about my comfort level and each of my questions and concerns which helps me trust him more.

I bled a lot after. It was a deep pocket. And came home to take pain meds and nap. Now after being awake for almost 2 hrs Going to bed again . Not sure how this will be tomorrow . Going for a one week follow up next week.
 
Well today I finally made it to my extraction. I was nervous but trying to be more rational about it. I had a little peace as yesterday as a friend was asking me about it someone else sent a pic of the most beautiful sunset . I looked at it as a good sign. :)

I went in the gals in the office are very nice to me and the assistant came to get me. I know She really cares about doing a great job and putting people to ease so its a blessing to have a great assistant. She took my blood pressure it was 162. Yikes so they waited a bit and come to take it again which it went down to 140.

He gave me the anesthetic which I felt numb but not entirely so told him he gave me a few more shots and left me to get more numb. I felt the like this time but not bad only like 3 seconds.

I was a a little scared though my dentist was so nice about things , gentle and patient along the way. The noises and feeling of pulling stuff out were a little hard. Trying to tune that out but it was hard. It was a complicated extraction w the calcified roots and such but it happened and its over.

Once again my new dentist proved he cares about my comfort level and each of my questions and concerns which helps me trust him more.

I bled a lot after. It was a deep pocket. And came home to take pain meds and nap. Now after being awake for almost 2 hrs Going to bed again . Not sure how this will be tomorrow . Going for a one week follow up next week.
So glad things went well! Feel better soon ?
 
Thank you so much Scared! Today was not too bad at all.

Its a little hard because the side this tooth was on was my chewing side, the other side only has 2 on the bottom and they are inflamed so write now I'm eating creamed soups, ice cream, gravy , pretty soft things for next few days.

I know this implant will be worth the wait. I did get good news that I can do the implant surgery next I"ll only need minimal bonegraft so I can do it at the same time.which helps to know it will be a little less time possibly :)

Looking back at my last few extractions I'm glad to say this one went really good in comparison. :)
 
That’s all fantastic news! You should give yourself a big pat on the back for going though with it, especially with a newer dentist. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
 
Thank you Kit Kat! I guess the more times I see him the less of a new dentist :) and implant ill be there a bit. I do miss my old dentist sometimes but I feel he's w me in spirit all the ways he helped me overcome fears , anxieties and shame. I just wont forget.
 
Day 3: Hardly any pain, a slight ache and feeling stiff , I have taken a few Tyelnol and ibuprophen mostly for a headache but sure it will help fend off any slight pain as well . Im still pretty much doing liquids, ice cream, smooties , soup, gravy and frosting. :). I bought myself cupcakes actually the day of procedure and I don't feel like distubing the clot possibly so just being extra cautious as its a really deep hole there. so I'm eating the frosting only .. wishing I had more.. maybe a french silk pie is in order..
 
Well, I was supposed to go in for my one week post extraction exam which is now turning into 2 weeks due to work schedule. I'm eating more, but its difficult as this extraction is on my "good" chewing side.. and the other side is compromised already with few teeth . And it is really stiff .The site looks "interesting" . Not terribly scary but deep and not sure what to think. I try not to look. The more time between appointments the more time I have to think.. Do I really want to do all this? Yes, I really do.. I want to face the fears because I know with my last implant , it is totally worth it, even though its quite a process.. Feeling this tooth gone is a weird feeling at times I want it back..
 
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