About to have yet another filling

[welshman84]

Hi there, I should point out I did have an account on here years ago but I forgot the username I had on here and the email I used at the time. If I recall correctly it had to do with the crown I was about to have put in and the temporary one fell out. A bit of a back story I never had a fear of dentists when I was a kid, when I was a teenager I was pretty much fine but it wasn't til I had my first filling was when the fear started. I am about to have another filling on Monday and I'm dreading it more then ever and here is how it came about.

On Tuesday I started to get a massive pain in my right jaw where the joints are connected even though my teeth and gums felt fine so I thought I slept awkward or something. The pain lasted all day but it got less painful before I went to bed, I slept okay and on Wednesday morning there was no pain at all then a couple of hours later when I was visiting my grandmother the pain came back with a vengeance. I took a painkiller and it did little to help so on my way home I had to make an appointment to see my dentist even though I was due for a check up but I wasn't sure if this was a dental problem.

When I got home I thought I should at least do a bit of research to see what I was up against and though I either had an infection (and I read nasty stories about people who had a dental infections and one actor I liked died from a dental infection) or I may have TMJD, since the internet is mostly made of websites that may have misinformation I only went on the NHS sites and the sites of toothpaste makers such as Colgate. On Wednesday night again I slept okay no problem much like the previous day I felt no pain yesterday morning I went to see my dentist and told him about the pain, when it happened so he had a look at my mouth he tapped my teeth (not sure why cause I felt no pain at all so I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing) and took an x-ray. After looking at the x-ray he said I have an infection that may be from the crown I have and I have a bit of decay as well so I need to have another filling, he put me on antibiotics and I made an appointment for Monday morning since I prefer to get these things over and done with.

One of the major problems I have is that I can't open my mouth wide enough and long enough for him to work with cause I never have taken massive bites for many years now (mostly cause when I was a kid I bit into a sandwich and there was something sharp in it which caused me a lot of pain) and if I'm able to do that my cheeks don't relax at all despite my best efforts. Sometimes I think he is losing patience with me cause of this and I'm worried that it may get to the point where he will refuse to see me. I really hate that I have this fear, I hate that I have a crown and have had fillings done despite that I brush my teeth everyday (if I ever forgot for some reason I would do a quick brush as soon as I was able to). I'm hoping there is way I can train myself somehow to open my mouth if that is possible (if anyone knows if there is a way I will appreciate any advice you can give me) so I could at least do my part to make sure he does his job correctly and get it over and done with. Sorry about the long post.

 

[carole]

Hi to the forum.

Ask your dentist if they have a small biting block that you could have placed on your back teeth at the opposite side to the side that needs work. This will give you something to let your teeth rest on and stop you from closing your mouth until you take it out. A lot of people don't like these but if you feel in control and the dentist will stop to give you a rest if you need it then it may help you to get the treatment.

Let us know how you get on

 

[welshman84]

A little update. I had the filling done on Monday and I finished my antibiotics on Tuesday. Due to the infection I had in me on top of the treatment I was really pale (if I didn't have the infection I doubt I would have been considering how many fillings I've had) so my mother came down with me. The filling itself was a little bit better then I thought it would be cause I thought it was going to be one of the back teeth but it wasn't. My dentist told me to finish my antibiotics which I did on Tuesday however I'm still having pain and last night night I couldn't get to sleep at all. I'm not sure if it's either the filling or the antibiotics didn't do their job or a new infection has crept in. I'm awfully divided between waiting for at least another couple of days or having it checked out.

 

[brit]

I'm not a dentist but you may have two things going on...maybe there is some TMJ type pain perhaps caused by clenching which you are unaware of. Obviously if the situation does not resolve, you need to return to the dentist for further investigation of your symptoms.