• Dental Phobia Support

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Abscess and lack of faith (new here).

S

Stasisesque

Member
Joined
May 25, 2008
Messages
25
Hi everyone!

This is quite a long story, so I'll try to keep it short:

After years of discomfort with my teeth (not physical, but emotional/mental due to the overcrowding, broken teeth and size) I finally worked up enough courage to have porcelain veneers fitted. The process was long and painful, and I think for a new start, a bit much. It was emotionally, mentally and physically draining (as I'm another one who suffers terribly from anxiety disorder and crippling panic attacks). I was thrilled with the results, but wasn't taking care of my teeth as well as I should have. After the final treatment, I was too shaken up to go back for the regular hygeinist treatments, and my brushing/flossing/mouthwash routine wasn't as thorough as it should have been.

As a result, my gums became inflamed (though not sore), and I was starting to worry my teeth, namely the bridge to replace my right canine, would fall out - or at least the veneers would fall off. So I went back to the dentist, who quite rightly lectured me (and as I'm used to it now, I took it well), but was comforting as he said it wasn't too late, and I booked in for more hygenist appointments - one for that same day.

This was a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday I had to go to my local emergency dentist as I'd been in agony for the past few days. It turned out I had a very large abscess on the bottom (inside the gum) of my wisdom tooth, and that that same wisdom tooth had become cracked and was decaying. I knew it was decaying, I could see and feel it - and was keeping it as clean as humanly possible (including salt washes) to try and ensure it didn't spread. I'm on antibiotics for it now, and it should clear up in a week or so, but the emergency dentist advised having the tooth removed - it's not doing anything for me, and it's likely to develop an abscess again in the future, no matter how clean I keep it.

I'm terrified about having it pulled, but know I'd much rather get rid of it than go through any of this past week's pain again, or risk it spreading to other teeth; but my main concern is that of my hygeinist - the emergency dentist said she should have spotted it, should have advised me having it removed asap, and should have x-rayed it to see how far the decay went. But none of that was done, and now I'm worried how much I can trust her at all. What if I have gum disease that hasn't been spotted, or that my teeth are rotting behind the veneers? I know I'm probably being a hypochondriac, but I spent so many years with my teeth being in a state of disrepair, and now they're (the veneers at least), lovely. I don't want to lose my veneers or my teeth.

I don't really have a question, I'm just very worried. :(
 
Hi there! I think you do have a question underlying this - should you look for another dentist. And from what you're saying, my feeling is yes! Although there's bound to be some degree of difference in the way any two (or more) dentists see the same mouth, I think to miss a decaying wisdom tooth is probably a bit more of a no-brainer. Could be wrong but apart from anything else, you don't trust her so don't risk making your phobia worse by compounding the matter. Others here who have ended up having extensive treatments, don;t come out the other end still not trusting their dentist, from what I've seen, so something is wrong there.

We're all in the same boat here - what we need most of all is to find ourselves a dentist we can trust and who won't hurt us, so we can deal with this longterm not just get it sorted temporarily then end up back where we started. I had 7 teeth out but needed no fillings and no other treatment 20 years ago. Because I had it under General Anaesthetic, it ended up being totally untraumatic or scary but also I was unconscious so never dealt with the phobia - and I thought I had it dealt with - but then I couldn't bring myself to go back when I had a minor problem that could have been sorted in 10 minutes probably, with a filling. In other words, was more important for me longterm, to have had the phobia addressed as well as the 7 bad teeth. Great, eh? But didn't address the phobia and I left it 20 years before I went back. I think if you have a course of treatment and don't come out the other end without your phobia eradicated or lessened greatly - that's not the dentist for you.

Lots of advice on here how to find a phobic friendly dentist.;D
 
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It's true I was probably asking that, but I sort of knew the answer already. :) Thank you for the encouragement, though.

I have an appointment on June 2nd, which I can't cancel (as I would have to pay a fee), and I think it might be good for me in the long run, as you say, to try and address my fears. They're very good with taking care of my panic attacks and making me feel at ease - but I'd like a dentist who will actually spot a decaying, dead tooth - as well as a panic attack. :(
 
I have an appointment on June 2nd, which I can't cancel (as I would have to pay a fee), and I think it might be good for me in the long run, as you say, to try and address my fears. They're very good with taking care of my panic attacks and making me feel at ease - but I'd like a dentist who will actually spot a decaying, dead tooth - as well as a panic attack. :(

Only you can call this...I actually don't think the lecture was appropriate but it all depends on the tone really and the nature of your relationship. Why was the other treatment so traumatic for you?...veneers should not be painful at all but you mentioned a bridge also (again afterpain maybe but not during treatment).

If the wisdom tooth is a very long way back...I suppose it could have been missed..seems a bit strange though...so maybe go on 2 June (it's only money though - hey wait a minute isn't 48 hours notice enough for them not to charge you?) and see how you feel...if they are really apologetic about not spotting it before then maybe you can give them another chance. A fully-erupted wsdom tooth shouldn't be that hard to get out...so long as you are numb (tell them if you are not) it should be fine.

Regular hygiene is the key to keeping your veneers pristine...so once the wisdom tooth is out, you could be out of the woods and into maintanance mode.:grouphug:

Actually if you liked the emergency dentist, could you switch to their practice?
 
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Thanks for the response, brit. :) The lecture was very mild, and more supportive than accusing - due to the trauma I went through with my original teeth, the dentist and nurses understand that I'm not really the world's biggest fan of teeth, and some days I'd rather just rip mine out (even with the veneers). ;D

As for the procedure being painful: I think I mentioned in my first post the overcrowding I suffered? At 20, I still had baby teeth/milk teeth which were "locked in" by my adult canines and... the teeth to the back of them (molars?), so had to have a fair few teeth removed; plus the filing down of the enamel on my teeth, the fitting of the bridge etc. I managed to fall victim of dry socket, too (although I wasn't aware that that was what it was at the time), so the entire process was quite unnerving and fairly painful. Not as painful as this abscess has proven to be, mind. :cry:

I spend an awful lot of time on my veneers these days (after kicking myself back into it), but was neglecting my wisdom teeth. To be honest, I'm frightened of wisdom teeth, I've read so many horror stories about them. ;D So a part of me is glad I'm getting this one at least, extracted - though I'm unsure about asking to have them all extracted at once. Will it increase the risk of nerve damage? Be more painful than having just one removed? I've had seven teeth removed in my life, all at different times, and I dread every single one - so I don't particularly want to be locked into a few more years of wisdom tooth extraction. I'm also not sure who I want to do it. My current dentist, when they removed my left canine, did it so quickly and painlessly (at the time, not counting the later complications) that I would trust him with removing any of my teeth now - but at the same time, not having this spotted is making me wonder if they care about my regular teeth half as much as my veneers...

I'm a smoker, too (I know, I know), so I tend to bleed copiously. (Personally I don't understand how this makes sense, but my dentist and doctor both assured me that it's related).
 
About wisdom teeth: It's not bad at all! I suppose it may be, but not necessarily. I had two removed, no big deal. You should read my success story!
 
About wisdom teeth: It's not bad at all! I suppose it may be, but not necessarily. I had two removed, no big deal. You should read my success story!


Shes right;) Getting them out gets a bad rap from the small amount of people that have trouble/pain during it. Most of my friends have said its pain-less and easy.:cheers: I will be finding out for myself in the near future also .:o


Best of wishes


*sorry about the rambling...couldent figure out how to make those thoughts flow together.
 
Hi there, from reading your posts I would think you definitely do have some reservations over the dentist in regard to trusting their judgment. I would say if you have any doubts at all, then it is time to look around for a dentist in whom you will have complete faith. You say you would have to pay for a June 2 appointment if you cancelled. Surely, no dentist can charge if you cancel with at least 24 hours notice. However, if you decide to stay with the same one, I hope you have a list of questions ready to ask so that he can satisfy every one.
 
I'm glad to hear you are looking after your veneers now. It's highly unlikely your teeth are rotting under them. If you make sure you look after them, floss and brush twice a day and go to the hygienist a couple of times a year it's likely they will last for a long time. I find a sonic toothbrush is really good at getting all the plaque off and making sure wisdom teeth are thoroughly cleaned. It also keeps gums healthy, particularly where I have crowns on my front teeth.

It's understandable that you have a tooth phobia after all you have been through. But don't worry there are plenty of nice and professional dentists out there who will make sure your teeth are well looked after without traumatising or hurting you.

If you feel you have lost confidence in your dentist then you should try someone new. However, bear in mind that dentists can sometimes be very harsh about each other's work and it's not very professional of the emergency dentist to say that your abcess should have been spotted by the hygienist. It may be that it was not so obvious when you went to see the hygienist and it's highly likely they did not x ray your teeth.

I've noticed dentists these days do not routinely xray your whole mouth like they used to. If you point out a problem area they will concentrate on that and do a visual scan of the rest of the teeth. An abscess is often not visible to the naked eye and sometimes not even visible on xray if it has not been there long.

It's obviously up to you, but I think you should look after your remaining wisdom teeth rather than considering having them all out. Why go through the trauma of extractions you don't need. If you go to see another hygienist every six months you should just need to brush and floss normally.
 
If you feel you have lost confidence in your dentist then you should try someone new. However, bear in mind that dentists can sometimes be very harsh about each other's work and it's not very professional of the emergency dentist to say that your abcess should have been spotted by the hygienist. It may be that it was not so obvious when you went to see the hygienist and it's highly likely they did not x ray your teeth.

Annie makes a good point...I've called it 'hairdresser syndrome' before...'who cut this last time?'. I think if you basically like them and would trust him to do any extraction (which you said) then see what they say on 2 June.
 
Annie makes a good point...I've called it 'hairdresser syndrome' before...'who cut this last time?'. I think if you basically like them and would trust him to do any extraction (which you said) then see what they say on 2 June.

This is a help to know. :)

The reason I would have to pay for the appointment anyway, is that I pay in advance by direct debit. My current dentist is hugely expensive (my veneers were a gift, so it's a struggle for me to afford any of the regular appointments).

I have an electric Oral B toothbrush (possibly the most expensive piece of gadgetry bar my PC ;D), but was advised against using a sonic one, as the pulses may damage the veneers?? There seems to be a lot of conflicting information. :confused:
 
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