Absolutely terrified beyond belief

[tmesis]

My teeth have always been terrible. When I was a kid I had to have extensive treatment including tonnes of extractions, fillings, braces and gum operations and when I reached 18 with my treatment unfinished I stopped going to the dentist. 12 years later and I have made an appointment for this Monday.

I'm absolutely terrified. 6 years ago my kidneys failed and I have been taking auto-immune suppressents since then. This has helped make my already hideous teeth completely rotten (kidneys are doing okay though!) I've always thought that my teeth weren't salvagable and now I know it.

The funny thing is, I'm feeling kind of excited under the terror. I have lived with the worst smile in the world my whole life: my teeth are all yellow and crooked and they can't get much worse. I've spent 30 years burying my head in the sand, hiding my smile, avoiding meeting new people. My confidence has been at rock bottom and it's finally got to the point where enough is enough.

I'm assuming (and hoping) my new dentist will agree to go to work on these and pull them out. Dentures aren't exactly ideal, and I'm very concerned what my boyfriend and family will think, but at least I would be able to smile in public.

Has anyone else had to get dentures at a relatively young age? Would love some reassurance about this. Am really not looking forward to having a mouthful of gums.

 

[lastchance]

Well done for contacting a dentist! I would wait and see what they say about your treatment. I'm sure if they can leave some teeth in they will as these will support partials much better making the end result better and easier for you.
Your in the right place here, have a good read around and you'll be able to find people in similar situations and dealing with dentures or partials. The people on this site are really inspiring, it's always reassuring to know your not alone.
When I've managed to get far enough I'll be needing partials to fill in the gaps and like you I'm pretty young.

 

[tmesis]

I had the appointment an hour ago. Had a panic attack this morning and was shaking from head to foot on the way down there but the receptionists were very nice. When I got into the dentist's office I burst into tears as I told them about the state of my teeth -- very embarrassing but they were so, so nice!

The dental assistant went out of his way to cheer me up and my dentist was very careful as she looked at my teeth. They kept on checking if I was okay and asked before they did anything, and they said I could put my hand up at any time if I wanted them to stop. At the same time they assured me that my teeth weren't as bad as I thought, and that they were definitely savable.

I can't believe it. I got some X Rays and even agreed to have the tartar removed from my front teeth there and then. I had honestly thought that my teeth would come out when it did because the gums had worn away but somehow they are still stuck well inside there!! It didn't even hurt, not one bit.

The wisdom tooth at the back that I thought was completely rotton is actually only stained, so it can stay in. It needs a filling which I'm getting on Thursday, and the rest of the teeth need a good clean, but otherwise -- and I can't believe I'm saying this -- they're healthy.

I really can't believe it. I'm so happy I'm shaking.

 

[K-Bird]

Tmesis!---That is wonderful!! And congratulations for having the courage to do what terrified you so much. From what I have been reading since I first started posting here, is that almost everyone has found their experience way less traumatizing when they actually got into the dentist's office and on with the appt.. Keep on with your journey--you never know what kind of decisions you will make to improve your smile now that you have taken that 1st step.
And it will be worth it all--trust me!!!