• Dental Phobia Support

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Anxiety: root canals, avoidance and in pain

T

tayl123

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2015
Messages
31
I had to get an emergency appointment today for a molar (UL7) with severe tooth decay which is into the nerve, known about the decay for a while and should have got treatment sorted way sooner but it's always the same...I'll go to the check up and just be a wuss by avoiding the treatment at all costs until dreaded toothache gets too bad.

Anyway, the dentist carried out the first part of a root canal procedure at the appointment today and my tooth (or gum?) has been throbbing since the aesthetic wore off . Does anyone have any idea why?
TBH, I dunno if I've made the right decision regarding the tooth as the dentist at my last check up advised me to have I removed as he doesn't think the tooth will have a good prognosis a little further down the line anyway.

The dentist at my emergency apt today said he would extract or RCT and he literally gave me zero information about each and was pressuring me to decide - he could do either straight away (should've been a warning sign?). Of course I'm sitting there in absolute agony and physically shaking/trying not to cry with a dentist who has barley even spoken to me when assessing me and wants me to make the decision as soon as. I just freaked out and said we'd go for the root canal.

I'm just starting to really bug myself now as I wouldn't be in this situation if I didn't avoid treatment in the first place. I take great leaps forward by dragging myself to a check up to then completely avoid going back to the same dentist for the recommended treatment- don't know if it's because I'm terrified of the treatment itself or worried because I only just manage to hold it together at the initial appointment therefore embarrassed to go back. I just let the issue get worse until I'm in agony and it's becoming a pattern of behaviour for me...

I've had a root canal on another molar before and again, in that case I also put off treatment and ended up having the 1st part carried out at an emergency app after enduring pain for ages then waited for well over a year until I seen a dentist for it to be finished!

I just need to find a way at least be able to reduce my dental anxiety before I ruin even more of my teeth completely but I have no idea where to go from here.

Sorry for ranting, just really stressed out and fed up of going round in circles.
 
You might want to post about your current pain etc to the dentistry questions section. As for the rest of it, well, at least you know exactly what the problem is and have some ideas why, though of course that's only half the battle. Figuring out a way to tackle it is always the hardest part! :p

Maybe you could outline your specific fears and figure out if they can be addressed. Are you afraid of the treatments specifically? Is sedation an option? It sounds like your phobia is quite bad and you could use some additional support at your appointments. Do you trust your dentist? Is he/she aware of the extent of your phobia, or do you try just "suck it up" and bear through the appointment?

You tend to come here when you're in pain or have an appointment looming, so maybe you kind of take a head-in-the-sand approach unless the pain forces you to take action? (No judgment, I'm guilty of doing that all the time!)

Part of properly managing a dental phobia is finding a dentist you trust who knows your situation, and is willing to work *with* it. That way you can gradually overcome the worst of your fear and get to a stage where, when you need treatment, you feel capable of handling it with the required help and support, and aren't too terrified to go until pain forces it.

Anyway, I'm sorry you're having such a tough time. Hang in there :hug4:
 
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