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Anxiety, root canals

L

lizlizliz

Junior member
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Messages
11
Location
Los Angeles
Hello hello,

After a few years of putting it off I finally went to my dentist appt and to no surprise I need a lot of work. But to start off we need a root canal in my back molar (this Friday) and a root canal on one of my front tooth because he said I have an infection that I really never thought. My tooth never hurt but it felt it sensitive. Any who he’s going to start on my molar root canal I’ve had root canals done before but I am still anxious. The dentist is nice and he said “me and you are going to be really good friends” and I thought well I don’t think that makes me feel good. I know he was trying to be nice but okay I’ll let that slide I just felt weird about it I was so nervous. Any who my appt is this Friday at 2pm and I’m nervous, anxious I know it takes about an hour or more for the whole thing and after I need to go back Monday January 28th again ugh! I just want to get it over with yet im getting nervous by the minute.
 
Liz,

Good for you for getting it on the schedule and done! What makes you most nervous about it? anything specific?
 
Hi Liz,

first of all, well done for going, I am sure it wasn't too easy. I would say even the nicest dentists can say weird things sometimes. Everyone is different and it's not too easy to say the right words to someone who you don't know well and who is really scared. So the most times it's about guessing and trying out things that worked with other patients. I really hope he can make it good at your next appointment and hopefully put you at ease for the treatment...
As krlovesherkids suggests, it's always good to have a bit of clarity about what makes you nervous, if you like to share..

All the best wishes
 
Liz,

Good for you for getting it on the schedule and done! What makes you most nervous about it? anything specific?
I really can’t tell you in specific what makes me nervous the most is just everything. I’m trying to just be relaxed but I know once I step on that dentist office I’m going to be a mess. He did offer to put me to sleep if I get to nervous but I feel that makes me worse I don’t want to be sleeping why they do all that. I also forgot to mention they need to extract 3 teeth after my first appointments.
 
Hi Liz,

first of all, well done for going, I am sure it wasn't too easy. I would say even the nicest dentists can say weird things sometimes. Everyone is different and it's not too easy to say the right words to someone who you don't know well and who is really scared. So the most times it's about guessing and trying out things that worked with other patients. I really hope he can make it good at your next appointment and hopefully put you at ease for the treatment...
As krlovesherkids suggests, it's always good to have a bit of clarity about what makes you nervous, if you like to share..

All the best wishes
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Finding this forum and reading others experiences with dentist good and bad make me feel a lot better to know I am not the only one. I would only go to the dentist when I would feel pain which is not okay. I shouldn’t have let it happen. But now we are here and I need to get it over with. I feel like I want to get my smile back because is a mess and that motivates me but the fear of something is still there and I can’t pinpoint what it is. The sounds, the knowing it will hurt and also just a tad bit of embarrassment. Now to top it all off I have my insurance which is a great one and will cover a lot. But the total of all the work I need is about $10,000 and out of pocket would be $6,000 and my husband is a federal employee and as you may know things are not great financially now I have to break it to the dentist I might need to postpone some appts since I won’t have money to pay out of pocket. I don’t want him to be upset and he should understand but I don’t want him to think here I go postponing appt. I’m trying to deal with it appt by appt. but all the good vibes send my way tomorrow would be appreciated so much!
 
Please do not judge yourself for 'having let it happen'. For anyone who has dental fear, not going to the dentist is not a decision but an inability to go due to fear. It's so easy to look back and feel guilty, but you haven't done anything wrong, on the contrary, you are doing a great job for tackling your fear right now, so praise yourself because you have come a long way already.
Sorry to read about the costs, as if the fear wouldn't be enough. I am sure your dentist will understand this and will be happy for you to plan your appointments with some time between each of them. Cost is a part of dentistry and dentists know how hard things can get.

To your specific (or rather unspecific) fears: "the knowing it will hurt" shouldn't be an issue. There is local anesthesia and being able to offer painfree treatment is the basis of any dentist's work and even more if working with very nervous patients is involved. Agree on a stop sign with your dentists and let him know this worries you so he can start slowly and check whether you are properly numb.

Not feeling comfortable at the thought of being put to sleep is ok too. Again, there are so many kinds of patients out there. Some really want to be put to sleep and some feel more scared at the thought of sedation than the thought of any procedure. Letting your dentist know which one you are is a good thing and helps him understand what you need. In general just talking openly about your fears and needs and what would make things easier for you is a great thing. I understand that talking can be hard, especially if you don't know your dentist well and if embarrassment is involved, but it is helpful for your dental team and for you as well.

Keeping my fingers absolutely tightly crossed for you tomorrow, remember that being a mess is ok and is a part of the journey. Sending you well wishes, prayers, good vibes and thoughts and we all look forward to read your update! :grouphug:
 
I don't have much to offer in the way of help or advice as I am in a slightly similar situation but can't get any work started just yet. But I do hope everything goes well and that the anxiety dies down.

As Enarete says, don't judge yourself for not going sooner, congratulate yourself for the fact you did go. All the best!
 
I had my first (and 2nd) root canal in July and October, and then my first extractions since I was a child. I also had a root canal on a molar and a front tooth.

I am similar to you in that while I do have specific fear of not getting numb, I also have a general fear of everything that can't be pinpointed. Even once I am totally numb, the noises, smells, tastes...it all scares me.

I made it through the root canals, extractions, and even had an apicoectomy today on the front tooth (it had a very large abscess that the root canal did not completely fix). I just keep reminding myself that t has to be done.

I understand where you are coming from with finances also. My insurance covered half of the procedures, up to $1500. That as gone after the first root canal and subsequent extraction. Everything else was out of pocket. As some of my procedures couldn't be put off (large abscess), we ended up going into debt quite a bit. Now my endodontist is prioritizing my treatments, and spacing things out.

I knoe things are difficult for federal workers right now as well. What about the Care Credit program? I don't know a lot about it, but one of my friends has signed up for it, and makes payments on her dental work.
 
Lizlizliz,

First off I so agree with Enarete and the rest , to not judge yourself or be hard..so many of us have been there feeling the same and its hard to think, I should have..... but.. the fact is you are now.. you are being courageous and making steps forward and even encouraging others here to do the same.. With all you are going through , you are doing amazing!

I am sorry about the govt thing too and your husbands work, I hope they get that situated very soon ! I also know how it is to have so much work , way beyond the means to afford it all. I was quite discouraged when going to a prosthodontist telling me all my work would be 42,000 .. well. I'm a single mom and for me just doing a few thousand a year is progress. I would need to win the lottery to afford 42,000. so that was discourageing. on the other end. My new dentist. sat down with me and listened to me and really understood my financial situation and my tooth situation and said. no problem we will work on it little by little its ok. We will do what we can.. we will help you. He was very sweet about it. and I felt a TON relieved.. knowing it was doable in bite size chunks financially. Hopefully your dentist will be the same.. and hope he can be on the same page with you.

I hope all goes well with your appt. or already did.. I know you said today but not sure what time. Let us know how it went!!
 
Please do not judge yourself for 'having let it happen'. For anyone who has dental fear, not going to the dentist is not a decision but an inability to go due to fear. It's so easy to look back and feel guilty, but you haven't done anything wrong, on the contrary, you are doing a great job for tackling your fear right now, so praise yourself because you have come a long way already.
Sorry to read about the costs, as if the fear wouldn't be enough. I am sure your dentist will understand this and will be happy for you to plan your appointments with some time between each of them. Cost is a part of dentistry and dentists know how hard things can get.

To your specific (or rather unspecific) fears: "the knowing it will hurt" shouldn't be an issue. There is local anesthesia and being able to offer painfree treatment is the basis of any dentist's work and even more if working with very nervous patients is involved. Agree on a stop sign with your dentists and let him know this worries you so he can start slowly and check whether you are properly numb.

Not feeling comfortable at the thought of being put to sleep is ok too. Again, there are so many kinds of patients out there. Some really want to be put to sleep and some feel more scared at the thought of sedation than the thought of any procedure. Letting your dentist know which one you are is a good thing and helps him understand what you need. In general just talking openly about your fears and needs and what would make things easier for you is a great thing. I understand that talking can be hard, especially if you don't know your dentist well and if embarrassment is involved, but it is helpful for your dental team and for you as well.

Keeping my fingers absolutely tightly crossed for you tomorrow, remember that being a mess is ok and is a part of the journey. Sending you well wishes, prayers, good vibes and thoughts and we all look forward to read your update! :grouphug:


Hello! Hello!

Sorry it has taken me a long time to reply but my child got sick then I got sick and a lot of things have been happening lately. But I am back.
Again thank you for your kind words! :)
Let's just say it wasn't a pleasant experience and not because of the drilling and pain but just how negative he was towards me case. :( I have another apt for yet another root canal tomorrow. Hoping for the best and I truly appreciated all the good vibes and prayers send my way.
 
Lizlizliz,

First off I hope your child is feeling better and things are getting back on track. Really sorry to hear your experience wasn't a pleasant one and he was negative towards you. that isn't very encouraging to you .. wow. and you are brave enough to face a root canal tomorrow. Good for you.. Can you journal what went wrong and then how you would like things to go better this time writing some specifics to bring them to surface and maybe discuss? All the positive vibes and prayers your way!!
 
Let's just say it wasn't a pleasant experience and not because of the drilling and pain but just how negative he was towards me case. :( I have another apt for yet another root canal tomorrow.

Sorry to read this.. :( does it mean that you also were in pain during the treatment? I remember your feeling about the dentist wasn't too good after the first visit. Any chance to look for a dentist that is a better fit for you instead of continuing treatment with this one?
 
Hello All!!!
My last appointment didn't turn out like I was hoping for. The dentist said he was going to try and save my molar so he was going to do a root canal as he started. After 30-40 min of taking out the nerve I think he said he was not going to be able to save the tooth and needed to have it extracted. I was shocked because I really thought he was going to try but I don't think he really tried tried. But he is the doctor so I thought I will trust him but it was something I was not prepare to hear right away. He kept on looking and looking at the x-rays and he said he didn't feel comfortable doing it himself and he was going to make me an appointment with the dental surgeon because the wisdom tooth was too close to a nerve and there was a chance that it can leave me with permanent nerve damage meaning the tingly feeling we get after anesthesia it would be permanent. I would have that feeling for some time, weeks, months, years or maybe forever. That alone freaked me out. so he gave me an appointment with his surgeon who only comes once a month or every 3 months to his office. He continued to clean up a cavity I had and another comment of maybe I would need a root canal on that too IF the cavity comes back or if I feel any pain. The big thing is that I am missing 3 teeth on top on my right side and that was the main motivation I had on going back to the dentist to fix my smile and he initially said he would be able to fix it. NOW he said since my jaw/gum line had collapsed :? (which not sure what he meant he didn't explain much) he wont be able to put any implants or crown which is a HUGE bummer. After the appointment I went home and cried just because the one think I was looking forward the most might not be able to happen. I just feel like he was so negative and he pretty much didn't give me any hope. I needed a little hope to get my thru this and it he didn't help at all. I have another appointment tomorrow to do another root canal on my front tooth which I am not looking forward, I don't want to see him either but here I go. I really want to go see another dentist and get a second opinion about the extraction and implants or crowns. I am very freaked out of the extraction because I might be left with nerve damage and plus just to think he wont be able to fix my smile over all. Need prayers and good vibes send my way tomorrow I have my appointment at 2pm.
 
Sorry to read this.. :( does it mean that you also were in pain during the treatment? I remember your feeling about the dentist wasn't too good after the first visit. Any chance to look for a dentist that is a better fit for you instead of continuing treatment with this one?
The pain was not to bad just discomfort that lasted for a week or so in my wisdom tooth. I am going to go seek another opinion from another dentist and see what he says. I am just discourage :( I just posted what happen to me.
 
Lizlizliz,

First off I hope your child is feeling better and things are getting back on track. Really sorry to hear your experience wasn't a pleasant one and he was negative towards you. that isn't very encouraging to you .. wow. and you are brave enough to face a root canal tomorrow. Good for you.. Can you journal what went wrong and then how you would like things to go better this time writing some specifics to bring them to surface and maybe discuss? All the positive vibes and prayers your way!!
Hello :)

I just replied with what I could remembered from my experience. Should be posted in the same thread.
Thank you so much for your kind words :)
 
Lizlizliz,

That does indeed sound Very discourageing, and not seasoned with much hope or comfort at all. I would too seek another opinion before doing anything else.. :(. So sorry to hear this.. I think I would have just zoned out after so much bad news . maybe someone esle may feel more comfortable and confident in helping you with your needs even if he is not... I sure am sending positive thoughts and prayers you can find better answers..
 
Lizlizliz,

really sorry how things went, it sounds scary and very unpleasant. I am particularly sorry to read that this experience made you feel hopeless and cry after the appointment and this all after you had found the courage to tackle your fear.

I am surprised that you are going back for the next procedure tomorrow. I would be really alerted if a dentist
- would change the course of a planned treatment suddenly during a treatment
- would not be able to make me understand what is happening in my mouth and why
- would ignore the main things I wanted to get fixed and would treat different things without giving me clear information about why this is necessary
- would try to motivate me by fear and scary stories to get treated by a different professional (particularly the very detailed explanation of what a nerve damage would mean would make me feel like he really wants to scare me out of the practice)
- would claim a treatment was possible and then change his mind
- would not make me feel looked after well
- make me feel hopeless about my teeth instead of giving me hope

I can only encourage you to take some time to process this and to decide whether you feel comfortable enough to get any other treatment there. Your experience sounds very unpleasant and something worthy to process before you get further treatment, after all it's your health. Also the thing is not only to get the needed treatment but to find a trusted dentist who helps you to get used to dentistry again and particularly to be able to come back once your dental health is fixed again. I know dentists are authorities and we tend to just assume they are right and know what to do, but I can only encourage you to stand for yourself and not to do anything you feel uncomfortable with. There are a lot of dentists out there and as I read in a very recent article here on the forum: "Any trust you place in your dentist (as with all folks in your life) should be earned rather than expected." I really wish for you to find a dentist who will support you in beating your fear and in getting back to dental health.

All the best wishes and keep us posted
 
HI!
So here I am ... I have survived yet another root canal. I went on Friday I was nervous but not as much as the first time knowing what I was expecting already and that helped a lot. I was going to get a root canal on my #7 front teeth I believe that's the number. He started and I didn't feel a thing. Everything was so good didn't feel pain, then he said he was going to go ahead and fill out a cavity that was on the other tooth next to it I said go ahead lets do this. I felt a little pain but he took care of it with another injection. After that I felt so good, next would be the temporary crown then my permanent. I really don't know what to expect since I've never had a crown on my front teeth. I am scared of that for sure! The again he said that tooth would be good for some time now and we should concentrate on the teeth he needs to extract which are 5 in total :/ I said why don't we finish this crown first I don't want it to turn gray (I've heard that could happen or it happens with time). He said no it should be good for some time. Truth is I am going to go look for a second opinion on my extractions (specially for the wisdom tooth) and might not come back to see him so I just want him to finish the crown. I am going back and let him know I want him to finish the crown first. One job at a time. That was Friday yesterday and today I am in pain well bad pain but annoying pain. He did tell me I was going to be in some pain due to the root canal but OMG! I feel like a want to scratch the crap out of my gums and where he injected me with the anesthesia and also the tooth he did the root canal is sensitive. I know its normal to feel that way but what can I do to make it a little better. I have been taking Motrin (600 mg) but even that does not take it all away.
 
HI!
So here I am ... I have survived yet another root canal. I went on Friday I was nervous but not as much as the first time knowing what I was expecting already and that helped a lot. I was going to get a root canal on my #7 front teeth I believe that's the number. He started and I didn't feel a thing. Everything was so good didn't feel pain, then he said he was going to go ahead and fill out a cavity that was on the other tooth next to it I said go ahead lets do this. I felt a little pain but he took care of it with another injection. After that I felt so good, next would be the temporary crown then my permanent. I really don't know what to expect since I've never had a crown on my front teeth. I am scared of that for sure! The again he said that tooth would be good for some time now and we should concentrate on the teeth he needs to extract which are 5 in total :/ I said why don't we finish this crown first I don't want it to turn gray (I've heard that could happen or it happens with time). He said no it should be good for some time. Truth is I am going to go look for a second opinion on my extractions (specially for the wisdom tooth) and might not come back to see him so I just want him to finish the crown. I am going back and let him know I want him to finish the crown first. One job at a time. That was Friday yesterday and today I am in pain well bad pain but annoying pain. He did tell me I was going to be in some pain due to the root canal but OMG! I feel like a want to scratch the crap out of my gums and where he injected me with the anesthesia and also the tooth he did the root canal is sensitive. I know its normal to feel that way but what can I do to make it a little better. I have been taking Motrin (600 mg) but even that does not take it all away.

Good job getting it done! Both the teeth I had root canals on were sore afterwards from all the stress to the ligament. My front tooth took months for the ligament pain to heal, especially since I was apparently pushing on it with my tongue in my sleep. Ugh.

The sore spots from the injections are awful but they do heal fairly quickly. With my molar root canal, I got canker sores where the injections were so that was awful.

As far as the crown, I get your reasoning since you want to get a second opinion. It is your mouth. You can get the crown done first. Your tooth won't turn gray for quite some time, though. I had my root canal on my front tooth in October. I can't get it crowned until I know whether the apico worked. The dentist said I have about a year before it will be noticeably discolored. It is already a little more yellow but you can't tell unless you are up close.
 
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