• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Broken front tooth, terrified to see a dentist because of the condition of the rest of my teeth.

G

Geranium

Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2019
Messages
20
Location
St Leonard's on Sea
Hi I'm 59 years old and embarrassed and ashamed about the state of my teeth. I hadn't been to see a dentist for over 30 years, up to about 15 years ago. Then I got a dental access (one of many) , the pain drove me mad and kept me up at night. I made an appointment with an emergency dentist who prescribed antibiotics but I was advised to find a dentist. I found one and started attending although I was petrified. I needed quite a bit of treatment, including a few extractions and a lot of fillings plus a riot canal but I got through all this and attended regularly for 11 years. This is where I was really stupid, I had to cancel an appointment and, never got round to making another one. This was four and a half years ago. This Saturday last, I was out and tripped over a raised paving slab, went flying and landed on my m outh ,cutting my lip and breaking a bit off my front tooth. I am not in any pain at present but it is awkward eating on that side. I know I need to see a dentist, but I am too embarrassed to go back to where I was before and none of the other NHS surgeries appear to be taking on patients. Also I am worried about what any dental surgeon would say as the rest of my teeth are not in good condition
 
Hi I'm 59 years old and embarrassed and ashamed about the state of my teeth. I hadn't been to see a dentist for over 30 years, up to about 15 years ago. Then I got a dental access (one of many) , the pain drove me mad and kept me up at night. I made an appointment with an emergency dentist who prescribed antibiotics but I was advised to find a dentist. I found one and started attending although I was petrified. I needed quite a bit of treatment, including a few extractions and a lot of fillings plus a riot canal but I got through all this and attended regularly for 11 years. This is where I was really stupid, I had to cancel an appointment and, never got round to making another one. This was four and a half years ago. This Saturday last, I was out and tripped over a raised paving slab, went flying and landed on my m outh ,cutting my lip and breaking a bit off my front tooth. I am not in any pain at present but it is awkward eating on that side. I know I need to see a dentist, but I am too embarrassed to go back to where I was before and none of the other NHS surgeries appear to be taking on patients. Also I am worried about what any dental surgeon would say as the rest of my teeth are not in good condition

Hi there,
I completely understand what you're saying about the embarrassment and how awful it is to have a broken front tooth.
It does seem to be really hard to find a dentist accepting NHS patients and then trying to find one that will be suitable for your particular needs.
I am just trying to get some treatment for an abscess after a long time not going to the dentist and am feeling terrified about this.
I have emailed some dentists telling them about my situation and my anxieties to ask whether they can help.
I stated that I felt worried and embarrassed about what would be said about the state of my teeth.
One dentist has replied saying the following:
We are here to advise and guide you to make the correct decision, it is our responsibility to get your oral health back to as healthy as it can get (may be so at the moment). I can assure you that we will never criticise you for not having been to the dentist for however long it may be.
I think this shows that there are caring, non judgemental dentists out there who understand peoples needs.
I really hope you are able to find a dentist who can help you with the broken tooth soon.
Best wishes.
 
Thank you for replying to my post, I am currently looking for an NHS dentist, as I can't afford to go private
 
Sorry I. Said that in my first post, apologies for repeating myself.Hopefully I will find a dentist soon and summon up the courage to make an appointment
 
Dentists have seen everything
 
Hi Geranium,

sorry to read about your accident! Hope you are recovering well and hopefully there haven't been any further injuries from that fall.
You obviously managed to get to see a dentist once after many years so I am very confident you will be able to do it again. I understood you could go to the practice you have been before, but feel held back by embarassment. I was wondering whether it's about what they will think about your teeth or whether it was more because you stopped going back then?
By the way, cancelling that appointment back then wasn't stupid, after all if you attended 11 years, it was reasonable to assume you would just reschedule later and go on.. anyway. Could you imagine going to that practice? Is the dentist that treated you back then still there?

All the best wishes
 
Geranium,

I too am sorry about that fall, it sounds quite painful and shocking .. I hope you can get some direction as to where you would feel comfortable going and would take you .. A place that is understanding and kind and patient.
 
I have contacted a local NHS dental practice, a bit further away than I'd prefer but nonetheless I have registered there. The earliest appointment they can give me is the 8th of January, I was told that if they get a cancellation I may be seen earlier. I'm now psyching myself up for the appointment. All the reviews I've seen for this dentist have been positive so hopefully I can get my teeth sorted and I'm just hoping I don't get any problems before then
 
Hi there,
I completely understand what you're saying about the embarrassment and how awful it is to have a broken front tooth.
It does seem to be really hard to find a dentist accepting NHS patients and then trying to find one that will be suitable for your particular needs.
I am just trying to get some treatment for an abscess after a long time not going to the dentist and am feeling terrified about this.
I have emailed some dentists telling them about my situation and my anxieties to ask whether they can help.
I stated that I felt worried and embarrassed about what would be said about the state of my teeth.
One dentist has replied saying the following:
We are here to advise and guide you to make the correct decision, it is our responsibility to get your oral health back to as healthy as it can get (may be so at the moment). I can assure you that we will never criticise you for not having been to the dentist for however long it may be.
I think this shows that there are caring, non judgemental dentists out there who understand peoples needs.
I really hope you are able to find a dentist who can help you with the broken tooth soon.
Best wishes.
I hope you manage to find a suitable dentist soon, thank you very much for your kind encouraging words
 
I was told that if they get a cancellation I may be seen earlier. I'm now psyching myself up for the appointment. All the reviews I've seen for this dentist have been positive so hopefully I can get my teeth sorted and I'm just hoping I don't get any problems before then

This is great news, very well done! Hope they will be able to put you in earlier (btw. nice they offered you that).
I think it is ok and normal to struggle with anxiety now that you have scheduled, after all that's what dental anxiety is about. If you would just schedule and go about your day, you wouldn't call yourself a nervous patient. The important thing is that you have made the step, so give yourself a pat on the back and if there is anything that could help you deal with the waiting time, go for it. Also keeping my fingers crossed for you not to get any problems in the meantime.
 
I took the chance and emailed the dentist I used to go to and asked if there was any chance I could r e-register.The practice manager ( who is also a dentist) emailed me back, he was very nice,took my details and I told him about my broken front tooth.He then offered me an appointment for 12.10 today which I attended (a bag of nerves, obviously). He checked my teeth and gums and took x rays, I need 2 extractions a filling in the front tooth and a clean.
 
Very well done! How do you feel?
 
I cancelled my registration with the dentist who couldn't see me until January, I thought about it then decided that i f I could get treatment sooner there would be less chance of the tooth giving me trouble and I wouldn't have to spend weeks worrying about it. Although I'm still nervous about what I need to have done, I'm glad I went
 
I'm still nervous, but relieved thank you
 
Bravo!

Such courage. You have already come a long way. Keep us posted.
 
Back
Top