Broken Tooth! I'm terrified!

[canadiansherri]

Hello!. this is my first time posting one of these, so I hope I have posted it in the right section . Anyway, Today I was eating popcorn, and I guess I bit down on a kernel, and my tooth broke in half. But, both sides of my tooth are still attached to my gum(it was one of my molars I believe, second last tooth, and I have my wisdom). One side still seems attached perfectly to my gum, but the other side is loose, and hanging off sorta. Now I've had work done before to this tooth(a filling). It's broken down the middle. No pain at all suprisingly, just the gum hurts because the part of the tooth that is loose is kinda rubbing against it. I have a dentist appointment on Wednesday, which is 2 days away. Now what I'm scared of is that the dentist will say I need a root canal, I went through one of those once and refuse to do it again. I'm really hoping he can fix the tooth, just repair, work his magic. Ugh, I'm SO scared it's all I can think of. I'm very much afraid of the dentist, always have been and probably always will be. If anyone has ever gone through anything like this, breaking a tooth like I have, or anything simular, please let me know the outcome for you! I appreciate it!

-Sherri

 

[Nat]

Hi sherri

I broke a tooth many years ago and didnt get it seen to because I couldnt face the idea of actually having to go to see a dentist, I left it broken for about 8 years, suffered many abcesses and basically let it get worse and worse. I finally found the best dentist in the world in January of this year and got it sorted. I did have to get the tooth extracted as it was past saving due to the amount of time I left it for but If I went sooner I believe this would not have happened, I also had 3 other broken teeth due to temp fillings falling out and me not getting anything done about it and 2 of them also had to be removed but one just needed a root canal. I was terrified at the thought of having the root canal as I had heard so many horror stories about how much they hurt, I had nothing to worry about though as I felt no pain whatsover! Can I ask why you dont want a root canal again? Is it because of a bad experience previously?

 

[canadiansherri]

Hi Nat.

No, for my root canal I was put to sleep, and THAT was a horrible experiance. And I never want to be put to sleep again. And I really don't want a root canal awake. I'm really hoping extraction or root canal is not on option, I'm haping he can just fix it somehow.

 

[Nat]

You shouldnt need to be put to sleep for that, A root canal is basically a deep filling and should not hurt if you are fully numb, You may not even need one but if you do it really is nothing to worry about

 

[canadiansherri]

I know...but I sorta have this weird fear of not being frozen properly. even after I've recieved like 5 needles. Probably because it's happen to me before, where I'm getting a filling and I can start to feel it then my dentist has to freeze me again and again...not pretty

 

[Nat]

I was just reading a post actually about not being numb properly and basically there are many reasons for this. Infection could be present which stops the local working, also the level of anxiety you have could also be a factor, here is a link to the post, just in case you didnt see it and it may be useful for you?

[out-of-date link removed]

 

[Nat]

There is also some info here about not getting numb

Can't Get Numb - Dental Fear Central

 

[canadiansherri]

Thank you Nat. And I'm pretty sure I don't freeze easily because I'm so terrified and nervous.

 

[brit]

Hi Canadian sherri
Based on what I've read on here, going to a dentist with 'nitrous oxide' available would make it all much easier for you.....apparently many people get numb more easily if they use it.......the problem could well be linked to your high anxiety level but there are other reasons.....the thing is, you shouldn't have to put up with this problem...anyone who can't get numb who needs dental treatment is going to fear going to the dentist......I've never used concious sedation at the dentist but did find it very effective during childbirth (similar thing).
Good luck

 

[freakout]

Hi Canadian Sherri & I can only agree with the others, & tell you I had a similar fear of dental work and not being numb enough. If nitrous oxide is available, it would definately help you relax. Make sure you tell the dentist you fears about not being numb. They will be extra careful to make sure the numbing has taken full effect before starting. Also maybe you could have a signal such as raising your hand if you feel anything and want him to stop the procedure and numb you some more.

I had dental surgery done last week and was very nervous about being numb enough. At the first sign I felt something, he immediately stopped and numbed me up a whole lot more....I did not feel anything more

 

[canadiansherri]

thanks for you're help everyone. I'll let you know the outcome tomorrow after my appointment

Take care.

 

[Nat]

Hey Sherri, I hope evrything went well for you today

 

[canadiansherri]

I had my appointment. Things went okay I guess. She broke off the broken part of my tooth, and I bled and bled. She had to give me an epi pen to stop the bleeding(never heard of that before). and she pretty much rebuilt that side of my tooth. I need a crown though, because this was the same tooth I had a root canal on 6 years ago, so basically this tooth is now very fragile she said. But thing is, crowns are very expensive. So my dental office said they were going to mail me out an estimate of the cost. Hopefully I recieve that soon. They said if I break it again I'll probably have to lose the tooth  . Ugh, anyways, thanks so much for the support, I appreciate it. I'm in pain right now and the freezing is still there, so I can imagine how much I'm going to be hurting when it goes away.

If anyone has ever gotten a crown, please let me know the details.


-Sherri.  

 

[Nat]

Hi Sherri, I have 2 crowns and they were pretty straight forward, I had a mould taken of the teeth and then some temps put in, then when I went back they popped off the temps and fitted the permanent ones, all pain free

sorry your not feeling so good right now but take some pain meds and everything should be fine soon

 

[freakout]

Hi Sherri...I agree with Nat. I have had two crowns done one on root canaled tooth and one not root canalled. The root canalled tooth was really easy. They will prep the tooth for the crown, usually smoothing it down to fit the crown, take impressions and put on a temp crown. Once the permanent crown is ready, they will pop off the temp one and fit the permanent one on. Really not bad at all.