can you help me figure out where to turn please

[Simone]

I have posted before and then I hide for months again. I am so tired of this cycle I create for myself. Can anyone tell me who I should be contacting for help. Dentist or Oral Surgeon? My teeth are completely broken... rotted off to the gum line. Only exception is the front teeth. Has anyone had an experince with have extractions done with so little teeth above the gum line? I am afraid of the pain and also concerned about how long I will have to be off work with swelling, etc. Any expereices or knowledge that can be shared is sooo very much appreciated!

 

[Dianne]

I have posted before and then I hide for months again. I am so tired of this cycle I create for myself. Can anyone tell me who I should be contacting for help. Dentist or Oral Surgeon? My teeth are completely broken... rotted off to the gum line. Only exception is the front teeth. Has anyone had an experince with have extractions done with so little teeth above the gum line? I am afraid of the pain and also concerned about how long I will have to be off work with swelling, etc. Any expereices or knowledge that can be shared is sooo very much appreciated!

Hi Simone and welcome back! I just had 21 teeth extracted last Tuesday. Several of my teeth were broken off at the gumline. I had loose teeth, etc. I, too, was tired of the anguish, worry, etc. I finally had to do something about it. I've read other posts where the teeth broken off at the gumline are actually easier to remove than a whole tooth. I had IV sedation - it is fantastic! Great stuff! I had absolutely zero pain or swelling. I had a great oral surgeon.

I went to the dentist who took the x-rays and they then came up with a treatment plan. My dentist didn't do the work, it was an oral surgeon. I would go to a general dentist first. They may have oral surgeons there as well. I would only go to a dentist that offered sedation dentistry. It is truly the only way to go if you need alot of teeth pulled. Hang in there! It really isn't as bad as we make it out to be! I am living proof! I hadn't been to a dentist in 15-20 years and finally got up the courage in April. You can do it!

 

[Steve In Cleveland]

You should be able to start with a general dentist. He or she can work with you to identify a treatment plan and refer you to specialists if you need them.

I will say that in some cases, teeth which you think are beyond repair can still be saved. I have two back molars that are also worn to the gumline, but my dentist says she can still save them. (In brief, they insert a metal post into the remaining tooth, build up with some composite material, and put a crown on.) The only way to tell for certain is to get some x-rays and have a dentist check them out. This might not be your case, but don't assume that just because the tooth looks terrible that it's beyond repair. I avoided the dentist for a long time because of a tooth in this condition, and now find out it's not uncommon nor is it irreparable.

As for extraction, I just had a molar extracted last week, and it too was worn down to the gumline. I was certain that without any material to "grip onto," extraction would involve some kind of surgery or horrible process. It turns out that that's NOT how extraction works. Extraction is more of a pushing than a pulling process, and it's very gentle. The dentist uses a couple of tools to push the tooth this way and that, to loosen the ligaments between the tooth and gum. You're completely numbed up for this, of course. After a few pushes the tooth just comes out on its own. Even if the tooth is worn below the gumline, they can still reach in and push it around to loosen it up.

My extraction took about 10 minutes and I never felt any pain, seriously. I never even felt the tooth come out. Other people told me this but I didn't believe them. It was a little uncomfortable having someone push on my tooth fairly hard, but it didn't hurt and there was no pulling or tugging.

Aftercare involved biting down on a piece of gauze and changing it out every 15 minutes for an hour or so, which was kind of yucky but not terrible and still no pain. I took some advil just in case. For the first 24 hours you have to be very careful not to disturb the blood clot from forming, so no smoking, drinking with a straw, spitting, or hard foods. I ate pudding and applesauce for about two days just to be cautious but I was back to work the next day and never experienced any pain other than the area being a little sore the first day or so, which didn't matter because I wasn't biting down anyway. A few days later I'm still a little cautious about eating "sharp" foods like chips but other than that there's been no pain or disruption to my life.

Not sure how this applies to multiple extractions but again don't assume that everything needs to come out until you've had them examined. I'll also add that I thought my teeth were completely awful but my compassionate dentist wasn't the least bit surprised or shocked, and treated me like a human being. Hopefully reading some of the stories here can help give you some confidence that you're not alone in your situation.

Good luck and congratulations for reaching out. It takes a lot of courage even to start talking about it, so give yourself a pat on the back.

 

[carol999]

Hi Simone, I really hope that you have been encouraged to start your journey, you have taken your first step, now stay with us and let us help, dont disappear again, even if it takes a little while to make an appt stay with us. The very first thing you need to do is investigate local dentists and find one that works with nervous patients....so you have some research to do first. We are all here to help you. sending hugs Remember we have all been/are where you are!

 

[littlestar88]

Hi...just wanted to agree with carol999...don't dissapear again! When I first came here I felt so scared...just by this forum. I couldn't understand how all these people had gone to the dentist and got treatment and survived...just reading the sucess stories were enough to give me a panic attack! I kept dissapearing but I'm so glad I kept coming back too! Because it really isn't so scary!!

Also I just had my wisdom teeth out and I organised this through my regular dentist but a different dentist in the office who has more qualifications/experience in extractions did the surgery so this may well be the set up when you go...either way a general dentist can organise everything. Good luck!

 

[Julie30]

Hi Simone

I was in the exact same situation as yourself - my extractions were all carried out by my Dentist however, I'm in the UK and am an NHS patient so not sure if that had anything to do with it. My extractions were done in three stages - first time he did just one so i could be used to going to the dentist, the next time he did the rest from the top on the right side and the third time he finished the whole left side. It really wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be .

Please don't disappear again and I really hope you can get your work done - you will feel so so much better once you are started I promise.

 

[Simone]

I cant find the words to thank all of you wonderful people enough! It is a strange thing that I have shared with all of you and feel so supported and yet I cant share with family or friends. Just too asheamed and embarrassed I guess. I have been running and hiding from this site for years. I post and then my anxiety goes thru the roof and I cant take it so I dont come back for a long time. Then I try again....and so on and so on ! What a mess I am. You want to hear something funny though.....I am a family therapist...a good one and yet I cant deal with this issue of my own. I poosted awhile back that I know my issues have to do with being sexually assaulted by a desntist when I was a child but i need to face this head on. I am just so terrified and I think even worse is the embarrassment with my husband and children. What will they think of me? Enough rambling for today. I just popped on to say thank you for all of your support. It means the world to me!

 

[vicki]

Hi Simone

Welcome back .

You're definitely not alone in not sharing your experiences and feelings with your family and friends; I've never felt able to either, but yet I felt able to share things on the internet that I'd never discussed with anyone before. Some people do feel able to talk about their problems with others and some people need more time, but that's OK too - there's no rule book which says that you have to. I think the reason that people often find it easier to share their feelings and fears on the internet, is similar to the way that people often find it easier to confide in a therapist rather than friends or family.

There's no need to beat yourself up about not feeling able to deal with your own issues... as a hypnotherapist myself, I'm exactly the same . I've helped plenty of people to overcome their fears about going to the dentist, but yet I can't seem to sort myself out! But I'm not perfect, I'm human - and so are you. Things will happen when you're ready for them to happen and the information and support provided on here is a great way to get started on your journey. It's not a race; some people find it easier and some people prefer to do things in smaller steps. Either way, there are no right or wrong answers and you do what feels right for you.

As some of the others have said, to begin with, it would be a good idea to see a dentist. They will be able to tell you what treatment may be needed and arrange that for you; either by providing the necessary treatment themselves or referring you to someone who can. Whatever happens, you've always got choices and can choose what does or doesn't happen. I sometimes find it helpful to think about it as being like shopping. You're paying for a service, so if you're not happy (for whatever reason), then you're free to shop around until you find somewhere (and someone) that you do feel comfortable with.

You mentioned what happened when you were a child - when you feel ready to start contacting a few dentists, it might help to think about whether you'd be more comfortable with a male or female dentist as this can make quite a big difference for some people. We also have a page with some information that you might find useful (you may have seen it before...):

Tips for abuse survivors and their dentists

Please do stay around. Maybe have a read of some of the posts in the success stories section as well. You'll find lots of stories from people who've had all sorts of experiences in the past and who thought that they wouldn't be able to overcome their fears, but they have and so will you when you're ready .

 

[carol999]

Hi Simone, those are wise words from Vicki, dont beat yourself up. I have worked in the mental health field for a good many years - that doesn't mean I can solve my own problems, in fact I would be concerned if thought I could! It seems to me there is so much shame involved in this dentist/teeth thing that yes it makes it incredibly difficult to talk to others about it and when I have tried I can see from their eyes that they have not truly 'heard' me. That is why we are all here Simone!. I do feel like I am 'heard' on this forum, and I use it to express all my dark thoughts and fears. Although I am finding that unravelling my thoughts about dentist stuff is of course unravelling a whole lot more!