Can't live like this any more

[marco]

Hi everyone I came here for a bit of support, I find it impossible to open up about this with people in my life
because they just wont understand. I think this is nice place to vent out at least.

I really think I have worst teeth ever. My tops are all grinded/broken last year my two front ones broke so I have difficulty eating hard food. On bottom fronts are still there but need work and on side its same as top.

I'm 23 years old and it got that bad and its all my fault poor hygiene and lots of sugar/soda. I dropped from university because of this but people think I was just being lazy. Enduring months of on/off intense pain made it impossible.

Cause for all that is phobia of feeling more intense pain in chair. When I was very young I had hot tooth extracted and to this day I remember it like it was yesterday, it was removed in three pieces so it was like true torture. 5-6 years ago I started fixing but dentist moved and I stopped going and I wasn't able to find courage to find another. This brings me to another trauma my tooth got swollen and when i got there dentist
said it had to be opened up but he failed to explain how much it is going to hurt it. It hurt so much that next time I got pain I wouldn't tell anyone and I would just close in dark room for weeks hope for it to pass, only way to fall asleep was from total exhaustion.

Now I don't have any pains but my psyche is suffering. I have fallen into depression nothing I do brings joy and my heart is pumping hard, before I was able to endure it but not any more because I want to have normal life for once where I can actually smile. I will face my greatest fear but I keep wondering what they are going to tell me and I'm going to go trough torture sessions again? In any case can't live like this any more and I will do anything at this point no matter the cost.

Going soon to a dentist to get better picture on what should I do and make plan of action.
Sorry for bad English its not my first language. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[kayax3]

Hello thanks for sharing your story. I went to the dentist today after 14 years so I know exactly what you are going through. Dentists are not that scary anymore as they used to be in the past. Now with all the the different high tech things in there office you wont feel any pain really. You can also ask for a lot of different options for numbing if you feel that you can not take it. It is never to late to start fixing. There is so much hope for you and believe me your imagination is your worst enemy. It really wont be that bad and you might not even need as much work as you think you do. All your teeth can still be saved through filling and root canal and implants. You are still young and its best to get this fixed while you are still young. I hope your dentist appointment went well and just remember after that first step of going once things do get easier and our fears tend to decrease. The best thing to do now is keep up with your follow up appointments and go through with all the treatments. Would you rather go through a year filled with dentist appointments or a lifetime filled with depression? You can do this just remember its for your own good and it is benefiting. good luck!

 

[Mari]

I am 32 years old. Last time I went to the dentist was when I was in elementary school. My experience was traumatic. Now I finally went after suffering with all sorts of oral issues, I lost a back tooth and it scared me. I knew then that I needed to go or loose more.now I was told I needed to remove all of my teeth.. I cried I really did, I couldn't. Fathom the idea that I would need dentures @32. I am very scared, and I don't know exactly how to deal with This. But as I research I find it that. This is just how its going to be and I need to move forward. Now just pull the band aid, expect the worst but be prepared to change your life for the better. I keep telling my self that. For the first time In Years I will smile again with out covering my mouth, the process will be hard, and it will be life changing.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Hi everyone I came here for a bit of support, I find it impossible to open up about this with people in my life
because they just wont understand. I think this is nice place to vent out at least.

I really think I have worst teeth ever. My tops are all grinded/broken last year my two front ones broke so I have difficulty eating hard food. On bottom fronts are still there but need work and on side its same as top.

I'm 23 years old and it got that bad and its all my fault poor hygiene and lots of sugar/soda. I dropped from university because of this but people think I was just being lazy. Enduring months of on/off intense pain made it impossible.

Cause for all that is phobia of feeling more intense pain in chair. When I was very young I had hot tooth extracted and to this day I remember it like it was yesterday, it was removed in three pieces so it was like true torture. 5-6 years ago I started fixing but dentist moved and I stopped going and I wasn't able to find courage to find another. This brings me to another trauma my tooth got swollen and when i got there dentist
said it had to be opened up but he failed to explain how much it is going to hurt it. It hurt so much that next time I got pain I wouldn't tell anyone and I would just close in dark room for weeks hope for it to pass, only way to fall asleep was from total exhaustion.

Now I don't have any pains but my psyche is suffering. I have fallen into depression nothing I do brings joy and my heart is pumping hard, before I was able to endure it but not any more because I want to have normal life for once where I can actually smile. I will face my greatest fear but I keep wondering what they are going to tell me and I'm going to go trough torture sessions again? In any case can't live like this any more and I will do anything at this point no matter the cost.

Going soon to a dentist to get better picture on what should I do and make plan of action.
Sorry for bad English its not my first language. Any advice is appreciated.

Hi marco, welcome to the forum
There is no use blaming yourself for anything in the past. There is nothing you can do about that now and it is best to try to just focus on what you can do now.
I promise you that no matter how bad your teeth are the dentist will not be shocked or judge you or blame you and they will have seen worse. Dentists see everything from car and motorcycle accidents to meth mouth and nothing will shock them.
They are also much better these days about making sure you are numb and feeling no pain before they start any work on you in the chair. They will always ask if you are numbed yet and if you feel anything at all they will give you more anesthetic. Have you already made an appointment? I hope you do follow through with your plan to see a dentist because you are so young and have your whole life ahead of you and should not have to spend it suffering and unable to eat what you want to.

Good luck and best wishes

 

[marco]

Hi marco, welcome to the forum
There is no use blaming yourself for anything in the past. There is nothing you can do about that now and it is best to try to just focus on what you can do now.
I promise you that no matter how bad your teeth are the dentist will not be shocked or judge you or blame you and they will have seen worse. Dentists see everything from car and motorcycle accidents to meth mouth and nothing will shock them.
They are also much better these days about making sure you are numb and feeling no pain before they start any work on you in the chair. They will always ask if you are numbed yet and if you feel anything at all they will give you more anesthetic. Have you already made an appointment? I hope you do follow through with your plan to see a dentist because you are so young and have your whole life ahead of you and should not have to spend it suffering and unable to eat what you want to.

Good luck and best wishes

Thanks guys this means a lot.

Yeah there is no use in blaming my self it won't help right now and what is done is done but still can't help my self all of this would be a lot easier if done earlier. I'm embarrassed, it would be unnatural not to be but that is easy to deal with since problem is so huge for me that embarrassment is just a tiny discomfort. But I have huge fear of feeling intense pain in chair even when I just sit for dentist to see my teeth and I want to jump out because I feel like lamb that is about to be the slaughtered. I thought that my tolerance for pain is low but after reading stuff here it could be that its actually pretty high I can endure minor pain in chair no problem but at that moment there is huge fear that I is going to get worse. My worst nightmare is to hear dentist say that I have to endure intense pain and there is no other way because when that happens I lose courage to come back again and its very traumatic.

Day I made this topic I went to dentist to see my teeth and make plan of action. I sat in chair she looked and said that my teeth quality is just bad(heard this from few different dentists) I still have no idea what that means. She couldn't get complete picture so she sent me to get pictures(I think it was cone beam CT).
I was told that I have all teeth and if I heard correctly 3-4 need extraction and something needs surgical extraction(I guess that is reason I go to different dentist) probably to not damage something. I had hard time hearing since I was so terrified. I'm guessing that I will keep going to that other dentist I heard she was best in my region. Yesterday I was supposed to go there for talks and check up but something came up with dentist. I should be going there today and even my other dentist will come with me.

It is also hard to deal with unknown right now I have no idea what she is going to tell and fear of worst lingers.

I will follow trough this I have to as topic said I can't live like this so there is no choice. It makes me sad, not being able to smile(forgot how its is like to smile normally) and I have to watch how I talk. It's depressing and my social life suffers to much its holding me back and placing barrier in front of me. I had fair amount of girlfriends but never lasted because of this (can't blame them) and it hurts so much when you want connection. Still I'm happy that I even had what I had since It is so disgusting I can't even handle looking it at mirror. I'm spirited person and that keep me together(and people in my life) but it just reached its threshold.



@Mari I prepared my self for same scenario but it looks like my teeth can be saved(I hope) and I guess I will go trough similar experience when I get to that age.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Thanks guys this means a lot.

Yeah there is no use in blaming my self it won't help right now and what is done is done but still can't help my self all of this would be a lot easier if done earlier. I'm embarrassed, it would be unnatural not to be but that is easy to deal with since problem is so huge for me that embarrassment is just a tiny discomfort. But I have huge fear of feeling intense pain in chair even when I just sit for dentist to see my teeth and I want to jump out because I feel like lamb that is about to be the slaughtered. I thought that my tolerance for pain is low but after reading stuff here it could be that its actually pretty high I can endure minor pain in chair no problem but at that moment there is huge fear that I is going to get worse. My worst nightmare is to hear dentist say that I have to endure intense pain and there is no other way because when that happens I lose courage to come back again and its very traumatic.

Day I made this topic I went to dentist to see my teeth and make plan of action. I sat in chair she looked and said that my teeth quality is just bad(heard this from few different dentists) I still have no idea what that means. She couldn't get complete picture so she sent me to get pictures(I think it was cone beam CT).
I was told that I have all teeth and if I heard correctly 3-4 need extraction and something needs surgical extraction(I guess that is reason I go to different dentist) probably to not damage something. I had hard time hearing since I was so terrified. I'm guessing that I will keep going to that other dentist I heard she was best in my region. Yesterday I was supposed to go there for talks and check up but something came up with dentist. I should be going there today and even my other dentist will come with me.

It is also hard to deal with unknown right now I have no idea what she is going to tell and fear of worst lingers.

I will follow trough this I have to as topic said I can't live like this so there is no choice. It makes me sad, not being able to smile(forgot how its is like to smile normally) and I have to watch how I talk. It's depressing and my social life suffers to much its holding me back and placing barrier in front of me. I had fair amount of girlfriends but never lasted because of this (can't blame them) and it hurts so much when you want connection. Still I'm happy that I even had what I had since It is so disgusting I can't even handle looking it at mirror. I'm spirited person and that keep me together(and people in my life) but it just reached its threshold.



@Mari I prepared my self for same scenario but it looks like my teeth can be saved(I hope) and I guess I will go trough similar experience when I get to that age.

Hi Marco, I'm so glad you did go to your appointment. I know it was hard for you to have to get into that chair and show someone your teeth. I'm sorry too that you have to have some of them extracted but that is better than having them all extracted. I had to have a surgical extraction a couple of months ago. Only one but I was really scared. It did turn out ok though and they did make sure I was numb before they did anything.
If it's really scary for you to have your extractions you may want to ask about oral sedation. They can prescribe you a pill to take before your appointment to make you more relaxed and less scared. If you do that you will need someone to drive you to and from your appointment.

 

[lallyy13]

Well done for facing your fears! I am finally going tomorrow for some extractions that needed doing years ago.. very nervous as have been feeling unwell lately and feel like this is caused by the teeth. Has anyone else experienced this?

I hope your treatment plan goes well i'm sure it will! x

 

[marco]

My appointment got changed for today dentist was sick.I went there and it was weird i immediately set in chair to let her take a look and after that i was mostly speechless it was hard being there next to chair taking in all that information. Dentist has everything i need to get this fixed(surgical,prosthetics etc) she does it all which is awesome so I don't have to go to different one(and its close to my home) and go all over again with fear. It looks like there are going to be more extraction then i previously thought and I go there in two days for first extractions.and I'm set at end of list so no one is waiting after me and that means a lot. I got assured that there will be no pain and nothing is going to be done forcefully. There will be lots of work and it will take few months until its done. It is weird but I actually look forward to start.

I don't think i need oral sedation I'm going to spend lots of time in chair so better get used to it now. Fear is gigantic at this moment but if she is careful I should be able to relax.

@lallyy13 thanks I hope treatment goes well still don't know what to expect. What do you mean by feeling unwell ?

 

[lallyy13]

I have felt run down and started with chest pains and sob. Have you ever experienced ill health and put this down to your teeth? X

 

[marco]

I'm in perfect health but only thing my teeth cause me is psychological pain so its followed by high heartbeat rate, shaking, shortness of breath kind like something is pushing my chest. How intense is that chest pain? How did extractions go ?