J
jc1914
Junior member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2024
- Messages
- 1
- Location
- Long Island
Hi All,
A few weeks ago I started experiencing some radiating pain in my jaw where my wisdom tooth had almost fully come in and I convinced myself of the worst. There is a black marking in the middle of the tooth when I look closely and I was positive this was a cavity that became an infection, as I was having some pain in the tooth as well. I have some other spots on other teeth that I've worried about for over a decade and have told myself these are multiple cavities and I will need a ton of work done to my mouth. In addition, my bottom wisdom tooth on the other side is partially impacted and growing in horizontally towards the neighboring molar. After days of panicking and hiding my pain, I finally told my family and had them help me schedule an appointment to see a dentist. We researched many places and called around for recommendations until finally we found a promising place that swore to me that once I came in, all they would do is take a simple x-ray of the wisdom tooth area and then look inside my mouth without poking around or doing any work of any kind. I let them know ahead of time that it's been over 12 years since my last visit to a dentist and I have extreme anxiety over the entire process, which they understood and assured me is common.
Once arriving, everyone made me incredibly comfortable and they took their time to explain every little thing to me and answer all my questions. They assured me that if I was uncomfortable about anything they would immediately stop and I could leave if needed. I was also able to have a family member come in the room with me for support. To my shock, the dentist said that not only was there no infection, he didn't even see any noticeable issues after looking inside my mouth briefly with his magnifying glasses and light. The reason for the pain was that I had bit my cheek right in the area of the tooth since there is crowding in my mouth and very little room between the tooth and my cheek. He did say that I will need my 4 wisdom teeth out, but since they've all come in it should be a very simple procedure. This eased a lot of my fear and I agreed to schedule additional full x-rays of my mouth and a very light cleaning so that they could see if I needed any additional work done on my mouth and consult on the 4 tooth removal. They even told me that should I need any fillings or other work, it could be done while I'm sedated should I choose to get wisdom teeth out.
Yesterday I went in for my cleaning/x-ray appointment and again was met with nothing but a supportive, kind and patient staff, especially the hygienist. First we took full panoramic x-rays of my teeth which was quicker and much easier than I remembered. Immediately, the hygienist and I looked at the screen and she told me that so far my teeth are looking great. We then went in for the cleaning and again she went very slowly and explained everything to me before she did it. Due to the length since my last appointment, we had to remove the built up plaque around my teeth. We started using just a tool that shot water between my teeth and it truly was painless. Next she gently scraped off the remaining debris which again was slightly noisy, but not at all painful. We finished with a gentle polish of my teeth (painless again, honestly at this point even soothing) and then I rinsed with water and it was all over. A new dentist that I hadn't met before came in after reviewing my x-rays and to my shock, he said I had zero cavities whatsoever and I'm doing a great job taking care of my teeth. This was such a life-changing relief for me immediately, so much so that I felt comfortable enough to schedule my wisdom tooth removal with him right on the spot. He assured me since all of them are either completely out of my gum or only slightly impacted, the surgery will not be complicated at all and he may not even need to give me any stitches. Now, I genuinely have excitement for November to get these teeth out rather than the panic and anxiety I've held for years. I know there will be some slight pain and discomfort during the recovery process, but the feeling of being able to get my health and life back on track will be worth it.
A few weeks ago I started experiencing some radiating pain in my jaw where my wisdom tooth had almost fully come in and I convinced myself of the worst. There is a black marking in the middle of the tooth when I look closely and I was positive this was a cavity that became an infection, as I was having some pain in the tooth as well. I have some other spots on other teeth that I've worried about for over a decade and have told myself these are multiple cavities and I will need a ton of work done to my mouth. In addition, my bottom wisdom tooth on the other side is partially impacted and growing in horizontally towards the neighboring molar. After days of panicking and hiding my pain, I finally told my family and had them help me schedule an appointment to see a dentist. We researched many places and called around for recommendations until finally we found a promising place that swore to me that once I came in, all they would do is take a simple x-ray of the wisdom tooth area and then look inside my mouth without poking around or doing any work of any kind. I let them know ahead of time that it's been over 12 years since my last visit to a dentist and I have extreme anxiety over the entire process, which they understood and assured me is common.
Once arriving, everyone made me incredibly comfortable and they took their time to explain every little thing to me and answer all my questions. They assured me that if I was uncomfortable about anything they would immediately stop and I could leave if needed. I was also able to have a family member come in the room with me for support. To my shock, the dentist said that not only was there no infection, he didn't even see any noticeable issues after looking inside my mouth briefly with his magnifying glasses and light. The reason for the pain was that I had bit my cheek right in the area of the tooth since there is crowding in my mouth and very little room between the tooth and my cheek. He did say that I will need my 4 wisdom teeth out, but since they've all come in it should be a very simple procedure. This eased a lot of my fear and I agreed to schedule additional full x-rays of my mouth and a very light cleaning so that they could see if I needed any additional work done on my mouth and consult on the 4 tooth removal. They even told me that should I need any fillings or other work, it could be done while I'm sedated should I choose to get wisdom teeth out.
Yesterday I went in for my cleaning/x-ray appointment and again was met with nothing but a supportive, kind and patient staff, especially the hygienist. First we took full panoramic x-rays of my teeth which was quicker and much easier than I remembered. Immediately, the hygienist and I looked at the screen and she told me that so far my teeth are looking great. We then went in for the cleaning and again she went very slowly and explained everything to me before she did it. Due to the length since my last appointment, we had to remove the built up plaque around my teeth. We started using just a tool that shot water between my teeth and it truly was painless. Next she gently scraped off the remaining debris which again was slightly noisy, but not at all painful. We finished with a gentle polish of my teeth (painless again, honestly at this point even soothing) and then I rinsed with water and it was all over. A new dentist that I hadn't met before came in after reviewing my x-rays and to my shock, he said I had zero cavities whatsoever and I'm doing a great job taking care of my teeth. This was such a life-changing relief for me immediately, so much so that I felt comfortable enough to schedule my wisdom tooth removal with him right on the spot. He assured me since all of them are either completely out of my gum or only slightly impacted, the surgery will not be complicated at all and he may not even need to give me any stitches. Now, I genuinely have excitement for November to get these teeth out rather than the panic and anxiety I've held for years. I know there will be some slight pain and discomfort during the recovery process, but the feeling of being able to get my health and life back on track will be worth it.
