Exposed nerve in 2nd right molar (top)

[Troublesometeeth]

Hi all. It's been a couple of years since I have posted in this forum. When I visited last I had both of my wisdom teeth (upper) growing in at the same time, crooked. They have since broken away. I had some excruciating pain with my right side and had an exposed nerve there before. In the end it died, and there was a dangly thing (presumably the nerve) which came out on its own.
That was the end of my problems.

Unfortunately, my right wisdom tooth pushed into my second molar causing a crack in my tooth along the bottom of it slap bang in the middle. It's been slowly crumbling away with no pain. I've just ignored it like I did my wisdom teeth. Now I'm paying the price for that. I have about 3/4 of my upper 2nd molar left, and the nerve in the middle (the pulp) is now exposed. As of 2 days ago I started to get pain, and as of last night the pain has been constant and excruciating.

My dental hygiene has never been great. Ever. But in the last 72 hours my dental hygiene has been the best it ever has been in my life. Salt water rinses multiple times, mouth wash multiple times, brushing after each meal, chewing on the left side of my mouth to avoid food getting trapped in the already insanely painful area. When I brush, I don't bleed at all. I brush right inside the broken tooth to be extra thorough, and I am as gentle as can be. I do tend to hit something inside the tooth (I am guessing the nerve) which hurts like crazy. I don't have any pus, I don't have bad breath, my gums around that tooth are a little red and swollen, but it's mostly the agonising pain that will sometimes twinge, then go back to a sharp ache, then twinge, then sharp ache, then it'll cool off for about 30 seconds before striking again for a couple of minutes.

I am at a loss. I am still afraid of the dentist, just as I was 2 years ago and just as I have been since I was 10. I did go and visit them when I was having my issues before and I asked for antibiotics for periodonitis (spelling?) I don't want to hear comments that "you should go to the dentist. Go to the dentist. Visit the dentist." I know that is what I SHOULD do. The problems are both my fears and finances.

I just needed to vent and rant about the pain I'm in, which doesn't seem to be helped unless I spend all of my time under the bl**dy bathroom sink rinsing with warm water. I'm just waiting for the nerve to die, just like last time, and then the pain will be gone. I hope then that will be the end!

 

[furzumz]

Hi, I've someone who's had some extreme dental fears which I've gone a long way overcoming them.

What are your fears when it comes to visiting the dentist? Maybe I could help alleviate some fears, from one person with dental anxiety to another.

 

[Troublesometeeth]

Hello thanks for your reply.

It's great to hear you've overcome your fear!
My toothache actually did improve and how I did it was by rinsing with salt every couple of hours, brushing after each meal and using mouthwash. My morning and evening routines were brush teeth, salt rinse, mouth wash. I can't afford floss yet but that will be added.
I was on the mend! Then last night I ate pizza which has set everything back off again! I'm so p****ed off about that, because I didn't even chew on my right side! I'm trying to heal my body naturally by consuming antibiotic foods to cure the infection. I've stopped smoking again (as of right now) until this thing heals up properly.

My fears of the dentist are due to my emetophobia (fear of vomiting). I have an extremely sensitive gag reflex (and I mean extreme). It's also tied in to spitting, so when people spit I get nauseous and in the past I have gagged from it. Basically, if a dentist would want to do any dental work on me they would have to put me to sleep through the entire procedures (including x-ray). Unfortunately I live in a desolate area with one dentist a 30 minute drive away and they are not helpful at all! I wrote them a letter explaining my circumstances and they did not respond. I called them regarding my problems and they brushed it off and said "book a time to come in then". Unempathetic and incompassionate. I have healed my own dental issues before, 2 years ago I had an abscessed wisdom tooth. The wisdom tooth rotted away and the gum closed up. I did receive some medication from the dentist when I went to visit, but I didn't allow her to look in my mouth. I just demanded medication for periodontitis. I can't remember if it helped or not.

Honestly at this point I'm stuck. I'm as stubborn as a mule. I refuse therapy for my issues and I refuse to see the dentist. However if this pain persists it will definitely push me to go and see one. It's been agony!

 

[furzumz]

Hello thanks for your reply.

It's great to hear you've overcome your fear!
My toothache actually did improve and how I did it was by rinsing with salt every couple of hours, brushing after each meal and using mouthwash. My morning and evening routines were brush teeth, salt rinse, mouth wash. I can't afford floss yet but that will be added.
I was on the mend! Then last night I ate pizza which has set everything back off again! I'm so p****ed off about that, because I didn't even chew on my right side! I'm trying to heal my body naturally by consuming antibiotic foods to cure the infection. I've stopped smoking again (as of right now) until this thing heals up properly.

My fears of the dentist are due to my emetophobia (fear of vomiting). I have an extremely sensitive gag reflex (and I mean extreme). It's also tied in to spitting, so when people spit I get nauseous and in the past I have gagged from it. Basically, if a dentist would want to do any dental work on me they would have to put me to sleep through the entire procedures (including x-ray). Unfortunately I live in a desolate area with one dentist a 30 minute drive away and they are not helpful at all! I wrote them a letter explaining my circumstances and they did not respond. I called them regarding my problems and they brushed it off and said "book a time to come in then". Unempathetic and incompassionate. I have healed my own dental issues before, 2 years ago I had an abscessed wisdom tooth. The wisdom tooth rotted away and the gum closed up. I did receive some medication from the dentist when I went to visit, but I didn't allow her to look in my mouth. I just demanded medication for periodontitis. I can't remember if it helped or not.

Honestly at this point I'm stuck. I'm as stubborn as a mule. I refuse therapy for my issues and I refuse to see the dentist. However if this pain persists it will definitely push me to go and see one. It's been agony!

Hi, sorry for my late reply. Been a bit busy.

First things first, I truly don't mean to cause more anxiety, just trying to look out for your health; teeth may sometimes naturally fall out on their own if they become infected, but its also possible for the infection to cause significant damage or even eventually kill you if you don't have it treated. If you're in agony especially from a infection I'd strongly recommend seeing the dentist as soon as you can. A tooth infection left untreated has the potential to kill people, and they have before. Salt water rinses and antibiotics only go so far and can't always kill off a infection entirely. Even if it does manage to kill off an infection it can easily come back. The only real way to have it taken care of is for a dentist to take care of it.

As much as it may suck I'd strongly suggest seeing a dentist to take care of it.

Even if you just want the tooth removed instead of trying to save it, that procedure is over with in typically a matter of minutes and the tools they use probably won't be pressing up against your mouth causing you to gag. I've had teeth removed before and nothing they used pressed up against my mouth causing me to gag.

I can completely understand the anxiety of it all, to this day I still suffer from immense dental anxiety but there comes a point where facing your fears is far better than putting your health and even potentially your life at risk to avoid the anxiety.

On another note, while my gag reflex may not be as severe, maybe I can help you find ways to better deal with it.

Dental fear central has its own large article on ways to help with the gag reflex that actually work http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/fears/gagging/

And if you can bring yourself to tolerate it, there's actually a way to desensitize your gag reflex entirely, or at least a way to make it much more tolerable. It involves 'desensitizing' your mouth by brushing your tongue right where your gag reflex starts in the same spot every night for a very short amount of time which will eventually desensitize the gagging in that area. After you desensitize one area from gagging you continue taking care of the rest of your tongue. It's not that pleasant because it requires you to gag yourself a little, but there's ways to deal with that. If you don't want to gag much at all you can brush right where it begins without actually triggering the gag reflex all the way, and see if that works with time.

I have bad gagging too myself, maybe not bad as yours, but bad enough to where I've been gagging just by brushing my teeth every day.

But after desensitizing it in the way the website suggested by brushing a small area of my tongue every day where my gag reflex begins, it's managed to greatly reduce my gagging with time.