First Dental Exam/Cleaning in 10+ Years TOMORROW

[TKB1974]

If anyone feels like sending some “be brave” vibes my way, I would greatly appreciate it. I have my first real dental visit (in 10 years!) tomorrow. The new patient/first visit appointment is 2 hours! ? I’ve been in for an emergency visit, root canal & crown fitting/temp crown placement in the last few weeks, but now I will go in and find out how everything else in my mouth is doing with X-rays and an exam/cleaning. I’m scared and not feeling confident at all, BUT...I think I’ve found a truly wonderful, caring, patient & empathetic dental office. Everyone has been wonderful & they even sent me a reminder email this morning with a really kind note about how they promise to take good care of me & make my visit as pleasant and gentle as possible (they’re all aware of my massive fear/anxiety). Wish me luck. My stomach is in absolute knots, but there’s no way I’m turning back now. I need to get on the other side of this crippling fear.

 

[Enarete]

Best of luck today, TKB1974. You got this! Remember: if you’re scared, you’re doing it right. If you were confident, it wouldn’t be a phobia. I am glad you found such a wonderful dental team. They will surely do everything possible to put you at ease. Looking forward to read how it went

 

[TKB1974]

Best of luck today, TKB1974. You got this! Remember: if you’re scared, you’re doing it right. If you were confident, it wouldn’t be a phobia. I am glad you found such a wonderful dental team. They will surely do everything possible to put you at ease. Looking forward to read how it went

Thanks so much. Appointment is in 2.5 hours. I’m nervous, but not so much that I’d think of canceling. I just keep reminding myself that in a few hours from now, it’ll be over with & I can add it to my list of recent dental accomplishments! Thanks for the kind words, Enarete! I sure do appreciate the support. I feel so alone with this phobia. I downplay it around everyone, which is easy to do because (aesthetically) my teeth look pretty good, but look a little further into my mouth & they’re a hot mess. ?

 

[StephscaredAF]

Good luck to you TK!! You'll do wonderfully!!

 

[Enarete]

Let me reassure you that you are not alone with this phobia. This forum currently has about 30k members the most people downplay their dental fear. It’s just that we don’t show off our vulnerabilities and things that we don’t like about ourselves.

Good luck today!

 

[TKB1974]

In the parking lot. Shaking like crazy! I can’t wait until this is over. ?

 

[TKB1974]

Inside now. Shaking uncontrollably but trying to play it slightly cool. I don’t want to scare them! ?

 

[StephscaredAF]

I'll be in your shoes tomorrow. Definitely thinking of you!! ??

 

[TKB1974]

I did it! I did it! I can’t believe that I made it through my first X-rays/exam/cleaning in almost 11 years, with nothing more than a bit of numbing gel for the scraping. Guess what?! Although I wouldn’t choose to have this done every day, it really was not bad. Today they took a boatload of X-rays + photos of the tops of my teeth. They did periodontal probing (mostly 2’s, a few 3’s & two 4’s). She then scraped/cleaned my teeth, but put numbing gel on them first to reduce any sensitivity. A little sensitivity during some of the scraping, but nothing I couldn’t handle. She repeatedly checked in to see how I was feeling, let me know I could take a break at any time if I needed one, and let me know I could raise my hand and she’d stop at any time. I only had to raise my hand once due to sensitivity on a tooth with some recession. Dentist is absolutely lovely. She came in, did a full mouth check & looked at X-rays, etc. So, after 11 years, here’s what the verdict is:

-2 root canals/crowns needed due to cracked/infected molars (one top/one bottom) This is what sent me in in the first place due to excruciating pain in one tooth. I’ve already had one root canal & crown done. I’ll have root canal # 2 on Monday, 4/19. I foundout about these issues at my first “emergency” appointment a few weeks back.

-2 small fillings need to be replaced

-Additional crown needed for another cracked molar

-Special mouthwash to help with “mild” gingivitis.

-Visit back in 4 months vs. 6 to make sure the gingivitis is clearing up- using special rinse, flossing & electric toothbrush.

That’s it! No deep cleanings needed. She said we can hold off on the two small fillings replacements and the two other crowns until January, when my dental benefits kick back in (thank goodness!) I will go in next week for one more visit (until August for my gingivitis recheck/cleaning). My visit next week is to place the permanent crown and build up a little filling on the other root canal (that I won’t be getting crowned until January).

I was shaking. I was terrified. I was sick to my stomach, but EVERYONE in that office was so kind, compassionate, gentle, empathetic & caring! They treated me so well! No pain throughout this whole process. I just wanted to let you guys know that there’s help and there’s hope. It’s scary but I promise you it’s so worth it. Will I be poor for a few months after shelling out a few thousand dollars for root canals & crowns? Yes. Would I do it all again? ABSOLUTELY!

 

[wpgshyguy2]

That is amazing news!

 

[Molar_bear]

I did it! I did it! I can’t believe that I made it through my first X-rays/exam/cleaning in almost 11 years, with nothing more than a bit of numbing gel for the scraping. Guess what?! Although I wouldn’t choose to have this done every day, it really was not bad. Today they took a boatload of X-rays + photos of the tops of my teeth. They did periodontal probing (mostly 2’s, a few 3’s & two 4’s). She then scraped/cleaned my teeth, but put numbing gel on them first to reduce any sensitivity. A little sensitivity during some of the scraping, but nothing I couldn’t handle. She repeatedly checked in to see how I was feeling, let me know I could take a break at any time if I needed one, and let me know I could raise my hand and she’d stop at any time. I only had to raise my hand once due to sensitivity on a tooth with some recession. Dentist is absolutely lovely. She came in, did a full mouth check & looked at X-rays, etc. So, after 11 years, here’s what the verdict is:

-2 root canals/crowns needed due to cracked/infected molars (one top/one bottom) This is what sent me in in the first place due to excruciating pain in one tooth. I’ve already had one root canal & crown done. I’ll have root canal # 2 on Monday, 4/19. I foundout about these issues at my first “emergency” appointment a few weeks back.

-2 small fillings need to be replaced

-Additional crown needed for another cracked molar

-Special mouthwash to help with “mild” gingivitis.

-Visit back in 4 months vs. 6 to make sure the gingivitis is clearing up- using special rinse, flossing & electric toothbrush.

That’s it! No deep cleanings needed. She said we can hold off on the two small fillings replacements and the two other crowns until January, when my dental benefits kick back in (thank goodness!) I will go in next week for one more visit (until August for my gingivitis recheck/cleaning). My visit next week is to place the permanent crown and build up a little filling on the other root canal (that I won’t be getting crowned until January).

I was shaking. I was terrified. I was sick to my stomach, but EVERYONE in that office was so kind, compassionate, gentle, empathetic & caring! They treated me so well! No pain throughout this whole process. I just wanted to let you guys know that there’s help and there’s hope. It’s scary but I promise you it’s so worth it. Will I be poor for a few months after shelling out a few thousand dollars for root canals & crowns? Yes. Would I do it all again? ABSOLUTELY!

Well done that’s amazing. And thank you so much for sharing how it went and keeping us updated. So glade to hear you are glade you did it and that you said it wasn’t to bad and you had no pain. It’s so helpful for others to read.

 

[TKB1974]

I'll be in your shoes tomorrow. Definitely thinking of you!! ??

You’ll do awesome! It was scary, but not nearly as bad as I’d made it out to be in my head. Such a huge weight has been lifted. 11 years of worrying & today I can breathe again. Thinking of you tomorrow! You can do this!

 

[JaySee19]

This is totally awesome! You know what the situation is now and have got a realistic time plan. And it sounds as if it’s not that bad. What a relief! Well done you!

 

[Enarete]

what lovely news! Give yourself a huge pat on the back! So glad it went well and that they offered you to do the two replacements in January. Hope you treat yourself with something nice for having gone trough this.

 

[LauraQ68]

This is such a great thread! I am going to be in the same situation next week. I hadn’t been to a dentist in about five years and finally had to go due to tooth pain. Well, that ended up in two root canals and crowns. Now, I have a cleaning scheduled and I’m so nervous about what else they might find. I really appreciate your story, TKB1974. It gives me hope. And like you, this has been hanging over my head and I’ll be so happy to get past it.

 

[TKB1974]

This is such a great thread! I am going to be in the same situation next week. I hadn’t been to a dentist in about five years and finally had to go due to tooth pain. Well, that ended up in two root canals and crowns. Now, I have a cleaning scheduled and I’m so nervous about what else they might find. I really appreciate your story, TKB1974. It gives me hope. And like you, this has been hanging over my head and I’ll be so happy to get past it.

You are going to do awesome! Honestly, five years is a drop in the bucket compared to my nearly 11 years! I was so certain that I was going to have a laundry list of things to get fixed, but I was very fortunate & it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was anticipating. I will never, ever let that much time lapse again. I made my next cleaning appointment on my way out! It certainly wasn’t my favorite way to spend my time or my money, but the absolute RELIEF I felt when it was over and done with it really indescribable. I wish you all the best at your upcoming appointment! I think you will find that it’s not nearly as bad as you’re anticipating. I hope you get to enjoy the sane feeling of relief, too! Please keep us posted! This is such a wonderful place to come for support. ❤

 

[LauraQ68]

My cleaning today went very well. They took lots of X-rays and intraoral photos. Then the dentist did the dreaded gum pocket measurements. I had some 4 and 5s, especially around my back teeth, so he recommended a deep cleaning. The hygienist was wonderful! She used topical gel to numb my gums and then went to work with the electronic scaler. Then she used a laser. This was followed by topical antibiotic and some sort of powder placed in several locations under my gums. I return in 6 weeks to see the periodontist to check my progress, the three months for another cleaning. I am so relieved that there are no further fillings or crowns needed. What a miracle!

I can’t say that my dental phobia is cured, but I am definitely in a better place today than I was last month when this whole saga started. This forum has been such a blessing!

 

[TKB1974]

My cleaning today went very well. They took lots of X-rays and intraoral photos. Then the dentist did the dreaded gum pocket measurements. I had some 4 and 5s, especially around my back teeth, so he recommended a deep cleaning. The hygienist was wonderful! She used topical gel to numb my gums and then went to work with the electronic scaler. Then she used a laser. This was followed by topical antibiotic and some sort of powder placed in several locations under my gums. I return in 6 weeks to see the periodontist to check my progress, the three months for another cleaning. I am so relieved that there are no further fillings or crowns needed. What a miracle!

I can’t say that my dental phobia is cured, but I am definitely in a better place today than I was last month when this whole saga started. This forum has been such a blessing!

Such great news!