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Frustrated, Scared and Angry about dealing with dentistry

B

blackhound

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 23, 2012
Messages
250
Location
Pennsylvania, USA
I've really just had it. I'm sick and tired of dealing with dentists and dentistry. Tired of not having a dental procedure done correctly. Sick of dealing with the fear before, during and after the appointments because the work always needs adjustment. And just angry with the whole dental profession.

Each botched visit has multiple costs. The cost of the stomach churning fear for days leading up to the appointment. The actual monetary cost. The cost of lost time from work for repeat appointments to deal with the stuff that wasn't done cleanly the first time.

My fear of the procedures has now morphed into a fear of having my teeth mutilated. Because that is what my experience feels like to me.

I've been through 3 dentists in 6 years because all of them ruined my bite after a basic filling and couldn't fix it. I'm no spring chicken and I've had a lot of dentistry throughout my life and never until recently have I had this kind of problem with basic dentistry.

It always follows a pattern. Decay in a molar. Drill and fill. Occlusion ruined. No resolution even after multiple visits.

The only way I can solve it is to make an appointment with my periodontist who fixes the bite issues. Even he always asks why can't they do this basic stuff? My answer? Hell if I know. And all of these dentists come highly recommended from friends, family members. They have lots of great reviews. But, nope. Occlusal hell.

I've been dealing with the inability to properly chew on the right side of my mouth since December 17. I've gone back twice to have the restoration adjusted and I still can't properly chew. I'm now looking at taking off yet more time from work and paying out of pocket to the perio to fix this mess. And in the meantime I can't properly eat.

I'm so angry that this kind of stuff goes on without consequence. How did they all get out of dental school and get a license? Is there self-policing in the profession? Doesn't seem like it.

The fear of dentistry isn't always irrational. There's a lot of bad dentists out there. A LOT. There's a reason people don't want to go. Maybe the profession needs to own up to their part.
 
I am sorry you are dealing with all that. I can sympathize about procedures not working, but mine have been done correctly and still didn't work. I had two molars thay had fillings replaced, that ended up needing root canals within months (after I paid for a crown for one). Then the root canals failed, amd subsequent retreat and apicoectomy failed, and I had two molars extracted. Exorbitant costs only to lose the teeth. Then an abscess on a front tooth, another root canal...was assured it looked great. It failed and just had an apicoectomy alittle over a week ago. I have nerve damage from that and have a completely numb upper jaw in the front, and nerves going haywire, causing pain. None of the dentists of endodontist did anything wrong. I had the oral surgeon who extracted both molars say that the root canal was beautifully done, as was the apicoectomy.

My bite has been off since last summer. Every time they try to correct it, it causes an issue with another tooth, so I can sympathize with you on that as well. In fact, I have a cracked first molar now, because losing two 2nd molars put more pressure on it.

I am at the point where I am done with root canals and surgeries. My biggest fear used to be losing my teeth but now I just want them extracted insteados work done.
 
Does your periodontist have any recommendations for highly skilled and empathetic dentists in your area? A tip that @comfortdentist has shared several times here (for finding a good dentist in the U.S.) is to ask other specialists for their recommendations for general dentists, because they will have seen their work and heard feedback from their patients regarding their chairside manner.
 
Your experiences sound horrible. I'm so sorry all of that time, effort and $$ didn't get you to a positive place.

I hear you on just being done with all of the procedures. In my ultimate fantasy world I would have all of my molars extracted and replaced with implants done by my superhero periodontist.

For me it is always the molars. I break into a cold sweat at every checkup when they start looking at my molars because I know if there is something that needs to be done I am in for months of emotional and physical agony. The fear of anyone doing anything to my teeth (in my mind I'm being mutilated) is now a massive phobia that I didn't have before I started to take good care of my teeth.

And what it is it with not being able to get the bite correct??!! There has to be more to good occlusal treatment than just using the carbon paper.

I am sorry you are dealing with all that. I can sympathize about procedures not working, but mine have been done correctly and still didn't work. I had two molars thay had fillings replaced, that ended up needing root canals within months (after I paid for a crown for one). Then the root canals failed, amd subsequent retreat and apicoectomy failed, and I had two molars extracted. Exorbitant costs only to lose the teeth. Then an abscess on a front tooth, another root canal...was assured it looked great. It failed and just had an apicoectomy alittle over a week ago. I have nerve damage from that and have a completely numb upper jaw in the front, and nerves going haywire, causing pain. None of the dentists of endodontist did anything wrong. I had the oral surgeon who extracted both molars say that the root canal was beautifully done, as was the apicoectomy.

My bite has been off since last summer. Every time they try to correct it, it causes an issue with another tooth, so I can sympathize with you on that as well. In fact, I have a cracked first molar now, because losing two 2nd molars put more pressure on it.

I am at the point where I am done with root canals and surgeries. My biggest fear used to be losing my teeth but now I just want them extracted insteados work done.
 
That's an excellent idea that never occurred to me. :)

Does your periodontist have any recommendations for highly skilled and empathetic dentists in your area? A tip that @comfortdentist has shared several times here (for finding a good dentist in the U.S.) is to ask other specialists for their recommendations for general dentists, because they will have seen their work and heard feedback from their patients regarding their chairside manner.
 
And what it is it with not being able to get the bite correct??!! There has to be more to good occlusal treatment than just using the carbon paper.

My dentist told me that every time a tooth is adjusted to help with the bite, it can throw off the occlusion with a different tooth. So you could be chasing it to a point where you end up adjusting all your teeth. She actually told me to wait until I am done with all dental work, and even look into braces to get my bite aligned.

Yeah, in a perfect world, I would love to have all my molars replaced with implants as well. I know I have two at least that are cracked and have been having aching in both lower jaws all day today. I am so sick of my teeth right now.
 
That's the way my perio does it. He doesn't just look at the one tooth that was worked on. He checks all the surrounding teeth and then looks at my whole mouth to make sure I'm biting down correctly and there are no interferences. After I had my LANAP surgery he adjusted my entire mouth and it was a miraculous experience. Now every time I have to have a restoration all the wonderful work is screwed up.

Braces are out of the question for me because I have too much bone loss. Plus omg the $$$$.

I hope the jaw pain settles down and you get some relief. There seems to be no end to the misery even when you do everything right and go to appointments and cleanings and checkups and do good home care. It just seems fruitless.:XXLhug:

My dentist told me that every time a tooth is adjusted to help with the bite, it can throw off the occlusion with a different tooth. So you could be chasing it to a point where you end up adjusting all your teeth. She actually told me to wait until I am done with all dental work, and even look into braces to get my bite aligned.
 
That's the way my perio does it. He doesn't just look at the one tooth that was worked on. He checks all the surrounding teeth and then looks at my whole mouth to make sure I'm biting down correctly and there are no interferences. After I had my LANAP surgery he adjusted my entire mouth and it was a miraculous experience. Now every time I have to have a restoration all the wonderful work is screwed up.

Braces are out of the question for me because I have too much bone loss. Plus omg the $$$$.

I hope the jaw pain settles down and you get some relief. There seems to be no end to the misery even when you do everything right and go to appointments and cleanings and checkups and do good home care. It just seems fruitless.:XXLhug:

Braces are out of the question for me, too, because they cost a fortune. I have to get at least one implant, so my money is being saved toward that. Plus, my daughter has to have braces to move two teeth that grew in wrong (switched places!) so that is a priority.
 

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