Glad I found you and could sure use some help

[Antiques55]

It is so good to find a place where I can talk about my dental problems and not feel I will be judged. I have huge dental phobia combined with an inability to pay for all the work I know needs to be done. As a result, I've only gone to the dentist when I've had huge emergencies -- and I mean HUGE emergencies.

Right now I have two teeth where I lost fillings some time ago and never did anything about it. As a result, the decay has grown and the teeth have broken off and neighboring teeth have started to decay. These are back teeth, which makes eating anything other than soft food impossible. I also have one front tooth that is so decayed that I haven't had an open mouth smile in what seems like years. I often feel that everyone must know that I have seriously decayed teeth but no one says anything about it.

I have an appointment scheduled for this coming Tuesday but in the meantime I am in pain. It's not sharp pain, but dull aching and I have a constant headache. Regular pain killers aren't doing anything for my headache and jaw pain. I'm losing sleep and trying all kinds of over the counter remedies to get me through the days and nights. I have packed one tooth with G.U.M. compound because the edges were so sharp they were irritating my tongue. I'm just miserable and even called in sick today because I just couldn't cope with trying to work when I ache so horribly. I'm not sure I can wait until Tuesday but I've already called the dentist's office and they can't get me in any earlier unless someone cancels.

I have dental insurance and I'm sure it will cover some of the expense but not all of it. I think I have $90 left in my Health Savings Account and no extra money other than that. I'm a single parent and live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. My credit is not good so I know I would never be approved for Care Credit or any other kind of payment plan. The dentist I will be seeing is a new one for me so I'm not sure if they will allow me to make any kind of payments. That's a question I'll ask once I have an idea what I'm up against.

So my issues are (1) getting through the next 4 1/2 days until I have my appointment and hopefully can get some relief either with pain killers or antibiotics; (2) dealing with the dental phobia; (3) overcoming the cost issues because I know I'll need extensive work; (4) handling the news of everything I am sure I need to have done; (5) worrying about the dentist/hygenist being judgmental about my dental condition; and (6) thinking about the possibility that others will have to see me missing some teeth.

Right now I'd be happy with just some advice on how to get through the next 4 days. I am SOOOO miserable, I can't even tell you.

Thanks for listening.

 

[red7]

Hey Antique i am no expert but i have pain myself at the moment so i will try and tell you what as worked for me. From reading your post i am assuming your in the US so i can't really comment on the dental bill/finance aspect here although myself have arranged some emergency treatment via the NHS and any further work my family will be helping me finance. In regards to the pain i have been trying to keep my mouth as clean as possible - brushing and rinsing - i have also used a proper dental mouthwash (i forget the name) but if you check my post history it is on there somewhere and it really does keep the infected parts stable and clean - i have also been taking co codamol and paracetemol - i visited my doctor to help with the pain relief and i have also used diazapan sleeping tablets which have been great.

 

[Breeze]

I'm brand spanking new here as well, so I will say Hello all around and jump right in to try to help a fellow fearful one.

Good job on making the appointment, stepping forward ( one step at a time) is the only way to get on with this.

I know you have called the dentist, and I understand that they can't see you before Tuesday unless there is a cancellation. You aren't an established patient with the provider, so they really don't know you from Adam's hat, but call them back tomorrow morning as soon as the office opens and state your case. AGAIN. You are in PAIN and are waiting for your Tuesday visit, ask if there is anything they can advise or RX in the meantime, to help. You aren't bugging them, you are asking for help. Depending on the days schedule, ( or cancellations) they may actually find you a few minutes for an acute evaluation. My new provider was EXTREMELY good about that as a first visit to get me out of discomfort and set the stage for demonstrating a caring attitude even though I was scared to pieces.

They may or may not come through, but don't hold it against them right off if they don't jump. Without seeing you or knowing you, any medical professional will be wary of ' phone medicine".

If you don't have a positive result from that phone call, then the next step is calling your medical PCP, or your child's PCP if you are without your own. MD's often are the intermediaries between Pain and Dental Treatment. Its possible that a short course of antibiotics could get you thru the weekend with less pain, so don't discount asking your doc for help before the dentist can see you. Tomorrow is Friday, don't let the opportunity get away! If you live where there is an Urgent Care Clinic ( medical) consider that, also.

Orajel is helpful. You can't taste anything when using it, but you can't really eat while hurting, and I so understand that whole thing.

If you are using OTC NSAID ( Ibuprofen, tylenol type ) meds, sometimes you can get a helpful boost by using both together, but you need to have something in your tummy even if just milk-soaked crackers and yogurt, with bananas.

Benadryl OTC can help with sleep and anxiety , but it isn't totally without a downside. It tends to lose effectiveness over a short time ( week or so).

OK, thats about getting thru the next few days. Take this one step at a time, don't try to swallow the whole whale at one sitting. This isn't going to be accomplished all at once, so just take the first step and keep putting one foot in front of the other. You will have time to engage brain, you will have time and room to make decisions along the road. You feel out of control right now because fear is in control.

Tonight I'm patting myself on the back for doing another 3 mo prophylaxis recall. For some reason I was awake most of the night last night and imagining ( GASP/LOLOL) that all my home efforts to save my teeth were for nothing and in a few short months my 4mm pockets would go to 8 mm and I'd be SCREWED!!!!!!!!! into extractions, implants, certain dentures.

Well, you know, it didnt' happen exactly as I feared. My RDH is out on medical leave and I was seeing a totally new RDH today with no advance notice or choice. Ramp up my BP and anxiety level?????? OMG !!!!!!!! I'm DOOMED! SOMEONE NEW LOOKING AT MY TRAIN WRECK?????

SO NOT SO! I was put at ease immediately and it was an education for me today that there is a standard of care within my dental practice that transcends my fears and gives me valuable feedback that I am, indeed, doing good things for myself.

My " substitute" RDH today regaled me with her own fears after fracturing a molar cusp on crab shell in Baltimore while on vacation. She waited to come home to be treated, and honestly shared that she needed a lot of hands to hold and a lot of good drugs to let herself get a Cerec crown administered by her boss. Her chair is the closest chair to Big Boss and the CEREC machines, it moved me that she had fears and shared with me.


Antiques55, get thru step 1, the pain. That will bring you to step 2 that we all share. Beyond that, just the same, one step at a time. You will find a way.

Sue

 

[finney]

Welcome and you're right - no one here with judge you. We are all in varying degrees of rehab from our phobias and the work we should have had done who knows how long ago.

I'm going to try to offer you some suggestions in dealing with your problems that I've done from my own experience.

1) Your pain: Now, I don't advocate this, but it's for a medical reason so I'm going to change my tune a bit. There is a cough syrup they sell called Cherutussin. In SOME pharmacies you can buy it OTC, others need an RX. In my town it's only the one pharm that sells it so you may need to call around. It's about $13 and all you should have to do to get it is show your ID and sign so that they know you're not drinking a bottle a day. The thing is, this stuff has codeine in it, and codeine is an opiate (read: PAIN RELIEVER). I've used it for pain before and safely taken a double dose with no problems. The only other ingredient in the stuff is guifenesin, which loosens mucous. It won't hurt you to take a bit extra for a FEW days. Again, this isn't my first choice, but considering your finances and circumstances it might be the best. Also, just take it at night until you know how it will effect you.

1b) Pain again: Another thing to look into is if your hosptial has a walk-in clinic. Unless it has a dental dept they won't treat your problems, but they may give you something for pain and/or antibiotics. My hospital has a program called Community Care, which is forms (oh...tons of forms) that you fill out if you can't pay for your visit and they'll either reduce your fee or waive it if you qualify. I did this, however, when I broke a rib in Tai Kwon Do and I didn't have to pay for anything other than my Vicoden which were about $15. My bill would have been about $250 without that.

2) Talk to your dentist. Explain your fear and do ONLY what you feel necessary or comfortable. I found out today that it really is that simple.

3) Space the treatment out as far as you can. Also some offices still finance people with credit problems through other institutions. You will pay interest out the wazoo, but it beats bankruptcy or some of the other alternatives. Mine uses a company called American General and unless your credit is WAY bad, you get 12 months interest free.

4) Try to space out the "bad news" too. Have your dentist tell you about ONLY what needs to be done NOW. Of, if that's not an option, take a friend with you to the appointment, or have one meet you there before you get out of it. That way you'll have someone there for you right when you need them if you're upset about hearing what you need done, who you can talk to, cry to, whatever you need to do until you get past the initial shock and calm down a bit. Trust me, knowing someone is there if you need them REALLY helps. My old room mate was there at the end of my appointment today, he was in the waiting room when I got out, and luckily I didn't get any horrible news, but it was great to know that if I had, there would have been support there right then.

5) A good dentist won't judge. I was very afraid of that too and while I don't have any major dental problems, I do have some pretty severe staining and some buildup in a few places. No one said anything. In fact, the dentist complimented me. He said that despite missing cleanings, I was doing a great job of taking care of my teeth and to keep up what I was doing. A good dentist will know that you already know you have problems and should have taken care of them sooner, and will understand why you haven't and won't browbeat you. If he/she does, find a new dentist.

6) First find out if you will indeed lose teeth. Sometimes things you think could never possibly be restored can be. If you know you will, or that ends up happening, ask about a temp bridge or something similar. Usually the dentist can fabricate something to put in gaps before you get crowns, partials, bridges, etc. If missing teeth are going to really hurt your self esteem, you owe it to yourself to do whatever you can to fix that. Seriously, the idea here is to get your confidence AND your health back, not just one or the other. You can't put a value on happiness or feeling good about yourself.

I hope I was at least some help and know I'm keeping you in my thoughts. Let us know how things turn out.

 

[scaredstiff]

Hello and a warm to this site Antique55. I am sorry to read about your being in pain, but so pleased that, though you may not think it, you have already taken two huge steps - one in finding us and posting and being honest over your feelings about dentistry and then secondly for actually making the appointment. Its a fct that so often the only thing that forces us to make that first appointment is when the pain just gets too much. So, though it may be strange to say, it's good to have pain because it's a warning sign and means most likely youi can get treatment to get rid of the pain and the cause. Not having pain might seem better, but if you don't get pain, we phobics don't go to the dentist, don't realise that teeth are quietlydeteriorating and therefore don't get to the dentist in time. That in fact happened to me. 40 years and not a twinge.
Anyhow, you say you are takkng over the counter pills to get you through till your appt on Tuesday, but that they are not doing much good. I'm no pharmacist, doctor or dentist but I would think that taking a concoction of different medications is not a good idea - rather like having more than one anti-virus program on your computer - fighting against each other, and incomatible. I would get to your doctor immediately and see if he can prescribe something that will do the trick.
You don't actually say how long it is since you've been to a dentist but though you may be feeling your teeth are absolutely the pits, I'm betting they are not as bad as you think. We all feel we have absolutely the worst teeth in the world and the dentist will be absolutely horrified but then it turns out the dentist has always seen worse, and ours are actually much better than we imagine. Fear and imagination are our worst enemies. Hopefully your teeth can be restored to their former beauty with not too much doing - perhaps you will need a bridge or partial denture or something to compensate for missing teeth, perhaps a filling, cleaning etc but I assure you anything that needs to be done can in today's modern dentistry world be done painlessly and that dentists today are more compassionate and understanding of dental phobia than ever before as we phobics all come out of the closet so to speak.
So, although I know, waiting for that first appointment, especially if in pain, can be tremendously hard, it will soon be here and then afterwards, you will hopefully feel so relieved that you've been and that you are in good, caring and safe hands and also costwise, things have a way of working out and I'm sure a suitable payment plan can be worked out for you.
So all the best, do come back and keep us updated on your progress.

 

[Antiques55]

So, good news. I made it through to my regular appointment by using OTC pain relievers and OTC sleep aid and, of course, the temporary filling material. I just “toughed it out.” Go me…aren’t I just the stoic one?

Anyway, I thought my appointment today was at 11:30 and I was all geared up for it. This dentist is in the same building as my work so I just kept busy and then at 11:15 I popped into the bathroom to do a quick brushing with a very soft toothbrush (the first one that has been in my mouth in a very long time) and rinsed with some Peroxyl. Only to find out that my appointment was at 1:30!

Went through the same routine at 1:15 and then started filling out paperwork. In the “comments” section I wrote in caps: SEVERE DENTAL PHOBIA! Hahaha – just making sure they knew and understood.

Of course, it was a pretty non-invasive examination, but even so I was impressed with the dentist. He is very hands on and wanted to know specifically what phobias I had. When I couldn’t verbalize, he started asking if I was afraid of needles, gagging, lights, etc. I was happy to know that he would be gearing my care based on my phobias.

So the time came to look at my mouth. Yes, he said, there’s a lot of decay. BUT he said he has seen a lot worse and, I will only be losing one tooth! He did all the xrays himself and I was marveling at all the new equipment. Xrays were much easier than I ever remember them being, even 18 months ago. I do have to have a couple root canals (ye gads – my last experience was dreadful) and there are some minor cavities. One tooth in front that I thought sure I would lose will not even need a root canal.

The first event will be scaling and planing. Which is interesting to me because all my other dentists wanted to take care of the cavities, etc. first and then talk about the scaling. He said no, we have to stop the gum disease right now and get them healthy and pink. Then we move on to the other stuff.

Cost. Well, that’s still an issue but less so than I imagined. My dental insurance covers 90-80% of most of the work I need to have done…but only to a max of $1500/year. The good news is that it’s June. So I will probably be able to get the scaling and planing done and a couple of root canals before I run out of benefits. He will consider payments but we didn’t get into it too much and we’ll talk about that again when we reach the benefit threshold. I’m hoping there is a way I can get all the work done this year, enter a payment plan for the balance which I’ll pay on in small monthly increments this year and then pay off the first of the year with my health savings account (which is currently almost depleted).

My jaw and mouth are still aching a bit but I have a prescription for an antibiotic and he thought the antibiotic combined with OTC pain killers will take care of the pain for now. If not, he will prescribe something stronger. He also gave me a prescription for Activan to take before the first scaling & planing. I’ve never taken that before so we’ll see how it goes.

So all in all, I’m doing okay. It will be such a tremendous relief not to have my teeth be an issue anymore. I can’t imagine how wonderful it will be to smile again and only go the dentist once or twice a year…and have good exams!!

Thank you all for your support. Who would have thought that dental care could be such a journey!