Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

[diana327]

Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

I have an appointment tomorrow morning.

I really am glad I found this website.

I haven't been to the dentist in years, and I really don't have a good excuse. I finally got dental insurance last year, but I had ignored two horrible toothaches, one of which the tooth finally crumbled away last week and the other is a bottom molar which definitely feels cracked, but I've been researching that and am freaking out that the crack is below the gum and I'll have no choice but to extract it.

For the tooth that crumbled out of the top, I am not sure what my options will be. I'll talk to the dentist tomorrow. Money is definitely an issue for me, even though I have insurance. The remaining teeth will definitely shift if I don't get an implant or a bridge in quickly enough, right? That is also freaking me out.

I know these two particular teeth are a big problem, but I really have tried to take good care of my teeth (save for the whole "dentist" thing. I know, I know. Nobody can judge me more than I am judging myself.)

I know a lot of people here will understand but I am SO SCARED. I'm not going to sleep tonight. I can't wait for it to be over.

Never again, I promise.

 

[Lexie35]

Re: Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

Hi. I, too have a horrible dental phobia. I went for just a consult the other day and got news that I need 4 teeth pulled. BUT... I think if you can find a dentist that is gentle and will listen to your worries and have a signal if it gets to be too much, it will go much smoother. I'm really scared about these extractions. I have a cleaning scheduled in a week. Hoping it will go well. Hugs to you! Keep us posted...

 

[Davee]

Re: Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

Good luck with your visit. You have lovely teeth BTW. As for your teeth shifting- that may or may not happen.I have a friend who has quite a few back teeth pulled and her social teeth (the ones that show) have not shifted over the years.

 

[Zoidberg444]

Re: Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

Best of luck. I really hope you can go and get it over with. Your teeth look pretty good for the most part. They are certainly 1000 times better than mine.

 

[diana327]

Re: Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

Thank you. I'm going in an hour. The dentist has GREAT reviews and is a three minute walk from my home.

I hyped myself up that I'm excited to get the bottom cavity taken care of because I always feel like it's never clean. I feel like it's HUGE but my roommate just asked to see it and she said, "...I don't even SEE anything", but I definitely feel it. Hopefully the fact that somebody else can barely see it means it's a simple cavity that can be filled or root canal that can be done--I'll feel sick sick if BOTH of these teeth can't be saved.

That's good news about your friend's teeth not shifting!

My whole life, both my parents would tell me how bad teeth were in our family, etc. etc. etc. But they were also both heavy smokers so how can that not come into play? So I've always felt so paranoid that I just had horrible teeth and a dentist would always find a million problems.

So I'm hoping today they can yank out the disgusting rotted tooth and I can figure out an implant/bridge down the line, and take care of the big cavity on the bottom and then I'll probably feel infinitely better, albeit broker.

Other small cavities or whatever can be taken care of at another appointment, and I still have my wisdom teeth, which I wonder might have caused the neighboring two teeth to break like they did.

Thank you for your support! I'll report back in a few hours.

 

[diana327]

Re: Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

Not as bad as I thought it would be!

The very cracked molar HAD to come out (which I was expecting) so that came out today.

I still have my wisdom teeth, and I'm to go to an oral surgeon about getting those out and the bad tooth right next to it out.

I had a few SMALL cavities, that I couldn't get filled today with the extraction, so I'm getting those three weeks from today (two separate appointments for the two sides.)

The dentist and hygienist both said several times how great my teeth look and how I clearly take very good care of them at home and that they'd never guess it would be shamefully long as it has been--that made me happy to hear.

I really liked the dentist and am glad to go back to get those fillings and know it's taken care of.

Also, the tooth that they pulled today was bothering me and I often was concerned it stunk, so good riddance.

The price of the implants totally freak me out, but I'm going to take this one step at a time and maybe my financial situation will change a bit over the next year.

Thanks so much for your support--it really wasn't NEARLY AS BAD as I thought it was going to be!

 

[diana327]

Re: Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

Update!

I went to an oral surgeon today to talk about that disgusting molar.

It was the quickest doctor's appointment EVER and we're taking it out on 2/28.

I gave her a run down on my issues, and she said I really have great teeth and it's surprising those two went so bad because the rest are so perfect. (Totally my own fault for not going to the dentist in years, but no looking back!)

I'm getting my fillings tomorrow and I'm happy that everything that needs to be fixed will be in less than two weeks, and then I can decide about implants.

Thanks for all of your support, and I hope my story can encourage others to get over the fear and go!!!

 

[diana327]

Re: Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

I got the disgusting stub of a tooth removed yesterday and I'm actually in a really good mood about it today!

It took over an HOUR and came out in SO many pieces.

I asked the oral surgeon, "How many PIECES is that thing in?" after and she said without missing a beat, "49" which made me laugh.

She showed me that the root had three separate abscesses (ew) and it was interesting to look at it.

So, now both "bad" teeth are out, got my fillings and I'm getting a cleaning in two weeks.

You can't tell the teeth were pulled, I'm having no issues chewing, and I can make my decisions about implants in due course (but of course, am feeling better knowing nobody can even tell or has to know.)

Both the dentist and the oral surgeon complimented my teeth and said they never would have guessed it had been so many years.

Already planning on going for a checkup and cleaning in September!

Thanks for all of your support. This is a good community!

 

[Thephilsblogbar]

Re: Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

Well done for getting the treatment done. and good luck with your next appointment.

 

[diana327]

Re: Haven't been to the dentist in YEARS and am freaking out (appointment tomorrow)

I went back for my cleaning and the hygienist had no idea it had been years and years since my last cleaning and said, "So, what do you mean 'a long time'? Like a year?"

Suuuuuure, we'll go with that. Haha.

The cleaning only took about 15 minutes, not much scraping, and she just pointed out problem areas that I need to focus on.

I had a couple of 4mm's, but she said that's probably because I hadn't had a cleaning in a while--she didn't seem too concerned.

She also suggested I switch to baking soda and peroxide toothpaste, which I have since done. I LOVE Squigle toothpaste and have been using that for a while, but I decided to use the peroxide and baking soda morning and evening and keep the Squigle for my midday brush.

I made a checkup appointment for September and will keep on top of the careful flossing and all of that before then.

I'm SO glad I finally went to the dentist!!!

 

[jadon77]

You got nice looking teeth from the photos. I hope you keep them beautiful for a long time.

 

[diana327]

An update and some encouragement/hope for those who also avoided for years and years like I did!

I had those two "bad" teeth pulled over a year ago (I do plan on replacing them at some point, but you can't see them, and I can't quite afford it right now.)

I went for a checkup six months ago, dentist told me how great my teeth were and to keep it up, and then had a checkup yesterday and was told I had no cavities/no plaque/no staining/gums look great.

The dentist started saying he was concerned about one of the missing spots and that it might cause problems and then looked at it again and said "Eh. I take that back, actually. You're fine."

So, don't be like me--I wish I had gone earlier and saved those two teeth, because now the missing teeth are the only problem I have!

 

[jessdon94]

Hi, I have a similar tooth to your picture. It’s fallen out and there is barely anything left apart from root in the gum.
Can I ask what the oral surgeon did to get yours out? Was it surgery? I haven’t been to the dentist in years and I’m petrified!
Thank you

 

[kirrahope]

Hi, I have a similar tooth to your picture. It’s fallen out and there is barely anything left apart from root in the gym.
Can I ask what the oral surgeon did to get yours out? Was it surgery? I haven’t been to the dentist in years and I’m petrified!
Thank you

I'm not the OP, but I had emergency oral surgery last Thursday. (My dentist tried removing a molar at her office, but because it was my first appointment in 16 years and I had waited so long that it developed an infection, I couldn't get numb via novocaine so they had to send me to an oral surgeon.)

I opted to be knocked completely unconscious with general anesthesia since the local anesthetic didn't work on me. They put in an IV with the medicine, put a breathing tube thing in my nose, and told me to count backwards from 10. I don't remember making it to 5, lol. The procedure wasn't even 30 minutes, whereas my dentist fought with me for an hour and a half with little success. In order to access the remainder of my molar, the surgeon had to cut a little bit into my gums. That spot still stings when my tongue brushes against it (which is all the time), but my pain is NOTHING compared to what it was before the procedure.