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Having a tooth out

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polly200

Junior member
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
5
Hi, I haven't posted on here for years but I'm going through anxiety at the moment.
I found out last Friday I have to have a tooth out. It was a shock as I was only told a month ago that it needed a chip repairing.
I came away with antibiotics and the dentist inserted some antibiotic cream in the cavity.
My appointment is set for this Friday and I am absolutely terrified!
I am ashamed to say I haven't been to work all week and I can't think of anything but what's going to happen on Friday.
The tooth in question has had 2 previous fillings a long time ago. Both times the numbing didn't work properly. The first time the dentist didn't believe me even though I was crying. He said he knew his job. The second time with a different dentist and he put some more anaesthetic in.
There must be a reason why this tooth doesn't numb easily. I am just worried sick they will start to take it out and its going to really hurt!
I have a new dentist I have been with since last year and she is amazing! I have told her my concerns but I still can't help worrying!
Any advice please as I'm going out of my mind at the moment!
Thank you
 
A different dentist can make all the difference in the world! I hope it goes well. Do you have the option of using nitrous oxide, or an oral sedative? I have difficulty getting numb, and both of those have helped me in the past. Nitrous helps you slow your breathing down and your heart rate, which keeps your body from pumping the anesthetic out quickly. It has worked wonders for me.
 
Hi,
Is the tooth you wrote about a lower molar? If so, that is not surprising that is was painful with drilling, as you can see in my video:
How to prevent painful drilling
The good news are that this problem is not relevant for teeth extractions. It is a bit counter intuitive but that is the reality: lower molars are much more difficult to numb for drilling rather than for an extraction.
Hope it helps.
 
Hi polly200,

after your bad experiences in the past - not only being in pain, but your dentist not believing you and I supposed simply going ahead with the procedure - it is very normal that you are very anxious about the procedure. That's how our minds work - we learn what hurt us and then we get scared of it.
When it comes to your anxiety now, try to stay kind to yourself and just do the things that help you to relax and distract yourself. When it comes to your anxiety at the dentist, it is good to remember that if anything is not numb, you can and should stop the procedure and only continue, if there is a solution. Your dentist has the option to check whether you are numbed up well and it may be a good idea to agree on a stop signal so that you can let her know if something doesn't feel right. Raising a hand works the best. My feel is that your fear is not about pain arising as such, but about having to go through it despite the pain and I can only encourage you to mentalize the idea that you are in control and can intervene if anything is wrong with the numbing. You can take a break at any time and there are several things that can be done if the numbing is not perfect straight away. Besides the tips from Dr.Daniel, you can read about it here.

All the best wishes
 
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