I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

[anonfemale]

I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

I want to go to an emergency dentist as I am worried about my teeth and gums and a tiny split in the gum near my back tooth, and a lump in my mouth. Will they be able to help?. I don't feel that I can wait until Friday. I'm so scared. I'm worried that there might be an infection in my back tooth and I hope it hasn't spread anywhere!. Or could it be split because of periodontitis?. Should I tell them about all the problems?. Or will they just tell me to see the dentist on Friday?.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

I want to go to an emergency dentist as I am worried about my teeth and gums and a tiny split in the gum near my back tooth, and a lump in my mouth. Will they be able to help?. I don't feel that I can wait until Friday. I'm so scared. I'm worried that there might be an infection in my back tooth and I hope it hasn't spread anywhere!. Or could it be split because of periodontitis?. Should I tell them about all the problems?. Or will they just tell me to see the dentist on Friday?.

Hi Anon, I guess we can be appointment buddies because I have to go Friday too concerning my root canal.
From what I understand you have had this trouble for a while and are not in excruciating pain, is that correct? If so I think it is fine to wait til Friday. An infection or abscess causes pretty unbearable pain, even for someone with high pain tolerance. I have had an infection for quite some time now. If you are in a lot of pain I would try to get seen sooner. Good luck to you.

 

[anonfemale]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Thanks Scaredycat. I'm leaving for the appointment soon. I'm shaking!. I hope I wont be wasting their time. I'm not sure what they will do. I have had some pain. I just cant stand not knowing any more. I will let you know how it goes. Good luck with your appointment on Friday.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Good luck, I hope you get some answers and some relief today.

 

[anonfemale]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

I'm not sure what to think about what happened today. When I got there, my boyfriend went in the room with me. I felt quite nervous when I sat down in the dentists chair, but not as much as I thought I would!. It's funny, but I felt more relaxed when I put the glasses on that they gave to be for some reason. I closed my eyes a little bit too. The dentist looked at my back tooth, and she said it looks like it needs a small filling, but she wants the next dentist I go to to do the filling. She said she wasn't sure if it needed filling or not. She didn't mention that there was a split in the gum there, but I think it looks like there is. I told her about my gums too. She looked at my bottom teeth and gums, and she said it looks like an early stage of periodontitis. I felt depressed when she mentioned periodontitis, but I was relieved that she thinks it is at an early stage. I asked her if she thought I would need gum surgery, but she said I didn't. She told me to get x rays with the next dentist and everything will come up on those. I also showed her the white bump that I had been worried about,and she said it was the root of my tooth!. Huh??. I didn't think the root of your tooth was so far down in that area. I hope she hasn't got that wrong. I told her that I went to a doctor recently, and he said it was an ulcer. She didn't look at the white bump when I was lying in the chair. I showed it to her after that.



I felt a bit embarrassed because I think the dentist, my boyfriend, and the dentists assistants were all thinking that I had gone there for no reason (as they didn't think it was an emergency). I have been in some pain (obviously because of the periodontitis ), but I thought it was an emergency because my gums were swollen and I didn't know what stage the gum disease was at, and I was worried about the white bump and my back tooth. My boyfriend told me later that he looked over at the dentist and her assistants when I was in the chair and said "is she ok?" by miming it to them, and they nodded and smiled. I didn't see them do that at the time. The dentist also told me that she didn't think that anything in my mouth looked like it was too obvious. She didn't check the rest of my teeth with the mirror though, but she must have just glanced at them.





I hope that all of this can be treated, but I'm still worried about losing my teeth at some point. I'm still nervous about my next appointment ( I will still go to the other appointment on Friday), but at least now I have an idea what to expect before I go there. I will be shocked if the next dentist mentions anything else that's wrong with my mouth!. What kind of treatment do you think I will need for this?. I guess I will need a deep clean and a filling, but I'm not sure what else will need doing. Hopefully, the dentist is right about me not needing surgery!. I feel depressed about having periodontitis, but I am glad that I can get treated now.



I wonder why she didn't do the filling or take an x ray today?. Also, I'm a bit worried because it looks like there is something white stuck in my back tooth. It's small, but that could be from when she was looking at my tooth.


I could have posted this in the "Lions and tigers and dentists" thread too. I might post it there, or just mention on that thread that I have started a new thread about this.




So Scaredycat, we will be dentist buddies on Friday!. The only thing is, we are getting some really bad weather here in England, so I hope I can make it to my appointment . I have to get public transport to get there, as it is in another town. I hope the transport won't be delayed or cancelled.


Thanks again for all your support. I don't think I would have made it to the appointment today if it wasn't for the lovely people on this forum and my boyfriend supporting me at the appointment. It's still hard to talk about with my family and friends though.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Hi Anon,
sounds like your appointment was not that bad. you must feel at least a little relief to know it isn't anything serious?
Roots do go down all the way past your gums and into your jaw bone so maybe that is the bump you see? It is definitely not an abscess if it never changed size or leaked pus or gave you excruciating pain.

I have been through early gum disease because I only ever went for my first cleaning at 19 or 20. my parents never took me as a child, so I already had gingivitis when I got there. The hygienist was rude and insulting and very rough and hurt me, and assumed that I had gingivitis from not brushing my teeth/ when in fact I was brushing 3 times a day but anyone would have gingivitis if they went 20 years without a cleaning. She was so insulting that I never went again til over 15 years later so I did have gum disease by then. Also because of her telling me I didn't brush enough I went from brushing 3 times a day to 9 times a day, which the next dentist I saw said I did not have gum recession but had actually brushed my gums away from brushing so excessively.
Anyway a root scaling and planning will deal with your early gum disease and then so long as you floss daily and return for regular cleanings you will be fine. they may also give you a prescription mouth wash and a low dose antibiotics because gum disease is actually not a disease but an infection.

 

[carole]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Hi I have just sent you a message then i noticed this. I think you did well going today. The gums can be dealt with with no operations involved. It sounds like a good dentist clean and good oral hygiene by you will do the trick. I have a neighbour that has to see a hygienist every three months for cleaning as no amount of cleaning on her part will keep her gums okay. She does have to pay about £40 to £50 each time for this.

Although our weather is going to be bad according to the weather reports, I think we are just going to get blown about a bit and very wet, so I think you will be okay for Friday.

Good luck

 

[anonfemale]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

I'm getting really nervous now. Tomorrow is the day!!. My appointment is at 12.30pm. I hope the emergency dentist was right when she said it was an early stage of periodontitis, as she didn't do any x rays or probe my gums, and I hope she was right that I only need a filling besides the treatment for my gums . As she didn't look at the rest of my teeth properly, I'm not sure if she knew for sure what needed doing. I have had throbbing sometimes too, but it comes and goes. I don't get that every day. I guess that is because of the gum disease, but I still keep worrying in case I need lots more work done. It wont be so bad if I have to pay to see a hygienist, but I hope I wont need any treatment that is too expensive for me. I read the reviews of the surgery and it seems like they have nice staff there who put patients at ease, so I hope it will be ok. I've been worried about a root of my tooth that was left in by a dentist too. When I saw a dentist a few years ago,she extracted a tooth that had broken. It had broken because another dentist before that hadn't done a filling properly!. When she extracted it, I was shouting because I was in pain. I don't think I was numb enough. She left the root in because I shouted, but she said it would be ok to leave it in. It doesn't seem like it has caused me any problems, but I'm still worried as I have heard it can cause infection. It was a tooth at the top of my mouth near the back.


What time is your appointment tomorrow, Scaredycat?.







I will reply to your message soon, Carole. Thanks to you both for your support. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.

 

[carriss]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Anon, good luck tomorrow. I've got a feeling you will be totally fine. Let us know how you get on.

 

[FearfulInMA]

I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

I have a root left in from one of my wisdom teeth. I have been told that it will likely never cause an issue. It's been like this almost 7 years.

 

[anonfemale]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Thanks, Fearful. It's good to know that it shouldn't be a problem. And thank you, Carriss. I keep thinking about the appointment tomorrow. I don't know if I will get much sleep tonight. I still think about scary things, like when people have had to have teeth extracted because of gum disease. I wish I could stop thinking about that. I'm trying to stay calm until I know all the details tomorrow.

 

[anonfemale]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

I've just got up and I will be leaving in about an hour as I have to catch a train to get there. I'm leaving early because the surgery is in another town and I'm not exactly sure where it is. I know it's not too far from the train station. I want to get there earlier than my appointment time. The receptionist said I can call them if I need directions. I don't want to eat anything. I'm so nervous. I'm going on my own too.

 

[anonfemale]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

I've just got back from my appointment. I am crying and feeling anxious again. The dentist gave me a check up. I couldn't take everything in that she was saying to the assistant. I was trying to listen to what she was saying about my teeth, but now I cant remember what she said. I looked at the form she gave me, and it says I have to go to hospital and have an OPG X Ray. Has anyone ever had that before?. I'm worried because it says on the form that I am having an assessment of my periodontal condition and multiple teeth!. Does that sound bad?. I wish I had asked about the multiple teeth. I was so nervous.




I'm not sure if I went to the right dentist or not. She was very kind, but I wasn't really sure if the dentist and her assistant were listening to me. They laughed a little bit and mentioned how nervous I was when I got on the chair. After I had my check up, the assistant said "that wasn't as bad as you thought it would be, was it?". Well, it isn't great either.




I'm not sure why she didn't use the probe on my gums today. I thought she might have done that.




I asked the dentist if she thought I needed the hospital appointment urgently, but she said I didn't, and it could even wait until after Christmas. She said I need to take the results of the X Ray to my next appointment. I will be having a cleaning at my next appointment.




It also says on the form that the priority is "routine". It says "semi urgent" and "urgent" next to "routine", but she didn't tick those.






What do you think about this?. I'm worried because the X Ray will show my teeth, gums,and my jaws. I'm worried about what will come up on there.




They have referred me to a hospital which is in the same town as their surgery , and not to my local hospital in the town I live in. I'm not sure where the hospital is though. I feel that I need someone to go with me next time.

 

[Midwinter]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

You did great anonfemale
In the end the results are not so bad as You imagined right?

I think if this dentist is not overly concerned about Your issues You should not be too.
Are You in pain right now?

If not, just try to relax. Go for Your x-rays when You feel up to it. But do not look at them. And please do not try to interpret them by Yourself. Just hide them some where far away and try to enjoy the upcoming holidays.

I am more than sure that Your gums will return to normal after the cleaning You will be having next time.
If You are afraid of teeth cleaning. Please don`t be. It is painless for most but I usually ask for numbing shots for this because I do not like any, even the smallest, pain during dental procedures. Definitely ask for some numbing gel before shots. After it You will not feel the shots at all. Only drawback to this approach is that You probably will need 2 appointments for the cleaning because my dentists does not like to numb whole mouth at once.

You should be proud of Yourself.
Take care

 

[anonfemale]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Thanks for your post, Midwinter. I feel ashamed of myself really for letting things get this bad. When I was there, I kept thinking to myself how I could have gone to that surgery a long time ago and it wouldn't have got to this stage. I'm glad that I took the first step and went today, though.



I'm not sure yet if I will get the X Ray and the cleaning done before Christmas. I have a few things planned over the Christmas Holidays so it would be good to enjoy them.



I have had pain that has come and gone. I'm not in pain now. It's just that my mouth has a bad feeling to it, which is obviously because of the periodontitis.




I don't know why, but I'm scared that something else might come up on the X Ray, like something in my jaw. I think I am just thinking that way because my jaw hasn't been looked at yet. I'm scared to find out what is causing the periodontitis, but I'm also curious to find out what it is. I'm looking forward to getting the treatment started and look after my health.




Do you think I should call the surgery again and ask what it meant when the dentist wrote about the assessment of multiple teeth, or should I just wait until I have the results of the X Ray?.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Thanks for your post, Midwinter. I feel ashamed of myself really for letting things get this bad. When I was there, I kept thinking to myself how I could have gone to that surgery a long time ago and it wouldn't have got to this stage. I'm glad that I took the first step and went today, though.



I'm not sure yet if I will get the X Ray and the cleaning done before Christmas. I have a few things planned over the Christmas Holidays so it would be good to enjoy them.



I have had pain that has come and gone. I'm not in pain now. It's just that my mouth has a bad feeling to it, which is obviously because of the periodontitis.




I don't know why, but I'm scared that something else might come up on the X Ray, like something in my jaw. I think I am just thinking that way because my jaw hasn't been looked at yet. I'm scared to find out what is causing the periodontitis, but I'm also curious to find out what it is. I'm looking forward to getting the treatment started and look after my health.




Do you think I should call the surgery again and ask what it meant when the dentist wrote about the assessment of multiple teeth, or should I just wait until I have the results of the X Ray?.

Hi Anon, glad you made it through your appointment!
I wish it had made you feel better. Have you ever been diagnosed with general anxiety? Do you worry about a lot of things in general aside from your teeth? I don't mean this to make light of your fear because I do know what it's like to be scared, but it seems like even though more than one dentist has told you your teeth are not in a state of emergency you still fear that you are losing them or that you need more emergency appointments?

 

[anonfemale]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Hi Scaredycat. Thanks for your post. Yes, I have been diagnosed with general anxiety. I worry about lots of things besides my teeth. I'm not sure why, but I have had anxiety for a long time. I think it frightened me when the dentist mentioned hospital, as I think that makes it sound serious. I'm not sure why I couldn't have bitewing X Ray done. The X Ray I'm having done is called a panoramic X Ray,and also called an OPG. I am scared of finding out what is causing the periondontitis. I also still can't understand what the dentist meant when she wrote "Assessment of multiple teeth" on the form. Obviously, I know what the assessment of the periodontitis is though. That is to check for any bone loss and to see what has caused it.



I'm not sure if everyone that has periodontitis has that kind of X Ray. I thought they just had the probe and then the scaling and planning. I feel that she didn't really explain things properly and wasn't really listening to me. The appointment went so fast, and like I said, she laughed a little bit at how nervous I was, even though she was a nice person.




I think my anxiety has got worse since my Uncle passed away from cancer last year. He was only 52. My Uncle died five weeks after he was diagnosed. It was a big shock. Also, recently, a friend of mine also had cancer. He had a tumour in his mouth, and he had to have a big operation. I saw him in the hospital, and it really disturbed me. His face was really swollen. So, I think since then, I have been scared of anything that has to be done to your face. I think that made me even more scared of anything to do with hospitals too. I even worry that there could be a serious illness causing my gum problems. It was actually those experiences with my Uncle and my friend that made me realize that I should get my health checked out more, as I rarely go to the doctors either.



I know I probably wont lose my teeth any time soon, but I still worry about losing them in the future, as at the moment, I don't know how long it will be until I lose them (if I do ). I am only 30, and the thought of losing my teeth, especially at a young age, frightens me. It worries me that there is no guarantee that you can keep your teeth, even with treatment.




I keep thinking that if I leave things for a few more weeks, my gum problems might get worse. I don't know how fast the different stages of gum disease happen. Also, I think I want to get things done quickly because I want to know what the results are from the X Ray. If the dentist was sure though, why does she need an X Ray ?.






I volunteer in a Youth Centre a few days a week. I was there today and it helped to take my mind off things, but I still thought about it some of the time too. I feel confident working with the children. It is a lovely environment. I am supposed to be going to a Christmas party with the staff next week, and I am supposed to be going out for a meal the day after Christmas Day. I want to go, but a part of me wants to hide away because of these problems.




The receptionist at the surgery said that the next appointment I can have there is on the 22nd December. I'm not sure whether to go then, as it's so close to Christmas. I don't want to feel uncomfortable physically over Christmas. The receptionist told me to get the X Ray done before the next appointment at the surgery, so I would need to get it done next week if I go to the surgery on the 22nd.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Hi Scaredycat. Thanks for your post. Yes, I have been diagnosed with general anxiety. I worry about lots of things besides my teeth. I'm not sure why, but I have had anxiety for a long time. I think it frightened me when the dentist mentioned hospital, as I think that makes it sound serious. I'm not sure why I couldn't have bitewing X Ray done. The X Ray I'm having done is called a panoramic X Ray,and also called an OPG. I am scared of finding out what is causing the periondontitis. I also still can't understand what the dentist meant when she wrote "Assessment of multiple teeth" on the form. Obviously, I know what the assessment of the periodontitis is though. That is to check for any bone loss and to see what has caused it.



I'm not sure if everyone that has periodontitis has that kind of X Ray. I thought they just had the probe and then the scaling and planning. I feel that she didn't really explain things properly and wasn't really listening to me. The appointment went so fast, and like I said, she laughed a little bit at how nervous I was, even though she was a nice person.




I think my anxiety has got worse since my Uncle passed away from cancer last year. He was only 52. My Uncle died five weeks after he was diagnosed. It was a big shock. Also, recently, a friend of mine also had cancer. He had a tumour in his mouth, and he had to have a big operation. I saw him in the hospital, and it really disturbed me. His face was really swollen. So, I think since then, I have been scared of anything that has to be done to your face. I think that made me even more scared of anything to do with hospitals too. I even worry that there could be a serious illness causing my gum problems. It was actually those experiences with my Uncle and my friend that made me realize that I should get my health checked out more, as I rarely go to the doctors either.



I know I probably wont lose my teeth any time soon, but I still worry about losing them in the future, as at the moment, I don't know how long it will be until I lose them (if I do ). I am only 30, and the thought of losing my teeth, especially at a young age, frightens me. It worries me that there is no guarantee that you can keep your teeth, even with treatment.




I keep thinking that if I leave things for a few more weeks, my gum problems might get worse. I don't know how fast the different stages of gum disease happen. Also, I think I want to get things done quickly because I want to know what the results are from the X Ray. If the dentist was sure though, why does she need an X Ray ?.






I volunteer in a Youth Centre a few days a week. I was there today and it helped to take my mind off things, but I still thought about it some of the time too. I feel confident working with the children. It is a lovely environment. I am supposed to be going to a Christmas party with the staff next week, and I am supposed to be going out for a meal the day after Christmas Day. I want to go, but a part of me wants to hide away because of these problems.




The receptionist at the surgery said that the next appointment I can have there is on the 22nd December. I'm not sure whether to go then, as it's so close to Christmas. I don't want to feel uncomfortable physically over Christmas. The receptionist told me to get the X Ray done before the next appointment at the surgery, so I would need to get it done next week if I go to the surgery on the 22nd.

Hi Anon,

I have had panorex xrays before. they are so much easier and more comfortable than the type that dig into the flesh inside your cheek! I hate xrays, my mouth is small and they never fit me right and always hurt my cheek or under my tongue or both. panorex is easy and painless and shows your entire set of teeth and jaws in one easy image. It would show if you had any bone loss due to gum disease but you mentioned no loose teeth so I am sure that is not anything you need to worry about. It is normal for them to check it out though. Having it done at the hospital does not make it more serious it is just that the hospital owns a panorex and your dentist doesn't have one.
If you are brushing and flossing daily and using a mouthwash that kills bacteria like lysterine it is really unlikely your gum disease will get worse any time soon. I had gingivitis (the first stage) for over 20 years before I finally went to the dentist. Nobody ever took me for cleanings as a child. I mean literally I never had my teeth cleaned til I was an adult and could pay for it myself.. I told my mother when I was 6 years old that my gums were bleeding when I brushed my teeth and still she never took me.
The assessment of multiple teeth is normal. they would not take xrays and then only look at one or 2 teeth. . It is normal that this is to asses all of your teeth.

I'm really sorry about the loss of your family and your friend. I have lost both my parents and a sister to cancer.

 

[anonfemale]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

I worry that there will be bone loss on my X Ray and they will have to extract teeth, or that the dentist might have to extract them for another reason.



I have a horrible taste in my mouth a lot, and pain has come and gone. I haven't had constant, severe pain. I have felt pain near my ear sometimes too, which worries me. I want to have the cleaning so that the horrible taste will go. I don't want to be in any discomfort over Christmas though if I don't have to be.






I don't floss, but i know i need to start doing that. No one in my family or my friends have ever flossed, and yet, they all seem to have nice teeth and gums!. I don't understand it. I am brushing twice a day, but i don't know if i am brushing the right way.




My teeth don't feel loose, but i don't know if they have shifted or not. Would my dentist have told me if they had, or would that only come up on a X Ray?. She would have known if she had used a probe.






I have read bad things about radiation from X Rays too. Are X Rays safe?. I have a very small mouth too, and that's why i am nervous in case anything goes wrong when I start getting my treatment done. I hope they can get everything done with me having such a small mouth. I also worry that if I need any surgery (hopefully i don't), it could change my appearance a lot as I have such a small face.





I'm sorry to hear that you lost both of your parents and your sister to cancer. It is awful. My friend hasn't passed away, but he is still getting treatment for it. He had a big operation, and i have hear that he has to have radiotherapy next week. His friend told me about it. It's strange because i met up with my friend every day the week before he went in to hospital to have his operation done. He wanted to be around me a lot then. He also kept in touch with me a bit in hospital But I haven't heard from him at all since he came out of hospital a couple of months ago. It seems like he has pushed me away. It upsets me because I would like to see him again. I feel the same way because of the problems with my teeth and gums sometimes too. I feel like I don't want to be around people some of the time, and then other times, I want to keep myself busy to take my mind off it.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Re: I have an appointment with a dentist on Friday, but could an emergency dentist help instead?.

Hi Anon
the xrays the dentists use have fairly low radiation, especially the newer digital xrays. I mean it is not something you would want to have done every single day, as the effects are cumulative, but for diagnostic purposes it is good to have a complete set done every year.

I don't think you would need a dentist to tell you if your teeth had shifted. you would feel it. They would have moved. do you have trouble chewing or do you feel like your teeth don't fit together the way they used to? if not your teeth have not shifted.