I need help and courage, fear of bad dentists/root canals... 9/10 pain and bad health.. Also DenTemp Questions

[cjswitch88]

Previous to october, i had a filling in a tooth ( havent been to the dentist in 6 years now ) that was getting rough on me. Bit and pieces would fall out (and bits of my tooth, too) until the filling kinda fell out and my tooth seems to be cracked, and a nerve is open and exposed causing severe debilitating pain. I put DenTemp to cover that tooth up, and also a tooth or two next to it so air doesnt get sucked into the tooth area. I put that in October, it's been awhile now. I know you shouldn't leave dentemp in that long but is it super harmful? Is it hard for dentists to remove this from my teeth? Onto the real problem... I went into the dentist, maybe sometime in october. I got a week of antibiotics and was told i need a extraction or root canal to save my health. I was told ignoring it can obviously lead to health issues and possibly death, and well, I am at the health issues part. I am so affected by all this I can't work, can't enjoy my life.. food, friends, my partner. Everything in my life has become significantly affected and worsened. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I think alot of this is caused by my teeth. Or this ONE bad tooth I should say.
Yet I'm still terrified of going and getting a procedure done. I do NOT care about the shots, the post-op recovery, that's never bothered me, but what kills my anxiety is the noise of the drills on my teeth, associated with the pressure, and possible pain during the operation. Pain and noise are huge factors for me in this. It's caused me to neglect my teeth, and now to neglect my health. I took aspirin and stuff for too long and now my stomach is hurting and I think has ulcers. I really need some help... I feel so damn helpless over this fear..

 

[cjswitch88]

Sorry for the poor grammar. *Previous to this october visit it was 6 years no dentist* And was told I need a canal. My wisdom teeth are okay, most of my teeth are okay, but this one is terrible, it's top left 2 down from my wisdom tooth.. I also forgot to mention IV sedation, should I consider it if my anxiety is this bad? My friend said it was hardly worse than a filling, and had no pain associated to the procedure? How is this possible? Why can't I gather the courage to follow through with a procedure? ALSO if I'm paying 2200$ for a root canal I don't want to just be in pain. I want PAIN RELIEF. I want to eat normal again, feel normal again.. Act normal again.. I feel so silly, yet it's so serious to me..

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Cjswitch88,

I'm sorry you are going through all of this, it really seems to seep into every area sometimes when you are having tooth issues, its exhausting at times. I don't know the answers to some of your questions but wanted to write for support. Do you have a dentist you feel comfortable with? or just in the process of finding one?

I do agree with your friend and I've had 2 root canals in the last 2 weeks I can tell you I felt no pain during or after which I thought was amazing... so really you shouldn't feel pain. Howerver I myself had chickened out on other root canals with specialists several years back, I was just frozen and could not move forward so don't be frustrated at not being able to move forward. You have enough courage to start, to think about it, to write here, and want to help yourself. so you will also find the courage in you to go.

Have you tried to bring earbuds with to try to help with the noise? or maybe they have televisions at the station like they do in some offices? I know I try to tune out those noises too.

I hope you can get this done and feel better about your tooth situation in a timing that is right for you and a dentist you feel very comfortable with that will listen to your concerns and help you!

 

[cjswitch88]

Cjswitch88,

I'm sorry you are going through all of this, it really seems to seep into every area sometimes when you are having tooth issues, its exhausting at times. I don't know the answers to some of your questions but wanted to write for support. Do you have a dentist you feel comfortable with? or just in the process of finding one?

I do agree with your friend and I've had 2 root canals in the last 2 weeks I can tell you I felt no pain during or after which I thought was amazing... so really you shouldn't feel pain. Howerver I myself had chickened out on other root canals with specialists several years back, I was just frozen and could not move forward so don't be frustrated at not being able to move forward. You have enough courage to start, to think about it, to write here, and want to help yourself. so you will also find the courage in you to go.

Have you tried to bring earbuds with to try to help with the noise? or maybe they have televisions at the station like they do in some offices? I know I try to tune out those noises too.

I hope you can get this done and feel better about your tooth situation in a timing that is right for you and a dentist you feel very comfortable with that will listen to your concerns and help you!

On this site, and all over the internet, I hear stories of "bad root canal experiences" and it scares me thinking, will that be me? And the last dentist I had was a child dentist, I'm 22 now, kinda on my own in the adult world, and I have no clue on the dentist and endodontist I want and can trust. The last one I went to, in october, I had awkward experiences with. I felt like the guy didn't care about alot of my anxiety, alot of my worry, he was just telling me it would be okay and I need to do it, almost like I was being childish about it. I know I am, but that's not the attitude I need lol.. He had good reviews but I'm not sure I liked him, which leaves me to wonder, how can I choose the right one without paying to go to each dentist office? Alot of places have 5 star reviews, but also some bad reviews. It stresses me out all day, every day. I don't have one I can trust, nor do I know how to easily find one.

 

[cjswitch88]

Cjswitch88,

I'm sorry you are going through all of this, it really seems to seep into every area sometimes when you are having tooth issues, its exhausting at times. I don't know the answers to some of your questions but wanted to write for support. Do you have a dentist you feel comfortable with? or just in the process of finding one?

I do agree with your friend and I've had 2 root canals in the last 2 weeks I can tell you I felt no pain during or after which I thought was amazing... so really you shouldn't feel pain. Howerver I myself had chickened out on other root canals with specialists several years back, I was just frozen and could not move forward so don't be frustrated at not being able to move forward. You have enough courage to start, to think about it, to write here, and want to help yourself. so you will also find the courage in you to go.

Have you tried to bring earbuds with to try to help with the noise? or maybe they have televisions at the station like they do in some offices? I know I try to tune out those noises too.

I hope you can get this done and feel better about your tooth situation in a timing that is right for you and a dentist you feel very comfortable with that will listen to your concerns and help you!

also, I think about the earbuds thing, but I worry I won't be able to hear the dentist or communicate my needs, is IV sedation a good route to just AVOID all of this and get it over with??

 

[Enarete]

Hi Cjswitch88

sorry to read about your situation (by the way, don't worry about any grammar, nobody here would judge you, otherwise I would have ben banned from the forum already).

I totally get the idea of this one tooth affecting all other areas of your life and also feel the hopelessness you are dealing with. It is great you had the courage to deal with the filling in October and I wished the tooth would stay happily filled and not causing you problems. I am wondering how did you feel about the dentist who treated you back, reading about him/her telling you the tooth could cause you death doesn't sound very sensitive. Having met people who have had severely damaged teeth for many many years I also wonder how accurate that information this is. While I do not know what DenTemp is and what it does with a tooth (hope someone knowledgable replies to that one), it sounds like you are just trying to find solutions you can deal with right now.

It's always good to know which parts of the treatment scare you, however the very most important ingredient before even thinking of any treatment, would be to find a kind caring dentist who will be willing to go slowly and help you gain some confidence. Going from your current state into the treatment sounds really overwhelming and even if you managed that, what is the point if the experience will keep you away from dentist for further years? If you need treatment really badly, sedation might be the right option for you but even then you still need a dentist who can help you to get there so starting to look around for a practice that you feel might be good with nervous patients would be the first step..

I know things can feel really overwhelming right now and it might be hard for you to imagine getting the needed treatment. If you look around at the success stories here on the forum you might find a lot of members who have been in a similar situation and managed to get back on track with dental care. This needs some time and a lot of courage, but I am sure you will eventually get there and this forum is the best way to get support.

All the best wishes and keep us posted

 

[krlovesherkids777]

On this site, and all over the internet, I hear stories of "bad root canal experiences" and it scares me thinking, will that be me? And the last dentist I had was a child dentist, I'm 22 now, kinda on my own in the adult world, and I have no clue on the dentist and endodontist I want and can trust. The last one I went to, in october, I had awkward experiences with. I felt like the guy didn't care about alot of my anxiety, alot of my worry, he was just telling me it would be okay and I need to do it, almost like I was being childish about it. I know I am, but that's not the attitude I need lol.. He had good reviews but I'm not sure I liked him, which leaves me to wonder, how can I choose the right one without paying to go to each dentist office? Alot of places have 5 star reviews, but also some bad reviews. It stresses me out all day, every day. I don't have one I can trust, nor do I know how to easily find one.

I soo get this too.. The thought of the root canal for a young person like yourself. it absolutely sounds scary , and especially reading some of the stories.. Alot of the stories out there like this are from the past and technology and I think sensitivity towards anxious patients has come along way.. I did have an experience with my first root canal like your last experience he was just saying, just do it, I need to, and it was ok to hurt a little.. well.. he didn't care about me.. and I should have left.. you are right.. that is absolutely NOT the attitude you need!! I would say run!! It is really hard to find the one to trust.. but you will know when you have..

I at one point fb'ed dentists asking if I could meet them first , because I was anxious and wanted to meet them to see if I felt comfortable before they did any work. well I actually went and met two and they were very nice. so maybe something like this might be helpful and a good sign they care if they are willing to do this. I put this in another post too but... this could be really helpful to know if the dentists are good with anxious patients . Its from Dr Daniel on the forum.

 

[cjswitch88]

As for dentemp, it says it shouldnt hold past a month, but its been solid on some of my teeth for 3+ months now. It was a temp solution to my problem.

 

[cjswitch88]

I soo get this too.. The thought of the root canal for a young person like yourself. it absolutely sounds scary , and especially reading some of the stories.. Alot of the stories out there like this are from the past and technology and I think sensitivity towards anxious patients has come along way.. I did have an experience with my first root canal like your last experience he was just saying, just do it, I need to, and it was ok to hurt a little.. well.. he didn't care about me.. and I should have left.. you are right.. that is absolutely NOT the attitude you need!! I would say run!! It is really hard to find the one to trust.. but you will know when you have..

I at one point fb'ed dentists asking if I could meet them first , because I was anxious and wanted to meet them to see if I felt comfortable before they did any work. well I actually went and met two and they were very nice. so maybe something like this might be helpful and a good sign they care if they are willing to do this. I put this in another post too but... this could be really helpful to know if the dentists are good with anxious patients . Its from Dr Daniel on the forum.

thanks for the video and reassurance, I feel like sedation might be my best option, however, laughing gas might tone out the anxiety of the operation sounds.. but these are just risks to take in the nervous mind. Sedation, atleast I will wake up when it's over and deal with the post-op pain, that's how it works right?

 

[krlovesherkids777]

You know I haven't done sedation dentistry myself since a child however I do for medical procedures and it really works amazing and is the same drugs I've heard they use for dental. It definately does the trick I"ve heard. and I have a friend who swears by it, she won't go to the dentist without doing sedation.

 

[Enarete]

You can find a very extensive article about sedation here. We also have one on laughing gas. Teeth after a root canal treatment can be a bit sore few days after the treatment, but over the counter painkillers will take care of it. There shouldn't be any bad pain. Also, a dentist will numb you up for the treatment so that you shouldn't feel anything even if you wouldn't get sedation.
The last thing you might find helpful is the recommendation section, maybe there is a dentist from your area?

 

[krlovesherkids777]

As for dentemp, it says it shouldnt hold past a month, but its been solid on some of my teeth for 3+ months now. It was a temp solution to my problem.

I hope you get an answer on the ask a dentist part for this..

 

[Stupiddentalfear]

Cjswitch88,

I'm sorry to hear how much you are struggling over this one bad tooth and your phobia. I can totally relate. I too have one bad tooth that has had a negative impact on every part of my life. But, I truly believe that you can and will get through this.

It is good that you already know your triggers. Hopefully you can speak to the 'right' dentist about these noise and pain triggers and together find ways of making treatment more comfortable. I say 'right' in that for myself a good, compassionate dentist makes all the difference. My current dentist is fantastic. I can talk to him and question him with regards to my teeth and phobia and he does everything in his power to reassure me. It can be a tug of war with dental phobia as I know - there is one part of me that wants to seek out treatment and the fearful part of me won't let me because it is so scared of the unknown. It sounds like you just need some extra reassurances put in place and you'll be there. You have already made a visit in October and you are being proactive in dealing with your problem. Could you get something from your GP to calm you down? Diazepam helps for me and herbal remedies provide some relief i.e rescue remedy. Also, could you take someone along to your appointment? Maybe that would take the edge off it!?

With regards to root canals you will be fine pain wise. Don't listen to those that like to scaremonger. I've had one on my problem tooth and the actual procedure was pain-free and quite comfortable really. I took headphones and communicated with the dentist by first raising my arm. We agreed on this before he began. I will say that my thought processes were my biggest demons. I had three sittings for the treatment. The first was fine. During the second appointment I started worrying for no reason about the dental dam and kept feeling like I couldn't breathe and had a panic attack. However, prior to the third appointment I had a word with myself. I told myself off ?. There really was no need to panic. I could do this. I wouldn't have a panic attack this time. And guess what? I didn't. I really believe it is, for a lot of people, all about changing our thought patterns.

It might not currently seem like it but you can do this. I look forward to reading all about your future positive treatment. I guess you could take a step back again, which is quite normal. But, you can also take a giant step forward (in your own time!)

Keep us updated.
Take care

 

[cjswitch88]

Thanks everyone, this is helping. I'm in tears right now just from the anxiety of realizing i need to get this done and stop ignoring it. Does anyone have any stories about deep cleaning? does it hurt as well? - The rubber dam freaks me out too. but my only worries are 1. pain during the root canal, and I worry that the pain might not be relieved from the canal, I.E I get root canal done, cough too much, and get this SAME nerve pain I feel now. Like a stabbing needle from my tooth to my head. and 2. NOISE. I don't want to have headphones, eye wear, and a rubber dam on me though, that may induce the claustrophobia feeling more I think, or maybe this is all worry.
I'm wondering about IV sedation, IF i can afford it. I've felt some major pain with needles in my gums before with certain amateur dentists, and they'd have problems keeping me pain free even in procedures such as fillings. When I complained I was shrugged off as a scared kid, but that fear stuck with me to adulthood. That same dentist practice told me i needed 11 fillings and all of my wisdom teeth removed. The last visit in october, a much better place but still not what I wanted, said all I needed was a root canal, a deep cleaning, maybe a couple fillings. My wisdom teeth apparently came in fine (thank god) BUT OF COURSE I did not take care of them right, so they are causing issues and may eventually need to be taken care of.
A little backstory, when I was growing up I wasn't taught proper oral hygiene, or punished for not doing so. Leading to me avoiding brushing my teeth. Further down my road, I ended up venturing across US and staying in a tent for a few months, during that time my oral hygiene was little to non existent. My teeth suffered greatly in that time and thats what started this filling to fall out and cause the pain I'm in today. Any food, if i bite down on it with this tooth, the pain is indescribable. I just want to eat like normal and be able to enjoy my life...

 

[cjswitch88]

*ALSO I meant that my filling fell out in october-ish, but the filling I had done in that tooth was many many years ago. Sorry for confusion

 

[MountainMama]

I had my first root canal this past summer, and I was terrified. I had terrible experiences as a child with the local anesthetic not working, and the dentist not believing me, and extracting the teeth, so I completely sympathize with you on the absolute fear of pain during the procedure. I was so scared that my hands were shaking just during the consult.

I explained my situation to the endodontist, and told her I had difficulty getting numb and was totally anxious about the drilling into the pulp. She went through the procedure and said that at any point if I felt something to raise my hand and she would stop immediately. That helped alleviate my fears a little.

She also suggested nitrous oxide. They don't have total sedation available there, and I had never used nitrous before. It was amazing for calming me down. The sound of the drill is a huge phobia of mine as well, and it honestly didn't bother me with the nitrous. The endodontist played music and told me to focus on that. I was still able to communicate with her throughout, but was relaxed and the visit seemed shorter than the 90 minutes I was there.

The procedure wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined. She told me when she got to the pulp, so I could relax, since if that didn't hurt, nothing else would.