Journey to regaining confidence in my mouth

[aliceinchains00]

I have never had particularly good teeth or taken very good care of them. I brush twice a day but have only been regularly flossing for ~six months. A few years ago I had a tooth that started to hurt, I went in and had it drilled and was told if it starts to hurt again come in for a RCT/Extraction, it started to hurt and for four days I tried to reach the dental clinic to no luck and as the pain started to fade I took that as an excuse to give up trying.

A few months later it got infected, got an abscess that went away (though I'm aware it doesn't actually go away unless treated) and I continued to convince myself that it was fine and that eventually I will muster up the courage to get it fixed. Four months ago it broke, broke again while flossing and last night it broke again, now there is more tooth missing than remaining. This was the straw that broke the camels back and I decided I have to get it fixed, so I (had my mother call) booked an exam for Monday next week at midday.

I have an irrational fear of the dentist given most of my experiences have been pain free, I also suffer from OCD so for the past 3 years I have constantly been examining my teeth with my tongue and in the mirror and dreading the day I have to face the music, it can be very exhausting. I think I have noticed some recession and am hoping it isn't periodontitis, as well as am sure I have cavities in other teeth but I'm making an attempt to save myself from speculation and worry and just focus on the first step of getting this tooth out.

This website has been a huge help especially reading other's success stories and I'm hoping that my story can turn into a success story to give someone else struggling some hope.

 

[letsconnect]

Hi @aliceinchains00, well done for plucking up the courage to get that pesky tooth sorted! Wishing you the all the best for your appointment

 

[aliceinchains00]

I had my appt. today and it went extremely well, so well that I almost feel silly. The tooth obviously needs to come out and is booked in for next Monday as well as a cleaning. The rest of my mouth is filling free/no gum disease with the dentist even complimenting the state of my mouth considering it had been four years since my last visit. No nerves about the upcoming extraction at all only relief and feeling a little foolish that I made such a big deal about what turned out to be nothing!

 

[geos]

Nicely done and thanks for the update.

 

[letsconnect]

That's fantastic news, well done and thanks for the update