Lots of dental work needed

[Susanne]

Anyone else ever had to have a lot of dental work done, so much so that you had to break it into multiple appointments? How long did it take for you -- how many weeks/months?? -- to get everything completed from the first appointment to the last?

 

[Judythecat]

I had a load of dental work in 2017/beginning of 2018. A lifetime’s worth! My situation was possibly a bit different, because I had always had six monthly checkups, and any treatment as needed, and caused problems myself by clenching my teeth due to stress.

I had a broken filling - redone, then a root canal, then eventually the tooth extracted. That was a lower left molar. This was the start, with the broken filling, in April 2017. The root canal was done in June, and I was SO happy to have that tooth extracted in July. In fairness, I probably could have had it re-treated, but I just wanted it out by then, and the re-treatment cost was close to £1,000 with a private specialist.

In between that tooth being filled and extracted, my upper left wisdom tooth became painful, and was extracted. It was actually an infection in the gum. That was May 2017. I think this was just bad luck and completely unrelated to anything else. The extraction was really easy and fast, and having the tooth out made no difference to my bite at all.

My upper right molar started hurting, and the matching lower tooth. I eventually had root canals in both out of sheer desperation, although the x-rays showed no problems, and I was back and forth for months in pain before my dentist agreed to do root canals. November 2017/January 2018.

When the endodontist x-rayed the upper right molar, he discovered its neighbour had a half-done root canal. That tooth had been sitting quietly for years, but he said it was a “ticking time bomb”, so I had it re-treated. February 2018.

My upper front tooth started to really hurt, it looked clinically perfect, and had never had any treatment previously. At that point my dentist referred me to maxillo-facial at the hospital. March 2018.

I was eventually diagnosed with facial neuralgia - basically my nerves are mis-firing - after a load of tests including an MRI scan. I still have a lot of pain, but my teeth are fine. I wonder if I did actually need all the treatment I had, which cost a fortune!

Between 2017/18 I had almost 100 dental appointments, many emergency on-the-day slots due to pain.

I’m now on three monthly checkups because the pain flits about, and I panic it is actually a tooth and not “just” my nerves. I am SO lucky to have an amazing NHS dentist. (Although two of the root canals were done by a private specialist.) I think that is key to the whole thing, you need to really, really trust your dentist.

Honestly, it was a pretty crap time, but that was mainly because I didn’t know what was coming next and felt scared all the time. If it had been a planned course of treatment I would have found it easier. But I got through it, because I had to. You will too.

Ironically, my teeth are really straight and white, and people often say how nice they look! At one point I was so demented with pain and worry that I actually asked my dentist to extract all of them and fit dentures. (She said no.)

I hope you have a dentist you trust, and your treatment is all successful.

 

[MountainMama]

I am in the same situation, but hopefully and towards the end. The worst is done, I think.

Mine started last year, in April. I had a crown replaced, which turned into a root canal, then an extraction. Before I had the root canal, I started having issues with a lower molar. Also, my front tooth (which had apparently died without me knowing, from a childhood injury) started having a lot of pain. It turned out to be abscessed. Long story short, within a year, I had two root canals, two apicoectomies, and four extractions, plus one implant. I had to prioritize because I couldn't pay for everything at once.

Now I just had two implants done, one being the front tooth, which needed extraction, extensive bone grafting, and an implant. That was by far the worst, and most expensive, procedure.

I still have two cracked molars on the lower left that need addressed, but I am putting them off as long as possible and being very careful about what I eat. I still have to pay for crowns for the three implants, and again might need to prioritize. I definitely need the front tooth, and one molar at least. (The two molars are both lower right, so I can't chew at all on that side).

So yeah, I get how overwhelming it is. I had to take it one thing at a time, and space out appointments so that I could save up money. Things that can wait, like the cracked molars that are not super painful are being put off for now.

 

[mandyjay82]

I went to a dentist recommended to me at the beginning of August. My teeth are all shot, and I wanted a consultation to figure out what needed to be done and the cost. The first thing he asked me was did I have any pain, yes, I did on one tooth. He then proceeded to pressure me into having it extracted there and then, along with two others beside it. I went along with it, but then got into my mind I was never going back to another dentist ever again.
Two weeks later, my Mum sent me a number of a dentist who is highly recommended in our town for anxious patients. I went to her website and booked online, and wrote in the additional comments - Consult ONLY!
I saw her for the first time on the 26th August, the first appointment was getting to know each other, a look in my mouth and X-ray's. I knew straight away she was the one!
A week later I had my first two extractions. I had not one, but two panic attacks in the chair. I was shaking and crying but she helped me take my time and push through. I spent the rest of the appointment with a cool facewashers on the back of my neck and a throw up bag in my hand!
I didn't want to go back, but I knew she would help me and let me stop if I needed to. Yesterday was my third appointment and I had another three teeth extracted. And didn't have one panic attack! I was fine, she even joked I must of been a twin!

Sorry to ramble on, below is what I needed to have done.
7x extractions.
7x fillings.
4x provisional fillings.
Partial dentures bottom and top.

We have a 6 month time line. I only have two extractions left to go, and it's only been 1 month so far! I think if I keep going well, we can have everything else done in another three months. I think she just says 6 months because she wants me to wait for the dentures.
I am in Australia with no health insurance, so my total cost is $5318. It will cost me between $300 -$ 650 per visit.
I hope this helped somewhat, sorry for rambling again!

 

[Spider]

About 2 years ago I saw a dentist and I had a long list of work that needed to be done. The dentist showed me the teeth that needed fixing sooner than later, and then the teeth that had issues, but not as serious. I only did 1 tooth at a time because I felt that shorter, successful appointments would be better for my dental anxiety than longer, fewer appointments. In the past 2 years I've had 3 cleanings (6 months apart), 3 crowns, and 5ish fillings. So LOTS of visits, but I spaced each one several months apart. So it took me 2 years to do everything (fingers crossed I get a break for awhile!)

 

[krlovesherkids777]

I went to a dentist recommended to me at the beginning of August. My teeth are all shot, and I wanted a consultation to figure out what needed to be done and the cost. The first thing he asked me was did I have any pain, yes, I did on one tooth. He then proceeded to pressure me into having it extracted there and then, along with two others beside it. I went along with it, but then got into my mind I was never going back to another dentist ever again.
Two weeks later, my Mum sent me a number of a dentist who is highly recommended in our town for anxious patients. I went to her website and booked online, and wrote in the additional comments - Consult ONLY!
I saw her for the first time on the 26th August, the first appointment was getting to know each other, a look in my mouth and X-ray's. I knew straight away she was the one!
A week later I had my first two extractions. I had not one, but two panic attacks in the chair. I was shaking and crying but she helped me take my time and push through. I spent the rest of the appointment with a cool facewashers on the back of my neck and a throw up bag in my hand!
I didn't want to go back, but I knew she would help me and let me stop if I needed to. Yesterday was my third appointment and I had another three teeth extracted. And didn't have one panic attack! I was fine, she even joked I must of been a twin!

Sorry to ramble on, below is what I needed to have done.
7x extractions.
7x fillings.
4x provisional fillings.
Partial dentures bottom and top.

We have a 6 month time line. I only have two extractions left to go, and it's only been 1 month so far! I think if I keep going well, we can have everything else done in another three months. I think she just says 6 months because she wants me to wait for the dentures.
I am in Australia with no health insurance, so my total cost is $5318. It will cost me between $300 -$ 650 per visit.
I hope this helped somewhat, sorry for rambling again!

Just have to say, your dentist sounds lovely.... and I love how you said , you knew she was the one right away.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

I as well have a very long list ...way too long. Thankfully now I have a great dentist who I'm working on that list with. sometimes I just freeze because the list just seems too overwhelming.. I do think momentum is good and doing what you can to keep going as your finances and body and mind allows us to.. its hard to have a long list ..

What I really appreciate is .. my dentist now when I saw him for the first exam he gave, said, he can help me, and we will do it step by step at my pace. I've been to some over the years where they are very high pressure and high cost , like you have to do this all now at 40,000 or it will be dire.. Well. then I just shut down... and the list keeps growing not dwindling down. better in small portions than not .

 

[Jmh552]

I had a load of dental work in 2017/beginning of 2018. A lifetime’s worth! My situation was possibly a bit different, because I had always had six monthly checkups, and any treatment as needed, and caused problems myself by clenching my teeth due to stress.

I had a broken filling - redone, then a root canal, then eventually the tooth extracted. That was a lower left molar. This was the start, with the broken filling, in April 2017. The root canal was done in June, and I was SO happy to have that tooth extracted in July. In fairness, I probably could have had it re-treated, but I just wanted it out by then, and the re-treatment cost was close to £1,000 with a private specialist.

In between that tooth being filled and extracted, my upper left wisdom tooth became painful, and was extracted. It was actually an infection in the gum. That was May 2017. I think this was just bad luck and completely unrelated to anything else. The extraction was really easy and fast, and having the tooth out made no difference to my bite at all.

My upper right molar started hurting, and the matching lower tooth. I eventually had root canals in both out of sheer desperation, although the x-rays showed no problems, and I was back and forth for months in pain before my dentist agreed to do root canals. November 2017/January 2018.

When the endodontist x-rayed the upper right molar, he discovered its neighbour had a half-done root canal. That tooth had been sitting quietly for years, but he said it was a “ticking time bomb”, so I had it re-treated. February 2018.

My upper front tooth started to really hurt, it looked clinically perfect, and had never had any treatment previously. At that point my dentist referred me to maxillo-facial at the hospital. March 2018.

I was eventually diagnosed with facial neuralgia - basically my nerves are mis-firing - after a load of tests including an MRI scan. I still have a lot of pain, but my teeth are fine. I wonder if I did actually need all the treatment I had, which cost a fortune!

Between 2017/18 I had almost 100 dental appointments, many emergency on-the-day slots due to pain.

I’m now on three monthly checkups because the pain flits about, and I panic it is actually a tooth and not “just” my nerves. I am SO lucky to have an amazing NHS dentist. (Although two of the root canals were done by a private specialist.) I think that is key to the whole thing, you need to really, really trust your dentist.

Honestly, it was a pretty crap time, but that was mainly because I didn’t know what was coming next and felt scared all the time. If it had been a planned course of treatment I would have found it easier. But I got through it, because I had to. You will too.

Ironically, my teeth are really straight and white, and people often say how nice they look! At one point I was so demented with pain and worry that I actually asked my dentist to extract all of them and fit dentures. (She said no.)

I hope you have a dentist you trust, and your treatment is all successful.

Right now I am having a pretty crap time. Had root canal and root canal re treat on front tooth. Gums in front and behind also painful and a bit inflammed. I will say the re treat was a month ago but things aren’t feeling good or improved. I went to an oral surgeon. Everything looked fine but tooth and gums painful and he mentioned neuralgia. I talked to my endo and she mention an atypical ondontaglia. A form of the TN. I must say I’m terrified. I don’t know if that is my cause yet but could be. The tooth is still painful and my gums hurts all around it. I don’t want to be on medication my entire life to keep them calm if that’s the answer. I am just so lost and it’s all so complicated. Did you need to go on medicine? They say pulling the tooth could make it worse if that is what it is. Did your MRI show a definitive answer?

 

[Judythecat]

Right now I am having a pretty crap time. Had root canal and root canal re treat on front tooth. Gums in front and behind also painful and a bit inflammed. I will say the re treat was a month ago but things aren’t feeling good or improved. I went to an oral surgeon. Everything looked fine but tooth and gums painful and he mentioned neuralgia. I talked to my endo and she mention an atypical ondontaglia. A form of the TN. I must say I’m terrified. I don’t know if that is my cause yet but could be. The tooth is still painful and my gums hurts all around it. I don’t want to be on medication my entire life to keep them calm if that’s the answer. I am just so lost and it’s all so complicated. Did you need to go on medicine? They say pulling the tooth could make it worse if that is what it is. Did your MRI show a definitive answer?

Hi, I was offered medication - an anti-depressant type drug, amitriptyline, but I am probably not spelling that correctly - but I really didn't fancy it due to side effects. Having a diagnosis and reassurance from both my dentist and two separate consultants that my teeth are clinically fine really helped psychologically, and I just try to manage it (although not always successfully!). If a new tooth gets involved, I really panic, but weirdly I feel reassured if the pain is in more than one tooth at the same time - it seems unlikely that two would simultaneously go bust.

I do take a supplement which helps keep it at bay. These leaflets were useful, and one of them recommends the supplement which I cleared with my consultant:

https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/patient-guide/leaflets/files/110407facialpain.pdf

https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/patient-guide/leaflets/files/110407burningmouth.pdf

My situation was possibly a bit different, because the pain shifts about my mouth, and isn't really located to one specific tooth all the time. It started in a front tooth which is a completely "virgin" tooth, and had never had any treatment, so my dentist was instantly suspicious and referred me on. If the tooth had previously had fillings or root canal then maybe they would have pressed on looking for a physical cause. I was told the same thing about extracting a tooth/teeth not making any difference - my dentist said it was a similar situation to when someone has a leg amputated then experiences "phantom limb pain".

I hope you can find some relief, who knew nerves were so complicated?

 

[Judythecat]

Oh, and my MRI showed nothing abnormal, which was a relief. I think - and one of the dentists on here might correct me - it is almost a diagnosis of no-diagnosis.

 

[Jmh552]

Oh, and my MRI showed nothing abnormal, which was a relief. I think - and one of the dentists on here might correct me - it is almost a diagnosis of no-diagnosis.

Oh wow okay. Thanks for the reply. Mine has been root canaled twice and still in pain and now my gum hurts all the tooth. Did your gum hurt around your tooth?

 

[Judythecat]

Oh wow okay. Thanks for the reply. Mine has been root canaled twice and still in pain and now my gum hurts all the tooth. Did your gum hurt around your tooth?

My pain is a different sort of pain to toothache, more of a burning feeling. It's like my cheek touching the side of a tooth brings it on, and it can be in the gums too. The gums aren't red or swollen, and I have never had any gum problems. If I take a tepe brush and run it along the gumline, I get a tickly, itchy, pins and needles feeling, which can extend to my actual lips. Sometimes putting on lipstick can bring the same feeling on, or just touching my chin with my finger. When the pain is in my upper front teeth, I can feel it inside my nose! Some days all is quiet, others it is REALLY NOISY in my mouth.