My Dental Chronicle: The Final Chapter

[kitkat]

My dentist was able to squeeze me in last minute today to look at my tooth. She said I didn’t completely break the filling, I guess I just chipped it. She was able to reshape it and polish it up. It was super quick and easy. I was there a total of 10 minutes and didn’t even need to be numbed! It was a very positive appointment! Feeling pretty good about things right now.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

This is awesome news .. Glad it was an easy fix, Sounds like you did amazing with everything..

 

[kitkat]

Hi All!
Just posting a quick update. My next appointment is July 14th ...it’s only for a cleaning/exam but I have to admit that I am more nervous than usual for a few reasons. I am in Florida which is considered a hot spot right now for COVID so I am a little worried about contracting something even with all of the proper steps taken for infection control...you just can never be certain. Also, my mom also sees this dentist (she went a few weeks ago) and she said that because the ultrasonic scaler produces aerosals my dentist has stopped using it and is now doing hand scaling with the metal scrapey tools for the entire mouth. I have some bad past experiences with hand scaling at other dental offices that has contributed a lot to my dental fears...one of the things that makes cleanings tolerable for me is the ultrasonic sooo I’m just not sure how I will cope with it. Then there is the concern of just the unknown if there are other new covid changes I’m not aware of that will take me by surprise...soo that’s where I’m at right now...10 Day countdown starts tomorrow.

 

[frostgirl]

I feel you Kitkat. I am worried too that they will just have to hand scale. Sending you a virtual hug, keep us posted.

 

[kitkat]

Thank you @frostgirl it is nice to know that I am not alone in this concern. I do plan on posting an update after the appointment if I don’t cancel it...I did tell myself that I wouldn’t cancel but our COVID numbers were astronomical today and I’m starting to rethink that decision now...at this point, I really have anxiety about disease transmission more than anything else. Our state had over 10k new cases today which is a new record for us and I think it’s going to get even worse...I’m half expecting them to shut down before the 14th...I’m going to continue to play it by ear for now.

 

[frostgirl]

I completely understand, and it sounds like a good plan to just play it by ear. If you don't feel comfortable going during this time, do what's best for you.

 

[kitkat]

UPDATE: I had my first appointment today since COVID started. A lot has changed at my office. They require masks in the waiting room and chairs are turned around in the waiting room to make sure everyone stays 6 feet apart. I had the first appointment of the day so it was just me and one other person on the other side of the waiting room. The staff were in full PPE (n95, face shields, hair coverings, gowns, etc). I work in a hospital so I am used to the PPE at this point. There are air purifiers all over the office including the waiting room (which I appreciate).

The dental assistant came out to collect me and scanned my forehead to take my temperature which I’m also used to at the hospital. Next she lead me past the reception desk (which now has a plexiglass wall added to it) and then she paused there to take my O2 and heart rate using a pulse ox. I was really taken by surprise as I haven‘t seen this practice anywhere else. Being anxious as I always am (and moreso under these circumstance) I was immediately concerned about what my heart rate might say. Sure enough my resting heart rate was 125! (For reference normal is 60-100!) I was trying to play it cool and I saw the assistant pause when she saw the number. She didn’t seem to know what to say or do...she just stood quietly for a few minutes and just watched it. I started trying to breathe deeply to bring the number down (which thankfully worked to an extent; I got it down to 103). The dental assistant seemed content enough with that to lead me to the treatment room.

The assistant did the polishing and that was fine. They are not using any suction, water spray, or air spray which feels strange. She had me rinse my mouth and spit into a cup at various intervals through the polishing. They also didn‘t floss my teeth which is a first..I don’t fully understand the reasoning behind that one . Next the dentist came in for the part I was most nervous about...hand scaling. They are not using the ultrasonic right now because of aerosols. I have been dreading hand scaling for weeks because of some bad past experiences at other dental offices. My dentist was super warm and friendly and chatty today thank goodness so she put me at ease immediately. She started the scaling very casually while she was talking to me about non-dental stuff...I wasn’t really sure if she was doing the exam first or the scaling til she actually started scaling so I didn’t have too much time to think about it in the moment.

She scaled the first few teeth and to my pleasant surprise, it was completely fine. No pain. I imagined the sound to be worse than it actually was. There was some unpleasant pressure/pushing/pulling/scraping sensations and maybe a few areas of mild sensitivity but overall, it was nothing like I had imagined (or remembered). I don‘t think I ever even flinched once and in some ways I think it was a bit more pleasant than the ultrasonic as all of the water/noise/suction can be a bit overwhelming at times. I felt myself relax completely mid scaling which I never saw happening. It’s been several hours now and I have no soreness afterward which I usually do with the ultrasonic so I find that interesting. She did say I need one filling on the lower back right molar so I am returning on August 4th for that. I am interested to see how she approaches that amidst all of the new precautions in place. Overall, it was a really good appointment. After some traumatic hand scaling experiences as a pre-teen it was nice to have a positive experience with it from someone with a gentle touch for comparison. I think that’s all I have to say for now...

I will update when the filling is completed.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Love this @kitkat ! Your dentist is a gem, and seems like she is doing everything as safely as she possibly can! What a great experience ! Glad it wasn't painful at all and no pain after!!

 

[letsconnect]

Congratulations kitkat ??! Great to hear that the cleaning went so much better than expected - that's excellent news !!

 

[Enarete]

Heyyy, another past bad experience that you conquered so that you won't be nervous should you need hand scaling again! I wished everyone had a dentist like yours!

 

[kitkat]

Heyyy, another past bad experience that you conquered so that you won't be nervous should you need hand scaling again! I wished everyone had a dentist like yours!

Yes, I am feeling quite pleased with myself for facing it and it going so well! Yes, I wish I could clone my dentist and share her with the world!

 

[kitkat]

I have a filling appointment coming up in 8 days. Work is really busy right now so that’s making time go by faster than usual...not sure if that’s good or bad. The filling is a bottom back tooth...I haven’t had a bottom tooth worked on in 6 years and it’s never been a very easy experience in the past. I have a hard time getting numb on bottom teeth and sometimes I have trouble with gagging so we’ll see how it goes. I don’t know how my dentist plans on addressing aerosals...the cleaning was very different so not sure if the filling will be different too. I think it will be fine (it always is) but it’s hard not knowing exactly what to expect. Last time I was there for a cleaning they took my heart rate and it was so high so not looking forward to that...I feel like it will probably be through the roof initially...at least I won’t be caught off guard by that this time.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

I so hear you on the bottom back.. something about the back.. and the bottom
Curious myself about the aerosols around drills and how they manage that. You and your dentist are really an awesome team so confident in this appt for you!

 

[Enarete]

Hi kitkat,

sounds like not knowing what to expect makes you insecure, particularly as your last experience with a bottom filling years ago wasn't very positive. Reading about how well you coped with the manual scaling, despite your bad experience, I was thinking that maybe this is another opportunity for you to get a good experience with a bottom filling. 6 years is a long time so your dentist may have figured out some further options to make sure you stay comfortable. Is there anything that might help you feel more ready for the appointment?

 

[kitkat]

@Enarete yes, I think this is an opportunity for a redemption moment. I don’t think anything will help me to feel more ready. I just need to go and do it without overthinking it. Once I am in the chair with my dentist, I am typically fine...the anticipation is the hardest part for me. Also covid is a very serious concern here right now in Florida so I’m always worried about that even though she is doing well with precautions...my state has the second highest number of cases now in the US...we have surpassed New York (the previous epicenter) so things are just really bad right now and they show no signs of stopping or even really slowing down.

 

[kitkat]

Well after battling with anxiety all morning, my appointment got rescheduled an hour before I was supposed to go. The doctor had a family emergency so I have been pushed out another week... the idea of another week long countdown is exhausting but I guess I have no choice...here we go again...

 

[krlovesherkids777]

aghhh hate that.... hope the next week goes by reallllllly quick...

 

[Enarete]

Oh no, what a bummer, @kitkat.. sorry to read that. An hour befeore, that's extreme. Sending you hugs and may the week pass quickly and in a comfortable way.

 

[kitkat]

Well,
Today is the day (I think!). My appointment had been initially rescheduled for today at 8am but then they called yesterday and asked if I could come in at 4pm instead so now it’s today at 4...all of the rescheduling has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. At this point, I’m just a little tired of thinking about it and just want to get it done and over with already. I was looking forward to getting it over with early in the morning but now I have all day to think about it. I had already booked myself a spa appointment at 1 for a facial (Which was going to be my treat after my dental work) but now I’m going before. Hoping it relaxes me before my dentist appointment and that I’m not too distracted by impending dental work to really enjoy it. I only feel slightly nervous right now but overall, fairly calm.

 

[kitkat]

So today I had a filling on my bottom back tooth and I can honestly say that it was one of the best dental appointments that I’ve ever had . My dentist was so wonderful from start to finish. She handled my anxiety PERFECTLY.

I got to the office a little early so I wouldn’t feel extra stressed or rushed. I sat in my car for a few minutes and did some breathing exercises because i knew they would check my heart rate and I was trying to bring it down as much as I could...which DID NOT WORK! The assistant got me from the waiting room and checked my temperature and O2 and heart rate...my resting heart rate was 145!!!! !! She said she was going to give me a minute to see if it would come down (it wasn’t coming down...awkward). She asked me I was nervous and I nodded yes. She tried to reassure me that the appointment would be really easy. I told her that I know and that I just get anxious. After a few minutes it went down to 119 and she jokingly said “ok I will take that!” and took me back to the chair. I think at that point she tipped off my dentist that I was very nervous because my dentist immediately went back into her old ways with how she would handle me when I was very anxious in the past (which I have missed dearly). There was definitely a different way about her approach and communication with me today that was very intentional.

My dentist was so in tune with me today..it felt like she was reading my mind. She warned me about little things like adjusting the chair to put me more at ease. She warned me when she was injecting and gave me a 100% painless injection (lower block) with no topical. After a few moments while waiting to get numb she said, “if I remember correctly, you have had trouble with getting numb in the past, haven’t you?”. I nodded yes and she reassured me that she didn’t want that happening again and would be sure to give me extra local to make sure I was completely numb before starting anything. We waited a few moments and as usual, I didn’t get completely numb...I only got numb to about the corner of my mouth... so she went in for another round of injections which was also completely painless and that really did the trick to get me 100% numb.

Once I felt confident that I was numb, she continued to talk to me reassuringly throughout the appointment. She tried to put me at ease before she started drilling. She said “I am going to start off with the low speed hand piece...it’s noisy and bumpy but it’s gentle and you should only feel vibration; if you have any discomfort at all just raise your left hand I’ll stop right away”. After a few minutes of drilling and realizing I was completely numb, I relaxed for the rest of the appointment. She continued to check in with me throughout to make sure that I was still numb and talked me through what she was doing as she did it.

Everything went so right..this was a huge redemption appointment for me! I went home thinking...did that really happen or am I dreaming?! I am truly feeling so grateful for my fantastic dentist today. The explanations and little warnings, the stop signals, the genuine concern for my comfort...the painless appointment...I’m just so amazed and truly impressed with how well it went.