Need advice. I'm worried.

[anonfemale]

Hi. I am 30 years old, and I have had some problems. My gums are red and puffy, my teeth are yellow, my gums bleed when I brush my teeth, and my tongue is a bit green!. I don't have any loose teeth, but my bottom gum looks very low and it looks like I can see little spaces. I know I need to go to a dentist but I am so scared!. I have anxiety and panic attacks. Sometimes, I don't brush my teeth at all because I am scared of how much blood there is.


I don't know if I am feeling paranoid, but I felt at my jaw bones today, and noticed that I can feel more of a jaw bone on one side than I can on the other. I looked it up and some people said that you only have one jaw bone. I just haven't noticed that before, but maybe it has always felt like that and I haven't noticed.



I am unemployed, so I have a lot of time where I'm not doing much. I sit in my room panicking and I have found it difficult to sleep lately.



I don't understand how some people hardly ever, or never, brush their teeth and yet they don't have any problems. My mum and brother haven't been to the dentist in years, and they haven't had any problems (I don't know how often they brush their teeth though ). Also, my boyfriend doesn't always brush his teeth as often as he should, but he told me that he has never had gum disease, and once when he went to the dentist recently, they told him everything was fine and he just needed a couple of fillings. He has had a sore tooth sometimes (the pain has come and gone), and a couple of his teeth have come loose on their own and fallen out, but he hasn't had severe problems.




If none of your teeth are loose, is there still a chance to have healthy teeth and gums?. I'm worried that some will need to be taken out though.

 

[lost]

Hiya anonfemale, and welcome

It sounds like you're going through a rough old time of it at the moment, which I know completely sucks and I'm sorry that you're feeling so stressed and worried.

As you already know, to get all the answers you need, and all the answers that will hopefully put your mind to rest, you do need to see a dentist, even though a lot of people here really understand how terrifying that is. I think the trick is finding a dentist that is right for you, although I do hope that some of your concerns will be eased once you have some answers... for me I find the not knowing and assuming the worst to be almost as traumatic as going to the dentist.

I wish I could be of more assistance, but I will share my own experience of brushing teeth with bleeding gums. When I went to one of my recent appointments with my dentist, the subject of brushing came up. I was really wary of it because my gums would bleed and it would scare me even more, but she promised that if I used a soft brush and did it properly and carefully twice a day, the bleeding would ease. She also prescribed me some fluoride toothpaste. That was just over a month ago now and after following her instructions and using mouthwash that she suggested, my gums now very rarely bleed. If they do, it's a tiny amount. It took a good couple of weeks of forcing myself to do it, being gentle and taking my time brushing to get there, but they are much better than they were even a month ago.

I also suffer from severe anxiety and panic attacks, and for me, when they are at their peak, my paranoia goes through the roof. There are so many things that you're worrying about right now, and if you're anything like me you're envisioning the worst case scenario at every turn, but none of that will ease until you find out what sort of state and health your mouth is in. Another thing I'll say is that you really need to try not to stress out too much about what will happen when you actually go to the dentist. Take it all as little steps and deal with each new hurdle as it arises. I do understand that is so much easier said than done, though.

You have made progress already, by acknowledging that you need to go to the dentist, and by finding this forum and seeking support in something that is difficult for you. That's the first step done, and you've done brilliantly by coming this far.

Anyway, I hope you're well and keep us updated on how you're doing

Take care

Lost

 

[anonfemale]

Can anyone reassure me that I wont lose my teeth if I get it treated now?. Like I said none of them are loose, but maybe some will need to be extracted. I don't mind if its the back teeth, but I don't want to lose the front teeth.



I'm scared of eating anything, and I kept waking up in the middle of the night last night. I went out for a while today to try and take my mind off things. Its taking over my life. I feel like I cant enjoy anything anymore with all this worry.


I sometimes look around at people in public and it looks like they all have healthy teeth and gums (I don't know if I am strange for looking at that). It seems like none of them have the problem that I have.


Has anyone else had red puffy gums, and a low bottom gum, but no loose teeth ?. If so, what happened when you got treated?. It looks like the gum has receded, but my teeth aren't loose.



Does the dentist have to be in the area you live in ?.

 

[lizd]

The symptoms you describe (bleeding gus that look red and puffy, bleeding while brushing, and gums that look too low) are all things I've been struggling to live with for the past year. I'm terrified of losing teeth, either having them pulled or just having them get loose and fall out, so I put off a trip to the dentist for as long as I could. For the last two or three months, I felt like my entire life revolved around my teeth: eating, brushing, sleeping on my side with my cheeek against the pillow, even talking were all terrifying. Like you, I found myself noticing people's teeth all the time, in movies, commercials, and just in regular conversation. I couldn't get over how it seemed like all these things that everyone takes for granted were ruling my life, and ruining it.
After spending a sleepless night reading through the forums here, I decided I couldn't take the not-knowing anymore. Also, if yo read through people's experiences, ebverybody says that they're glad they went, even though setting up the appointment and going are the scariest things you can imagine right now.
My experience at the dentist? I wish I'd gone years ago. Not because I need catastrophic amounts of work done. Not because there's no hope and I had to have all my teeth pulled. I just wish I hadn't spent so much of the past year feeling depressed and alonevand panicked, because my life is so much better now that I don't have this fear ruling it. My diagnosis? No teeth are loose. No extractions are needed. No root canals, no cavities. I have gum disease, but it's treatable. So far, I've seen my dentist four times for diagnosis and treatment (for money reasons, I'm being treated at a dental school, so the work takes a little longer). Before, if you'd told me I would have to have multiple appointments, I would have started feeling panicky. Having to go in so many times in a short space has actually been great though, because I'm starting to feel calmer there, like its a routine. As bad as my mouth felt going in (constant pain, terrible breath, bleeding, etc.), it actually felt better after the very first appointment. After two hours of treatment (two appointments), I wasn't feeling any pain, and I could floss, chew, and speak normally again.
Two weeks after starting treatment, my life feels so different. I don't think about my teeth all the time (more than most people, yes, but I find myself going hours without worrying or even thinking about them. I no longer dread mealtimes or brushing as the worst part of the day. I feel like I can smile without people staring at my teeth in disgust, and my mouth tastes and feels clean.
I don't know what your diagnosis will be, or what your experience will be like, but I can tell you that mine has been so much better than I ever dared to hope it could be. So much of the fear disappwars when you start taking steps to change things; suddenly, it feels like you're back in control. I wish you all the best!

 

[anonfemale]

I've just received a lovely email from a lady who works at a surgery where they help patients who have dental phobias and anxiety. She said I can go in and visit first before they do anything. I'm going to go and see them. The surgery isn't in my home town though, and I haven't been to this area before. I know that is about half an hour to forty minutes away from where I live though (something like that ). There might be a quicker way to get there, such as by train. It doesn't look like there are any surgeries like that in my home town. It says on their website that the treatment is pain free too. I just wish I had known about this sooner. I had no idea that there were special surgeries for people with dental phobias and anxiety!. I could have been going there for a long time and not had the problems that I have now if I had known about it sooner. I hope they can still help me. If I need to have surgery though, I will ask them to send me to someone else who helps people with anxiety (if there is anyone like that ).



The thing is, as I am unemployed, I am entitled to free dental treatment (I'm from England ). But, I will need to see if this surgery will do the treatment free. I'm not sure if the surgery can be free either, but obviously, I cant afford anything too expensive.

 

[anonfemale]

I've noticed there a lump under my bottom gum in the red area (I'm not sure what that area is called. If you pull your bottom lip forwards, you can see that area. ). What could it be ?. Also, my tongue is green and there are red lines at the back of my throat. I am so worried. I am 30 years old, and I have never smoked. Has anyone else had that ?

 

[Spike 1969]

Hello there

Firstly

You have made a very important step in making that first contact with your potential new dental practice, it's also encouraging that they offer the "meet and greet" service free of charge, that way you can get a good idea of how the practice feels and also to meet the staff

The key to starting to deal with dental phobia is to find a kind, caring dentist with whom you can build a trusting rapport with. The world of dentistry has moved light-years in the last 10 years and the techniques and advances mean that dentistry these days can be pain-free.

good luck with your upcoming visit, I am certain you will be fine

 

[anonfemale]

I'm not sure what to do now. I called the surgery and asked if they have any patients that are on Jobseeker's Allowance (that is what I am on ). They said they do, but they can't give treatment to them (people on Jobseeker's Allowance are entitled to free dental treatment ). I was a bit confused by what she said (probably because I was nervous ). She said I could still go in and have a chat with them if I want to. She said I would need to get treated at another surgery though. Do you think I should call back and ask if they can give me the check up though, and then if I need any treatment I can go to another surgery ?. I am disappointed because I think I would feel relaxed getting treated there. I wasn't sure what to say to her, so I told her I would think about it and call back. Do you think they can give me a check up ?. I probably could pay for the treatment, but it depends when I could afford it and how much it costs.


I think it will be difficult to find an nhs dentist who deals with patients with dental phobia and anxiety. That will probably take longer too and I want to get treated as soon as possible. If this surgery gives me the check up though, at least I will know what state I am in and then I can probably take my time a bit more looking for another dentist.