New member, terrified of upcoming dental work. Please help me.

[Anxiety_Girl]

Hi there,

I'm hoping to find some comfort as I'm finding my dental problems humiliating and have no-one else to turn to, short of calling Samaritans. I'm 32, in the UK, on NHS treatment and have had problems with my teeth since I was a young teen. I had my first root canal at 17 (tooth now extracted) and things have been going downhill ever since.

I've been suffering from hypersensitivity and pain in all corners of my mouth lately and it's reached a head. Due to the pain and discomfort, my teeth are all I can think about and it's affecting my sleep, my work and my weight (scared to eat). I never, ever skip a 6 monthly check-up and although will admit to a sugary diet for many years and more than a decade of smoking, I always take care of my teeth so this all seems terribly unfair and must be due, in part, to poor genetics and some bad dentistry over the years.

At my appointment today I was told I had an infection in a tooth and would need a root canal, or probably extraction. I'm convinced I have the same problem on the other side too, underneath a crown, which would also lead to extraction. At only 32 and having already had 3 teeth removed, I'm utterly terrified and it's making me so depressed that I honestly feel like giving up.

The infection is making me feel disgusting and horrendously ugly (did I mention my remaining teeth don't look great?) and I literally cannot think about anything else, constantly feeling like I'm on the verge of a panic attack.

My dentist is lovely but seems to have very little time to explain anything or address my concerns and it's making me feel like I have nowhere to turn. This latest treatment is scaring me and will almost certainly mean I have to get partial upper and lower dentures which is the most frightening part. I work in fashion so there's an added pressure of having to look a certain way. I would love to hear from people with very problematic teeth or young people with dentures to assuage my deep feelings of misery. Please help me, I'm at my wits end and don't feel like I've got the tools to cope with it all.

Apologies for the giant wall of text and the stream of consciousness, it's all I can do to stave off a panic attack.

 

[Sevena]

Well, I'm 26 and have full dentures, so if it helps to hear of an even younger person whose teeth were worse, there you go!

I'm sorry you're going through this. I know exactly what it's like to obsess over teeth. The pain also makes sure they're never far from your mind, and it can be so depressing and feel like this giant weight bearing down on you.

Please don't be ashamed or humiliated, though. These things happen. If they didn't, dentists would be out of a job. Besides, 3 teeth at 32 is really not bad! I know people, who have perfectly fine mouths currently, who have had more teeth removed than that. That's not to say I'm trying to discredit your feelings about it - you're allowed to be upset. Just that I don't want you to think having 3 teeth removed is a *really bad* because actually, you're doing okay. In fact, after a sugary diet and smoking, that's pretty good! You can credit that to taking care of them and be proud of yourself.

Communication with a good dentist is the key to getting through procedures, I've found. Have you told your dentist how upset you are? And have you thought about looking into a dentist that is phobic friendly? You not only deserve the best treatment, you deserve it delivered in a kind manner that makes you feel more at ease.

Don't apologise for posting a long stream of consciousness. That's what the forum is for. Use it to rant and vent and whatever you need to do.

I know you must feel pretty awful right now, but I promise it'll get better and you'll be okay.

 

[Anxiety_Girl]

Thank you so much, Sevena. I've had 3 teeth out currently, and I'm looking at at least 3 more. I have another 5 minute appointment tomorrow, which is part of the problem; it feels like the NHS dentists just don't have the time for anyone and I'm a long way off from being able to afford to go private.

Can I ask how you get along with your dentures? I'm looking at partials for upper and lower and I have anxiety attacks just thinking about them popping out or not being able to eat with them.

It's so frustrating to have a tooth infection. I stopped smoking a couple years ago and have adjusted my diet to include almost no sugar and I take care of my teeth so the infection is baffling me and making me feel like my mouth is disgusting. It all seems like such petty problems compared to some people but it's all I can focus on.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, it really means the World to know I'm not alone.