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Oral surgery and dental work next Monday! Freaking out!

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neeniekitten81

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2014
Messages
23
Hi, I'm new here! I found this board while scaring myself silly looking for support for upcoming dentist appointment and was amazed at how comforting and helpful you all are!
Short story is, I'm 33 and hadn't been to a dentist since childhood. My family all has a history of bad teeth and I went through a time as a child where I stopped taking care of myself including my teeth. My mom never took me back to the dentist because I made such a fit about it every time it was brought up and because most of my family thinks doctors and dentists are to be avoided if at all possible. Growing up in that environment was enough on it's own to make me terrified, but on top of it, I have PTSD, gag reflex of doom, Asperger's, sensory issues, anxiety disorder, regular panic attacks, and my mouth is the most triggering place on my body. I have spent my life hiding broken teeth and pain. I have avoided the dentist even through painful abcesses and toothaches and adapted to eating in only certain areas of my mouth. I have also endured many hurtful comments on the state of my teeth.
Anyway, my best friend got me in to her dentist after promising me we could leave if I was in any way uncomfortable. They let her go back with me and I managed to get through a whole set of x-rays, despite my gag reflex and never having been able to get through even that before. The dentist and staff were wonderful with me and my teeth weren't as bad off as I thought. I expected that I would need to have them all pulled and complete dentures made, like most of my family. However, the dentist balked at that and said I actually had some really good teeth in there and he made up a treatment plan. My dentist seems really hopeful about the outcome and even said he thought, with the treatment plan, I'd be easy and back on my feet in two weeks, but I am scared out of my mind anyway.
Basically, I'm going in at 1pm next Monday. I'm getting IV sedation due to my wall of anxiety and various issues. He is going to do a scaling and root planing. Then I'm having all four wisdom teeth removed(they are partially impacted) and one upper molar(the one next to the wisdom tooth, it's the most painful and is broken at the gum, it feels like the wizzie is pushing behind it), one lower molar on each side(both broken, one at the gum and one with a hole in the middle that goes through to the gum) and all 6 of my upper front teeth(4 of which are broken almost to the gum) extracted. He is also going to fill any cavities he finds after the deep cleaning gets all the tartar out of the way as well as filling in two cavities in one of my lower molars and take impressions for my partials. Everybody around me, even the dentist, doesn't really forsee any problems and he is doing what I wanted, all of it at once while I'm sedated so I can just go home after and lick my wounds. But I'm petrified!
I'm scared of having an IV. I'm scared of reactions to the drugs or acting or feeling drunk or loopy. I'm scared of putting drugs in my body anyway and never take more than Advil. I'm scared of being aware of what's going on and unable to move. I'm afraid of choking, gagging, and not being able to swallow or breath and keep imagining all the tartar, plaque, and blood running down my throat. I'm scared of never waking up from the sedation. I'm scared of feeling pain during. I'm scared they'll hit a nerve or damage my sinuses. After years of on and off severe face pain and infections that I finally learned to live with I'm scared of setting it off again. I'm scared of hurting worse when it's over than I do now. I'm scared of how bad the post-op pain and swelling will be and how long it will take. I have all the horror stories of my childhood spinning through my head. I'm scared of how much i'll bleed after. I'm miserable at the thought of having to go without my soda(my comfort vice) during all this. I'm scared I won't be able eat after, that learning how to eat again will hurt and I'll have to force it. I'm scared my jaw will get broken or stuck open or closed. I'm scared of having a panic attack or even a heart attack during.
Please, anyone who's had anything similar, can you tell me what to expect honestly or reassure some of my fears? I feel like i'm going crazy and I want to run away from it, but I really want to have healthy, nice teeth again. I want to be able to smile without embarrassement and eat without pain. I want to stop worrying about my teeth.:cry:
 
I have many of the same fears as you. I won't have sedation becuase I'm afraid of drugs, etc.

I have had a lot of work recently and all of it while awake and none of the things I was afraid of happened :)

my sister had IV sedation to have some bad teeth pulled and she doesn't remember a thing. she said it was great
 
:waves: Hi Neeniekitten :welcome:

Before jumping into your upcoming appointment I want to take a minute and congratulate you for getting through all you have and making it to...and through...your FIRST visit. THAT WAS HUGE!!!! And really, in some ways, that first step is harder than all the others... but you'll have to take my word for that at the moment. ;) If you haven't already you need to reach your hand over your shoulder and give yourself a pat on the back...you earned it. And how awesome you have such a good friend to help you find a way to make the changes you want to make with a kind and caring dentist. Give her a pat too!!!

Okay, so, one appointment down, one whopper to go. Lucky for you it will be MUCH easier and FASTER than you fear it will because you have chosen Liquid Courage via IV!!! Wise move. Very smart choice and you'll be glad you did. I think you have some GREAT "what ifs" on your list and LOTS of the same things I stress about too...What I do know from my experience with IV sedation was that after I was "asleep" NONE...as in NOT ONE...of the things I worried about happened. It was my first time with an IV, that kind of medicine, being "kind of put to sleep" all of it and I have tons of allergies and sensitivities and can tell you the worst part was peeling the Band-Aid off when they took the IV out. I've had IV sedation for other things several times since and never had anything more than being really sleepy for the rest of the day and depending on the medication they use memory issues from the time the medicine went in till it wears off. Again that is ONLY with certain drugs...drugs your doctor may not use....but honestly I never saw "forgetting dental work" as a con. To me that is a huge PRO if you trust the doctor and staff and your friend which it sounds like you do. As for the fear of not waking up...you're not asleep, asleep...I can't explain it. Maybe one of the docs can. And the medicine they use has been around a long time and safely used for this kind of stuff for a long time. If it makes you feel better there is a medication they can give to immediately reverse the effects of the drug if there is a problem...ask them. I'm sure they have it and are prepared to use it NOT THAT YOU'LL NEED IT!:)


I struggle with the same fears about the after part...but think most of the time from what I have read people do better than they expect to do and are pleasantly surprised. I'd check over at the wisdom tooth section too as they may have helpful stories and words of wisdom (ha ha) for you.

I know you are terrified as we all would be....but I admire you for your bravery and courage in the face of this terror to make such huge strides toward your goals....smiling without embarrassment, eating without pain, having healthy nice teeth and NOT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT THEM AGAIN!!!

You can do it...we are here if you need to talk...
 
Hi neeniekitten

I think mugz has replied better & more fully than I can but wanted to add I've had IV sedation too and while I worried like you, I was fine during the treatment and I was fine at the end of the treatment. I appreciated not having to endure the work being undertaken and felt relaxed and relieved straight away when the sedation finished. I felt just like myself but I'm told I did repeat myself a bit on the way home, but was also able to say which route to take without any trouble at all.
I've not had pain after dental treatment but when I have had pain after other medical interventions I've thought about how different the pain is, like it's the pain of starting a healthy healing process not of something going wrong or getting worse. It helped me to hang in there and bear it all while I started to repair.
I think you are doing a wonderful thing for yourself and totally applaud your courage!
 
Thanks, everyone for taking the time to reply!
It's Saturday, 2 days before The Day! I confirmed my appointment. I'm not as terrified between my dentist, my friends and this forum(and staying away from horror stories on google and youtube). Still scared though. And now my TMJ is acting up and one of the teeth I'm scheduled to have pulled bled a little yesterday and scared me. The pain is almost gone today but my jaw is stiff. All I can think is I wish I was feeling that pain AFTER my treatment! I could deal with one day of moderate pain and then stiffness and soreness the next day!
Thanks, Mugz :) All I see is this one huge terrifing thing in front of me and hadn't even really gave much thought to how huge the initial visit was. My best friend insisted we celebrate and I just went along with it, though I did feel pretty accomplished walking out of that dentist's office! She was pleased as punch you mentioned her getting a pat on the back too! She also said that the hard part was already over for me- the initial visit. I'm taking both of yours words for it!
Mugz- you mentioned you have a lot of allergies and sensitivities and none of the meds they gave you caused a problem? I'm on Claritin for allergies to pollen/hay fever, my skin is sensitive and tends break out in hives during stress. I have a mild gluten sensitivity but no other known allergies. One of my biggest fears is that I'm randomly allergic to something that we don't know I have an allergy to. But, it sounds like you have more sensitivities than I do and you'd never had that kind of medicine before and you were fine? That actually helps me a lot. I kept having visions of waking up in the hospital told they had to rush me there due to extreme reaction to the drugs >.< Honestly, sleeping all day and forgetting the surgery would NOT bother me at all! I'd rather sleep through the surgery! I've been told you feel so relaxed and sleepy from the sedation many people do fall asleep. Have you ever been awake while sedated and remembered what happened. I'd rather have no awareness of what's being done.
The way my brain understands it is something like...I'm not going all the way under, as in unconcious, put to sleep. Just relaxed almost to the point of natural sleep...like meditating or something. I might fall asleep but I'm not unconcious. I think I feel better about this, I just wish I could see past it. This thing has taken over my life so much and I've had teeth problems for so long, I can convince myself I won't wake up easier than I can convince myself I'm going to be done with the pain and humiliation!
Tem90- It helps to know you were fine during IV sedation, too. Thanks. Did you fall asleep or remain awake? Do you remember any pain or discomfort during your treatment?
I can actually tell the difference in pains, like you said. I've had chronic sinus infections and the pain during is miserable. The pain when I start to clear out is more bearable because I know i'm healing and it has an end.It feels different.
Thanks again everyone for helping me and for your words of encouragment!
 
Tem90- It helps to know you were fine during IV sedation, too. Thanks. Did you fall asleep or remain awake? Do you remember any pain or discomfort during your treatment?
I can actually tell the difference in pains, like you said. I've had chronic sinus infections and the pain during is miserable. The pain when I start to clear out is more bearable because I know i'm healing and it has an end.It feels different.
Thanks again everyone for helping me and for your words of encouragment!

I remember nothing after the IV started until coming round as if I'd been asleep and waking quite naturally. The dentist and sedation doctor were talking to me and reassuring me but I was totally relaxed and not worried or confused. I recall nothing at all of any treatment - honestly, not a single thing and certainly no pain. I was a bit woozy when I first tried to stand up so gave it another 10 minutes before leaving and from then on I can remember things as normal. It made such a difference to my experience of having treatment because I'm terrified of needles and didn't feel one or even see one. I wish you well for your appointment, getting to the other side of this offers rich rewards for your achievements!
 
Thanks Tem90- I feel like I can use all the good wishes and words of encouragement I can get, so I really appreciate you taking the time to reply! I'm still terrified, but you sharing your experience has really helped to reassure me. :)
 
Hi Neeniekitten (and your friend if you are reading or updating for her) !
Just thinking about you and hoping it is all over, you are okay, at home and in your own bed and your Fearful Manic Monday is drawing to a courageous, accomplished, and restful close. Hoping too that your pain is well controlled and you can sleep though the night as sleep heals and that tomorrow will be the first of many days of transformative healing, not just for your smile on the outside but for your smile from the inside knowing the worst this will ever be is behind you and the progress you make today and tomorrow and the next day will snowball, building on itself, increasing your confidence and giving your spirit the freedom to soar and you 30 reasons to smile with a new, big, beautifully healthy toothy grin at the end of it all!!! It will be worth it. It will. Hang in there and let us know how you are when you can!!
 
I second everything that Mugz said as I couldn't have said it better myself. Sending healing thought and energy your way. Hoping that you are home and hopefully getting some rest. Please let use know how you are doing!
 
Hi, Mugz, FearfulinMA, Miss Partial, and anyone else who's been so kind to Neeniekitten these past few days. This is indeed her best friend / roommate (you can just call me Alicia, I've never had a problem using my real name in forums). She did make it through, and she's home now and resting. Actually if anyone has any advice on how to care for her, I'd really appreciate it (do I let her sleep a little longer, do I wake her up and get her to drink a milkshake and get her blood sugar back up?). Let me say first that you all have really meant a lot to her, so thank you from both of us -- for the helpful replies, the ongoing support, and the understanding. She's kept me posted on what's going on in your treatment plans too, I'm so sorry about the root canal, Mugz. I promised her that I'd update for her while she's still out of it enough not to be able to, so here goes -- her experience of today is probably (and hopefully) different than mine, so I'll let her speak for herself when she is able. The short form is that the dentist pulled one less tooth than he'd hoped he'd have to, filled a ton of cavities, and deep cleaned everything else. They made impressions for partial dentures, and we'll have a follow up visit in a couple of days. The slightly longer version is that it took a *long* time and there were a lot of complications, and she broke my heart when I picked her up at the very end of it. I'm hoping too that she'll be recovered somewhat by morning -- she and I rearranged her school schedule together so she has at least a week to just rest and watch movies and play video games and stuff, and since I have work during the day, I'm counting on you guys to encourage her to rest! She won't be in her own bed tonight since sleeping propped up (I want to keep an eye on her, maybe the bleeding is normal but it's frightening to me), but tomorrow definitely.

Oh, and the net result will indeed be worth it. She's going to have an entire mouthful of pretty, healthy teeth, no infection, no gum disease, and none of the constant low-level bleeding that scared us so much.
 
Edited to add: thanks, Tem90 and Zombiegroupie, too. Still Alicia -- I'm pretty familiar with message boards, and the courtesy to acknowledge everyone who posts. Neeniekitten has been reading your posts in detail and showing them to me.
 
Alicia what a lovely friend you are! We all need such good friends who take care of us. Maybe let her sleep while she can and offer her a milk shake or even an energy drink or something like lucozade. It's good to hear she's had all the work done and now she just needs some time to recover.
 
glad to see an update and you sound like an awesome friend :)

hope she's better in the morning
 
Thank you for the update Alicia!
What an amazing friend you are!!! The care you take of Neeniekitten speaks volumes about not only what kind of a remarkable friend YOU are but also how special SHE must be too. Thanks for encouraging her to get the care she's needed and for sticking with her through such a challenging treatment. I know taking care of people you love is stressful on you too so try and take care of yourself - watch what you eat, try and sleep and know it is okay to take a break without feeling guilty for a few hours when you can.

Hope all is going as well as can be expected this morning and the trauma of all that's been done isnt too overwhelming and is overshadowed at least a little by the well wishes and encouragement of those of us cheering her on from the sidelines!!

Will be looking for updates when and if you're able and will keep prayers of strength and healing coming for her recovery in the days ahead!
 
One more update from Alicia -- Neeniekitten is awake and has read all your posts, she's just not up to typing yet. Thanks for all the compliments to me as well, you guys are an incredibly supportive bunch! I'm just so glad the worst is over. I took the day off work today but I'll be going back as usual tomorrow, and right now I'm about to head over to the dentist's office for more gauze. I'm expecting Neeniekitten will be back later today. :)
 
Thank you Alicia for continuing to update us! You are a really great friend to be there for neeniekitten! We should all be so lucky to have friends like you.

Continuing to send good healing thoughts your way, neeniekitten!
 
Hi Alicia


Sorry to neeniekitte, its taken me a while to check on her. Wow you guys have a fantastic friendship. Hold on to that both of you. I also had my best friend attend my extraction appt with me at the grand age of 47 lol!!

Keep on doing what you are doing is my best advice. If neenie wants advice on partials she can ask and I will do my best to answer.

Sending :hug5: to you both......well done !!!
 
Hey everyone! I made it through! Go me! Thanks for all the support and encouragement, I can't tell you how much it's meant to me:XXLhug:
I am now safely at home being pampered. I don't feel too bad considering, my lips are swollen and stained from all the blood and I look like a donkey. My mouth feels WEIRD though there isn't any pain right now, just swelling, some light bleeding and this stupid thing in the back of both sides of my mouth that feel like little tiny gauze sticks. I suspect they're stiches. I keep wanting to poke at them with my tongue but it hurts to move it that far back and I am PARANOID about disrupting clots. I'm still a little out of it and hungry no matter how many milkshakes, bowls of liquid soup, or v8 juices I consume. Did I mention my teeth feel WEIRD! I want to look at them but my lips are to swollen to get a good look like I'd like.
Anyway, so my appointment. By the time my bestfriend came by to pick me up and drive me to the dentist office I was crying and I kissed the cats goodbye like I'd never see them again. I spent the whole drive crying and fretting and trying not to throw up. I go there and they were ready for me but waiting on the second dentist who would be in charge of anesthesiology. My dentist(who I'm keeping ass far as I can tell) came out to the waiting room to talk to me beforehand. He asked how I was and I told him "I'm terrified" He seemed taken aback for a moment but then told me he wasn't surprised with the amount of work I had to get done. He explained the procedure again and let me ask questions. Then he went away and I sat clutching best friend for dear life and trying not to throw up. Then the anethesiologist showed up and introduced himself to me and sat for a few minutes answering my questions. I LOVED this guy. HE put my mind at ease and answered even my silly questions and made sure I clarified I understood and agreed before moving on. I asked him how likely it was I would throw up with my gag reflex being what it was, he said he's done this thousands of times and no one threw up during. He invited my friend to come back while they set me up as long as she knew she had to leave when they were ready. Between her and his calming manner I managed to relax a litttle(enough not to bolt for the door) and he hooked me up. I felt a prick when the needle went in but not worse than having my blood taken two weeks ago. He had my friend leave and she kissed me on the head. He said they were ready and he was putting in the drugs, I asked him how long it would take to work, I felt a slight woozyness and a chill in my throat(like swallowing ice) and remember nothing else until I woke up at home in the middle of the night! I could cry. My lips are swollen but no worse then any sinus infection or abcessed tooth I've had. I have no pain at all. NOT one of my fears came true although while I was out I threw up twice on the dentists(I find it ironinc I'm the first one out of the thousands to do so) Alicia was right outside the whole time and she thinks it was during the deep cleaning and was just due to all that gunk being cleared away. I was worked on from 2pm til almost 7pm. Alicia heard them say it was a complicated procedure cleaning my teeth, because they found more cavities than you normally see on someone who's caculus is so bad. I'm telling everyone who'll listen because I just feel so much better looking at that visit from the back.
I do have a follow up tomorrow I'm still nervous about(old habits I guess) to check on my healing and see about a cavity that he thinks the filling might no last on and wants to make sure it bonds. I really hope there aren't any x rays or impressions taken. They took impressions while I was out of it. Alicia actually came back while they were doing it even though she wasn't supposed to because she wanted to make sure I wasn't in panic attack mode. She said she was surprised I was just letting them hold things in my mouth.
The dentist himself said my partials would normally be ready in two weeks but he doesn't want me going that long without uppers so he put a rush order on it. I kinda hope to be healed enough and have them for church on Sunday though I'll probably need time to get used to them.
For now, I'm nervous about tomorrow, on a liquid diet and still hungry from lack of food yesterday, the gore I left in my drug induced stupor is cleaned up( Alicia got a fright when she carried me upstairs and got me layed down on the den of blankets we made up on the floor, dozed off watching me and awoke to me soaked down the front in blood!) My original May the teeth be ever in your favor shirt is no stained and she's getting me a new one! I'm finishing a v8 and feeling a slight twinge in my molars and a little loopy but I SURVIVED!!!!! My teeth are CLEAN and I'll have a nice smile by Halloween when I visit my family!!!!!:yay:



:grouphug: To all of you who stood by me through this! You guys are all awesome!
 
neenie -- we've all been so grateful to get updates from Alicia, but it's really great to hear directly from you! A huge congratulations for making it through such an intense appointment!!! You are really my hero. You also seem to have such a great attitude about all of it and seem to be in a pretty good space right now.

I'm so excited to continue to hear how everything goes for you. I know you are nervous, but your appointment tomorrow should be a breeze after all that you've already been through.

You are a ROCK STAR!!!
 
Alicia here -- LOVED the huge group hug icon! :) I did want to clarify that I wasn't at all coherent last night, so my brain translated "it was complicated" to "there were complications" (did I mention I have asperger's too?). :) And also that I didn't literally carry Neeniekitten up the stairs. We live in a second floor apartment. I drove her home, then took most of her weight getting through the sidewalk, up the mini-stairs in the sidewalk, up the main stairs, and finally home (where the cats were less than comforting, little stinkers that they are, they've been better today). I was certainly breathing hard like I'd been carrying her. Bleeding has stopped -- it's oozing a little but that's all.
 
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