F
Former member 38909
Former Member
18 months ago, I went to the dentist after a 3-year bout of depression with questionable hygiene.
I had natural buccal pits on both of my second molars but I was concerned about the left molar because when I brushed, I noticed that food particles could enter the pit. On multiple occasions, I had to deliberately put my toothbrush in the tooth to make sure food particles weren't still inside. There was no pain or sensitivity on the tooth itself but because of my questionable hygiene and plaque build-up, my gums bled regularly when I brushed. I also felt sensations on my tooth (but I can't tell if that was real pain or anxiety).
When I went to the dentist, I was extremely scared and nervous. I told the dentist I was nervous but she seemed abit aloof and was talking more to the dentist assistant. She said she didn't notice any hole in the right molar or major issues to work on. I asked for her to take a look at the left molar assuming she'll say the same thing and just refer me for a simple cleaning. She went "oh there IS a hole. It's really small. How did she see that?" to the dental assistant. She used a tool to check it and asked me if food got in there. I said yes.
She then told me she could do a filling but will have to drill a bit, pulled out the needle and asked if I wanted to freeze the area. I hesitated because I wasn't sure if I wanted a filling for a non decayed, natural buccal pit. Before I could give consent or say no she injected me and started doing the filling. I panicked and froze in the moment (I'm still angry at myself for not speaking up).
There wasn't a conversation about treatment options, the kind of filling I would get, info about maintenance. Nothing. She didn't speak to me or guide me through the process. I just heard drilling. When she was done, she said she was only supposed to do serious procedures like root canals and extractions, implying she did me a favor giving me the filling (this was a government emergency dental service).
When I went home and looked at it my tooth looked terrible. It was chuncky and rough to touch. 2 weeks later it turned yellow. I had to file multiple complaints for another appointment. At my second appointment, a different dentist at the same clinic told me all I needed was polishing. The original dentist didn't bother with it.
After that, I went to a dental school for a cleaning then avoided the dentist completely.
18 months later, I built up the courage for a dental check-up. My filling seems perfectly fine and they told me it was well done.
Here's the issue. I'm wracked with anxiety and paranoia. No matter how many people tell me I'm okay, I have this endless thought that my healthy tooth was permanently ruined and the tooth that has the filling will deteriorate till it has to become a root canal or be extracted. The fact that it's composite resin makes it worse because all I can think is, no matter how good my hygiene is, composite resin must be replaced regularly and more and more tooth must be drilled and I will lose it eventually.
How do I cope with this anxiety? It makes me not trust myself or dentists when they tell me I'm okay.
Any advice will help.
I had natural buccal pits on both of my second molars but I was concerned about the left molar because when I brushed, I noticed that food particles could enter the pit. On multiple occasions, I had to deliberately put my toothbrush in the tooth to make sure food particles weren't still inside. There was no pain or sensitivity on the tooth itself but because of my questionable hygiene and plaque build-up, my gums bled regularly when I brushed. I also felt sensations on my tooth (but I can't tell if that was real pain or anxiety).
When I went to the dentist, I was extremely scared and nervous. I told the dentist I was nervous but she seemed abit aloof and was talking more to the dentist assistant. She said she didn't notice any hole in the right molar or major issues to work on. I asked for her to take a look at the left molar assuming she'll say the same thing and just refer me for a simple cleaning. She went "oh there IS a hole. It's really small. How did she see that?" to the dental assistant. She used a tool to check it and asked me if food got in there. I said yes.
She then told me she could do a filling but will have to drill a bit, pulled out the needle and asked if I wanted to freeze the area. I hesitated because I wasn't sure if I wanted a filling for a non decayed, natural buccal pit. Before I could give consent or say no she injected me and started doing the filling. I panicked and froze in the moment (I'm still angry at myself for not speaking up).
There wasn't a conversation about treatment options, the kind of filling I would get, info about maintenance. Nothing. She didn't speak to me or guide me through the process. I just heard drilling. When she was done, she said she was only supposed to do serious procedures like root canals and extractions, implying she did me a favor giving me the filling (this was a government emergency dental service).
When I went home and looked at it my tooth looked terrible. It was chuncky and rough to touch. 2 weeks later it turned yellow. I had to file multiple complaints for another appointment. At my second appointment, a different dentist at the same clinic told me all I needed was polishing. The original dentist didn't bother with it.
After that, I went to a dental school for a cleaning then avoided the dentist completely.
18 months later, I built up the courage for a dental check-up. My filling seems perfectly fine and they told me it was well done.
Here's the issue. I'm wracked with anxiety and paranoia. No matter how many people tell me I'm okay, I have this endless thought that my healthy tooth was permanently ruined and the tooth that has the filling will deteriorate till it has to become a root canal or be extracted. The fact that it's composite resin makes it worse because all I can think is, no matter how good my hygiene is, composite resin must be replaced regularly and more and more tooth must be drilled and I will lose it eventually.
How do I cope with this anxiety? It makes me not trust myself or dentists when they tell me I'm okay.
Any advice will help.
