Please find me a dentist

[wits end]

Thank you letsconnect for your reply.

This partial is gonna take a long time to get used to. IF EVER.

When I got home from the dentist's I wasn't happy about the shape of my only false one at the front as it seemed ever so pointed and it is next to my big one at the front. I phoned the dentist's yesterday to see if it could be altered in any way and the receptionist was lovely and said that I could go that morning.
I was worried in case the dentist scoffed at such a minor thing or had some comment to make but he was smashing as usual. He blunted the false tooth at that side for me and it now matches the other side.
Now I know I can always go back to see him without being scolded like I was when I visited a dentist as a child.
My gums and top of my mouth are ever so tender and I suppose they will take time to get used to the plate.

 

[letsconnect]

It's great that you now know that you can always go back to him ! It's in his interest, too, that his clients are happy and say good things about him behind his back .
Did you mention the tenderness issue? This needs to be addressed, there's no point in waiting for sores to develop. It's not at all unusual for any new denture to need a number of adjustment - like I said, they rarely fit perfectly right from the start.
Yesterday, I read a post by a dentist who had lost a tooth of his own, and he said he constructed 12 flippers (single-tooth immediate partial dentures) over a two-and-a-half year period to fill the gap . He now reckons he's an expert at these and can serve his patients much better . Dentists tend to be quite anal creatures (you'd have to be in order to this kind of precision work) and I'm sure your dentist will be happy to make adjustments until there are no tenderness issues. Sure, a lot of it does have to do with simply having something in your mouth that didn't originally belong there, but tenderness is a sign that the partial probably needs further adjusting. Same goes for your husband, obviously .

 

[wits end]

Thanks letsconnect,

Yes I did mention the tenderness issue of my gums where I had the teeth extracted 8 weeks ago and he asked to see the roof of my mouth too and said that it is bedding in nicely. The roof of my mouth is sorer today on one side, but there is no moving about with the teeth they fit like a glove.

I still have 3 or 4 buried roots that the hospital want to leave there for a while as they want to give the bisphosphonates time to diminish in my body which should hopefully lessen the risk of necrosis of the jaw when they are extracted. It's only 7 months since I came off bisphosphonates but if the roots start to bother me the hospital will extract them even at this stage.

 

[letsconnect]

I think it's a really good sign that the other extraction sites healed without any complications - this would suggest that you're not one of the unlucky few who're having trouble healing as a result of taking bisphosphonates.

It might just take some time for the partial to get used to, but don't be afraid to go back for further adjustments if you think they're needed .

 

[wits end]

Thanks again letsconnect,

Yes it's a good sign that the 3 back teeth healed over so well but the hospital said that they would heal well with the antibiotic treatment and they were very very shallow rooted anyway. The other buried roots are all deep rooted.

 

[wits end]

Hello, Again,

My check up is now due, I go tomorrow and feel that I may need a filling, plus the dentist may want x-rays done on some buried roots.
The hospital previously decided to leave the roots where they are for a while because of complications that may arise through my being on oral bisphosphonates in the past.
I think he will refer me back to hospital to review the buried roots situation.
They are all deep rooted too.
He will also probably want to clean my teeth.
Oh, I hate the thought of going as it makes me feel very nauseous indeed.
I still hate the partial that I had made this year too.

Just feel that I need to vent about this.

 

[wits end]

I went for my appointment today and felt very panicky and sick in 'the chair' but managed to stay put until the dentist had cleaned my teeth.
Thankfully that's all that needed doing. My teeth really sparkle now but I hated the experience as it seemed to go on forever.
I'm pleased to say that the dentist has said that my buried roots can stay where they are if they are not bothering me. I go again in 6 months time.

 

[wits end]

Oh, I'm really fed up, tired and scared.
This morning I woke up in the early hours and could feel something sharp in my mouth. I felt around with my tongue and a huge piece of one of my front teeth came out, then a bit more and then a bit more.
I was so worked up as this was totally unexpected.
This morning I phoned my dentist and managed to get to see him.
I am now booked in for three appointments for a root canal and really feel like crying. How on earth do I face this? I have a horror of root canals.

 

[brit]

Hi Witsend
Welcome back
If your horror of root canals is based on what you have heard other people and the media say about them and not based on your own experiences, then I suppose you could just regard it as a new experience and give it the benefit of the doubt. With modern techniques their negative reputation is undeserved. The Jerry Gordon video on it might help you a bit?
They are just like a filling really but take longer - doing it in 3 stages means it will keep the appts shorter for you and ensure healing between the stages. Mine was done in 3 stages as well and it was a very long time ago back in the 1980s.
Best wishes
Brit

 

[wits end]

Hi, Brit,

Nice to hear from you. You're still keeping up the good work, I see.

Bless You.

This upcoming root canal is a real kick in the teeth for me - pardon the pun.

My dentist daren't take the tooth out because I was on bisphosphonates, so he intends to take the tooth down to gum level and then fit an extra tooth onto my partial so it sits on the root.

I wish I could have it taken out.

I do not want to face this at all.

Money is not a factor, but £320-00 is a lot of money.

Where can I view the video?

I have just been reading about root canals on my dentist's website and it has frightened me, big time. Wish I hadn't looked at it now.

 

[ScaredMama]

First, I want to say a HUGE CONGRATS. I've read this thread and you are seriously a hero to me. How brave you have been!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a mouth full of problems, have BAD panic/anxiety/depression for 10 years now. And I'm only 31 .
You have truely inspired me. I had a root canal (with just numbing) 7 years ago, I never got the crown put on, simply because panic attacks have kept me away. The RC was no worse than a filling. You have accompolished SO much, you can do a root canal.
Huge hugs to you!!!

 

[brit]

Hi, Brit,

Nice to hear from you. You're still keeping up the good work, I see.

Bless You.

This upcoming root canal is a real kick in the teeth for me - pardon the pun.

My dentist daren't take the tooth out because I was on bisphosphonates, so he intends to take the tooth down to gum level and then fit an extra tooth onto my partial so it sits on the root.

I wish I could have it taken out.

I do not want to face this at all.

Money is not a factor, but £320-00 is a lot of money.

Where can I view the video?

I have just been reading about root canals on my dentist's website and it has frightened me, big time. Wish I hadn't looked at it now.

There is no pain involved in these - it will tell you a lot about the procedure though so it's up to you whether you look. You don't normally view a procedure from above when you are the patient so if this view is unpleasant..there is no need to even experience things from this angle. Often though knowing that what happens is relatively straightforward (it is not open heart surgery after all - just a tooth) is reassuring and empowering.

It is bad luck for you though - having to leave the roots in and have it added to the partial.
Would it be a rare case where you'd benefit from some sedation? The other good news is that front teeth are easier to do than molars as they have fewer canals.
Hope you can find some reassurance - there are plenty of positive root canal experiences shared on DFC.

 

[wits end]

Scared Mama.

Thank you very much for your kind comments.

Aren't panic attacks a real pain? They wear me down and I have spent so much time and money over the years trying to find ways to control them.

It has taken me until the Spring of last year to find out the real reason for my very real agoraphobia.

Having suffered from some bad falls quite a lot lately and my left ear going considerably worse, I ended up seeing yet another specialist.

One of my ears has never been as good as the other one and my sense of balance is awful too.

The specialist diagnosed Tensor tympani myoclonus, this in itself does not make me agoraphobic but blocks my hearing on one side.

The revelation came when the specialist said he thought there was something else the matter with me and he did some more tests on me.
One of the tests involved me doing some on the spot movements with my eyes closed. I was asked to keep facing straight ahead.
The specialist then asked me to open my eyes and to my amazement I had turned a quarter circle the other way!
I have a bad co ordination problem, whereby one side of my brain works in different synch to the other.
That is the reason for my agoraphobia!
I must add that I can manage most places with the help of my husband, but I'm still on edge with my balance all the time.
When the dentist moves the chair up and down with me on it I go really disorientated and that tends to set my panics off.

 

[ScaredMama]

I also have balance/dizzy issues! Heights make this worse! I've always had Ezcema on/in my ears. Nobody has been able to help me with my anxiety/panic, no therapy or book has helped either. I also HATE lying flat. Has anything helped your inner ear/balance issues? And have you ever tried medicine for anxiety? I can imagine this dentist success has helped?

 

[wits end]

Thank you once again, Brit for all your help.

I have watched the video and it has answered some of my questions. I'm not as worked up this evening, probably because I'm so tired with not sleeping properly.

I've finally got used to the fact that my tooth has broken off. It was such a shock when it happened in the night.

I've cried a bit today, but not too bad really.

I go to have it done on Thursday next week.

The dentist tells me it will be a walk in the park and much easier than when he took my teeth out.

I can't believe that as my teeth were out within ten minutes of seeing him.

 

[wits end]

Hi, SM

I certainly have tried medication and read plenty of books on anxiety, depression etc.
Over the years I have come to believe that there are two or three types of agoraphobia.One of them is from a psychological source, the other one is from a physical source, and the third one I believe is a combination of both.
In my view some types can be overcome, but when avoidance tactics have developed and been in place for a long time ie: avoiding certain types of places, situations etc, this aspect cannot be got over.
I am absolutely useless in open spaces, always have been and even when I was a young girl and darkness came my balance was all over the place.
Just can't co-ordinate in the dark at all.
About 20 years ago another specialist told me that I had agoraphobia for life and I'm afraid he is right about it too.
Don't get me wrong, I go to most places with the help of my husband but never venture out alone because the latest specialist told me not to do as I may fall.
I am on medication for my agoraphobia, depression and anxiety. I have been doing special balance excercises at the hospital too.
I haven't fallen since I started the excercises, so let's hope it stays that way.

 

[ScaredMama]

I hope the balance excercises keep helping! I have tried Prozac, but that's all, as it did nothing for me except give me about 40 extra pounds. I am the same way, I only go out with my husband. And even then, it is to my comfortable places. It is nice to find someone like myself, even though I wouldn't wish this on anyone!

 

[wits end]

Hi, SM,

I'm on Prozac and have halved the dosage about 8 months ago.
I have ever so much weight on me too and nothing I do nowadays will get it off.
I honestly believe that after I'd gone through the menopause, my depression and anxiety was no longer like an up and down roller coaster, the highs and lows are smoother now and less severe. Age has appeased it a lot.

 

[ScaredMama]

Oh there is hope! Darn hormones!

 

[wits end]

I'm going out of my mind with anxiety now as my Root Canal takes place in just two days.

I am not in any pain at all, thank goodness.


On Saturday I got my results back from the bowel cancer screening test and they are normal. I felt so good on reading the results and so screwed up about the upcoming RC treatment that my emotions were everywhere. I wanted to cry but couldn't, my stomach was in knots and I'm still waiting for a hospital appointment for glaucoma tests too as well as other regular test I have.


Sunday I was really ill with exhaustion through all the anxiety and mixed emotions. I didn't feel like eating at all, just cried and cried and cried.


Yesterday was different I got on with my life a lot easier, slept a little better but kept dreaming and waking up wet through with sweat.

I'm really hoping that all this anxiety dips a lot for Thursday.

Agoraphobics generally hate appointments!

Any helpful advice from anyone is very much appreciated as I am still a dental phobic.

My husband is very understanding and tells me that I will manage this like I've managed all the other dental appointments I've had with my present dentist.