Questions about mouth trauma and extreme periodontal help

[looking4smile]

Hello, I'm a woman, non smoker or drinker, uninsured, that unfortunately became a victim of a violent and sexual assault. My mouth was affected greatly by this, first some violent damage to teeth and the roof of my mouth. Second, psychological side effects lead to neglect in proper cleaning of my teeth, and my mouth is in bad shape. Many teeth are shrinking, rotten, and I'm at the point where a bottom front tooth or two fell out rotted, with the ones next to it surely going to go this month or so.

Obviously I have very high anxiety about going to a dentist to get help but I also know I need to go. My question is: what would the process look like for someone like me with rotted teeth, inflamed gums, clearly needing dentures and in the future, implants? How many visits would I be looking at, how long each visit, what treatment would I be expecting? What would they be doing procedure wise? What medicine or gels or any type of stuff would they be using for someone with rotted teeth?

Hopefully you can understand I'm very scared to have anyone handle my mouth in a vulnerable position so this is highly intimidating. It's hard enough to go to dentist but adding in why I need to go is even harder, showing my messed up mouth is even more difficult. And finally I'm scared of mouth sensations so trying to prep myself.

 

[letsconnect]

Hi @looking4smile, I'm sorry that you haven't had any replies so far. I'm so sorry about what happened to you and how it lead to your current situation .

I don't think anyone can answer the question about what the process would look like, because each case is unique, so the only way to find out would be to consult with one or more dentists or specialists.

I'm not sure if you've had a look around the rest of this website, but we have quite a few resources for survivors of sexual abuse which might be useful to you - there are some really useful resources and links at the bottom of this page:

Tips for Abuse Survivors and Their Dentists

Tips for survivors of sexual, emotional and physical abuse and their dentists, written by a survivor of childhood abuse.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

The key will be to find a dentist or specialist who is aware of the issues you're describing and who genuinely wants to help. We've collected some tips for finding a dentist here:

How to find a dentist for nervous patients

Discover how to find a dentist who is good with nervous, scared or phobic patients - and who to avoid!

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Hang on in there