R
Romalotti
Junior member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2010
- Messages
- 12
- Location
- Eastern Pennsylvania
I'm 33 years old and haven't been to the dentist in about 9 years. The last time I went I needed $3000 worth of work done on my teeth. I only got half of that done (the right side of my mouth was worked on) and I planned to go back to finish once I'd saved enough money but you know how things are, I kept saying 'next year I'll go' and putting it off. It was mostly for financial reasons, but after a few years I knew that my teeth had gotten pretty bad and that I'd never have enough money to do the necessary work.
In the past couple of years, I've had some tooth pain, mainly in my back teeth. But this past year, a couple of my front teeth on the left side have developed major cavities. The decay has wrapped around my tooth and is visible in the front of the tooth. Also, I believe that the back of my front tooth is rotting away and the nerve may be exposed (I'm not sure because I don't know about these things).
After making and then cancelling an appointment this past summer, I finally worked up the courage to make an appointment for tomorrow (Black Friday, how appropriate). I am so nervous about the state of my teeth, especially the front ones that are pretty bad. I feel pressure in the tooth and it feels like I have a big piece of food permanently stuck between my teeth.
Not only am I afraid of what the dentist will say about my teeth, I'm worried that my front tooth will have to be pulled, which is my worst nightmare. I'm even scared that the cleaning itself will be so painful because even though the tooth doesn't hurt much, I am sure that picking at it with a sharp metal hook will send me right over the edge.
How bad does a tooth have to be to need extraction? And how can I deal with the fear of a dentist seeing my mouth under bright lights when I've been hiding my smile for years now? I think I would cancel my appointment but I'm afraid that if I don't see a dentist soon, my teeth will start breaking apart and falling out, which is scarier than a dentist visit. I never thought I'd post in a forum like this, but here I am...
In the past couple of years, I've had some tooth pain, mainly in my back teeth. But this past year, a couple of my front teeth on the left side have developed major cavities. The decay has wrapped around my tooth and is visible in the front of the tooth. Also, I believe that the back of my front tooth is rotting away and the nerve may be exposed (I'm not sure because I don't know about these things).
After making and then cancelling an appointment this past summer, I finally worked up the courage to make an appointment for tomorrow (Black Friday, how appropriate). I am so nervous about the state of my teeth, especially the front ones that are pretty bad. I feel pressure in the tooth and it feels like I have a big piece of food permanently stuck between my teeth.
Not only am I afraid of what the dentist will say about my teeth, I'm worried that my front tooth will have to be pulled, which is my worst nightmare. I'm even scared that the cleaning itself will be so painful because even though the tooth doesn't hurt much, I am sure that picking at it with a sharp metal hook will send me right over the edge.
How bad does a tooth have to be to need extraction? And how can I deal with the fear of a dentist seeing my mouth under bright lights when I've been hiding my smile for years now? I think I would cancel my appointment but I'm afraid that if I don't see a dentist soon, my teeth will start breaking apart and falling out, which is scarier than a dentist visit. I never thought I'd post in a forum like this, but here I am...