Really nervous (and excited) about a LOT of work being done in one visit

[Travis798]

I'm not sure if this is the proper place to post, but it seems it's the only place it will let me make a first post.

I have a pretty good fear of the dentist so I've avoided them for far too long. A little over a year ago, I had a tooth hurting and pulled that is back toward the edge of my mouth but visible in my smile. It's driven me to get my teeth fixed and get a smile I can be proud of. This will be a $40k investment that involves a deep cleaning, 3 extractions (one tooth needs a root canal, I opted to have it extracted and an implant placed since nobody in my family has had a root canal last longer than 6-7 years), 2 bone grafts, 6 implants, I believe a crown or 2 on other teeth and veneers.

I'm getting about 30k of the work done in one visit. The dentist has cleared 4 hours for me where he will extract the teeth, do the bone grafts and implants, and do the cleaning. I will be sedated, I believe with medication and gas. My problem is that I get so nervous, even at the initial consult where I knew they wouldn't do anything but look, I was shaking so bad I could barely fill out the paperwork.

I know life will suck for a few days after this visit, but my concern is every time I'm at the dentist and try to hold my mouth open, my jaw starts cramping badly. I have a very high pain tolerance, and even when I've had a filling or something and the dentist hit a nerve when I wasn't numb or something I haven't minded too much, but it's this stupid jaw cramping that gets me. Will the gas help with that? I'm really nervous about getting in the chair and getting started, only to be unable to finish due to my jaw pain. I know the work needs done, but the closer I get to the appointment the more I want to back out, which isn't good since one of the teeth getting extracted has had an abscess for probably over a year that I've kept in check with colloidal silver to keep the pain away.

Any words of encouragement? I realize this is long, but I'm nervous even writing this post thinking about it and am probably rambling.

 

[FearfulInMA]

I went ahead and moved your thread to the support section. I hope this is ok. Also, welcome!

 

[sunflower32]

Re: Really nervous (and excited) about a LOT of work being done in one visit

Hi and welcome! That's definitely a lot of work you're getting done at one time. Good for you for going through with it, despite your fear! I can't answer your question about the nitrous helping with your jaw cramping up, but do you feel comfortable asking the dentist about this? Four hours is a long time for anyone to hold their mouth open, so I would hope the dentist would give you some breaks. I think I'd be worried about that too if I was going to spend four hours in the dentist chair! I would definitely talk to the dentist about this. He might be able to ease your concerns by making sure you have breaks and setting up a signal you can use to have the dentist stop working if your jaw starts hurting. Also, you can ask the dentist to use a what I believe is called a bite block, which is something that you bite on that holds your mouth open without you having to tire your jaw muscles out. I always like when dentists use this because it can get really tiring holding your mouth open, even for only a few minutes!

An alternative to this would be asking the dentist to break up the work into shorter visits. It would mean having to go back more often, but it might ease your concerns about your jaw pain. Is there a specific reason you're opting for one really long appointment instead of several shorter visits?

I know you're nervous, but I'm sure you can do this! I got an implant a few months ago and it really wasn't that bad at all (I know thats not quite on par with everything you're having done though). When is your appointment? Good luck and let us know how it went!

 

[Travis798]

Re: Really nervous (and excited) about a LOT of work being done in one visit

I did talk with the first dentist I got an estimate from about a bite block, but it completely slipped my mind with the one I'm going to use. My appointment is on the 31st. I'll still have other appointments, but this will be the biggest one obviously. The long appointment was his idea. One dentist wanted to extract 2 teeth and do bone grafts, and this one prefers to do the extractions, bone grafts and implants at the same time. The implants will be placed on both sides of my mouth, top and bottom, so he prefers to get the debridement done while I'm there and numbed up already.

I work on the road, and sometimes have several months off between jobs, which is where I'm at now, so having as much work done as possible at once will kind of suit me. I'll probably be gone working by the time the implants are ready to be finished, so they may have to wait longer than I'd like, but thats better than waiting longer just to have them placed.

I don't think shorter visits will help a lot anyway. The cramping starts after 10-15 seconds generally. When I was a kid I had a dentist that would put something in my mouth to force it wide open then he would leave the room for 10 minutes and leave me hurting, which I think is where my fear of the dentist comes from, not to mention when I was younger the Novocain would never numb me to start. It seems to do fine these days . I'm hoping at the very least the nitrous will relax me enough that cramping won't be an issue.

 

[sunflower32]

Re: Really nervous (and excited) about a LOT of work being done in one visit

One more thing you might want to think about prior to your appointment is that having implants done on both sides of your mouth at one time might make it very hard to eat for several months, since you aren't supposed to eat or put pressure on the implant while it's healing, and that can take 3-6 months. I've been chewing on only one side of my mouth for the last three months while my implant has been healing. It might be worth mentioning to the dentist if it'd be easier to have implants placed on only one side of your mouth, wait several months for them to heal, and then do the other side. It still might be worth it for you to have them all done at once due to your work schedule, but it's just something to think about.

 

[Travis798]

Re: Really nervous (and excited) about a LOT of work being done in one visit

Well today I had my consult where I got my prescriptions and such for my upcoming visit on Tuesday. I asked the dentist if I would be on a soft diet for 3+ months, and he said no, the implants would heal under the gums and I would continue to eat like normal with my remaining teeth.

He did say that with the amount of work being done at once, I'd likely be swelling and hurting for about 10 days, which I kind of expected, albeit probably not for that long.

He's doing the major bulk of the work all at once, placing all 6 implants, cleaning the teeth as they go I guess, the 3 extractions, some crowns, veneers, and doing some filling work on my bottom teeth to fix where they have chipped and wore down. The dentist says the pills and gas will help keep my jaw from cramping, which has always been my major thing when going to the dentist.

I'm excited to see how everything turns out. Obviously I'm extremely nervous, but it's time to buck up and get it done. Being nervous and scared has led me to the point I'm at, and I'm done with it before things get worse. I'm tired of having at least one or 2 teeth hurting me most of the time. I'm ready to be pain free and have a confident smile.

To anyone reading this and scared of having work done, I just keep telling myself they have gotten to this point from fear, and if I continue to allow that fear to control me they will only get worse, leading to even more work in the future. God how I wish I had kept on top of my dental visits all these years, instead of only going when one was hurting me so badly it needed extracted.

 

[Travis798]

Re: Really nervous (and excited) about a LOT of work being done in one visit

Well the first visit didn't go as smoothly as planned. I've been told by several dentist that I have the most well rooted teeth that they have ever seen, and I guess the dentist really fought with the extractions. The nurse told my mom that the dentist was going to be sore after so much yanking and pulling.

I ended up getting the 3 extractions and 4 implants put in before he ran out of time. I think he got the bone grafts, but I was pretty out of it and won't really know until I go back tomorrow what exactly we got done and still need to get done.

I know I'm sore as heck and had already started swelling yesterday, even after using ice. That bottom right part of my jaw is where I had an abscessed, old broken down tooth, that he probably fought with and had to clear the abscess out for the implant, so thats probably why it's so sore. Hopefully it will start getting better. I know it's hurting worse this morning than it was yesterday.

 

[jbkb]

Re: Really nervous (and excited) about a LOT of work being done in one visit

Sorry to hear it didn't go entirely as planned and you're so sore today.

The good news is: that appointment and that section of the work is OVER. Well done for going through with it.

Take it step by step. One day, even the most difficult appointments will be just memories.

 

[Travis798]

Re: Really nervous (and excited) about a LOT of work being done in one visit

I just wanted to add that today I am feeling great. I didn't have to take any painkillers yesterday, and on my follow up visit to the dentist yesterday he said everything was looking excellent.

I think I had so much soreness in one area of my mouth because I had bone grafts and 3 implants placed in that area. He also took some skin from my cheek right there to help close everything up for the bone grafts I guess. I still have some swelling, much better than yesterday, and virtually no pain or soreness.

He placed bone grafts in my lower jaw, which wasn't planned as he thought I had plenty of bone there, but says he will place the implants in 3 months, giving the lower jaw 3 months to heal and the upper jaw 6 months to heal, where he can finish all the implants at one time. I'll be getting some crowns and veneers in the meantime, but as of today, I'm happy I decided to go through with it. The worst of the pain is over, and it should all be much easier from here!