Scared to visit the dentist, I put up with constant pain. Help!

[jimmyc]

I have several teeth that need to be removed as they have pretty much rotten away and give me constant discomfort and sometimes unbearable pain. I have not visited the dentist for many years asides from checkups which I don't take any further due to my fears.

My major worry is the local anesthetic used. I think that I will have an allergic reaction and die.

I have a generalized anxiety disorder which has left with me with constant depersonalization/derealization and other side effects brought on mainly in situations where I feel out of control of my body. As a result of this I refuse to take any forms of medication (painkillers, antibiotics, I wont even take indigestion tablets!)

The idea of a loss of feeling in my mouth leads me to believe I may not be able to breathe, I will feel depersonalized, It wont wear off etc. These are all things that take me out of my safe zone and put me into panic mode.

It has came to the point where not only are my teeth giving me unbearable pain but It is affecting my personal life, work life, ability to do things. I really want to have the courage to do this but I am so worried about the procedure.

How complicated is it to remove teeth that have almost completely rotten away?

Any thoughts or people with some similar situations would be very useful.

Thanks for listening.
Jimmy

 

[letsconnect]

Hi Jimmy

My major worry is the local anesthetic used. I think that I will have an allergic reaction and die.

You can ask your dentist which local anaesthetic s/he is going to use and get an allergy test beforehand. That way you will know for sure. True allergy to the local anaesthetics used nowadays is exceedingly rare (and mostly, the effects of the allergy would be minor) - but if it would help you to be sure, then speak to an allergist.

I have a generalized anxiety disorder which has left with me with constant depersonalization/derealization and other side effects brought on mainly in situations where I feel out of control of my body. As a result of this I refuse to take any forms of medication (painkillers, antibiotics, I wont even take indigestion tablets!)

The idea of a loss of feeling in my mouth leads me to believe I may not be able to breathe, I will feel depersonalized, It wont wear off etc. These are all things that take me out of my safe zone and put me into panic mode.

Have you seen a psychologist about these issues? There are effective treatments like CBT and ACT out there (if you've tried in the past without luck, try a different psychologist). We have a page with more information on panic attacks here.

How complicated is it to remove teeth that have almost completely rotten away?

It varies from person to person (and from dentist to dentist), but often these are actually quite easy to remove by individually removing the remaining roots. You could have a read through the Success stories on this forum to read about other people's experiences .

 

[biffo1963]

As a result of this I refuse to take any forms of medication (painkillers, antibiotics, I wont even take indigestion tablets!)

You need to get this sorted ASAP. In the right circumstances refusing all forms of medicine can do you far more harm than the medicines themselves are likely to. I'd go with Letsconnect's suggestions if I were you !


John