Sedative Filling

[Snowball]

My old phobic-specialist dentist left the practice, a while back and I went probably over a year without going to the dentist, before I took the plunge and am now with a colleague of her's in the same practice. They all do 'gentle' dentistry but this one isn't especially interested in nervous patients, like my old one.

On my first examination with her, I mentioned some very slight discomfort (not even pain) with a large filling on a back molar and she decided to replace the filling, in case anything was going on underneath it.

Today I went - felt almost as phobic as I was years back, maybe due to the change in dentist. And the bad news was, there was a small amount of decay under the filling and a bit chipped off whilst she was working on it. She said she was so close to the nerve, she could almost see it - so has decided to put in a sedative filling for a fortnight.

I know I will have to have RCT if this nerve stays inflamed or gets worse. Which frankly, am dreading despite having had a pain free RCT on an infected tooth maybe 3 years back. (Another deep filling caused by my years of neglect, which was too close to the nerve and a year or so after my treatment, the nerve died).

I have a few worries. First of all - I thought I had my phobia beaten but that really wasn't easy for me, today.

Secondly - what are the odds the sedative filling will work? She did say it doesn't look too worrying and she thinks the chances are it will work - but just wanted to prepare me for the idea of RCT, I guess.

I am so upset that I thought I had this phobia beaten and even today, didn't feel anything once she got going (but was just so tense, expecting pain at any minute). Now I feel I am almost back to square one AND may have to face RCT.

If it works, I will have an inlay in 4 weeks. If not - RCT then, I assume, inlay.

This was several hours ago and the LA is wearing off. I had two Ibuprofens straight after, so not feeling any pain yet. She said as it 'jangles' the nerve to expect a bit of discomfort for say two days but anything beyond that - is a bad sign for the nerve. I understand the trauma of this could make it die.

What are my odds for the sedative working? Anyone know?

 

[carole]

I don't know about the sedative, nobody will until you go back and she has a look. I tend to relax the more I get to know a dentist. I think as long as your new dentist carries on making sure you are numb and you get to know here better you will feel much better when seeing her.

It is horrible when we have to see a new dentist because we don't know if they will listen to us or if they will be as patient as the last good one we had.

Your dentist sounds as if she is caring and considerate to how you feel. Just because a dentist doesn't say they are interested in treating nervous patients doesn't mean they don't care.

I had a dentist the said they were interested in nervous patients but was terrible, I have had others that don't profess to treat nervous patients and they have been wonderful.

I think you are going to be okay with yours. Isn't it pants, we think we have this phobia licked and then WHAM!!!! out of nowhere the nerves kick right back in.

It will be fine and you will settle down again, I just accept that sometimes I am terrified and other I feel fine. As long as the dentist I am seeing tries to understand and doesn't get annoyed with me it works out and I get treatment done. You will too.

 

[jellyfish]

I'd imagine that the odds depend on your exact tooth, but I have had a sedative filling work for me. My tooth was painful to bite on for months after having a filling replaced, eventually the dentist put in a sedative filling to test it. The biting pain immediately went away with the sedative filling. We waited two weeks or so to be sure, and then put in a new filling with a liner at the bottom to protect the nerve. The new filling worked out just fine and I still have no pain almost a year later.

Hope your sedative filling works for you too!

 

[Snowball]

I'd imagine that the odds depend on your exact tooth, but I have had a sedative filling work for me. My tooth was painful to bite on for months after having a filling replaced, eventually the dentist put in a sedative filling to test it. The biting pain immediately went away with the sedative filling. We waited two weeks or so to be sure, and then put in a new filling with a liner at the bottom to protect the nerve. The new filling worked out just fine and I still have no pain almost a year later.

Hope your sedative filling works for you too!

Thanks - jellyfish and Carole. Just to say I had the sedative filling removed today and impressions done for an inlay. The dentist said as I 'only' needed 2 shots of LA, she felt my slightly inflamed nerve had made "a complete recovery". So no RCT (well, not yet!) Will get my inlay fitted at the end of the month. I hope this will protect the tooth and help it settle down as the original deep filling, done in 2008, never felt quite right, dropped out, was replaced and - still never felt quite right. Hopefully, an inlay will protect it more?

I was still nervous today - not so bad as last time. At one point I panicked a bit but i held on, and it was OK. Not fun but OK.

 

[carole]

Thank you for the update, I am really pleased for you that things went well for you today. All the best for the rest of your treatment