Severe dental pain vs severe dentist fear

[Kristalia]

Hi everyone. So for as long as I can remember I have been terrified of the dentist, and having anxiety disorder on top of that does not make my situation any easier. I was hoping that if I learned a bit more about what my tooth issue is I might not be so afraid. So over the past 2 years, my second last tooth on the top right of my mouth has cracked and broken, then has formed a hole in the middle exposing what I assume was the nerve. This is where I had to stop eating on that side. Then later I found it had filled with a gum like substance, bu softer that made me think it was an abcess, which when first formed I actually woke up one morning with a bubble of 'dried' blood stuck to the tooth. Months of just avoiding the tooth, I started to get toothaches across the whole right side of my mouth, travelling on the nerve I suspect. I measure my pain from 1 to 3 with 3 being unbearable and me writhing in tears. On average once an hour I would get a pain on level 3 in bursts of 2 or 3 minutes then I would feel nothing. During this time I visited 2 different doctors who prescribed antibiotics and pain relief, after taking both of these the pain was still constant. This weekend however it has changed, now it is in only the broken tooth now at a pain level of 1 and when I touch with my tongue it feels strange, like it doesn't want to be there either. I know that something needs to be done, but I've been so afraid of dentists that I've been putting up with pain for so long. Can anyone tell me what might be going on so maybe I won't be so afraid? Thank you.

 

[Why32]

Hi. I read your post and it sounds like you are about a week behind what happened to my tooth! I am not a dentist but severely dental phobic and like you had a hole in my tooth with blinding pain and oozing (only mine was from the gum area below) and finally the pain got so bad I couldn't lay down and had to sit up to sleep for a few hours at a stretch. Two months of this and I gave in and called the dentist. I share my story only to help you. He took an x-ray and said I needed a root canal...and yes, I cried and said nooo, there was no way I could go through that... He gave me antibiotics to take for a week, an antibiotic rinse for my tooth and pain meds and sent me from his office straight to the endodontist down the road and called to tell them I was on my way. The endodontist just took another xray and talked about what to do and why to do it. They had me come back after I had been on the antibiotic for a day to actually treat the tooth. My dentist also prescribed anxiety meds to take before the upcoming root canal and then the crown appointments to follow at his office which I haven't worked up the nerve to do yet. I have only had the root canal and can tell you I don't remember most of it thanks to the meds and that the pain is SO MUCH BETTER now, following the RCT. While the pain isn't totally gone it is much improved and almost makes me wish I had done it sooner and not suffered needlessly for months. If your problem is similar to mine the pain you are in now is much worse than what you'll feel after you get help. Good luck to you.

 

[Kristalia]

Why, thank you very much for your reply, it does put me a little more at ease about the whole thing. I'm going to seek treatment as soon as possible

 

[Deejay]

Hello, having myself been a decade without dentistry due to fear then added embarrassment I gave in and now have a healthy mouth again, the fear of the unknown is bad but never as bad as toothache, you can't talk yourself out of toothache! Dentistry is virtually painless now and dentists are now proud of what they do and how they achieve it. They work with you at your speed and you don't have to just sit there and take it! They will listen to your fears and work out the best way to get you treated, it's a team thing that has to be co ordinated to make it work for both of you, no patient wants to squirm in the chair and be trying to escape and no dentist can work on a squirming patient either. Remember a bad day with good teeth far outweighs a good day with bad teeth!!!! Wishing you all the best, we are stronger than we think and nothing is ever as bad as our silly minds make them out to be
D.J

 

[Tome]

Can anyone tell me what might be going on so maybe I won't be so afraid? Thank you.

If an infection gets bad enough either the root recedes away from the nerve, somehow the infection finds a way to drain, or the nerve dies. Either way, you end up without pain but the infection is probably still there and can still cause you harm.

Same thing happened to a friend. Eventually their face swelled up and they were forced to go to the dentist.

Positive side is, the dentist saved the tooth and it was completely painless both during and after treatment.