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So many worries

H

Housefullofkids82

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2020
Messages
21
Location
Canada
I have been a wreck.

I have awful teeth. I've had 3 transplants which has meant many anti-rejection meds, plus not tne best care as a child, and I've ended up with a mess in my late 30s with missing teeth, many root canals and crowns.

A few months ago I had to have a bottom back molar pulled. I'm now missing theee teeth - 2 on top and one on the bottom. A HUGE fear stems from needing a filling on a tooth 5 years ago, and when the assistant put the clamp on the premolar with a crown, the crown fell off and the tooth was pulled. It was traumatizing. I made a deposit to get an implant but never went through with it and now cannot afford to finish covering the cost.

Last month I went for a cleaning and they noticed that my other top right premolar with a root canal and crown had a tiny abscess (right next to the one that was extracted). They referred me to an endodontist but said there was no rush since it has a root canal anyway and the crown made it harder for the infection to get worse or spread.

Fast forward to now. My cheek is hot and sore and I need treatment. I'm a complete wreck. If I go to the endo, my dentist said I'll need a new crown since mine isn't a good fit. By the time I cover all this, my insurance will be up for the year, plus I'll be paying a couple hundred out of picket for a new crown.

I feel like I need to get it extracted but then I'll be missing 2 teeth right beside each other. My mom has a partial with 2 teeth (same 2, too) and loves them. Says it's been 8 years and was a great choice but now I'm terrified of the imprint, because I have 2 other top teeth with root canals but no crowns (a front tooth and a canine) plus another premolar with a crown, and after the incident with the clamp and dam, I'm PETRIFIED teeth will come out. Like a front tooth.

I've been crying so much it's unreal. I can't function at all. I'm on maternity leave and for a week I've been so lost in my fears that I can't enjoy anything :( I can't sleep, don't want to eat... I just don't know what to do.
 
Take a deep breath... it's super easy to freak yourself out if you sit and think of all the worst-case scenarios, I know I can wind myself up pretty bad. Disclose everything to your dentist about your conditions and your fears and see if they have other options. Would 3D scanning be an option instead of imprints? I know not all labs accept it, and not all dentists have that equipment, and it's not appropriate for all situations - but when I just needed an overlay on one tooth, that's what I had instead of imprints and I loved it, it's just a wand they move in your mouth, totally painless and easy.

Just don't ignore the abscess! Not to scare you further, but when I did my ICU rotation, there were a couple patients whose trouble started with a badly neglected dental abscess, which progressed to infection getting into the bloodstream.

If money is a concern, see if the dentist will let you pay in installments. My Mom once was faced with $10,000 in treatment costs when she needed two implants and a bridge and other work. She arranged for a three year installment payment plan, plus took out a personal loan for part of the cost, and paid it off that way. It was better for her to get the work done and pay the money back later, than suffer while she saves up the money.
 
Hi,

You first priority is your baby and having a good delivery. I would first address the swelling because it is probably caused by bacteria and I would not do the crown yet, the crown can wait, even a few years.
If a tooth is damaged because of a rubber clamp, it was probably not that great in th first place.
 
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Housefullofkids82,

Hello and welcome to DFC.. Really glad you wrote and shared your story . That sounds like such a hard and scary situtation you went through with that crown falling off and needing to pull that tooth.. and that would be scary to put yourself in a similar situation again fearing the same thing would happen again. The thought of a front tooth coming out indeed is truly scary.. I fear it as well in work.

I love Dr Daniels advice to just do what really needs be done and hold off on what you can.

ON a personal note I had 5 crowns and a few root canals done on my top 5 teeth over 12 years ago and they are all still on there and everything worked out greatly. at the time the dentist I was going to had a great sense of humor and got me through the appts laughing not sure how. but I really appreciated that.. made me take my mind off what was being done.

Wishing peace for you in your journey..
 
Speaking of crowns on front teeth falling out... I've had that happen a couple times. It's embarrassing, and makes eating a bit challenging, but not that scary and didn't hurt at all. The first time it happened I was actually heading for my shift at the pharmacy, so I spoke to quite a few people with a gap in place of one of my front incisors, the second time I was just at the office so no one but my manager knew, and I got an appointment that same day to get a temp crown as I was leaving on a business trip in two days.
 
Thank you for your replies!

I should've been more clear - I've had my baby so there is no risk to him :) but being on leave means that finances are tighter right now. Plus I just can't enjoy anything. My mind is so consumed by these thoughts that it's hard to find any joy or happiness.

The first thing I need to do is deal with this infection that I can now feel in my cheek. I feel like getting the tooth extracted is the best thing considering my options and the cost. But I'm worried about the pain and of having the gap and the impressions for a partial.

My new dentist took over my former dentists practice and just did a few small fillings last month but didn't mention any other issues except the infection so I'll ask about crowns on my front teeth even though I'm so very scared at the thought.

I just feel so embarrassed and ashamed and am so jealous when I see other people smile because I never want to smile :(
 
I can't stop taking pictures of my teeth and then letting all of the terrible thoughts take over. Like I'm so stupid for letting this happen, I'm so ugly with these teeth, I am gross and unattractive. I am so upset
 

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Your teeth look perfectly normal to me... It's your mirror playing tricks on you!
 
Your teeth look perfectly normal to me... It's your mirror playing tricks on you!

Thank you so much. That one comment brought tears to my eyes. I am always telling myself how awful I am for letting my teeth get this way.
I feel like this picture shows how awful they are. I can't stop obsessing :(
 

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I really don't think they look as bad as your imagining (this coming from someone with 12 metal posts in their mouth).
 
Now I am obsessing because my front tooth seems a little sore. I’m wondering if that very discoloured filling I have needs to be replaced? I know that I have an infection in my mouth already, but my dentist said it wouldn’t spread because it’s pretty contained by a crown. I don’t know how true that is? I keep crying at the thought of losing a front tooth

I feel like I’ve become paranoid and a hypochondriac. I can’t sit still, I can’t focus, all I do is look at my teeth
 

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Hi
I know it seems like all you can see are the bad things, but they really don’t look bad at all. I know how it feels to see nothing but the worst, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this right now. Every time you want to look at your teeth, try to distract yourself. Constant worrying is not good for your mental or physical health. Try to break the pattern - count to ten, take deep breaths - anything that works for you. The antibiotics you were given should take care of the infection until your appointment. If you start to feel more pain or your cheek is hot try putting an ice pack on.
 
Hi
I know it seems like all you can see are the bad things, but they really don’t look bad at all. I know how it feels to see nothing but the worst, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this right now. Every time you want to look at your teeth, try to distract yourself. Constant worrying is not good for your mental or physical health. Try to break the pattern - count to ten, take deep breaths - anything that works for you. The antibiotics you were given should take care of the infection until your appointment. If you start to feel more pain or your cheek is hot try putting an ice pack on.

Thank you for your reply. It really means a lot that people have taken the time to help me through this.

It helps to hear people tell me it’s not as bad as I’ve imagined.
He didn’t give me antibiotics because he said it was such a small infection and shouldn’t spread because it was in a tooth with a crown and draining.

It’s 11 PM and I’m laying in bed nursing my baby and all I can think about is that I’m going to lose my front tooth and how awful that will be and how miserable I am. I should feel happy that I have this sweet little baby and I just feel so sad and depressed. It doesn’t even seem rational. My new partner is out of the country right now, and he just listens to me on the phone for about an hour. He was so patient and said worst case scenario if I did lose a front tooth, which is very unlikely, we would deal with it and get a Denture or an implant eventually. And that was really sweet of him. I love that he cares and is trying to calm me down but I’m still feeling shaky and upset and sad.

I did stop looking, though. Which is progress because I’d been taking pictures constantly for some reason.


Thank you again!
 
I actually slept last night. And woke up feeling fine. Except the weird sensation in my face from my infected root canal on the 2nd premolar.

Fast forward an hour and I've convinced myself that my front tooth with the discolouration "hurts" but I can't tell if it's the infection from the other tooth (which I'll have extracted). And it doesn't e en hurt. Not for hot or cold or anything and on the rare moment that I'm distracted, I don't even notice it. It feels like it's above the tooth, near the piece of skin between the 2 front teeth.

At this point I've made my peace with the extraction of the premolar, but I'm overcome with worry about my front tooth. I know I'm annoying everyone in my life but my dentist isn't open until tomorrow and I can't figure out how to cope :( I can't handle losing a front tooth
 
Hi,
It is important to realize that the esthetics of the front teeth in a conversation distance is totally different than looking from close with good illumination. From close you can see all kind of things like cracks, chips, color differences, asymmetry and so forth, but that what others see in talking distance.
my impression is that the discolorationis superficial and simple polishing should make a huge difference and it takes only 2-3 minutes work so it should be affordable.
 
Hi,
It is important to realize that the esthetics of the front teeth in a conversation distance is totally different than looking from close with good illumination. From close you can see all kind of things like cracks, chips, color differences, asymmetry and so forth, but that what others see in talking distance.
my impression is that the discolorationis superficial and simple polishing should make a huge difference and it takes only 2-3 minutes work so it should be affordable.
Thank you so much! I am hoping that's all it takes. I appreciate your comments. They've given me some peace.
 
I have an appointment in 3 hours. I'm so anxious. I know I need to go because my face hurts from my infection. I know he can't extract the premolar today, but it's still scary for me :(
 
In the parking lot trying not to cry. Why am I being like this? I get so mad that I can’t pull myself together
 
Housefulofkids82.

I just got in and settled and saw this.. how did it go? I hope better than expected.. it is hard the "right before"... Let us know how you are doing..
 
Housefulofkids82.

I just got in and settled and saw this.. how did it go? I hope better than expected.. it is hard the "right before"... Let us know how you are doing..

Thank you for the message. I appreciate the support :)

I got the premolar extracted. And it was awful. They squeezed me in and it should've been quick, but I was in the chair for close to an hour while my AMAZING (and I mean amazing, like he had the patience of a saint) dentist tried to get it out. The crown broke off, then he had to work on the post, then he couldn't grip the tooth because it kept breaking. It was intense but I am proud of myself for getting through it without any breaks.

At one point he said I'd need to see an oral surgeon to get the rest out but I felt I had been traumatized so much by this point that I just wanted it over with a dentist I feel comfirtable with, so he kept trying and he got it.

My next appointment is in late February to do some cosmetic stuff (replacing discoloured fillings on my front teeth)

Feeling better, but had a lot of tears after.
 
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