Surgical broken crown removal

[Lindylou1601]

I've just come back from the dentist because the tooth beneath my crown has split and part of it is shattered and I have to have the tooth extracted surgically. The tooth is dead fortunately so I have no pain. I am however frightened of the procedure. I will have to have a stitch. I know it's a common procedure so I'm hoping someone can reply to me and hopefully reassure me. I have to wait a month for the treatment privately because the NHS waiting time is over 2 months. Will it be painful during and after the procedure. Please help. I'm a terrified patient.

Thank you.

Kind regards

Lindsey

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Hi @Lindylou1601 My surgical extraction was the quickest easiest most pain-free appointment I have ever had. To the point that I would rather have an extraction than ever do anything else to work on my teeth ever again. It will be completely numb and you will not feel a thing. I had 2 stitches after mine, which I also did not feel. when the numbing wore off there was some minor pain, nothing that an over the counter med could not handle. My jaw was very stiff and a little sore but not bad at all. I ate soft foods during the healing process so as not to disturb the extraction site. The extracted tooth had been crowned and it just all came out together, tooth and crown and all. It took less than 2 minutes. I was terrified but it was easy.

 

[Lindylou1601]

Oh thank you so much for your message. You have no idea how much it means to me. I have been trawling the Internet for hours every day since my appointment. I finally feel I can relax now. I can't thank you enough.

Love X

 

[ScaredyCat22]

@Lindylou1601 you're welcome. You will be so glad that you got it over with. When you get scared about it try to have something to look forward to when it's over. That's what I do. even though I am still a very nervous patient. Find some kind of little treat you can look forward to, even if it is just curling up on the couch with your favorite tv show. when you are at your appointment, try to picture yourself doing whatever it is you are looking forward to when the appointment is done. I have an upcoming appointment after having avoided the dentist for years. One of my fillings has come out and I am worried they will say I need a root canal. If they say that I am just going to ask to have it extracted.

 

[Lindylou1601]

@Lindylou1601 you're welcome. You will be so glad that you got it over with. When you get scared about it try to have something to look forward to when it's over. That's what I do. even though I am still a very nervous patient. Find some kind of little treat you can look forward to, even if it is just curling up on the couch with your favorite tv show. when you are at your appointment, try to picture yourself doing whatever it is you are looking forward to when the appointment is done. I have an upcoming appointment after having avoided the dentist for years. One of my fillings has come out and I am worried they will say I need a root canal. If they say that I am just going to ask to have it extracted.

 

[Lindylou1601]

Thank you so much for your advice. When I had my appointment they had to take an xray. I was absolutely dreading it because at my previous appointment they were unable to do it because I kept gagging. I read how breathing calmly and trying to relax can make an xray easier and it worked. I didn't gag once and it went smoothly.

A missing filling doesn't mean root canal. Last year I lost a filling and they just replaced it. A tooth can be filled more than once and the dentist didn't even have to make the hole bigger. I have had root canal and found it absolutely fine. I had a tooth infection so had to have root canal. I was dreading it because of all the stories I had heard. It was totally painless but quite lengthy. I didn't feel a thing and it wasn't at all bad. It was done over 2 appointments and the 2nd appointment was very quick. The dentist filled the cavity and I went home.

I will definitely take your advice and try to think nice thoughts. I was absolutely terrified of the thought of surgery because when I was in my teens I had all 4 wisdom teeth out on the same day and the pain was terrible. I was off work for 2 weeks. I thought having my current extraction would be as bad. The thought of having stitches and being cut terrified me. I have a terrible fear of dentists that goes back years and I'm afraid to say I burst into tears when I rang the dentist after my tooth cracked to make the appointment.

You have helped me so much. I have to wait a month for the extraction because of the waiting list. It would have been a terrible month if it hadn't been for your kind message.

You will be absolutely fine with your filling. It is a very minor thing. Root canal if you ever need it isn't terrible at all. It's totally painless. I felt nothing. The first appointment was quite lengthy but the 2nd one went very quickly. She just filled the tooth.

Thank you for your support. You have helped me so much. We'll both be absolutely fine.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

@Lindylou1601 I am a gagger when it comes to full xrays too. There are times that they let me have the panorex instead, but they say that it does not show as clear a picture as the individual xrays do. Aside from the gagging, it also feels like those plates or whatever you call them dig into my gums and the insides of my cheeks and makes it hard to bite down on it the way they want me to, So it takes longer than it should because they are having to spend time adjusting them.

I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 21. I needed a week off work. Having one surgical extraction is nothing like that recovery period after having impacted wisdom teeth out I promise.
I have had a root canal once and that is how I know I never want to go through that again. My filling that is coming out is very old so I worry that there may have been decay under the filling for longer than I know about and might be too decayed for just a refill.

 

[Lindylou1601]

Even if there is decay under the tooth it can be scraped away, cleaned out and a new filling put in. A tooth can be filled many times. As long as there is no infection you won't have root canal. I've got old fillings that I want replaced but I will get the surgery done first and then make an appointment for the fillings. I've delayed making appointments for a few years and it's time now that I find some courage and sort my teeth out. I'm waiting to hear when I can have the tooth out. The dentist is going to call me when the appointment is made. I'm so grateful to you for contacting me and reassuring me over the extraction. I no longer have anxiety and it's been down to your kind message.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

@Lindylou1601 I'm so glad I could help you feel better about it. You have helped me too. It's been 6 years since I have seen the dentist and you have made me a little less terrified about what may happen when I go. My appointment isn't until next month. Keep me posted on yours. Hopefully we will both be celebrating when we get it over with.

 

[Lindylou1601]

Oh definitely keep me updated on your appointments. I didn't go for 7 years at one time and when I went I had very little to have done. Please let me know how you get on and I will definitely let you know how my surgery goes. Thank you so much for your support.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Fingers crossed that we both get to be success stories. My appointment is on the 13th, which kind of creeps me out too. I am not usually superstitious. But at least it's not a Friday!

 

[Lindylou1601]

I wish I had an appointment. I paid a deposit for my extraction when I had my appointment last week. My dentist told me the dental surgeon goes there once a month and the next time will be there is in May. She said she will ring me to make the appointment. I can't wait to get it over with. Don't worry about the date. I'm not superstitious about things. I was in the dentist waiting room once years ago and my makeup mirror fell out of my handbag and broke on the floor. Someone in the waiting room said "oh dear that's not good." I was fine and so will you be. You must be so relieved to get an appointment. I'll be thinking about you and please let me know how it goes. You'll be absolutely fine. Thanks so much for keeping me updated. Stay in touch.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

I'm sorry they still haven't scheduled you. I can't really say I am relieved to have mine scheduled because it just leaves this feeling of dread hanging over me. I don't like to have things scheduled too far in advance because it leaves me more time to think about and worry about it. Sometimes I think my dental phobia has progressed into PTSD over things that dentists have done to me in the past.

 

[Lindylou1601]

I have just had a cancellation appointment for next Saturday. I am so relieved but very nervous about the procedure.

My phobia started when I was 19. I changed dentists and went for my first appointment. The dentist told me I needed 13 fillings and I had them all on the same day. I had never had a filling before that. My appointment took over an entire morning. The next time I went my dentist told me I had to have all 4 wisdom teeth out on the same day. Again it took an entire morning. I had 8 stitches and the pain was unbearable. After those 2 appointments my phobia kicked in. I worked with a lady who told me she had a wonderful dentist and she advised me to see him. He was amazing. He told me I never needed to have all those fillings. I stayed with him for 20 years until he passed away. I will never be free of this hateful phobia and it was caused by a greedy horrible dentist who did unnecessary work in order to make money. A friend of mine went to the same dentist and she was told she needed 4 crowns. She refused to accept it and went somewhere else and she only needed 2.

Lots of people have this phobia due to the wicked dentists of the past who did unnecessary work. I am so pleased to finally get the appointment to have my tooth extracted. I've had to go private though because the NHS is so fully booked.

Please reassure me that the procedure will be painless. I'm so nervous.

Please keep me informed as to how you are getting on.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

@Lindylou1601 YAY! I'm so glad they have finally scheduled you! I promise you once again it is NOTHING like that recovery pain of having wisdom teeth out. You will be totally numb and not feel a thing. There might be some scary noises but it will not hurt. When the numbing wears off it is a little sore and your jaw is a little bit stiff. That is all. I promise. You will bite down on gauze for a little while until the bleeding stops. It doesn't take long. It's going to be a very quick appointment.
My phobia didn't start until I was in my 40s. A dentist talked me into replacing an old filling. when I got to my appointment, he wasn't even there. He had someone else do it. to make a very long story short it took almost 2 hours. they drilled very deep and sunk a pin in my tooth to support this new huge filling. It cracked my tooth all the way through. The crack didn't show on an X-ray, but I was in a lot of pain. From there they talked me into having it crowned but I was still in agony. From there they said it should be root canaled so I did that too. I was still in agony. They tried to talk me into having a surgical procedure to cut off the root tip for thousands of dollars. It was not until I finally had an oral surgeon extract it that he told me it was cracked all the way through and nothing could have saved it. I was in all that pain all that time for nothing, just for a dentist to make a lot of money off me. I should have quit there because getting it extracted was the quickest most pain-free appointment I ever had. But I plucked up the courage to try to get it replaced. That just left me worse off and damaged 2 more teeth. So that is why now I am to the point that I would rather have an extraction than ever have my teeth worked on again.

 

[Lindylou1601]

I am so sorry you went through such a terrible experience. I can't find the words to say how sorry I am you had to go through something so unforgivable. What you have described is unbelievable. No wonder you have this terrible phobia. I almost feel guilty for being such a baby myself. No one should have been through something so utterly
terrifying. I understand totally why you have this fear and it would have affected any of us in the same way. I think calling it PTSD describes it perfectly.

I'm glad we will both be free of our discomfort very soon. I'm sick of eating soft food now and can't wait to have my shattered tooth out next Saturday. You will also have your tooth sorted out on the 13th so you will feel so much better.

What happened to people years ago by greedy, selfish dentists traumatised so many of us. I have a friend who shares our fear. She was also made to have unnecessary work carried out for no reason. It left us with years of mistrust, fear and phobias. What they did to us was so wrong.

Please stay in touch and let me know how you are getting on. Thank you so much for sharing your terrible story with me. You have been an amazing support to me.

Thank you so much.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

@Lindylou1601 Thank you. I try not to give out too many details because I don't want to scare anyone else who is already scared, so I have not spoken about it in a long time. I know what happened to me is not normal so I know it is not likely to happen again, but it doesn't stop me from being terrified that having this filling replaced will crack my tooth all the way through. Because of what was done to me this is now the only molar I have left on the bottom, so I really do not want to lose it but if it came to that point I would choose extraction over crown or root canal. that is not something my phobia or PTSD will ever let me go through again.
You have nothing to feel guilty for and have not been a baby! We can not help the way we feel and the fear can be debilitating.

 

[smirked]

I feel for you both. Terrible experiences can build tremendous fear, even in adults. We have to be careful when choosing a dentist - yes, remember that it is your choice.

I made a mistake once, too. When I went in for a filling (back when I had more than 8 teeth left ) and my dentist was absent. So someone else did the work.

I was scheduled to have a molar refilled as I started to have issues with sensitivity in the tooth.

They numbed me and began drilling. When they finished drilling I went to investigate with my tongue. I don't know if it's common to do that, but I get curious like that.

Anyway, long story short. They drilled the wrong tooth. So then had to drill the correct tooth and fill both. Totally ridiculous.

So I get the fear. It's totally understandable.

 

[Lindylou1601]

@ScaredyCat22 omg I am so pleased to get your message. I am in tears again dreading my appointment on Saturday. The fear has returned and I can't stop crying. There is no way having your tooth filled will crack the tooth. I have had huge fillings in the past and the only time I had a problem was when the cavity was close to the nerve. My dentist said if it caused problems he could resolve it. I did eventually get problems and the nerve died but I kept the molar for a few more years. You will be fine. Even if they crown it the tooth could go on for years. My crowns all lasted over 20 years.


I'm terrified now of dry socket. I've lost 2 molars on the bottom and 3 on the top plus a premolar. This is my last one to go. I have all my other teeth and none of my front teeth are filled and only 2 of my bottom teeth are filled. I have told the dentist I want partial dentures now. She said they would take about 4 weeks to make. Eating is becoming an issue now with 6 molars missing. I am going to make myself ill worrying about the surgery. I wish I hadn't read about dry socket. It's terrified me. Did you take care after your surgery or did you carry on as normal. I don't smoke any more and am very good with oral hygiene. I can't help this phobia and it's wearing me down. My cousin just called me. He's had teeth problems like us too. He got treated badly in the past and has suffered for it. He kept saying you'll be fine to me but it's no good. I'll believe it when it happens. He doesn't have our phobia even though he's been told they can do nothing for his teeth any more. Please stay in touch.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

@smirked OMG! that was what happened when I went to have mine refilled. not the wrong tooth but I mean my dentist didn't show up and they had someone new do it. I felt like he totally betrayed my trust by doing that. I had been his patient for 10 years. That is awful they drilled your wrong tooth. When I had my extraction the assistant put the numbing gel for the injection on the wrong side and I was freaking out thinking the oral surgeon was going to pull the wrong tooth. I was practically screaming wrong tooth wrong tooth! But he already knew thank goodness!