Things seem to be going wrong for me

[Vicky]

Good luck for tomorrow Happy, it was me last Wednesday and I can imagine what you are feeling like now, don't forget to let us know how you are, we'll be thinking of you

 

[freakout]

Best of Luck Happy. We will all be thinking about you.

 

[happydancyfeet]

Thank you,

I dont know how i feel at the moment...... i havent needed the diazepam yet, so now i'm worrying about NOT worrying

Ive talked my fears through with my other half, so that he can explain them to the dentist again ( i tend to just mumble/waffle).
Looks like another sleepless night

 

[letsconnect]

Best of luck for tomorrow, Happy

It's good to hear that your other half will be able to come with you tomorrow

 

[happydancyfeet]

Well, I went....but came back having had no treatment today. They checked the recent filling and it they say it wasnt a deep filling and its ok. Talked over my fears again with the aneasthetist and another male dentist.I hadnt met him before but he seems really nice too. They could see i was nervous/shaking/crying and checked me over in the waiting room (no one else there). I even let them place the mirror in my mouth and push on a couple of teeth, albeit without the probe! ( how stupid to feel proud about that tho )

I asked about being referred to have them all extracted under a GA rather than go through all this anxiety and treatment, and still lose them because of gum disease. They said this could be done but they cant see the need. They also made me feel better by telling me that, although my lower front teeth are really affected by the gum disease, they are not the worst theyve seen and that I'm not the worst phobic they have seen either.

The plan now is, I go mid jan, 16th I think, for a clean and polish and for impressions. To be done under iv sedation. I still voiced my fears about the loose tooth breaking, but Helen said she had seen far worse teeth holding up under impressions, and has even said she will give me £100 if it does happen. I felt really bad about taking up an appointment today without having treatment and offered to pay but they said there's no need.

Then I go back on the 3rd of Feb to have the four front lower ones extracted and immediates fitted and a partial upper either side of my top 4 front teeth.

So, with any luck, all will go to plan and by valentines day I will really be able to smile at my fiance and tell him how lucky iam to have his support.

 

[gumgirl]

Oh happy - well done you
It sounds like you've found a good practice. Please don't feel bad about going and having 'no treatment' - you did have treatment: you let them take a look and talked about what would be best for you. That is part of a good treatment plan, and it's just what my dentist did on my first visit.
Looks like 16 Jan is going to be a big day for some of us...
Hope you feel really proud of yourself for today!!

 

[happydancyfeet]

Thanks gumgirl,

I dont feel proud tho....this was my 3rd visit and I felt worse about it today for some reason.
It really does seem like a good practice. (nhs too) They didnt hurry me this morning either and took their time explaining the options.

Now its fingers crossed that i can get through the next few weeks with no pain/panic attacks.

 

[vicki]

You should feel proud - the point is that you've made progress (even though it might not feel like it at the moment). Despite your fears, you still went in there and it takes a lot of guts to do that. As anyone who has tried avoidance knows, it's a lot easier not to go than it is to face the fear. Every time you set foot in there, it's an achievement.

I find that with my appointments, even though I'm still terrified for several days before and also during the appointment, some visits are worse than others - and I have no idea why. Although I always shake and look like I've seen a ghost (a thick layer of makeup and sitting on my hands usually takes care of it ), sometimes I can speak and answer questions and other times I can barely say yes or no and if they come anywhere near me, I jump and look like a demented star fish on drugs!

We all have good and bad days - maybe the same is true of dental appointments? You did well to let them have a look. I think most people would agree with you on the probe thing though . Thankfully my current dentist hasn't even got it out of the drawer during any of my visits - I can't stand it either .

Looks like 16 Jan is going to be a big day for some of us...

It's the 17th for me.... I guess mid January must be a popular time of year...

 

[happydancyfeet]

It's the 17th for me.... I guess mid January must be a popular time of year

I've just checked...... my appointment is the 18th jan then back on the 3rd feb

 

[gumgirl]

vicki and happy - looks like we'll have to start a special support thread for that week! I have three appointments that week: 16, 17 and 20 so we can keep each other company

 

[vicki]

vicki and happy - looks like we'll have to start a special support thread for that week! I have three appointments that week: 16, 17 and 20   so we can keep each other company

Fab idea! Any suggestions for a title?

I used to think it was better to go to work the day before my appointments as I thought it might keep my mind off the panic a bit, but it just made things worse last time . So this time I've got the 16th & 17th off as holiday - at least when the panic starts, it will be in private.

 

[letsconnect]

Happy - I just wanted to say that to any outside observer, it sounds like you did great today

I even let them place the mirror in my mouth and push on a couple of teeth, albeit without the probe! ( how stupid to feel proud about that tho )

It's not in the least stupid to feel proud about that! It was something that was really hard *for you* to do, but you still did it, despite the fact that this was extremely difficult for you. It's easy to compare ourselves to others and go "ah, but that was nothing", when the truth is - it *was* a great achievement. It's more of an achievement to do something you find difficult and maybe not do it "quite so well", than for someone who has zero problems with the same task to do it "perfectly".
That's what counts, and you *should* feel very proud of yourself.

Even better - you managed to talk through your fears with them today, and to get some of those uncertainties you were really worried about out into the open. And you did get the reassurance you needed on a number of issues.

That's not too bad for a day's work (<-- understatement ).

Fair play to you !!

 

[happydancyfeet]

Thank you lets,

I suppose i should feel a wee bit proud of myself, my partner is...even tho he knew i'd lost it a bit today. But, when i was stuck for words etc, he took over and voiced some of my concerns. ( we had talked this through beforehand)

 

[Guest]

Happydancyfeet - are you from Inverness?!

I'm looking for a good but empathetic dentist in that area as I have great fears re my teeth... I just wondered if you could give me any suggestions if you are from this Area - the moderator seemed to think you might be?!

 

[happydancyfeet]

Hi fiona,


Yes, I am near Inverness and can recommend three good, sympathetic dentists in the area. May I do it through pm's or e-mail? ( i really should ask them first if I can advertise them on here)

 

[letsconnect]

Happy - if you like, you can also pass on any names (also of the first dentist you saw) in private - just PM me. This information will not be made public and only passed on in private (via e-mail or PM) if someone in your area is looking for a dentist.

Cheers

 

[happydancyfeet]

Just a wee update............

I managed to go away for New year...i was soooo scared to even think about going as i just kept thinking, what if the tooth broke and i needed treatment without sedation!!
I managed to keep my mind off it by being pretty drunk most of the time
The 6 hour journey back was horrendous because the bottom front loose teeth seem worse, not painful at the moment..... they just seem weird and just having this feeling set off the panic attacks. The magic pills didnt even help the journey either. I cant eat for fear of aggravating them further.

My appointment on the 18th is supposed to be just for having a cleaning session and impressions taken then back on the 3rd of feb for 4 extractions and an immediate partial fitted. But the way I feel at the moment, I think I'm going to ask for the extractions to be done on the first visit and wait for the partial.
But, is it best to have the partial fitted immediately after extractions or to wait for the gum to heal first? What are the pro's and con's?

 

[gumgirl]

Hi happy - glad you're safely home.
This is just a guess but it may be that the treatment has to be impressions then extractions - this is exactly the way my treatment is going. I had to have the impressions first so that my partials could be made up. When I have my extractions on the 16th   I will have immediates bunged in straight away.
My dentist explained that I had two choices: either wait six weeks in a fairly toothless state so that the gums could heal and shrink OR have immediates and shiny new teeth right away. With the immediates, I go back three times over the following ten days for my dentist to make any adjustments to the fit of the partials. Then, a few months later, when my gums have shrunk, he relines the partials to the new shape of my gob. I went for this second option as I really can't see myself looking like a tortoise for over a month.

You've done brilliantly so far - and you will get through this.

 

[happydancyfeet]

This is just a guess but it may be that the treatment has to be impressions then extractions

This is the plan for me gumgirl, but the two teeth are so loose that I think having the impression done will loosen them further and leave me in agony for 3 weeks till i have the extractions and immediates fitted. At the moment, when my tongue touches them and they wobble in the slightest, i go into a frenzy!! I'm sure that having the teeth next to them cleaned will aggravate it further too (it did last time)

 

[gumgirl]

Aww happy
If it's any comfort, one of my front teeth is so loose that it wiggles back and forth and sideways and I haven't been able to use it to bite for months. But it's stayed put through two sets of impressions. It wasn't made looser by the cleaning I had done, so I hope you'll have the same experience.