Too Scared To Go In For Cleaning

[superjen]

After dealing with a painful tooth for over 2 years, I've given up ever finding a dentist who cares to get to the bottom of why I have pain.

It's been a year since I've had a cleaning and I know I need to go in but I am terrified to even make an appointment.

-I'm scared the new dentist will have a long list of fixes that are needed.

-I'm scared the hygenist at the new office will damage a crown put on by my old dentist because it doesn't look like a crown which would probably lead to me losing that tooth. Does this ever happen?

-I could go to my old dentist who did nothing for me for 2 years because I know he won't find any problems, but is he too cautious?

-I could just not go. Keep brushing and flossing and taking pain meds. And keep shopping for dentures since I'll end up there eventually.

I'm just too scared to even call. And I know if I make an appointment a month out then I won't get much sleep for that month. It's all become too much. And the daily painful reminder from my tooth doesn't help.

 

[Gordon]

-I'm scared the new dentist will have a long list of fixes that are needed.

You're perfectly at liberty to decline such a list you know. But they might find the cause of your pain?

-I'm scared the hygenist at the new office will damage a crown put on by my old dentist because it doesn't look like a crown which would probably lead to me losing that tooth. Does this ever happen?

Nope. I'd hope that any hygienist could recognise a crown, even if a lay person couldn't. Even if they can't, I can't figure out what the mechanism would be for causing so much damage you'd lose the tooth.

-I could go to my old dentist who did nothing for me for 2 years because I know he won't find any problems, but is he too cautious?

Can't answer that one.

-I could just not go. Keep brushing and flossing and taking pain meds. And keep shopping for dentures since I'll end up there eventually.

Why would you end up with dentures?

 

[superjen]

Thank you Gordon. I'm not in a good place right now and to top it off covid is kicking my butt.

The 3 dentists at the practice I go to have stated that they are stumped. I want a cone beam CT but they seem to think that's excessive, even though I'd be the one paying for it. One recommended extraction just for quality of life. One said I may still have pain even after extraction. One recommended I see a periodontist for no other reason than to get out of their hair.

The office I go to now did my crown 3-4mm down from my gums to avoid any decay at the gum line. My old crown is flush with my gums so I feel like they will poke and prod to prove that the old way isn't as good, thereby damaging it and proving that crowns only last 10 years. It was barely saved with a crown because the old almalgam filling cracked it pretty good.

So now I shop for dentures because I wouldn't do an implant on either tooth and at least tooth 13 would have to be replaced.

Sure, my fears may be irrational, but I've leaned from this forum that anything can happen.

 

[superjen]

I called the new practice just to get on the schedule and they had an opening for tomorrow morning. They are going to do a CT and cleaning. I'm sure they will also have a list of other things that need to be done, but thanks to Gordon I've decided just to try and get through tomorrow and put any suggestions aside until I'm ready to deal with them.

I'm so scared that I'm bringing my husband. I've also decided on a denture specialist in case it goes that way.

 

[Gordon]

The office I go to now did my crown 3-4mm down from my gums to avoid any decay at the gum line. My old crown is flush with my gums so I feel like they will poke and prod to prove that the old way isn't as good, thereby damaging it and proving that crowns only last 10 years. It was barely saved with a crown because the old almalgam filling cracked it pretty good.

That's really the wrong way to do things for several reasons. Flush with gums is much better. So the old way is better