Tooth cracked and fell out - please help

[shakey]

Hey The1701,

Thanks again for responding. You should be incredibly proud of yourself, i can't wait to feel that too.

Yes I had the panic the minute I left the dental office. I was with a friend though. I was so hysterical and over the top that I begged her to drive me straight to the nearest hospital. She refused, rightly so, then we drove around for an hour waiting for me to get a grip on myself. But yes, perhaps the dentist can remind me that it's all in my mind and my nerves are the symptoms, not the anaesthetic.

Im going to download the app now, thanks for the suggestion.

I guess if I faced it and didn't die from the panic (so silly, I know) then there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

My next appointment is this Friday but as of tonight the pain is building so I don't think I can wait that long. May need to bring it forward to Wednesday or possibly tomorrow if it's worse.

Thank you so much for your support, it really does help to know someone is out there who gets it.

 

[The1701]

I guess if I faced it and didn't die from the panic (so silly, I know) then there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

Thank you so much for your support, it really does help to know someone is out there who gets it.

It isn't silly at all, it is easy to think rationally when you are not paralysed with fear. I know only too well how horrific that feeling of being unable to catch your breath is and you really do feel like your chest is going to explode.

I'm sorry to hear you are in pain from the tooth, hopefully you can be seen sooner and it will get a lot better. I hope you find the app useful and remember to ask the Dentist to schedule breaks where they can - there is no need to sit and endure 30 mins of drilling, my Dentist does 5 second bursts and then pauses which helps a lot.

Don't forget you are not alone in this, we are all thinking of you.

 

[shakey]

Thanks again for getting back to me The1701.

The pain has subsided a little today so I'll be going on Friday at 11:30am. I'm not the praying type but I'm going to start praying for strength tonight I think, right after I finish this glass of wine

So from what I'm reading you did have a panic attack in your last appointment? How did you talk yourself down? Last time I got up and ran out, this time that's not really an option.

 

[The1701]

Good Luck for Friday, I'm sure you will be relieved when it's all over.

Yes I had a panic attack during the filling procedure, I would love to say that I handled it with amplomb but I didn't. I did some grounding exercises that I learned during trauma counselling and they helped to some extent, I can send you a link to them if you think they would be useful.

Other than that I recognised it for what it was and rode it out as best I could.

One helpful thing would be to have a think in advance about what really sets you on edge and let the dentist know which bits you expect to be more difficult, in my case it was the opposite to what I had expected and that's why I struggled more.

Also you could ask if you can take your friend in if you think that would help you, I'm sure they would be fine with that given that it would make you feel at ease.

Hope all goes well, will be thinking of you.

 

[shakey]

Hey The1701,

I have been diagnosed with complex trauma too so I'd really appreciate it if you could send the grounding exercises across.

My therapist, when asked what I should do whilst having a panic attack in the chair, said "nothing, you do nothing but sit and ride it out because there is nothing harmful about a panic attack and reacting to it feeds it." I think I'd like to be armed with a couple of exercises but I get what she is saying too.

Ive decided that I will take a friend in and that I'm going to take it in stages. The dentist said she can stop at anytime and just stick a temporary back in there, though I know I'll have to go back in if she does that, it helps to think I have a way out. So injection, bit of drilling, break, drill, clean, break, drill, clean, fill, set, get the hell out of there, go home and rest then rejoice in the fact that it's over.

It might sound crazy but I think it helps to see that they're all just little steps towards the end goal.

Thanks so much for all your support and I'll look forward to the grounding exercises if you get time to send them.

 

[The1701]

Hey The1701,

I have been diagnosed with complex trauma too so I'd really appreciate it if you could send the grounding exercises across.

Hi Shakey, I have sent you a DM with the exercises, hope you find them helpful.

My therapist, when asked what I should do whilst having a panic attack in the chair, said "nothing, you do nothing but sit and ride it out because there is nothing harmful about a panic attack and reacting to it feeds it." I think I'd like to be armed with a couple of exercises but I get what she is saying too.

It is good advice, but admittedly a lot easier to say than do, that's why I think the grounding exercises help as they give you an "anchor" to the real world.

Ive decided that I will take a friend in and that I'm going to take it in stages. The dentist said she can stop at anytime and just stick a temporary back in there, though I know I'll have to go back in if she does that, it helps to think I have a way out. So injection, bit of drilling, break, drill, clean, break, drill, clean, fill, set, get the hell out of there, go home and rest then rejoice in the fact that it's over.

It might sound crazy but I think it helps to see that they're all just little steps towards the end goal.

It's not crazy at all, I found the breaks really helpful, my Dentist also gave me a countdown to the next break which helped me hold on just that little bit longer as I knew it was almost over.

It sounds like you have an excellent support team for the day, I hope it goes well and look forward to hearing your update.


Good Luck!