Was doing really well and now not so much :\

[bluyoo]

Hi everyone!

I've been a lurker on these forums for literally years upon years. I've had dental phobia/fear since I can remember.

The short version of my history is that I have a very long history with dentists, been knocked out for two dental surgeries, crowns, extractions, caps, the whole bit. I have a massively low pain tolerance (so it seems) because I'm always told that things "shouldn't hurt" and they hurt a heck of a lot, and it isn't in my head! haha.

Current situation: I just moved to a new city and took it upon myself to use it as an excuse to find and go to a new dentist (I haven't been in probably 5 years). I manned up, called for an appointment at a place my friend goes to - and they told me to come right in that moment. That worked really well for me because I had NO time to freak about it. Walked over, went in, did an hour deep cleaning/scaling (expected, but painful as usual) but the hygienist was really nice. I went back today for a second hour of scaling/cleaning (ugh, but expected) and was finally done. I was ecstatic that I had gone on my own accord and completed this huge feat.

Dentist comes in. The BAD news (as usual in my dental life). I have a hole aka decay happening underneath one of the gold crowns I got put on only about 6 years ago. She showed me on the xray, I can see it. I am DEVASTATED. That crown was probably one of the most painful things that ever happened to me - the tooth underneath has no enamel on it (that's why it was crowned) and it is EXTREMELY sensitive. After I had the crown done, I had extreme pain for over a month - non-relenting, all the time, 24hrs a day. I got heartburn from taking so much advil and my Dr had to prescribe me Tylenol 3 which make me ill. It was horrible.

So my new dentist has told me they have to yank that crown off, fill the hole, possibly do a root canal (they can't see the extent of the decay) and re-crown it.

This means needles (terrified) and this means I am going to possibly have to go through eons of pain again. I am terrified. I know this should be done because otherwise it will just end up being painful/worse - it doesn't hurt at all now - but I am terrified.

 

[bluyoo]

I haven't stopped crying since I came home. I am so upset and scared.

 

[bluyoo]

Do you have to go through crown prep again if it's being replaced?

I think I'm honestly more scared for the potential for weeks of intense pain after this than the actual procedure (though this terrifies me as well - needles from dentists are like extreme tortuous pain).

 

[chickenjen]

Oh, bluyoo, I understand exactly where you're coming from. I have very sensitive teeth (years of grinding have made them that way, I guess??). Any time my dentist tells me this is not going to hurt, it does. So now, any time there's even the slightest possibility of pain..........I make sure I get Novocaine......and usually a double or triple dose. I can tolerate an EXTREME amount of pain IF my body's is giving it to me, but at the dentist's, I'm an EXTREME wimp!!! I want absolutely NO pain or DISCOMFORT at all........and I moan and whine till I get the Novocaine topped up. I will tolerate a slight ache.....but I won't tell my dentist that.
Make sure that your dentist applies some numbing gel to the area where she will give you the injection......make sure they wait a bit for the gel to take effect. Then if the dentist injects the local extremely slowly, there shouldn't be much in the way of pain. Also, if you are terrified of needles (I must admit, I'm not keen on seeing a needle coming toward my face and mouth), ask your dentist if she could warn you when she's about to give you that injection, then you could close your eyes.........I find that it's a lot easier to tolerate that shot if you DON'T watch that needle coming at you.
All the best, much , and many, many 's,
Jen

 

[FearfulInMA]

I'm so sorry you've had to go through all of this. There is absolutely no reason that a dentist should work on your teeth unless you are COMPLETELY numb. There is absolutely no reason that you should have to experience pain during a dental procedure. In terms of the crown, a permanent crown should not be put on if you are still in pain. Pain should also not last a month -- that likely means that there is something wrong with the tooth or the crown. A good dentist should also be able to give pain-free injections (the most you should feel is just a "pinch"). Prior to giving you an injection, the dentist should use a topical numbing gel and should give it time to work before. S/he should inject SLOWLY as this will also minimize any discomfort. I am also TERRIFIED of needles (have been known to run screaming from the doctor's office at the site of one) and I always remind my dentist that it absolutely cannot be within eyesight at any time (even after he's done using it). I really just have to close my eyes and try to prevent that I'm somewhere else.

Two pieces of 'good news' if you have to have a root canal. (1) If you are difficult to numb (I am VERY difficult to numb in the bottom back corners of my mouth) they can inject right into the tooth once it's 'open'. This is a pretty foolproof method. (2) Since you will have no live nerves in your tooth after the procedure, you will not have any pain (maybe a bit of discomfort for a couple of days while the nerves finish dying) ever again in that tooth. I would prefer (well, maybe that's not the right word ) to have a root canal than a crown preparation any day -- I've had 2 of each.

I've not had to have a crown replaced, so I'm sorry I cannot give you any information about this. Perhaps you can post that question in the dentistry questions forum?

Give yourself a huge pat on the back for getting yourself to the dentist for a cleaning and exam. You can get through this - you just need to make sure that you've found a dentist who will listen to you if you tell her that you are feeling any pain (and stop to make sure that you are numb). Again, no dentist should continue to work on your teeth if you are not numb!