What's wrong with my front teeth

[beccaneal]

Hi all,
i am a serious dental phobic and have not visited in 5 years.However i had to call and make an appointed today as my upper front teeth are beginning to feel strange in my mouth. After a close inspection in the mirror a very thin grey/black line has formed between the top of the tooth and the gum and one of my teeth almost feels like it isn't there when bite my teeth together.I also feel what i can only describe as an irritation in my gums around those teeth. I am soo terrified about this! As I've not been to the dentist for 5 years I had to re-register and therefore have to wait two weeks for an appointment. I am now faced with two weeks of stress and anxiety which i am sure is making me think i am in more pain than i am. I am having sleepless nights and cannot stop thinking about my teeth throughout most of the day no matter what I'm doing. I am also scared that i won't be able to afford any treatment that i may need as times are hard at the mo. I am soo scared that the situation will get worse over the next two weeks and that i will have to suffer excruciating pain at the hands of the dentist when i finally go! Please help!

 

[carole]

Hi and to the forum. I know it is hard but try and not get yourself too stressed out over this first appointment.

The dentist will not do anything you don't want to happen, on the first visit they usually have a look and maybe take an x ray if you feel up to it. Explain that you are feeling very nervous and tell them what you are bothered about, it might be the injections or the drill, if they know what you are most worried about they can address this issue and help you with it.

Any work done can be done without pain these days by the right dentist, I have had an extraction and two root canal treatments in the last few months with no pain at all, I never felt the injections either. I was really scared when I first went but the dentist was so careful and made sure I felt no pain or discomfort that I learned to trust him and get the things done I needed.

They will not do any treatment usually on the first visit, and your teeth are probably not as bad as you think. I can also think up a terrible toothache when I am worried about my teeth, so you are not alone with this way of thinking.

Good luck with your first appointment, let us know how you get on.

 

[fratermus]

Hi all,
I am soo scared that the situation will get worse over the next two weeks and that i will have to suffer excruciating pain at the hands of the dentist when i finally go! Please help!

Hi, Becca. I don't know if it will help, but I have had some major dental events that turned out to be surprisingly painless. I had 4 wisdom teeth pulled right out of my noggin one after the other (in about 5mins total) and it didn't hurt at all. I felt some pulling on my jaw but zero pain. And I am a total chicken about doctor-induced pain. I get shakey and pale just thinking about needles and such.

I am scared about my upcoming visit, too; we will all get through this stuff together.

 

[beccaneal]

Thanks for your messages. I really appreciate it. This last week i've been off work with flu which has partially taken my mind off of things but has also caused a dull ache in all of my upper teeth i think due to sinusitis which has left me panicking slightly. I guess i have TWO phobias one of the dentists and one of my teeth falling out. i know that sounds completely contradictory but there you go.
I forgot to mention in my previous post that my upper front teeth move a lot as well. i've heard that often they do but this is really noticable now and worrying me even more. What does it all mean?? I don't know what's worse having to wait around for another week and a half to ease my mind one way or the other or having to visit the dentists in a week and a half. I just can't seem to settle my brain and pull myself out of this anxiety!

 

[carole]

Hi I think you will probably carry on being worried until you get to see the dentist. Having a cold will make you feel much worse, I know if I get anything wrong with my head like a headache, cold or even neck ache and sometimes even my shoulders it can also give me pain in the mouth, hard to describe but you know the feeling.

I hope the time passes quickly for you until you get to go. Once you have been you will know what you are dealing with and can then concentrate on getting your mouth fixed.

GOOD LUCK I hope the cold gets better soon as well.

 

[beccaneal]

!!Re: What's wrong with my front teeth

So I've just come back from my dental appointment and here's the damage:
My gums have receded severly and are severly infected causing my teeth to weaken and the bone to erode slightly. I have been prescribed anti-biotics and have to use a special mouthwash 3 times a day. I'm going back in a week for a scrub and polish.
Basically this is is down to my poor oral hygiene and I have to hold my hands up to that and admit my oral hygiene has been bad for a while. I suppose I'm lucky that it wasn't any worse.

However i was really upset with how my case was handled today. My appointment was 25 minutes late which gave me plenty of time to break out into a sweat and build up my nerves and anxiety even more. When i did go in to see the dentist i told him that i was scared and and coward when it came to dentists which is why I hadn't visited in a while. i was hoping that he would be a little more sympathetic but he wasn't. After examining my teeth he basically told me off like a naughty child for 10 minutes about the state of my teeth, pointing his finger at me and using phrases like "this is the turning point my friend you need to take this seriously" in a really patronising way. Like I say i understand that my poor oral hygiene is to blame and he has to give me "the talk" to some extent, but at the same time it's dentists like him that put people off going for a long time meaning that problems are not prevented sooner.

He then asked his dental nurse to type up the notes as "his typing was too slow hers is much faster" so I heard every problem out loud described in a very cold, clinical manner which made me feel even more embarrassed and nervous.

I'm hoping when i go back next week he will be more friendly. I may call the clinic in the next couple of days and mention to them that i was unhappy with the way he spoke to me.

Overall I feel better now I know my treatment is beginning I just feel like an awful human being that i let it get this far! Thank you Mr Dentist!

 

[shamrockerin]

I am really sorry to read that your appointment didn't go well.

We all know how hard it is just get ourselves to the point of making an appointment and following through with it, so when it doesn't go well it seems like a huge setback.

25 mins. late does seem a bit excessive, but perhaps that could have been forgiven if the dentist hadn't spoken to you in such a condescending way. I am not sure dental professionals always realize how much their words and actions mean to a person who is fearful, and has to spend days/weeks/months/years working up the nerve to walk through the door or even call.

It still sounds like you did better than me though; when I went for an exam a few months ago, I heard them calling out the tooth numbers and noting problems with each tooth, I had a panic attack. If you feel OK with this dentist and want to give it another go, then best of luck. But if you don't feel like he is treating you like you deserve, then please try another office.

 

[carole]

I agree with everything shamrockerin has said, he could have been a bit more friendly. I know the effort it takes to go to the dentist and sit in judgement, it is hard enough without being spoken to like this.

But well done you for going and sticking it out I hope he does realise how hurtful his attitude was and that if you do go back that he is more understanding with you.

Good luck

 

[shamrockerin]

I agree with everything shamrockerin has said

I feel so wise. I am the Yoda of dental phobia.

To what I tell you, listen.

 

[SierraSplash]

Hey, @beccaneal, Thanks for sharing your story.
If you decide to continue with that dentist, I would offer up these suggestions;

-When you speak with the receptionist to make another appointment, communicate to them your fears and concerns and how you need the doctor to understand that.

- When you meet with the dentist again, make sure he knows how you feel and that you are an adult and you should be treated like one. Lecturing a patient is bad for business, it would make me not want to see him again and seek out another professional who understands my needs more.

This is exactly what I did when I decided to go back to the dentist. I communicated clearly with everyone because
A) It took a lot of courage for me to even make the call and they need to know that putting on a stern face is just going to turn me away
and
B) I'm kind of a jerk in the sense that I'm a grown man, I don't need to listen to another man lecture me about how I should be treating my body. The damage is done, I'm here, let's just focus on making it better instead of throwing more fuel to the fire.

I would say that being fully upfront would go a long way to making sure you and your doctor maintain a healthy relationship.
Keep us informed of what you decide to do!

 

[carole]

I feel so wise. I am the Yoda of dental phobia.

To what I tell you, listen.

Oh wise one we will