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Young & Toothless; Extreme Anxiety!

R

RushSlowly

Junior member
Joined
Apr 24, 2013
Messages
4
So I am brand new to these forums, but I can tell you all that I am so relieved I'm not the only one who feels this way. I haven't been to a dentist in ~10 years, and I'm only 25. My parents lost health insurance when I was really young, and I've never been able to afford it.

A few months back I had a very nasty tooth infection, that had to result in extraction. I was extremely upset losing a tooth at only 25 and made me severely depressed and violated. It was my back most molar, so I was able to cope fairly well. But I have an extreme fear of losing all my teeth, so I didn't take it lightly. However, I used this as a sign to get my dental health in order. If I would have paid attention to the pain earlier, a simple filling would have sufficed.

But now I have noticed a black line at the bottom of my gumline on my front-most bottom tooth. Every source I check says it is tartar build up, and I scheduled a cleaning for the 30th. I've been so freaked out that its some cavity and my front tooth is going to fall out / need to be pulled and I am constantly freaking out. I've been picking at the black stuff to make sure it isn't a cavity (it is raised, so there is something on the tooth and not something going into it, is my thinking), and brushing there deliberately to keep it clean. This has been causing me some gum pain which is only making it worse probably, and adds to the cycle of freaking out.

Thank you all for your support and listening. None of my friends understand, and they think I'm just being dramatic.
 
I know it's scary, but you've taken the first step of making an appointment. Once you find out exactly what you need your anxiety will almost certainly lessen. It's not easy, but you can do it.
 
On Friday I'll be going in for 4 extractions and I'm only 21. So we can be young and toothless together.:XXLhug: In seriousness though, I obviously am not a dentist so take this with a grain of salt. Dentists don't extract every teeth with a cavity. I have 15 other cavities in my mouth and we're only extracting the ones that are broken off at the or below the gumline. A good dentist will try his best to save your teeth and from what it sounds like it's either a small cavity or tartar build up. (Again not a dentist)
 
I had my teeth cleaned and still had a dark ring around one molar and a black spot on one tooth near the gum. Of course I thought "cavities". I had then cleaned again by a better hygienist and those dark spots were removed and they were not cavities. I hope this is the same for you.
 
I had my teeth cleaned and still had a dark ring around one molar and a black spot on one tooth near the gum. Of course I thought "cavities". I had then cleaned again by a better hygienist and those dark spots were removed and they were not cavities. I hope this is the same for you.

This was exactly the case. I came back from the dentist today, and all the dark spots are gone! Thank you all for the support. I had such anxiety that I had to go home and change before heading to work because I had sweated through all my clothes. :redface:
 

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