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Original poster

Need amateur dental advice!

27 replies

SenseofEntitlement · 04/12/2011 23:27

I am going to ring the dentist tomorrow, I really am, as I am now having to sort of suck my food, which is just silly. I know they will refer me to a sedation clinic for any actual treatment(at least I bloody hope so) so I'm not too worried about that. for some reason I get more stressed about getting stressed, if that makes sense.

BUT, can anyone guess (just so I have some idea and am not shocked and go into a blind panic):
a) what they will need to do to "diagnose" the problem, bearing in mind that the idea of metal in my mouth makes me feel ill
b) what the actual treatment suggested will be, and if I will need false teeth

I would rather know what could be on the cards before I go in, so I don't get quite so flustered.

So....from the left side bottom jaw I have a temporary filling (from 2.5 years ago) in most of the back tooth, the next one isn't there, then they are pretty ok (if uneven and sensitive and slightly wobbly) across the front, until you get to the second one with a flattish top, which is wobbly (as in I last felt a tooth that wobbly when I was 8) and causes shooting pain if I try to chew. Then ok to the back (although the back wisdom tooth is out)
The top ones feel ok to me, but when I went for the temp filling I was told that three of them need fillings. I already have fillings in most of my teeth anyway, but some are from late childhood. I have also had a total of 4 teeth taken out for various reasons (two were when I was a teenager because I had fangs, two were when my wisdom teeth came in funny) so I don't really have many left!

I know...sexy...

Both my parents had some false teeth before 35, I have in the past not looked after mine (although I am good now), have had two children and have been on various strong medications. I am now 26.

So, guesses please! Save me from google!

If it is relevant, I am NHS, and on a low income so exempt from charges.

OP posts:
VivaLeBeaver · 04/12/2011 23:29

They might want to xray to get a good idea of what's happening first. Then either fillings or extractions. Sorry. I have to take diazepam before any dental work so you have my sympathy.

Original poster
SenseofEntitlement · 04/12/2011 23:32

I can cope with the idea of the treatment, weirdly, as I know I will be sedated. It is the sheer idea of anyone poking about in my mouth when I am fully concious that gets me!

Also worried they may ask me to make decisions and I will so het up that I will decide something daft - would rather be armed with information if possible.

OP posts:
VivaLeBeaver · 04/12/2011 23:38

Can you ask your gp for diazepam for the initial check up? You won't be sedated but you will be a lot more chilled out.

daenerysstormborn · 04/12/2011 23:38

i'd say at the least they would do some x-rays to assess the extent of any decay and how many fillings are needed. if you have wobbly teeth then there is likely to be some gum disease present. rather than false teeth, you may be looking at a mixture of fillings and crowns, but they won't fit crowns until the overall gum health is better. don't google, you'll scare yourself further. can sympathise as i hate the dentist. i tend to go with my dc's in tow, that way i have to be brave so i don't pass my worries on to them. for years i had a weird phobia of cleaning my teeth and didn't look after them, silly as at the time i was a student so had free dental care. now, i really regret it, and am much better at cleaning them, best thing i found was discovering flossing. much prefer flossing to using a brush. i use both, but if you floss after brushing, you can see exactly how much the brush actually misses.

make that call, you know you have to. and good luck, am sure it won't be as bad as you think.

thenightsky · 04/12/2011 23:46

I know where you are coming from OP. I've pretty much sorted my 30 year avoidance this summer, but it has been bloody difficult.

this site has been my life saver

Original poster
SenseofEntitlement · 04/12/2011 23:48

Daenerys - I like your name :) WINTER IS COMING

...anyhow, geekery aside...

I have a pile of tranquillisers, but I'm not sure about using them for something different than what they are prescribed for, in case I get in trouble. Not sure even they would stop me getting totally panicked though.

OP posts:
sprinkles77 · 04/12/2011 23:50
  1. to make diagnoses you will need xrays and a check up including gum examination. Explain how you feel, ask them to use plastic instruments (often though not always available). If you simply cannot manage it might be possible for some of the assessment to be completed once you are referred for sedation.
  2. I cannot comment on the likely treatment without a diagnosis first, but I would suspect that at the very least you will be having some fillings and some treatment for your gums. I think you need to discuss with the dentist what the long term plan is. If you are so phobic that realistically you are never going to be a regular dental attender then it would be sensible to look at some lower maintenance options. This might mean rather than pulling out all the stops and having lots of complex treatment to save very damaged teeth, that you have such teeth removed, and replaced if you wish.

Please take this opportunity to get your whole mouth treated, not just individual teeth that are currently bothering you.

sprinkles77 · 04/12/2011 23:53

oh, it's not the low income that makes you exempt from charges. It the benefits you are on. The dentist should give you more info. Your initial examination should be identical whether you go NHS or private. On the NHS you will have limited (but adequate) treatment options.

Original poster
SenseofEntitlement · 05/12/2011 00:01

I think I would be happier with having some taken out. I only ever go to the dentist if I get to the point where I can't eat, so it would be unlikely that I would turn up if I could at all talk myself out of it (sorry, dentists everywhere!)

I have recently been refused a drug that could have possibly made a life altering condition that I have much better, because I can't be trusted to turn up for blood tests, so I don't think I will manage dentists either.

One day I will stop being weird, but today is not that day.

Do you think it might be better to go through mental health? Do they have some kind of arrangement, or can they speak to someone on my behalf so I don't need to prove how scared I am?

It's not even being scared of something, I just literally go into fight or fight mode. At one consultation a few years ago, before I was this bad, the dentist had to stop because he was afraid I would hit him. I bore him no ill will, just every time he touched a tooth, my hand shot out. I kept apologising, but I think he was probably right to stop. Recently I literally ran away from a blood test. I'm worse than a small child - it goes beyond reason.

Sometimes I struggle to even eat using a metal fork, because it reminds me of the dentist too much.

God. I am weird.

OP posts:
Original poster
SenseofEntitlement · 05/12/2011 00:02

I'm definitely exempt - I get pretty much any benefit there is. In a weird way, I keep hoping that they will charge and so I won't be able to afford it and will just have to wait till they all fall out. Then I realise that is a silly thing to think.

OP posts:
sprinkles77 · 05/12/2011 00:05

I used to refer to a dental hospital that had a very strong relationship with psychological services. I am pretty certain that getting treatment under sedation won't be too much of a problem. If you need lots of extractions you might even be able to get them all done under GA.

oreocrumbs · 05/12/2011 00:06

I don't know about the treatment but when you ring the dentist can you fully explain your fear, and ask for a couple of appointments, the first just to look, then the next to x ray or whatever. Then tell the dentist you would like to consider the options and then ring for a third appt. for the treatment. That way you will have time to consider the info you have and seek advice/reassurance before you make your decision about treatment.

thenightsky · 05/12/2011 00:17

Sense... where do you live.

If you are near me, i'd be happy to hold your hand through treatment.... really I would.

I've been there... still there really if truth be told.

Original poster
SenseofEntitlement · 05/12/2011 00:28

I'm in the NE, but thanks for your offer, but I often find that having more people there stresses me out even more.

Oreo - wouldn't that take ages? Not sure I can eat lukewarm soup for much longer...

OP posts:
oreocrumbs · 05/12/2011 00:35

I don't know- I suppose it depends on your dentist, I was just thinking of breaking it down for you so you don't get too overwhelmed and have time to make an informed decision. Do you have a dentist? I'm in the north east too, and both DP and I have great dentists mine is in East Herrington and DPs in Seaham. I would recomend both Xmas Smile

Original poster
SenseofEntitlement · 05/12/2011 00:40

We are registered at a dentist - the place that did my temp filling when I was pregnant - in Washington. Not sure they do anything out of the ordinary though.

OP posts:
oreocrumbs · 05/12/2011 00:51

They don't have to do anything out of the ordinary, just as long as they are kind and understanding. My dentist is 'posh' and while they are fine and good dentists its very impersonal and professional. DPs is very un posh, his dentist is fab I love her she has us in stitches laughing every time we go.

Ring them tomorrow and explain your fears, if you feel they are not sympathetic then perhaps speak to your GP about how much your fear is impacting on your life, and ask if s/he could refer you to one. When I was at school I did work experience with the community dentists, they were based at the hospital but go out to visit schools etc. One day we went to the galleries health centre and they were treating people with fears of the dentist and they were lovely, so gentle and understanding, never pushing the patients. That was 13 years ago but I would have thought the same or similar services are available.

daenerysstormborn · 05/12/2011 10:14

to lighten the mood about dentists, i have a funny/embarrassing story...

as i've said, i hate going, but force myself. i needed a filling, only a small one but insisted on an injection rather than going without. my new dentist is a bloke, i'd say in his 30's, quite good looking etc. anyway, i lay back in the chair, grabbed hold of the chair arm on the left to grip while the needle went in. also had hold of the chair arm to my right, so i thought. cue the dentist going rather red in the face. turns out i was actually gripping his thigh, there was no chair arm on the right. oh the shame Blush

Original poster
SenseofEntitlement · 05/12/2011 18:30

Well, I went. She is referring me to a sedation clinic as, even though I had enough diazepam to make me woozy I was still squirming and squeaking Blush

She did take an x ray, and said there is quite a lot of decay under the gum and I need fillings and probably a tooth removed.

She also said it will take a couple of months for the referral to come through, and in the meantime I have to eat a soft and low sugar diet. Over Christmas. Sob.

Still, overall it wasn't too bad, and I am happy I went.

OP posts:
Original poster
SenseofEntitlement · 05/12/2011 18:38

And lol at daenerys :-)

OP posts:
daenerysstormborn · 05/12/2011 21:41

well done you Smile

Grumpystiltskin · 06/12/2011 14:56

senseofEntitlement At the risk of sounding massively patronising, is your dentist going to make sure that you are aware of what is causing the problems so you don't need treatment in the future & all this pain & anxiety will never happen again?

Dentistry is massively about prevention, it's so frustrating that people who are phobic actually rarely look after their oral health and so they always need treatment and it's always when they are in pain & so the vicious circle is completed. Get them fixed, learn how to maintain it and then you will be confident that you can prevent future problems.

Pleased you got it over with though.

Can I just point out to people that you must give consent for any procedure to be carried out, you cannot do this if you are smacked off your bobbles on diazepam so please don't self medicate without discussing it with your dentist (not your GP, your dentist) first.

Original poster
SenseofEntitlement · 07/12/2011 10:12

Gah, and now a new part of my mouth is hurting.

The dentist said that my brushing is fine, but she thinks I must eat a high sugar diet as the teeth are so eroded. Do you think she means fruit as well? Would having been on medication that made my mouth constantly dry have given that effect? I don't exactly have a low sugar diet - I have a chocolate bar and a couple of pieces of fruit nearly every day - but I wouldn't say it is notably high.

OP posts:
daenerysstormborn · 07/12/2011 11:13

yes, fruit can do it. sugar and acidic. keep brushing, maybe invest in some cordosyl mouth wash, and floss. flossing is your friend Wink

Grumpystiltskin · 07/12/2011 11:48

Dry mouth is a big factor, the saliva you produce "buffers" any acids (the ones produced by eating sugar and ones from fruits etc) so without enough spit your buffering capacity is reduced & decay will surely ensue.

Have a look at this

if you can get through the jargon it explains it really well.