Teeth

[peakygal]

Firstly let me say I have a massive Dentist phobia due to a very bad experience a few years ago. This morning I woke up and felt something small in my mouth to discover part of 2 bottom teeth had crumbled! Now even though the hole feels massive it's actually not coz I could check in a mirror.. I'm so upset as I'm terrified I'm gonna lose these teeth and they would be very noticeable if I did 😩 I rang for an appointment but the dentist is booked out until 2 weeks from today because of Covid. So I'm just wondering has anyone had any experience of teeth crumbling but they were saved? Im afraid to google the possible outcome as I feel sick at the thought of losing them and I am terrified of what lies ahead in terms of work and visits to the dentist. Thank you in advance x

I can understand how worried you must feel, but please try not to panic: as long as you're not in pain, two weeks will fly by.
The are lots of options for how the dentist may be able to save these teeth. Try to see it as a good starting point for tackling your dental fears.
You will feel so much better when you get on top of your dental health, and have a through check up, and any treatment issues sorted.

Even if you do lose one or both teeth, there are a number of options for replacing them.

Can you afford to try a private dentist? You might get seen quicker.

If you feel pain or swelling beginning, get an emergency appointment.

You will be fine, once this is resolved you will be in a much better position overall, but try to stay on top of regular checkups going forwards!

Good luck 🤞🏻

Thank you for your reply. This has definitely given me the wake up I need to overcome this fear because I don't want to have obvious missing teeth or false teeth of any kind when Im not even in my older years.

I had this happen in the summer, I had a hole appear in one of my bottom teeth, was crumbly and it felt much bigger than it was. It was decay. I ended up having a deep filling and looks fine now. Didn't hurt either cause he numbed it, that was the worst part but only last seconds! Honestly it's worth going as the toothache it can cause will be worse in the long run!

Mine haven’t crumbled (are you a nocturnal teeth-grinder?) but have suddenly cracked. I was as phobic as you are so you have my sympathies. After dodging the dentist for years, I had to have 3 big big fillings done this year. I only went because my back tooth just broke in half one day. What worked was:

• drinking rescue remedy before the appointment;
• watching “overcome fear of the dentist” hypnotherapy videos on YouTube;
• telling my dentist how scared I was;
• and most of all, taking headphones so I could listen to my favourite music REALLY LOUDLY during the fillings, and couldn’t hear the drill at all. That was a life-changing revelation. I’m not scared at all now.

And don’t try to imagine what they’ll need to do to fix your teeth. You’re not a dentist. You don’t know. I’m sure you’re picturing 4-hour-long drilling sessions or total extraction when it reality it’s probably just a 10-minute filling job.

You can do it!! Take your headphones, close your eyes, and you will be FINE.

Thank you! It's not a massive hole but I was fully convinced it couldn't be filled as they are incisors. Thankfully I don't have any pain or sensitivity at the moment and Im being extra carful what I eat and drink

@macbookho some really great tips thank you! I had a bad experience about 6 years ago and up until then I never had an issue with the dentist but now I am absolutely petrified! I feel silly at my age being so afraid

A lot has changed in the past 6 years in dentistry. (I read a LOT online before my appointment.) The stuff they use to numb you is different. There are silent, laser drills now too. 😳

Could you go private? I did - shorter waiting list - and it wasn’t that expensive. Plus private appointments are longer, much less rushed and stressful.

And don’t feel silly - everyone at my dentist’s said (when I asked) that LOADS of people are scared. L O A D S. I got the impression it was more than half. I’d imagined everyone else in the world just breezing into the chair all chilled, but apparently HELL NAW.

Im going to try get someone to take me on as private tomorrow. Im in Ireland and where I am for some reason appointments with Dentists are very few and I can only put that down to Covid. This has definitely spurred me into getting over my phobia. My misson now is to take better care of my teeth. I'm going to tell myself its mind over matter. Thanks for the advice x