I Just Got Back From the Dentist

Schweighsr

I hate going to the dentist. I have a serious dental-phobia, and yet, I still went to the dentist today and had three (3!) cavities filled.

Okay, nobody likes going to the dentist. I have very soft tooth-enamel, too, so I get a lot of cavities (my dentist gives me fluoride supplements and they help) so dental visits are never pleasant. But the reason I have a phobia is because one time, many years ago, a dentist drilled into a healthy nerve. Apparently it was a deep cavity and it was close to the nerve and he wasn't a very good dentist.

You can not imagine how much it hurt.

So I changed dentists (and had a totally unnecessary root canal). I search and searched for a good dentist with a very gentle touch. I explained what had happened to the new dentist and made an appointment. I got to his office, was shown the chair, sat down - I was nervous but I thought I was okay. It was just an exam, after all. Then the dentist walked into the room - and I fainted.

Passed out cold.

I have less anxiety going into surgery than I have going to the dentist. Seriously, no exaggeration.

Normally I take medication for anxiety if I have to get a filling, but that means I need someone to drive me to and from the dentist's office. No one was available to drive me today, so I couldn't take my medicine.

I deserve a freaking medal.

So cheer me up and tell me about your last visit to the dentist. Let's all trade horror stories and congratulate ourselves or at least commiserate on how horrible it is to have to get your teeth examined. I know that I can not be the only person who hates the dentist and loves The Sims!

jcp011c2

Oh gosh that sounds horrible.

But try this - this has been the year of the teeth for me.

In early March a tooth on my lower left jaw abscessed. I had to have it pulled because it was so bad, but it was next to a bridge. Thus I was left with a space of two teeth that I would need implants for (which are not covered by insurance and are costly.) That pulling was done late March and I was put under for it which I had a difficult time with recovering from (difficult but not seriously, just took time.)

Flash forward to late April to get bone graphs from my upper cheek to graft onto the area the implants would go. Again, had to go under, short recovery because I didn't have as bad a reaction to the anesthetic.

Flash forward with numerous check ups to early July - the implanted screws. Thought i would only miss one day of work but I ended up missing a week because the area got infected during the operation. During that same operation, they gave me enough to go under for 2 hours. It took 4 hours, so I woke up in the middle of it. They could not put me under again.

Clearing up the infection took a month and I had it rough but I got through it.

Flashforward (with many check ups) to October 10th and I got healing caps put on the implant screws. I had to take 2 days off for that despite the fact it was supposed to be a relatively easy operation. Nothing with my mouth is easy. Though I at least did not have to go under for that.

So here I am now and I am needing to get my actual caps/crowns put on. I should add everything from the above was done by an oral surgeon. This LAST step, is done by dentist - who is not calling me back or anything to set up an appointment I don't know what the deal is. The Healing caps should not be in for more than two months or you risk infection and potentially damaging the screws and it's been a month now. Worried it won't get done in time.

I don't know if it will cheer you up but know you're not alone in your dental woes!

plopppo

I don't have a dentist - I find it helps.

Jessa_Dakkar

A year ago I had to have my two upper wisdom teeth pulled. I've never had a tooth extraction, and I have never had a shot of novocaine either.
Leading up to my appointment, my daughter delighted in showing me videos on YouTube.
You know the ones, the poor kids who are lost in a weird reality crying over hippos and feeling as though their face has been removed.

Those didn't help.

I get there and there are several people seated in the lobby, waiting. One woman turns to me and proceeds to tell me how horrible it went for her friend here, that she's 'heard things'.

Then this kid of mayyyyybe 18 though he looked to be 15 at best comes to get me and gets me seated and settled in the chair. His dad comes in a few moments later and gives me I don't know how many shots of novocaine in my mouth. Did not feel a thing! How was that possible? I kept hearing horror stories about the many long needles and how they hurt. They did not. He left with alone with his son for the next few minutes to let it all settle in.

I played with my teeth and gums like I was two years old, marveling at how they felt like teeth on a statue. I couldn't believe I had my fingers in my mouth, couldn't feel a thing. I was delighted! I'd suffered a month in agony and for the first time in a long time I felt no pain. How come I didn't have this magical stuff at home all the time?!

I realized a while back I was going to be wide awake, as I had driven myself the two hours to the dentist office, I would also have to drive myself home. A little nervous. Dentist comes back.. gonna feel a lot of pressure...raise your hand if you feel anything uncomfortable... hang thehell on...

At one point I lay quietly wondering if my skull cracked, would I hear it? Would it be loud? How come it wasn't breaking? A LOT of pressure, but not a bit of pain.

I swear in less than a minute it was over. A wad of gauze tucked neatly in one cheek and steered in the direction of the billing office. After giving insurance information and paying my part I headed back through the lobby with a big grin and two thumbs up.

"It was a piece of cake"

And drove to the store before heading home for a bottle of water and some lip balm. I kept checking out the wonky image in the rear-view mirror and wondered if my smile would forever be one sided. Thankfully by the end of the day it was normal again. Never had a moment's pain.

I'm sorry you had such a crummy experience.

cauliflowers

The receptionist was cute, the dentist not so much

TadOlson

I went to the dentist and got an upper canine tooth pulled because my whole jaw was badly swollen from the dead tooth being left in and the freezing wore off before the canine got pulled and I couldn't even feel the tooth being pulled despite having no freezing to dull the pain there because the tooth was long dead.I didn't even know they were pulling the tooth until it was done.

icmnfrsh

The worst one I had was in 2012. I needed to have a wisdom tooth extracted. It took around 2 hours, and it was extremely painful.

I thought then that if it hurt that much with anesthetics, it would probably hurt more without them. But it turned out that I shouldn't have felt any pain AT ALL, and my family told me that I probably had an insufficient dosage. So I pretty much suffered unnecessarily for two hours.

I think I'm supposed to have more wisdom teeth removed, but no way am I going to remind anyone of that.

Schweighsr

Likes for everybody!

Thank you so much for the kind responses - I feel much better today.

@jcp011c2 - how awful! I've had implants too, and they aren't fun, but I can't imagine how awful an infection must have been. If it will cheer you up (or make you laugh), I had sodium penathol once and woke up swinging. Apparently some people (me!) become violent when treated with sodium penathol - I barely remember the incident, but I broke the doctor's nose and gave a nurse a black eye before they managed to corral me. I was 13 at the time - a little scrawny thing - so I am sure that they never expected me to wake up acting like Mohammed Ali!

@icmnfrsh - No, you shouldn't feel anything at all - it should be the way Jessa_Dakkar describes - pressure but no pain. Definitely make sure that they numb you completely when you get those other teeth extracted.

Thanks again, everyone!

JazzyDee28

When I was little I had a bad habit of hiding sweets in my bedroom, so when I went to bed after brushing my teeth I'd indulge in all the sweet goodness. Obviously this gave me cavities and more than drills, I was scared of needles so I actually refused to get the numbing injection. My dentist was completely shocked that I seemed to do ok without it, I was shocked too but blimey did it hurt! I never made that mistake again...

I can't imagine what pain you went through! That just sounds awful, I hope you fully recover one day. :(