Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Trying to fix my teeth after years of dealing with a phobia of the dentist, help?

So, I hope I'm doing this right... I am 33 and terrified of the dentist. When I was much younger, I had a cavity that needed to be filled and when the day came my dentist did not numb enough and I felt the drill hit the nerve. I never understood what singing pain was until that happened. Since then, I have been terrified of the dentist. I mean, we're talking panic attacks, crying, trying to be brave and make appointments just to cancel the day before or of, I have actually thrown up at the thought of going.

Thing is, I really want to go. My smile makes me so sad and depressed. I floss, I brush, I cut out almost all sugars, you name it. But, I have a small mouth and impacted wisdom teeth that appeared in my later 20's that has caused a LOT of crowding. I went in recently for an emergency appointment when I found a cavity behind my front teeth (like in between them and yet, on them as well)? I am so upset, I don't understand why they feel so fragile and weak these days. But I digress. I went and the dentist told me I need to have the following done, now that I have dental:

  • Evaluation for root canal on I think 6,7,8 on the top row? (the two most center with the cavity and the one to the right of one of those teeth. The one to the right is pushed hard and I struggle with it because of the crowding)
  • Cleaning and evaluation in general. Possibly two or three small fillings in my very back teeth.
  • Surgery to remove all 4 impacted wisdom teeth
  • Get with an orthodontist to finally get braces with some sort of expander thing

This is so overwhelming and with the pandemic halting a lot of actual dental work beyond simple examinations right now I don't know what to do. I was told a lot of my issues stem from my small mouth and the crowding, which doesn't make me feel better. I am so afraid of what comes next. I don't even know what order to get things done in since I was referred out to the surgeon, orthodontist, and a specialist for root canal evaluation.

So my questions are:

  • Will I be judged and made fun of for my fears and dental issues?
  • What is the best way to go about this laundry list? I feel very overwhelmed.
  • How can I communicate with these doctors about my fears and what, if anything can be done to help me not completely panic?
  • Any other tips or help you can toss my way.

TYIA for reading and trying to help me. Just posting this took all my nerve!

submitted by /u/r1Zero
[link] [comments]
from https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/gjfn8a/trying_to_fix_my_teeth_after_years_of_dealing/

No comments:

Post a Comment