Good News!

Hey folks.. I don't know if anybody remembers but after years of avoiding the dentist, I decided I had to go. I didn't think I was really afraid of the procedures as much as I was for being judged, because I hadn't gone for so long. The dentist ended up being really cool about it. The only thing I hate is when I go in, he has my x-rays hanging up and they do cause a bit of shame.. but...

The really great thing is that I have my weekends back. How can that be, you ask... well prior to getting some really decayed wisdom teeth pulled, I would get headaches almost every weekend, and nothing I took seemed to help. I would be out of commission from when I woke up til nighttime. Sometimes the headaches would wake me up. I thought they were migraines because I would feel nausea often too. I didn't know why exactly, but ever since I started with the dental work they have disappeared!

I have had many appointments, teeth pulled, several cavities filled, a root canal, and in the future a dental crown and extraction of a wisdom tooth that is fully impacted but has caused some bone loss. I only really fear the extraction, because the dentist won't do it, I have to go to an oral surgeon. The cavities were along the gum line so the side effect is that my smile looks better where the work has been done, although I had to really smile very widely for that to show. I still have one remaining set to be done, and I'm looking forward to all the drilling because that one looks the worst.

I'm pretty happy with the results so far. The dentist I chose had the best reviews in the area. He's very busy too.. I wanted to cancel one appointment and they told me I wouldn't get another for 2 months.

That is good news about the headaches.

As a fellow long time dentist-avoider I salute you.

That is good news. I got some bad news the dentist. They want to crown all 28 of my teeth due to erosion damage. They aren't really sure what caused it other than when I was a kid I had some issues which might have done it. I have gone to 3 or 4 dentists and they all say the same thing. I have been fighting it but, I think I have no choice but to own up to it. And get it done.

Your story does help me feel better about it.

Thanks Fishpaste! I am glad I am going to get most all the stuff I've been putting off done by summer.. I suppose the moral of the story is that taking care of the mouth can have all sorts of good side benefits. I know that they say decay in the teeth can affect your overall health. I certainly found that out.. plus how great to be able to smile widely and not worry about the bad look around my gumline.

Good job on getting all of the needed done. Having healthy teeth is very important.

skyflyz wrote:Thanks Fishpaste! I am glad I am going to get most all the stuff I've been putting off done by summer.. I suppose the moral of the story is that taking care of the mouth can have all sorts of good side benefits. I know that they say decay in the teeth can affect your overall health. I certainly found that out.. plus how great to be able to smile widely and not worry about the bad look around my gumline.

That's great. I was wondering how things had been going for you. I have still not found a new dentist. Think I am about a year overdue for a checkup.

Good to hear. I've actually got an appointment with the dentist tomorrow. But my dentist isn't 'intimidating' or 'judgmental' in any way so I'm fairly comfortable going there so long as it doesn't take too long.

LadyDaria wrote:That is good news. I got some bad news the dentist. They want to crown all 28 of my teeth due to erosion damage. They aren't really sure what caused it other than when I was a kid I had some issues which might have done it. I have gone to 3 or 4 dentists and they all say the same thing. I have been fighting it but, I think I have no choice but to own up to it. And get it done.

Your story does help me feel better about it.

Yikes! I hope you have insurance or a discount plan, or that your work (or country) gives you dental benefits. The one crown for me is going to cost around $1,000. The root canal cost almost as much. I had to go to a special place that only does root canals. They had a picture of 8 oral surgeons on the wall. The thing I liked was that the surgeon talked about what he was going to do every step of the way. I just wish I'd had more warning when they gave me something that made my heart race.. that was awful. I almost passed out.

I looked into dental insurance and discount plans, and the insurance just didn't seem worthwhile. Dental work is something I don't want to necessarily find the cheapest place. One place nearby had to call all their patients because an inspection found inproperly cleaned tools. I suppose that can happen anywhere, but what do you do?

-- Sun May 10, 2015 6:11 pm --

Parador wrote:

skyflyz wrote:Thanks Fishpaste! I am glad I am going to get most all the stuff I've been putting off done by summer.. I suppose the moral of the story is that taking care of the mouth can have all sorts of good side benefits. I know that they say decay in the teeth can affect your overall health. I certainly found that out.. plus how great to be able to smile widely and not worry about the bad look around my gumline.

That's great. I was wondering how things had been going for you. I have still not found a new dentist. Think I am about a year overdue for a checkup.

Hey thanks for remembering Parador! The last straw was sitting at home on New Year's Eve with terrible pain in my mouth, using whatever tooth pain medication I could get my hands on in the drug store... I decided enough was enough!

I had wondered how you were going Sky, it's good to hear from you.

Well done on getting through it- I'm glad the dentist you saw was good. I think that's half the battle really. Can I say that as far as shame about your teeth goes, it's something that dentists see every single day, so don't feel that you are alone there with that or that you must be the absolute worst patient in the world for it.

Awesome that you have weekends back too- and you're feeling physically better for having gone and having things sorted. I didn't get headaches with my wisdom teeth, but once I had them out I found my jaw didn't feel like it was under so much pressure- it made such a difference.

I'm glad it's gone well and that you managed to have it done- that's an impressive achievement. I found getting my teeth sorted gave me one less thing to be so self-conscious about- and a little bit of a confidence boost.

Hope things continue to look up for you.

LadyDaria, that does sound a little overwhelming about the work you need to have done- I can totally appreciate your reasons for wanting to fight that. I hope that you feel you can do it at some point soon.