Mojo request for a dental appt

[lhafer]

Okay. I brush my teeth at least twice a day. I floss periodically (I really need to be better at doing this). I have been pretty good about getting my teeth cleaned (but was bad after this last pregnancy - waited about a year). Tomorrow I have a dentist appt to do the following:

Fill 7 cavities
Replace a crown
Root canal on a different tooth.

I have no idea what's happened (well - I am pretty sure I have GERD and was prescribed a betablocker that increases acid reflux - which in turn can really hurt your teeth)!! I am very scared of the dentist and always have been. I won't be able to get sedation because someone had to be able to stay with me during the appt. My DH can't - he has to watch our kids, and no family lives near by. And I have a saturday appt so DH can watch the kids. He just took 2 weeks off for a staycation - and I wasn't able to get an appt before now (and I wasn't expecting so much to be wrong!).

They can only do saturday appts once a month. I figured I need to get it all done - might as well get it done at once and be done.

I've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth cut out using a local, and a root canal using a local. So it shouldn't be that terrible. But I am scared none-the-less. I've never been to the dentist and had Nitrous or any type of sedation. I was really hoping I could have used it for this appt.

[Melaine]

I'm sorry....that's a lot of work! My advice is to take an ipod....preferably with soothing or "happy" music. That makes a big difference in helping me relax. Hope it goes more smoothly than you expect.

[lhafer]

thanks. I will do that! They said it will take at least 3 hours.

[Melaine]

I have had cavity, crown and root canal all done this year too. It isn't as bad as I expected and the tooth pain I was experiencing (for weeks) was SO much worse. Just try to relax and I bet it won't be as long or as difficult as you imagine.
I told my dentist I was going to listen to my ipod and that they needed to touch my arm or hand if they needed to get my attention. Then I just tried to sort of zone out and closed my eyes as much as possible (I put calm music like Enya on my ipod!).

I totally understand where you are coming from, as I have generalized anxiety disorder and medical/dental stuff certainly pushes all the wrong buttons for me. Just realize that your anxiety will almost certainly be the worst part (at least it always is for me). Good luck!

[cntrymoon2]

I know this is not the advice you're looking for, but after reading your story I HAD to post and share mine! My advice is GET A SECOND OPINION!!!!!! I have a great oral hygiene/health background- maybe 1 or 2 cavities in my adult teeth total, until I was 24. I was just about to go off of my parents insurance because I was getting married and had put off a dental visit for 18 months- I knew I needed to get it done before my insurance ran out. I went to a dentist I knew very little about because the scheduling was easier. The verdict- 14 cavities, and drilling in every tooth!! I had never before skipped cleanings, and the dentist told me this was clearly a result of skipping 2 cleanings. She drilled my mouth to smithereens. I had NO idea dentists might drill teeth that don't need to be drilled. NO IDEA. I thought it was like going to a dr- they're not going to do unnecessary surgery to make a buck, right?!
I had tooth pain for years after. Excruciating. I was on narcotic pain pills to get through my wedding and honeymoon. I had to sleep with ice packs on my face for months. I found a different dentist who looked at the x-rays and HAD A FIT. He said he would have drilled in 1 or 2 spots- that there is no way I had all those cavities. The current dentist I'm seeing agrees- there was a maximum of 2 cavities in my mouth at the time.
I will spend the rest of my life having root canals to replace the unnecessary fillings she did.
I only tell you this horror story because if your current dental "diagnosis" doesn't jive with past dental history- PLEASE get it checked out by a 2nd dr. It is worth the inconvenience in scheduling to not ruin your teeth forever!!

[Indianamom2]

I can so sympathize. I will never ever completely get over my fear of the dentist....which really stinks because that fear keeps me from going, which in turn makes each visit worse.

I just went last Saturday and had a debridement (not a lot of fun) and two small cavities filled. That means all my molars have cavities because I have "groovy" teeth. Great!

I will say that you absolutely CAN have Nitrous Oxide without having someone with you. There are no lasting side effects (unless it doesn't work with some medicine you're taking). I do it every time because I wouldn't make it through the appointment otherwise.

I do think I'd agree that you might want a second opinion...that seems like a lot of new issues.

I also think you might want to actually break up the procedures if you do indeed end up having all the work done. Your jaw is going to hurt worse than anything else, just from having to keep your mouth open so long. I decided long ago that I would stay much longer than 2-3 hours in the dentist chair because the jaw pain lasted for weeks....far worse than any tooth pain.

Good luck. I have another appt. on June 1st....YUCK!

[lhafer]

Unfortunately - this is the second opinion! I changed dentists (I loved my old one) because it's just too far away to be convenient. She's 45 minutes from me - for 1 appt, that's 1.5 hours of driving to/from the appt + appt time.

My old dentist told me about most of the cavities. I held off. She did try to fill one, but it was REALLY deep and she said it wasn't sure it would be enough. The xrays showed the filling almost going to the nerve/root. The crown is old and in need of replacing.

Unfortunately this isn't new news. I just don't want to do it all at once - but have to get it done.

And it's their policy to have someone there with the patient under sedation for medical consent reasons.

[lmh2402]

and mojo coming your way

you can do it - it will be over before you know it

[Melbel]

Sending more prayers, positive thoughts and MOJO your way. I hope that everything goes smoothly tomorrow!

[bubbaray]

P&PT and mojo for you!