Ugh, my mouth is a mess. I need help!?

I have a major dentist phobia. I have bad luck with them.





So here I sit, with two root canals that both were never capped and the teeth are broken and decaying. I have many, many cavities. (Bad teeth run in my family.)





I have no idea how a dentist will treat these root canals and after my last try I'm totally freaked out!





Ugh...and I'm afraid my insurance won't cover a lot of it. Guess I'm just looking for people with words of advice and/or words of encouragement. =(





Thank you...





~amy

Ugh, my mouth is a mess. I need help!?
Amy. . . I know just how you feel. I had a root canal that wasn't capped, crooked teeth, I hate the taste of toothpaste (so I didn't brush), a shallow gag reflex (flossing was out), and I just simply HATE the smell of a dentists office. Bad teeth also run in my family.





Well, it all caught up with me. My mouth was worse than what you are describing. I swallowed my pride (which was the only thing I could swallow without chewing) and walked into a dentist. I told him my story and my phobia of dentists.





He was really good, prescribed some codine to take before I went in, was very carefull and allowed me to use the walkman. Unfortunately for me, it was to late. I ended up having to have all my upper teeth pulled and now wear dentures. I am only 40 years old.





Besides, dentists are professionals, and I am sure that they have seen the worste. You may feel bad for not doing this sooner, but they will understand.





Please, don't end up like me. You only get this one set of teeth and they need to be taken care of. Trust me, if you do this, and have the work done, you will feel much better about yourself and will find that you smile more, have a better outlook on life and you will be able to eat properly. I still have some difficulty chewing and am not able to enjoy things like corn-on-the-cob, or eat hard bread sandwiches (and I really love french bread for sandwiches).
Reply:amy, try using motuh rinse(listerine) or brush 3 minutes(twice a day) and also, floss. then, e-mail me for the results.
Reply:dont worry about what your mouth looks like, the only thing that makes you beautiful is your personality. Dont worry about what you look like! KK Don't worry





Kayla
Reply:1-800- dentist may be able to help you also take 5 motrons thats what i do and its like taking vicadin it helps with any pain you may have just give it time to work
Reply:If you have dental phobia, you should have brushed and flossed better to avoid this trouble. Do what I do, go into the dentist with a very loud iPod or similar, and blast Joe Satriani or other loud rock music so you don't hear the drill. Grit and go for it, cause your teeth are only going to get worse unless you get this taken care of.
Reply:Amy,


You only get one set of permanent teeth and once they are gone, they are gone. Call around to various offices and explain your situation. Keep doing this until you find a place that makes you feel comfortable. Then go.





If you have infections in your teeth or gums they can spread throughout your body. More than just your teeth is at stake here.
Reply:Don't worry so much. It's hard, but just trust your dentist. Going through lots of pain in a few minutes will be better than the eternal pain of leaving your teeth to decay.





My best advice is to calm down and ask your dentist what he'll be doing during this process. He'll give you answers and hopfully it will make you feel better.
Reply:DO see a doctor or dentist before taking as much pain medicine as user cgn19802001 suggests. While pain medicine is very helpful, long term usage of any type is very dangerous.


You say your last try with a dentist totally freaked you out. DO take the extra effort to go find another dentist. There definitely are good ones out there. Check who your friends use, or which ones are located in a more public area, such as a mall. I've discovered dentists accustomed to working with the public more regularly on a customer-service level may have a tendency to have better skills at being sensitive to their patient.


Good luck and don't give up!!
Reply:I'd go see a dentist soon, try and cope with the fear, you may have gum disease or something and you definetly don't want your teeth to be worked on in the hospital. I hate the dentist too.
Reply:My son had the same problem...we found a dentist who specializes in people with phobias. He gave my son a sedative ahead of time...it took two sessions of two hours each, my son was asleep the whole time. It worked for him. Look for a dentist who specializes in this kind of dentistry.
Reply:you don't mention what your financial situation is, but I have recently heard radio commercials for 'sedation dentistry' where they apparently give you a light anestisia, and can do most if not all the work in a single session, but I would expect it would be very expensive, and you would need to make sure someone else could drive you home.