You need to get to the dentist. Yeah, it might hurt a little when you get the shot to deaden the area, but it's going to get worse if you don't go. You certainly don't want it to get abscessed or to the point where you'll need a root canal, those are extremely painful I've heard. You must get that cavity filled. Don't worry about what the dentist will think of you. Get in there and get your teeth taken care of.I havent been to the denist in a long time and i have a tooth that has a bad cavity, please give me advice?
If this is a wisdom tooth, have it extracted. If it can be saved save it. I tell my patients that if this is the only tooth in this condition, face it and pay to save it. If you do not, you can expect adjacent teeth, both upper and lower, to shift their positions and create new dental problems in the future. The vast majority of dental procedures do not have anywhere near the pain factor people associate with fixing teeth. You should be wary of other's opinion of pain-it is highly subjective and many times used by the ';well meaning'; to get a rise out of you. It gives them power over you. Use this episode of dental neglect to learn, once and for all, what causes such dental calamities. If you are afraid of what others might think (your guilt), including the dentist, you will pay heavily in life. It will not be just teeth that you will lose with this philosophy. Chronic inflammation, which you have, has been linked to higher rates of coronary heart disease. You must learn from this and teach prevention to your children so they will never experience what you now are. No other animal on this planet gets tooth decay and they do not brush, floss or see the dentist in the wild. This is a valuable hint. I can't get into every detail here. I hope you can tell I am a straight shooter. What I am telling you is the truth and because I have nothing to gain by telling you this you better know it is the truth. Ask questions of your dentist or hygienist they will be most enthusiastic to see someone highly motivated. We see so little of this. One more thing and then I'll stop proselytizing, Using the dentist when you are in pain, though necessary, is using the dentist butt backwards. See one at least once a year for a check-up and take care of pathology (fillings) within 45 days. You will have no guilt and your dental bill will be as low as it can be. If you smoke, find out if it contributes to dental disease. It does. If you are really serious about prevention you will do as I say, if not expect more of the same in your life. I see the latter all too often in spite of giving this speech you have just read. This is not about giving you warm fuzzies, it is about shaking you up so you can become the person you need be to prevent. I tell my patients I want them to convert to the dental religion with its rituals and ceremonies (brushing and flossing correctly) and to observe its dietary laws (no sugar--carbohydrates). It is possible to win the dental war, but only if you convert.
This is exactly why I haven't been to a dentist since I was 18! (I'm now 26).
I was also worried about what they would say to me. I didn't want to be judged because I haven't had any money all these years, it hurt to brush my teeth, and I have naturally BAD teeth (thanks mom, dad, and doctors when I was a kid...).
Right as I'm typing this, I can honestly tell you that my teeth are so bad, I can barely chew anything. I think its affected my throat somehow (indirectly?) because if I try to eat anything TOO solid (like meat, even ground, or veggies) its almost hard to swallow. And I can't eat sweets very often because it causes a lot of pain. And I can't have too hot or too cold because that causes a lot of pain, also.
I have to eat a lot of softer foods... which doesn't bother me a lot because I'm no fan of meat, but I do miss some things like cold cereals.
I've also lost a lot of weight. I was borderline anorexic, I think, until a month or two ago when I finally found enough different types of food I can eat. And trust me, us skinny people get more **** about our weight than heavier people (from what I've noticed). You DON'T want that added to your existing stress.
I found a dentist earlier this year, went to them... they were not very nice. The dentist lady DID judge me. She asked me if I knew why my teeth were so bad. I told her I'm sure it was partially my fault because I haven't brushed for 2 years (because of PAIN) but that I just naturally have bad teeth. But I have a feeling she wasn't really listening to me.
I found out later that my friends (who drove me to the appointment) overheard everyone in the office making fun of me and laughing at my expense. The whole building could hear except me. So this made me feel worse.. between all that and the price they quoted me just to CLEAN my teeth, I was contemplating suicide.
So a handful of months went by and I found myself in extreme, unbearable pain. It started in one tooth and 2 days later it felt like every tooth in the right side of my mouth was infected and SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER. It got to the point where I couldn't tell which tooth it was originating from and I had the shakes.
So I FINALLY got into a dentist I had wanted to get to before, but they weren't accepting new patients at that time... but now they are. I'm SO glad I went there! They took me in right away. They specialize in nervous patients. When the aide took x-rays, he was very quick and nice about it, told me what he was going to do first, etc, and only x-rayed the part that hurt. This process was not at all painful.
The dentist lady was very kind and soothing, very understanding. She listened to my woes and looked in my mouth VERY carefully. I was 110% sure that she was going to poke a metal hook into all my holy teeth, but she only LOOKED and she was very gentle about it.
Something I was very nervous about was swallowing pills because I knew I'd have to take antibiotics and pain pills. I told her I have problems swallowing pills most of the time, and asked if she could please prescribe me liquids. She did with no problem!
The best part though was... she told me that whenever they do anything to me (that day was just a look-see) they were going to give me a pill that would make me practically sleep through it. AND THEN she said that they can crush it up and put it under my tongue and it'll dissolve and work just fine that way.
SHE REMEMBERED, like 10 minutes later, that I have a problem with pills! I told her right then and there that I loved her :) She really is on my side.
Long story short, DON'T LET IT GET OUT OF HAND, especially if you have naturally bad teeth like I do! My friends keep telling me how far the world of dentistry has gone and its no longer a medieval torture session... the pills are expensive $135 for two, spendier than the procedure they're gonna do on me on Tuesday) but it'll be worth it.
Use your gut instincts about the dentist and the place. You don't have to go with the first place you walk into. If you don't like them, find somebody else. You may get judged, and its hard, but if I can do it, me with my rotting teeth, you can do it :)
With a good dentist you shouldn't feel any pain.
Explain that you have a fear of dental work, and that's what kept you away.
Always remember that your teeth aren't getting fixed if you're NOT GOING to the dentist.
Well you need to suck it up and go or it's just going to get worse.The pain is not that bad,they numb everything up.The pain you will feel from an infection will be much worse.If they ask why you haven't been to one in a while,just tell them it's because the last one you had was really mean,and your hoping you picked a nicer one this time.That usually makes them a little more inderstanding.
Hey there! I understand 100% where you're coming from. I went to the dentist for the first time in 9 years on May '07. I had a bad dentist (9 years ago) that made my fears so bad. I was yelled at for not flossing and that he wouldn't fill my cavities with my not flossing...whatever! After a long suffering broken tooth (two+ years), I knew that it was best just to get it over with and see a dentist. I asked my friends and family about a good dentist, I finally settled with my mother's dentist. Let me tell you something about that -- it was AMAZING! Find a good dentist that will treat you as a GUEST! My broken tooth (back bottom molar) was badly damaged, which had a 50-50 chance of a root canal (Spendy!). I'm a very lucky man to have such a wonder dentist that cared and saved my tooth from a root canal. That tooth now has a gold crown! I had three cavities as well. Not bad for never going to the dentist! Now, onto the pain. The only pain that I had was the SMALL prick from the needle and soreness after drilling. Pain now-a-days in this field are next to none. My dentist used a powerful numbing gel BEFORE using the needle. Saves A LOT of pain. The drilling is not painful at all, and that drill was just fractions of an inch from my nerve (where the crown is). Now, don't worry at all about money, pain, or the dentist. Find a good one, get your butt taken care of, and have a happy life after that. It's not a big deal and it was an amazing pleasure to get taken care of. My health greatly improved after the work and I love taking care of my ';new'; teeth! GOOD LUCK!
P.S. You can check my history on the questions I asked about my own ordeal about this subject. I do hope you the best!
Girl I've been there! Trust me, the pain you're enduring now is wayyy worse than what you'll encounter at a dentist. They have great technology now and the pain is very minimal.
They also have seen all kinds of patients...and they know most avoid going to the dentist! I hadn't seen one in years and finally broke down and saw mine. I was so embarassed and he chuckled and said ';well your teeth look great...just one little cavity but we'll clear that up';. He was really great.
Don't let any dentist or doctor make you feel stupid or foolish for not coming in sooner. You finally are getting it taken care of, and showing your health is a priority. Now go get it taken care of... you don't want more teeth problems in the future!
I'm with the rest. Get to the dentist. I know they suck. My early dealings with dentists were VERY traumatic to say the least. Making you feel ashamed because you were a human being and not a robot shame on them to do so to a small child who tried. Unluckily for me I was cursed withs oem bad genetics that tore up my teeth really bad despite all the brushing and flossing. To those who are wondering, no I am not a meth head. I have no need to induce a false chemically induced euphoria. If I am to be euphoric it must be genuine. My wife and children are my euphoria. Anyhow, alot of dental stuff is genetic believe it or not. Anyway it was well over 10 years since I'd seen a dentist for anything, mostly due to cost, I had no insurance most of the time. When I was lucky enough to have a job with decent pay and good benefits I didn't have the time to see a dentist. Well luckily enough I finally just got into a dentist. Sadly though, when the request for authorization for my dentures went in, they were authorized, but 2 days later my insurance canceled on me. So while the request was approved it is a moot point, because by the time I would need to be fitted for the dentures and then pick them up later, I won't have the insurance. Technically they still legally have to pay for them, but without the lawyer I'm pretty much hosed. If i had the money for legal counsel I'd have the money for dentures. Thankfully though the cancelation effective date was dated AFTER my scheduled extraction. It was just supposed to be the rears, but since my insurance was canceling, and I said I was ok with it, for health reasons we removed ALL my of teeth. Not a single one was salvagable. I told the dentist since my isnurance is being canceld if you wanna take them all go for it. I didn't know he actually did until after I got the gauze out. I didn't feel a thing when he removed the front teeth. Only a few times did he have to reinforce the anesthetic, but that stuff wears off on me VERY quickly. Most of it doesn't even work. He was very good and told me that if I felt any pain whatsoever just raise my hand and he would stop immediately. True to his word he did. When I was younger it was basically this is what you get and if it hurts, tough, deal with it. If you have the means to do so now, then DO IT! Get your teeth fixed. Alot of people and organizations consider dental work to be 100% PURELY cosmetic and support for dental procedures is dropping. Most insurance now is nothing more then a 20% discount, which is about the same as you are paying for the insurance, so in the end you are paying the same price. If you can do it now then by all means. If you are going to have real issues calming down in the dentists office, they will probably give you a mild sedative then numb you up. The stuff they used on me was provocaine, and lemme tell you, on some of them he was digging. He went way past the drilling point with the tools, and was prying and digging, and I never felt a thing. So believe me, as far as pain goes for dental work, that is one area where a good dentist has you covered. If you have the option have an Oral Surgeon do the work, they have access to MUCH better anesthetic. Again DO IT NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN. I was terrified until I realized he was working on tooth number 4, then I was like oh this don't hurt and I relaxed. Until then my blood pressure was WAY up. I'm the biggest woosy for tooth pain. If I can do it, you can do it.
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