I'm a wuss...

[badger]

the amount of money I (and my parents as I was growing up) have spent on my mouth would buy me a castle in Nepal.

I've had so much work done on my teeth over the years I just simply don't get nervous anymore. I used to have horrible panic attacks and I remember stopping the dentist at a crucial moment during one of my crowns because I was having an "oh my god, I'm dying!" attacks.

Ativan helped me for years until I simply became de-sensitized. I went so much that it really doesn't bother me anymore.

[Lesley_x]

I have dry mouth so I routinely have fillings/crowns etc. The only thing I cannot stand is anything messing with my gag reflex, like impressions. I would rather have a tooth pulled than need a full impression of my upper jaw. I can take injections, extractions, fillings with little fuss.

And this is coming from someone who is a dentist herself...

Being 'afraid' of the dentist is totally normal. Think about how much your personal space is invaded and it's no wonder we often feel threatened.

[OakLeaf]

I love my dentist. He does really good work, I barely feel a thing, and on the rare occasion that I ask for another shot or a break, he responds immediately. He always gives me a topical before the shot, although I don't strictly need that.

Crowns don't do anything for my appearance though, since I brux too much to get porcelain ones (the whole reason my "real" teeth are crumbling). More gold in my grin every year or two.

DH had some bad childhood experiences and won't go near the dentist, and his teeth are terrible. He had to have a couple of extractions several years ago and never went back for a bridge or implants (even though the extractions went really well, he was able to find a dentist who would sedate him and I made sure he started taking the pain pills before either the sedation or the local wore off. But like anything, one bad childhood experience has a whole lot more effect on the psyche than any number of good adult experiences.

Glad you made it through.

[indysteel]

I used to hate going to the dentist, but now it doesn't bother me in the least thanks to a very kind dentist and her staff. My parents have horrible teeth (peridontal disease), so I made a commitment to try to take care of mine. I've also had braces since October of 2007. I had some extractions in September and since then--in an effort to get them off as soon as possible--I see my orthodontist every two weeks. So, I'm used to regular pain and discomfort at this point. Since getting the braces, I see my dentist every four months just to get a good cleaning. I love everyone in the office so much that I look forward to it. Weird, huh?

[maillotpois]

It seems the new filling is "just supposed to hurt" for 8 weeks?! I can't breathe through my mouth without it hurting (or brush with my electric toothbrush).

Totally not ok.

[SheFly]

V - I had to go for 2 fillings this week, and like you, stressed over it. I HATE the dentist (even though mine is very good and I have been going to him for 10 years). I had to have one top and one bottom filling, both in the back - a problem for someone with a bad gag reflex.

I got the topical first, and then the top shot, which was fine. With the bottom shot though, I thought I was going to DIE! It really hurt, but did numb me instantly. thirty minutes later, I was out the door, but numb for 2.5 hours afterwards!

I went for a ride, but couldn't eat or drink anything with half my mouth not working... I kept it short.

Good for another 100K miles now, or at least until my next cleaning.

SheFly

[Blue_Fedora]

My filling replacement didn't go well. It's a little filling - thankfully, no crown. But we discovered that the sedative they gave me to take the edge off wires me. And I have really sensitive teeth.

It seems the new filling is "just supposed to hurt" for 8 weeks?! I can't breathe through my mouth without it hurting (or brush with my electric toothbrush). I tried to make the point that I needed something better just waiting for exercise because breathing hard HURTS (can't they coat it or something?), but they said just tape a bag over my nose to warm up the air (I am NOT kidding).

Time for (another) new dentist.

I discovered I was allergic to Lidocaine during my endodontic work. I had no idea that the incredible, crack-fiend-like intense itching as it was wearing off meant I was allergic to the stuff. Good Lord was that itching just awful.

As for the fact that you can't breathe through your mouth without it hurting that is a real problem and if you have not mentioned that specific problem to the dental staff, you definitely should. If you have and it wasn't addressed beyond "that's just how it is" I would find a new dental office. I had the same experience with two of my incisors that were crowned. They were not root canal'd but as you know with crowns they have to remove a LOT of your existing tooth. The fact that inhaling air-temperature air through my mouth was causing excruciating pain in those two teeth was an indicator that what was left of the exiting tooth was waaaay too close to the nerve (not enough protecting it). I opted to have both incisors root canal'd thru the crown to remediate the situation.

Definitely, definitely, definitely take action to have the "can't breathe through my mouth without it hurting" problem resolved. It's not normal and I know just how painful that is for you.

HUGS!

[Biciclista]

yeah, I agree with Blue Fedora. Sounds like you need a root canal. This happened to me recently we replaced an old cracked crown (that wasn't bothering me a BIT!) they put the temp on and my tooth just started throbbing, day and not. Not badly, but always there. The Dentist said this happens sometimes and the only cure is to kill that nerve.

I get a kick out of root canals. I have a cute young endodontist, he uses all kinds of really strange tiny saws and things, there's no pain at all... it's not like it used to be..

[ny biker]

However, I'm STILL such a big wuss that despite knowing how accommodating this dentist is and how pain-free my visits to him can be, I refuse to go back in for check ups.

One lesson I've learned the hard way: when it comes to teeth and heat pumps, if you don't have the pros do maintenance every six months, it will cost you big bucks down the road. And with teeth you get physical pain on top of financial pain.

Whereas going for a cleaning every six months hardly hurts at all.

I love my dentist. He's geographically inconvenient but worth the trip. He's also the only medical person I've ever been to who went to the same college as me.

[Blueberry]

I'm going to give it a little while to see if it calms down. According to my dentist, it is a very shallow filling and shouldn't be that close to the nerve. They're surprised it's bothering me, but they said that in a very few cases it does (I did mention air hurting) but they've never had it NOT go away. Maybe I'm just cursed with sensitive tooth nerves? If that's the case, I might have to go the root canal route. Thank God for good dental insurance.

Thankfully, it feels better today than it did last night (and it had been improving from Monday until she had to file it down last night because it was way too rough and causing more problems). I'm OK until I get on the bike - that air flow is too much still. But cold doesn't hurt - go figure. If it isn't better in a week, I'll find someone else to take a look....

Thanks for all the sympathy. Dental issues just suck.

[Veronica]

I'm thrilled that it's not just me who has "dental" issues. Maybe I'm not such a basket case after all.

For the last year I've had my cleanings every two months. I've got some deep pockets in my gums in the back and my hygienist kept threatening me with the oral surgeon. Knowing I'm seeing the hygienist makes me floss. The pockets are better, so we're moving to every three months this year. Yeah, I end up paying out of pocket. But that's what flex spending is for. Plus I realized the other day, my mom got her dentures when she was about my age. I'll pay the dough to keep my teeth for awhile. Gotta keep flossing...

Veronica

[BikingNurse]

OP~ glad it was ok for you yesterday.

Blueberry~ a new or revised filling can actually be sore/tender/bothersome for a bit... but hurt? thats were the line is drawn. It does have to do with getting so close to the nerve and messing around inthere (I used to be a dental assistant before I was in nursing). I've only had one of my own be bothersome for a period of time after it was done again but I know they got close to nerves in that tooth.

also, there seems to be a corelation with those of us with small mouths and being very talkative. hehe

[OakLeaf]

One of my crowns was very sensitive for a good long time. I don't remember now how long, but I'm sure it was at least two months. It did go away eventually.

[snapdragen]

My dentist is awesome, I've been seeing her for about 5 years now. She has this nifty machine in her office that makes crowns, no temporaries needed, and the one I have looks like a real tooth.

Still hate the shots though....

[badger]

Crowns don't do anything for my appearance though, since I brux too much to get porcelain ones (the whole reason my "real" teeth are crumbling). More gold in my grin every year or two.

I have 12 porcelain veneers on my top teeth, and I'm a MAJOR grinder, as in "I've never seen anyone grind so hard" (dentist). I have a special "balanced" grinding guard that was made by a bite specialist that supposedly puts the jaw in such a position that while I still clench, it doesn't stress the teeth or the muscles as much as the regular guards.

It was a stipulation by my dentist that he wasn't going to do the veneers if I didn't get a guard because otherwise I'll crack them (I did crack one, and that's why I had to get the "balanced" guard, which set me back $1000...)