General Chat

Ooh! Teresa and Julia! I am in complete sympathy with you!
I have an absolute phobia of dentists now and the older I get the worse it is. Probably 'cos of horrible school dentists back in the 50s! Luckily still have what's left of me teeth, which my dentist is trying to save. Just wish his hygenist wasn't so heavy-handed (had a sore mouth for a week after the last cleaning).
Have another "deep-cleaning" session with her at the end of this month. Ugh!

Well the appointment was cancelled due to the weather, we've had yet more heavy snow here and the roads and pavements are iced up badly after minus 10 last night. Got another appointment on Thursday.

Julia, a lot of it is mindset, but there is still always something behind it. I'm not worried about extractions to be honest, it's fillings and that awful scrape under the gums that bothers me, and that only comes from previous bad experiences.

Good luck Teresa...will be thinking of you. BCXXX

Good luck for tomorrow Teresa .
I've got an impacted wisdom tooth giving me problems at this very moment...........I've been putting off getting it sortd out for several years....perhaps your courage will spur me on .

Teresa, I really think it depends on your mindset! Several years ago I started to lose my top teeth (yes, I'm a smoker and was in my 40's so was told what more could I expect?) I couldn't hang out the washing and hold a peg in my mouth the way others can, I'd gag instead.
I really couldn't cope with having things in my mouth - I would gag whenever the dentist tried to examine my mouth and as to having moulds taken - no way Jose! I spent a fortune having private hypnotherapy treatment just so that they could take the moulds to make my dentures. Eventually I had to give in to wearing dentures because I thought I looked so hideous without them. I've spent a fortune over the years trying to find the right adhesive for me, imported one from Sweden to no benefit. I think you've just got to try them all until you find one which works for you. I still get through one tube per week because my dentures are so small that there isn't the surface area for them to stick properly. However, it is true that if you glue them in then wait 10 - 15 minutes before eating or drinking then you get much better results. I can now eat steak (cut into small pieces) but wouldn't dare try to bite into an apple without cutting it up first. I can also eat ice cream as no longer have teeth that are sensitive to the cold. My husband has offered to pay for me to have implants but the many £000's involved mean I can't justify it.
I don't let him see me without my teeth in but I go to T**co & buy their 3 minute express denture cleaner so I can soak my teeth while washing my face at night. I haven't found anywhere else that does such a quick cleaner.
You do still need to go back to your dentist for regular check ups - both to check your dentures fitting properly but also to check for gum disease.
The plus side of all this is that you no longer get toothache and when people ask if your teeth are your own you can say yes they are, they were made just for you and you paid for them as well!

Good luck tomorrow TW, it will be a new you.

Ann
Glos

It's tomorrow, weather permitting. *gulp*

Thanks for your reply Joanne.
The intervention I had was in early December. The treatment only lasted about an hour but it was the first time after having LA that I was completely numb all down from the top of my nose down through what felt like my upper cheeks and lips. And I still cannot taste properly.
I have to go for another hygenist intervention next month which entails another LA - that's why I'm a bit concerned.
Many thanks for replying to me. Best regards.

I've had one lasting nearly four hours, it seemed to take ages to get the feeling back properly. I suspect it happens if they catch the nerve.

I go a week on Friday...and I'm seriously thinking of telling him to get on with it and take the lot out, not just the top set this time and the bottom set on the next appointment...get it all over and done with.

Hi Jan50
It is possible for an anaesthetic to last over three and half hours. Especially if the LA contains adrenaline. It should start to wear off very soon. Because you are still numb, it upsets the taste buds too.

Joanne xx

To pick up this (dreaded) thread again. Would welcome some advice.
After my couple of (supposedly small) fillings on canine teeth because of gums receding: is it normal for a local aneasthetic (sp!) to take over three and a half hours to wear off? Also, since then I seem to have lost my sense of taste! Anyone out there had this problem?

Teresa it was a GOOD thing lol - when you lose teeth you don't realise that your face (well, your cheeks I suppose) start to sink in a bit, for want of a better expression. Having the falsies filled her out again - she always says that when she looks at pix of herself from just before she had 'em, that she looks as if she'd been dug up pmsl

off to the dentist on tuesday morning - cross everything that she doesn't find anything !!

xxxxxxxx

Morning Uggers.

Obviously I'd much rather have been able to have a perfect set of nice, even white teeth of my own, but I've never had that in my life lol, but yes, it is a relief in a way that I will have a set of dentures and not have to bother with all the other messing about at the dentists.

You're right, those hygeinist treatments are the most evil, malicious ever, almost a form of dental terrorism! *shudders*

Teresa, I almost envy you. I did have a lovely dentist for a few years who made everything much nicer and though the one I have now is fine, it's not the same and I've gone back to being terrified. Smoking means I have to go to the hygenist (sp) which is evil. I think it would be wonderful to have a set of new pearly gnashers and never have to worry again.

My dad got a temporary set put in when he was 21 - was supposed to go back and never has and has managed very well for over 50 years;)

And that's supposed to make it better Joanne??? PMSL

*tuts* at burning flesh. It's burning tooth. Burning gums smell completely different! :)

Joanne x

OMG, Teresa! No wonder you're more than traumatised! Have just been to the dentist myself this week for two fillings on canine teeth that had begun to recede. Not pleasant at all. Just wish all the info on dental hygiene was more well known when I was a kid, then I wouldn't have all the problems I have now.
Good to exchange experiences - glad I'm not the only one who dislikes going to the dentist!

Hah! Lucky you Jan, I didnt' get gas.

I had a rogue tooth came through at the back when I was 10, but it was brittle and broke away in little bits as it came through. But the root was strong and stayed there. When I was 14, it developed an abcess, and my face swelled up, and I was in so much pain. After the penicillin, he decided to take the root out. he didn't cut the gum, he mashed it. I had no gas, just one small injection and I could still feel every single thing. No stitches after either, my poor mouth was a right mess for days, and my face was bruised.

Yet the funny thing is, it's not extractions that worry me, it's that beddy big drill they use for fillings, the one that always smells like burning flesh. *shudders*

Not for me now, no more...ever! I made up my mind 10 years ago to refuse any further fillings, enough was enough.

After reading these four "pages" I am happy to know I am not alone with a) dread of the dentist, b) gum problems and c) not knowing what to do! My dental phobia began with the school dentist who was a "butcher" (not that he was in those days,maybe!) - no anaesthetic for fillings and for tooth extraction the dreaded gas to knock you out completely! Ugh!

OMG *goes greyer*

How did it change the shape of her face? Is that a good thing?