Im sorry if this post is long..
I have been chronically ill with Lyme Disease for 15 yrs. I have always had bad teeth. It seems to run in my family. Both my parents had bad teeth as does my brother. No matter how much money was spent nothing ever helped..
Every damn time I have gone to the dentist since I"m a little girl I have been hurt. One time almost killed. My dental experiences started as a 6 yrs with a cavity.. Too bad the dentist filled a tooth that didn't have a cavity, meaning he filled the wrong tooth. One that had no cavity.. That much I can remember.. Then there was a root canal when I was 8 and the doctor burned the inside of my mouth while doing it, ofcourse 1 yr later it all fell out..
After that point I dont remember going to the dentist much. When I was 21 I decided to get all my teeth fixed. Things went well until the day the doctor put some stuff in my mouth to help stop the bleeding and it made my heart race so fast my heart almost blew up. That was the last time I was at the dentist.
I am now 35 and my mouth is a king size mess. Most of my teeth are broken and will have to be pulled out.. Not that there's many left.
Now just tonight one of my front teeth broke off and I only have one front tooth left. It feels horrible and looks even worse.
I am SO embaressed and scared at this moment I dont know what to do. I know I will need to get something done but I am petrified. Just reading these posts about people going to the dentist and having things done has me in tears from fear. I also have severe anxiety disorder and dont know what I"m going to do..
I have to go to the MD this week because I"ve just come down with the flu ontop of everything else and Im scared to go because of how I look..
Any advice? HELP! :(

Robyn,
Huggs to you! I know just how you feel!
I too am petrified of the dentist. I have not however gone thru the mess that you have. When you go to the MD, explain to them what happened in the past and about your anxiety. I would think the doc may be able to prescribe something to help you with your anxiety when you go to the dentist. Also make sure the dentist you go to knows about the problems you have had in the past. Many dentists now a days cater to people that have anxiety issues with seeing them.

I know what it is like to have probs with the front tooth. I had a filling in the back of mine & it fell out. I had a huge "field goal" between my teeth. I did not have dental insurance and I did not have the "cash" to go to the dentist. In the meen time I went around smiling with my mouth closed or spoke with my hand in front of my mouth. Prolly looked like a dork, but I did not want anyone to see my teeth. I got married looking like that! My hubby made an appt for me at the dentist the week following our wedding to get it take care of because he knew how bad it bothered me. He went along & held my hand as well. Do you have a friend, boyfriend, hubby , etc ....someone who could go with you for moral support?

Good Luck to you! Let us know how things turn out.

~Breny :angel:

hi robyn
i am so sorry to hear of all that you have been through. i too saw some dodgy dentists when i was a child, who filled many of my teeth that didnt need filling, and left my teeth weak and prone to break - have had 5 teeth break on me so far. But we need to look towards the future, and try to remain positive.
one thing is for certain, you must get rid of/deal with any infected teeth in your mouth, as infected teeth (infected either thru decay, cavities or fractures) can make you feel dreadfully ill and affect your general health - I speak from experience.
then once your mouth is healthy, you can then consider your next step - whether that be dentures/implants. you are young, and implants might be a good investment (even if you have to get a loan to pay for them).
good luck

:wave: i cant say it you said it all!!!!!my god its all most like we have the same mouth ,,,,well iam going friday at 4 , i have to do it i dont even like talking so i feel what your feeling, im getting them all out, well what is left,iam afraid but i cant take it no more, sweetie just get them out, i have cryed many times,lets get some new teeth together, god bless you, i will think of you friday :bouncing:

Oh Robyn dear, you are not alone on this one. I am so scared of the dentist too. I'm 22 years old and had a root canal done in the summer. It was my first cavity EVER, can you believe that? I have really bad panic attacks and anxiety too. I didn't sleep at all the night before my appointment. Maybe 2 hours. I was crying all night and so scared. My fiancee took the day off work to come to the appointment with me and was allowed to stay in the room. That helped so much! I get scared going to the doctor too. Maybe you have a friend you can take with you next time? It helps me so much to have my fiancee there, he makes me laugh and keeps me calm.

Best of luck to you. I will keep you in my toughts. :)