My hubby has been in horrible pain since Friday night. He has a bad tooth that is causing pain up to his ear and down into his neck and jaw. We tried finding someone to see him on Saturday but no one will do that any more. Sad. But his dentist did call in some pain meds. We were able to get in Monday to see the doctor but the tooth has so much decay that it is right into the nerve and cannot be saved which means he has to see a specialist to pull it. That meant another day and night of suffering. He has not slept in 48 hours now. We are able to get him in this morning and they should be able to pull it. The bad part is that he has terrible anxiety along with a fear of dentists so this whole weekend and yesterday has been a stressful, horrible pain filled time for him and me. Watching someone suffer like that is hard.
Do you have a fear of the dentist? Are you good at going on a regular basis so any issues are caught early on? We knew that the tooth has to be fixed, but like everything else, money is always an issue when you don’t have dental insurance. Ugh.
I worked for an oral surgeon for 12 years. Unfortunately, the anxiety usually stems from a childhood trauma. As adults, patients wait until the pain is so bad that they have to go to the dentist, which makes for another unpleasant experience. A vicious cycle. Regular appointments make things much easier. I hope your husband is doing well.
Thanks for all of your thoughts, prayers and well wishes. It did not go well at all. We ended up going to 2 different dentists yesterday alone. – I had to call off from one of my classes which I am sure my students enjoyed.. but not me. The specialist could not pull it as the infection in there was still really bad. After 5 shots, home he went with a different antibiotic med and hopes for a better result when he goes back. At least the pain has receded and he has been sleeping for a long time! Fingers crossed for the next appointment that all will be well.
My experience is that the pain does get better as the antibiotics take effect. I hope that’s true for your poor husband in this case. Good luck to both of you.
I am so sorry. I hope your husband is feeling better after some sleep and less pain. Fingers are crossed and prayers said for a better next appointment where he can find some relief from the pain and stress.
I am weird. I love the dentist. Weird also that i read this and am leaving for a root canal in 15 minutes.
Hope hubby is ok, he’ll feel a LOT better afterwards.
BTW the last time I had my teetybcleaned I fell asleep! My dentist says I’m one of his best patients. 🙂
You are one of the lucky ones! Hope it goes well!
I don’t have dental anxiety-in fact I love going to the dentist. I do havehair salon anxiety though because the thought of spending all that time in the chair for HAIR ticks me off…anyway, I can still relate to your husband’s situation as m step-daughter has bad teeth and was withiut insurance for years. She did not grow up learning basic dental care and paid for it literally and figuratively. She is only 38 and thinking of giving up altogether and getting implants or dentures which she can now get subsidized since she now has insurance.
Congratulations to the 2 winners.
I an always anxious before I go to the dentist. The sound of the drill freaks me out. I am not as scared before extractions, etc. which I have experienced. Unfortunately my teeth have always had cavities. I found out that my mouth has 1000x the normal bacteria amount , so now I used a special mouthwash for that.
Honestly, I have such a severe dentist phobia that I was afraid to click on this post to read it. I can tell you that nitrous oxide does not relive the anxiety, it just adds another layer (because then you’re high and scared, not just scared). The last dentist I went to offered a pill that was supposed to put you out of it and remove your memory of it, but afterwards, I found it it cost about $150 extra that insurance doesn’t cover, and it didn’t do all it was promised to, either. Just writing this, I have tears in my eyes. I’m now at the point where I need to have all my teeth pulled for dentures, but instead, I just stay home and avoid people because my mouth is so bad but facing the procedure is just too much.
I wish your husband the best. I really feel for him. The good news with something like that is that there is an end to it.
Anne, maybe they didn’t turn the nitrous up high enough? Most of my patients were giggling while I did root planing on them, which is VERY uncomfortable. Or perhaps you are one of the few who are resistant to it. So sorry you’ve had bad experiences….it hurts to read that you have tears just thinking of all this. (((HUGS))) and good wishes your way!
Thanks for your kind words, Sandy. I’ve had nitrous at different dentists at different concentrations, and I always have an underlying panic, no matter how much or how little they use or how high I get from it. I don’t know what I’m going to do; I’d like to go completely under and have it all done at once, but I have respiratory issues that might complicate the anesthesia. So I just keep putting it off. 🙁
Oh that is terrible! I am so sorry. I feel for you.
I am so sorry. My mouth and heart ache for him. My daughter has had a lot of oral surgeries and issues and being in pain feels unbearable. Watching someone go through that is tough too. I hope they get him in soon and his recovery is quick. Hopefully, the specialist will be able to ease some of his fears. It would be nice if they had some music or TV show going to try to distract him, but he may be in too much pain to care. Dental phobias…not just anxiety but true fear….is real. I hope your dentist has dealt with this before and is sensitive to it. Prayers and well wishes for your husband and strength for you.
I hate going to the dentist, too. I had a tooth that had to be pulled like that, and was sooo scared, as I didn’t want to be put to sleep or have gas, and it was a back molar. However, it was soo easy, I didn’t realize he had pulled it out, it didn’t hurt at all, not like fillings, that can hurt. Dental can be very expensive, most ppl don’t carry it anymore, and even if you have coverage, it doesn’t cover much.
There are dentists, especially oral surgeons, that will put him out for this. (with an IV). Because there is so much infection in the area, the pH is changed, and that makes it difficult to attain sufficient local anesthesia for an extraction. Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is another option, along with local anesthesia – it gets you quite high, and all anxiety is gone; nitrous oxide does not “put you to sleep” – just gets you high as a kite, where you don’t worry about anything.
I’m surprised you couldn’t find anyone to see him right away. Oral surgeons usually set aside time for emergencies in the schedule. The lack of dental insurance is definitely a problem, though, although many oral surgeons will allow you to arrange a payment schedule.
Hope all goes well – the best thing for the future, though, in dealing with your husband’s phobia (and it is quite common!), is to arrange for him to see a dentist on a regular basis who will administer nitrous oxide for all appointments, including cleanings.
I am a retired dental hygienist and have seen it all. (((HUGS))) and good wishes going hubby’s way. Please, Chris, post and let us know how it went, ok? Good luck!!!