Posted by writeradmin
I grew up without going to the dentist. My parents weren’t neglectful. They tried but there just wasn’t enough money to go around. We had food, clothing, and lots of love. I recently finished college and was hired at a really good company that has dental insurance and had my very first dental appointment. It was awful. Everything the dentist and his assistant or hygienist (I don’t have them straight yet) did hurt. I was crying by the end of the appointment. He just didn’t seem to care about the pain he was causing. Then, the dentist told me that I have two cavities and I need to come back and get the decay removed. I don’t think I can do it. I want healthy teeth but that was the worst experience of my life. What will happen if I leave the cavities?
Sandy
Dear Sandy,
What a way to get introduced to dental care. I am sorry for the experience you had. It sounds like you really took great care of your teeth because you only had two cavities even though you’d never been to a dentist, so well done! I don’t know what dentist you went to, but some are more gentle than others. Also, if you were crying he or she should have stopped and figured out what was going on so that could have been a less traumatic experience for you.
I would not leave the cavities. Before you panic, though, I want to tell you that there is a way to take care of them without any pain. I just want you to understand how important it is you do deal with them first. Your decay will continue to eat away at the tooth. At some point, you will develop an infection. This will cause you even more pain and turn into a dental emergency. Tooth infections do spread. That means it can leave your jaw and reach your heart or brain, both of which are close to your teeth.
Pain Free Dental Care
I am going to suggest, when you get these cavities dealt with, that you go to someone who offers dental sedation options. Given your recent experience, I would recommend that you use oral conscious sedation. This will be administered with a pill. However, it is STRONG. So strong that you will need someone to drive you to and from your dental appointments as well as stay with you for a few hours after the appointment until you are lucid and steady on your feet. This medicine will relax you so much that you be able to sleep through your appointment if you want to.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.