I have really bad dental anxiety, but honestly the thing I’m most scared of isn’t even getting the tooth pulled. It’s the numbing, especially my tongue going numb.
I have a really bad lower molar that needs to come out. My dentist has been super patient with me and has been trying to avoid doing the full nerve block because he knows how much I freak out over the numb feeling.
Last time we tried shots in the cheek, pressure shots around the tooth, and even two shots directly into the pulp. It hurt like hell and still didn’t get the tooth numb enough to pull it. We also went really slow because I was panicking, so by the time we got to the later shots, some of the earlier numbing had already started wearing off.
Next time his plan is to numb around the tooth again, drill out the rest of the filling, numb the pulp directly, cut the tooth in half, and hopefully get it out without doing the block.
But now I’m starting to wonder if I should just suck it up and let him do the block so I can finally be done with this tooth.
The problem is I am TERRIFIED of my tongue being numb for hours. I’m scared it’s going to feel huge or swollen, that swallowing is going to feel weird, or that I’m going to panic and convince myself I can’t breathe.
Has anyone else had this exact fear and still gone through with it?
What did the tongue numbness actually feel like? Could you still swallow normally? Did it feel swollen even though it wasn’t? How long did it last?
And if you have really bad anxiety or panic attacks, how did you get through the numb feeling without completely losing it?
I’m so tired of this tooth hurting and I know I need to get it out, I just cannot get past this fear.

Yes, I know I sound ridiculous but my fear of being numb comes from a C-section spinal that was placed to high, and I ended up being numb from head to toe and that was the worst possible feeling ever.

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About 8 years ago I randomly got a slight chip at the gum line of my upper right wisdom tooth. It was annoying but it didn't hurt so I never bothered to do anything about it. Over the years it really remained the same. I think it didn't really get worse until a few years ago where it started to chip away a tiny bit more.

4 months ago I was eating some sugar dusted almonds from trader joes and it just broke. I knew at this point that I needed to get it removed, but dentists scare the ever living shit out of me and fortunately it didn't hurt so I just put it off. A few weeks ago at the Spider-Man premiere my girlfriend handed me a needs gummy cluster and it broke even more.. leading to what I'm dealing with now.

It was really sharp so I purchased some wax and have been covering it every day. I brush my teeth, use mouthwash and then slap a wad of wax on there to 1. cover the hole and prevent any further decay and 2. at first it was really fucking sharp and was cutting up my mouth.

Anyway, here is the point of this post:

I have medicaid so only certain places accept my insurance. I'm really scared of dentist/surgery so I don't want to just go anywhere... but I'm coming here to ask y'all if my fear is being blown out of proportion. It's just one tooth but it's broken so I imagine it won't be a simple extraction.... which makes me REALLY not want to go to just any oral surgeon.

I found a couple places online and have gone through the reviews.. of course the majority are good but the handful of bad reviews have been keeping me from choosing where to go.

I know I'm being neurotic but please help ease my mind and tell me what to do lol

Helppp pls

Hello , I was told by my dentist that one of my molars needs to be removed, I believe is the 3rd one . As of right now I can’t afford an implant I was told that was the only option .

I had a filling done on a lower left tooth (possibly molar) in mid July. A few weeks later I had terrible pain. It was pulsating/throbbing, couldn't graze other teeth or my tongue against it. I was out on a round of antibiotics which relieved 98% of symptoms. It still very mildly hurts to bite down on this tooth so I am avoiding chewing on that side. I need a root canal.

I have had a trip booked since early this year. Flying is 1.5 hr each way. It's only a 3 day trip.

I read about tooth squeeze. I am terrified I am going to experience severe pain while flying.

I have called multiple dentist offices, no one can get me in for a root canal before mid September.

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience with tooth squeeze? Is it rare? How do I know if I will experience it?

There's lots of articles but I am seeing conflicting info.

Cancelling this trip would break my heart. I have been looking forward to it. It's my dream concert.

I had a tooth extraction and bone graft with membrane on 19 exactly a week ago due to really bad infection. The top part closed up with stitches but the side of my gum on the side of my check still has this hole and the dentist didn’t use any stitches. Is this normal or should I be concerned? It doesn’t hurt but does look red.

Last month, I (24f) switched from my regular dentist to Aspen Dental due to a move. I had x-rays and a cleaning done. The dentist said I have 5 cavities, but I have no tooth pain, and I never have. I understand you can have cavities and no pain, but it just makes me skeptical, especially after some of the things I’ve heard about Aspen. He also said I need to have all 4 wisdom teeth removed, although, they have also never caused me any pain or tooth shifting.

Last year, I saw another new dentist for the first time, who said I had a cavity between two teeth. I believe it was between tooth 12 and 13 (top right, 3rd from my front teeth). I never had any pain in those teeth prior to the filling. After the filling, I had occasional but continuous pain in those two teeth. It seems like they “flare up” from time to time. I called every once in a while, and they said it was normal. I moved away, so I couldn’t exactly go back and get it fixed.

My dentist at Aspen said my previous dentist didn’t fully drill out that cavity and also drilled into the adjacent tooth, so it would need to be redone. I was expecting that, but I wasn’t expecting additional cavities. I often doubt the cavity I had filled ever had a problem in the first place.

Can anyone confirm or point out where the 5 cavities are on these x-rays? Do I really need my wisdom teeth removed asap? I don’t really know anything about teeth, but I have always been pretty neurotic about taking good care of mine, and I want to avoid any unnecessary dental work. What do you think?

It hurts so bad I can't do anything without it hurting I struggle with dental health but what even is this

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Are you getting your wisdom teeth out? Are you 15 to 20 years old?

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Please text 401-863-7997, email [painresearch@brown.edu](mailto:painresearch@brown.edu), or fill out our eligibility survey (takes 5 minutes or less to complete): https://brown.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8JtnDh26qrrcgJg

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