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Dentist help
fluffybunyip
Posts: 4,909 Forum Member
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Hey,
I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to getting work done on my teeth, but my filling fell out a couple of weeks ago so I went to get it sorted.
Unfortunately, the dentist said I needed a tooth x-ray and got this great yellow thing that he started trying to shove down my throat, which made me gag. Like a true pathetic fool, I said that I couldn't have the x-ray done and he put a temporary filling in, and referred me to the hospital for full mouth x-rays?
However, now the tooth is giving me SO much pain (I have never been in worse pain, including childbirth) that I've booked another appointment, specifically worried in case it's an abscess. Can anyone tell me more about the yellow stick, and any ways I can try and not throw up from it? I'm sure once I get past the x-ray then I can let him do the work.
I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to getting work done on my teeth, but my filling fell out a couple of weeks ago so I went to get it sorted.
Unfortunately, the dentist said I needed a tooth x-ray and got this great yellow thing that he started trying to shove down my throat, which made me gag. Like a true pathetic fool, I said that I couldn't have the x-ray done and he put a temporary filling in, and referred me to the hospital for full mouth x-rays?
However, now the tooth is giving me SO much pain (I have never been in worse pain, including childbirth) that I've booked another appointment, specifically worried in case it's an abscess. Can anyone tell me more about the yellow stick, and any ways I can try and not throw up from it? I'm sure once I get past the x-ray then I can let him do the work.
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Comments
You can offer to try to hold the x-ray film in place with your finger, BUT
a) the dentist must place it in position
b) there is an increased chance of missing part of the tooth in the image, which means repeating it
c) you may still gag on it
Try to relax - both mentally and your mouth muscles, and breath through your nose. The x-ray can be done in just a few seconds, but you need to be still while it's done.
If the nerve is affected, your options would be root canal (which will involve at least 2 further x-rays) or extraction of the tooth. Extraction will not be done without an x-ray to show the shape of the roots.
This is my professional opinion based solely upon the information provided by the OP and my training and qualifications as a general dental practitioner. This should not be considered a definitive diagnosis, and you should arrange a formal examination & assessment with your regular dentist.