Dental Anxiety

This post was a draft I started December 4th, 2021 and it’s now over 2 years later and I’m finishing it. I hope it’s helpful to someone somehow.

Though I appear calm on the outside most of the time I struggle with anxiety frequently. I often wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing worrying about various items. Recently I have been freaked out about my teeth. Being told years ago conflicting information from three different dentists and being a diy research fanatic I’ve stayed away from the dentist until recently when my front teeth started getting a gap between them.
Diligently researching biological dentists in the area that I thought would be compatible with my healthy philosophies and holistic ways I settled on a visit to Ecologic Dentistry in Bonney Lake. After reading that they use ozone water instead of traditional potential toxic options I scheduled an appointment. The dentist said she would take minimal x-rays however I walked out of there with a very expensive 360° panorama photo of my skull. Not only that, a recommended $4000+ estimate for future invasive dental work.

Needless to say I was very disappointed. Actually, I was almost in tears when I left the office. I suppose I expected a more holistic approach to help cure my dental worries. They were very nice people, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that they only wanted to treat the surface issues like most other conventional dentists. Which means grinding back damaged teeth and filling in the cavities with various “materials” that I couldn’t seem to get disclosed. They said I could have a blood test or muscle testing for compatibility of possible filling “materials” for extra $$$ however I still didn’t get an answer to what those materials were. Plastic? Epoxy? Porcelain? I was hoping for some clue but no, I got a general “materials” reference.

They also wanted to peel back my gums and scrap the teeth below the surface in sections. You sign a waiver for the numbing agent they use in case it destroys your taste or doesn’t wear off. And the process sounds painfully invasive but the real catch is that it requires maintaining. My understanding of bacteria in the mouth is that they grow back quickly and have to be removed repeatedly. The logical part of my brain just screams at me that there has to be a permanent remedy rather than just treating the symptoms.

I ignored my logical brain and now after multiple dentists and multiple treatments and huge hits to my bank account (since I don’t have dental insurance), I decided to finish this post.

I had my first deep cleanings at Ecologic Dentistry in Bonney Lake- they numbed half my mouth in two different sessions and did the recommended scaling and root planing. I could feel the improvements and my breath smelled way better but I still had some issues. I decided to get a couple cavities filled which once again did not go well. Granted the mouth is a difficult place to work and the problem areas are way back in my molars.

The severe pain I don’t wish to recall, the grinding I wish to forget and the one filled spot still catches stuff and shreds my floss. They offered to attempt to repair/fix it for free but without any guarantees- meaning I would have to go thru the whole insanely painful process again and it could turn out with the same result. No thank you. I decided to find another dentist and get a second opinion.

Long story short I went to another dentist in the meantime but he just wanted to take out my wisdom teeth. No thank you. Next dentist please.

Ecologic Dentistry did a good job according to the next dentist (Skagit Valley Dentistry- DR. Janette Carroll) who told me with their treatment I could re-grow my jawbone. They used a camera to see under the gums and did another deep cleaning to make sure nothing was missed since traditional root planing is done “blind”- by the feel of the hygienist.

Another huge hit to my bank account for the camera cleaning and protein deposit and maintenance treatments. Then another poor filling job and then another price increase for cleaning/maintenance without warning from the Skagit dentist and I just cancelled my next appointment with them.

Next I’m going to try another conventional dentist- it’s who my Husband has been going to for years. All I should need now is maintenance cleanings and their pricing seems fair (way less than Skagit) and transparent. I’m going to go with an open mind but sheesh this whole thing has given me multiple headaches and toothaches.

I’m dedicated to health and healing so I know the mouth is an integral part of whole body wellness. I just want to be healthy and have good teeth and fresh breath. This has been a journey I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I now have permanent gaps between my front teeth on the upper and on the lower- right in the middle. Supposedly gaps are a sign of luck and I’m hoping my luck with dentists is about to change.

The deep cleanings changed my mouth significantly. I now brush and floss and water-jet daily. I used microcrystalline hydroxyapatite tooth powder and Orawellness healthymouth essential oils. If you want a great DIY resource center for oral health I highly recommend Orawellness. Their products have helped me maintain my mouth after all the hard cleaning work.

If you see me smile, which I do a lot usually, just please understand that I’m a bit self conscious about my new Tooth gaps and my now very expensive teeth. I’ve invested a lot because it’s a health thing but man, I would never wish this experience on anyone.