- Joined
- Sep 2, 2024
- Messages
- 1
I’m highly embarrassed to admit that I haven’t been to a dentist in about 16 years and I’m so terrified. I’m the type of person that even getting normal blood work done scares me and gives me anxiety. It’s a combination of putting it off and some financial issues. I don’t have any bad breath but I’ve had bleeding gums here and there. I did switch my toothpaste and mouthwash for ones that specifically indicated they were for bleeding gums and it worked for a while but lately I’ve noticed more bleeding even if I’m careful brushing and use a soft toothbrush. I’ve noticed I mostly bleed overnight or early morning. If I get up to go to the bathroom overnight or early morning, that’s when I notice blood on my teeth or maybe a blood clot formed overnight. But this has only been happening the past week or so. Even if it’s been years since visiting a dentist, I never had bleeding so often. I don’t really experience bleeding when I brush or eat; it can happen sometimes on its own, untriggered, and as I said, usually overnight. I brush about 2-3 times daily and I’ve been angry with myself because I keep saying I should do it more after every meal. I also admit I haven’t flossed in a long time for fear of even more bleeding. I use a small “pick” (not sure if that’s what it’s called) to clean up the white buildup around my teeth at the gum line after eating and either after or before brushing. But I realize this doesn’t get “in there” like flossing does. It just scares me to floss because I’ve already spent time just handling when I bleed without even touching my teeth or gums. I can only imagine if I floss which is more abrasive. I’ve noticed that I have developed more of a sweet tooth as I’ve gotten into menopause, which I’m also trying to cut back on. I never used to eat sweets like that before; only once in a while. Now I find myself eating things I bake at home once a week and I’m angry that I’ve fallen into that temptation as well. So I’m thinking perhaps the fact that I haven’t cut back on the sugar, might also have led to more bleeding? Not sure if that’s a contributing factor because as I said, even without having visited a dentist in years, I still didn’t bleed that often. I’ve noticed I only have receding and tender gums in my upper left back area, but nowhere else. When I look at the other parts of my mouth, the gums don’t look bad nor are they tender, it’s just in that one area, upper left row of teeth toward the very back. But when I have bled, it can happen from either that area in the upper left, the bottom left or bottom right. It doesn’t happen from the front upper or bottom and rarely from upper right area. It usually stops when I place a clean dry cotton pad over the bleeding area or swish mouthwash for about 20-30 seconds, but there have been times where I have had to keep the cotton in place longer because the bleeding took longer to stop. My fear is after all these years, making an appointment for a cleaning and bleeding badly in the dentist chair while getting it done because cleanings can be painful from what I remember. I almost feel like any tool a dentist will use on me will immediately trigger bleeding and they’ll have to keep stopping for me to keep rinsing. But even moreso is I’m so terrified of feeling pain. I’m not in pain at home when I bleed or anything but I’m so scared of the dentist’s tools causing me pain. I know, I’m a grown woman and still feel like a child when it comes to the doctor/dentist! I’m just being honest about this anxiety I have. Plus, I can’t afford any big procedure now either as I’m still looking for work. I have only been on the ACA (Affordable Care Act) because I was able to get a plan to fit my very low income at the moment. But it doesn’t mean I can afford to lay out even $200 for anything let alone a bigger procedure. I’ll take whatever advice anyone can give for my particular situation. Thank you.
