An Awful Experience... Just Got Back From The Dentist

#32
Rhea said:
Wow...
Just got back from the dentist...I needed extensive work done (after avoiding the dentist for YEARS) and have been looking for a kind understanding dentist which I finally found....so turn up today for some of the work to be completed on the upper left....I was in two minds whether to plug or not due to the occlusion effect...but decided to plug and go for it...I was petrified but in the back of my mind I had a small glimmer of hope that maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I was expecting and and that maybe i'd get through and even come home victorious with a new lease of life after facing my fears.......no

So the dentists started drilling and OH MY F_ING GOD IT WAS SO LOUD....like seriously I know I have noise phobia but this was LOUD...it sounded like 120db inside my ear from the bone conduction....I lasted a couple of bursts of about 5 seconds before I had to ask her to stop...she said she would try and work on a tooth further away from the ear which she did...it was marginally quieter but still ridiculously loud. In the end I let her finish the drilling on the tooth furthest away from my ear ...this was a small cavity and the one that needed the least drilling...she finished drilling it and then asked if she could try again on the back upper left tooth..I said I wanted to try with the earplugs out as the occlusion was just so loud....so I unplugged...then the dental nurse approaches my ear with the suction thing which without ear plugs was just too much for me ......it was at this stage the dentist refused to continue as she said she couldn't do her work properly and she didn't think it was fair on me...I was shaking and crying in the chair like a child. I just need to express again OMG IT WAS SO SO SO LOUD. The dentists said she has hardly scratched the surface with the amount of drilling that needs to be done on the other teeth..she said what she drilled was barely 2mm and that the amount off drilling need is huge because the cavity/old filling is so big (i have huge old fillings that are defective with decay underneath them) how the fuck will I ever managed to get this sorted out...maybe i will just have to be in agony with tooth pain forever...tbh that is preferable over any T increase.

So now I sit here, petrified about my noise exposure I have just had and what it will do to my ears...I guess the next few days will tell...but if I survive that without an increase then i think it is fair to say noise exposure has no effect on t whatsoever, and with one tooth complete and 6 left to go...I also have a hole now on the back left were she started drilling but couldn't finish....what a big old mess I am in.

To anyone out there that has had a dental drilling with plugs in and got through it I absolutely salute you as it was by FAR the loudest thing I have experienced in 11 years of having t.

I am so upset, so so so upset. i have job interviews tomorrow and a college exam and some how i will have to try and pull myself together to get through them. And I am SO sorry if this scares anyone as it is not my intention :(
Click to expand...
Rhea, I would definitely look into this:

http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/help/sedation-dentistry/general-anaesthetic/
 
#33
jeffie7 said:
Exposing yourself to sounds will help, understanding that the sounds you are being exposed to WILL NOT hurt your hearing is key, if you expose yourself to 90db of sound and mentally freak out because what if what if what if... you'll never get past it and it will also most likely cause your T to spike due to stress and the worry of new damage.

being around 85-90db of sound for a hour a day will not hurt you. hearing a quick 100-110db sound will not hurt you. The key is extended exposure to sounds that will hurt you, or a VERY loud sound like a gun shot near your ear or jet engine... talking 150db+

The biggest thing is the reaction, if a plate smacked into another plate I would cringe and listen for a temp T spike and get worried about what damage it could have caused. Yeah... really bad thing to do. I'm guilty of it many times before I got over it.
Click to expand...

I agree with this massively. Every day sounds are unlikely to cause much further damage in theory. It's long exposure you need to be careful of. I used to plug my ears a lot when I first got T and they became very sensitive. I then stopped wearing ear plugs unless being exposed to say 90db+ for a long period, and I have no H now. Or occasional very mild.

Based on a dentist drill being UP TO 92db, then based on the guidelines of 2 hours at 91db, you should be fine. I don't know if t ears are more susceptible to further damage but I follow those guidelines. I'm on my phone so can't post them but if you google decibel exposure times you should find them.
Although I'm no doctor so may be good asking DR Nagler.
 
#35
tinnitussufferer said:
its not the avoidance that caused it its just a lack of oral hygiene. what was the problem? decay?
Click to expand...

No you are quite right it wasn't the avoidance that caused the problems but it sure as hell made what would of been small issues much worse.

I doubt it was my lack of oral hygiene that caused my issues, I brush, floss and mouthwash religiously three times a day. The work I need done is mostly all replacement of defective fillings where cavities have formed underneath them. I had the fillibgs done years ago and they have come lose and created "food traps" where food got in and no amount flossing, brushing and rinsing was going to get it out.....I only know that as that's what the dentist told me during the original consult'

Maybe I should be blaming the original dentist that put the shitty defective fillings in in the first place :|
 
#36
quietatnight said:
Rhea

I'm sorry that you had to go through this hassle. I agree with Jeffie7 I don't think that plugging made the sound any louder at all. It just made you more aware of it.

This is an interesting story, Awhile back I used to take so good care of my teeth until my tinnitus got bad. I used to go for cleanings ever 6 months. Even when the ultrasonic cleaning tool got to be too loud, I had them clean them by hand with some kind of tool like a knife. I think it was called "Deep scaling" It took a lot longer but it worked. Later on when I needed a couple of teeth filled I was at my office talking to customer of mine ( who was a dentist, he was about 90 years old and was semi retired ) I told him about my problem with having tinnitus he had me come to his office. We tried to drill and I had him stop right away. Then he had an idea. He went to his waiting room, where he had some old dentist equipment in some glass showcases. He had a very old drilling machine from I think about the late 1800's or early 1900's, it was LOL,,, and he brought that into the room I was in and said "let's see if this old thing still works I haven't used it for a many ears". So he drilled with it, this machine works like the old sewing machines mom had, By foot pumping action. Its a very very slow process but it worked, but took forever. Just about no noise at all. I know it was crazy but it worked it did not mess with my tinnitus. Unfortunately the old dentist died a couple of years later so that was unavailable to me later. I'm sure that most of the dentist today would even know what that machine even was, let alone how to use it LOL. Some times the old way is the best.


I just thought it was an interesting story.


Rhea, have you concidered laser drilling, I think I remember reading something about it few years ago. I just found this about it.


http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/laser-use-dentistry


Rhea You hang in there, You will get this straightened out




Louie
Quietatnight
Click to expand...

Many thanks Louie and wow what an amazing dentist you had to go to those lengths to help you :)
Laser is not an option as I have large amount of amalgam to be drilled out (all of my cavities are under defective amalgam fillings) and laser apparently is no good at all at removing amalgam.....maybe another reason wy it was so damn loud...they are drilling metal on metal...maybe just drilling into tooth wouldn't be as loud :S

Thanks for your encouragement, I am in a very bad state tonight but everyone's kind words are helping a little x
 
#37
Rhea

I totally understand how you feel, and My heart goes out to you, I'm a mess too, I hope and pray that we both find some peace from this horrible affliction. It's just making life way to hard to deal with.


Louie
 
#38
Rhea said:
No you are quite right it wasn't the avoidance that caused the problems but it sure as hell made what would of been small issues much worse.

I doubt it was my lack of oral hygiene that caused my issues, I brush, floss and mouthwash religiously three times a day. The work I need done is mostly all replacement of defective fillings where cavities have formed underneath them. I had the fillibgs done years ago and they have come lose and created "food traps" where food got in and no amount flossing, brushing and rinsing was going to get it out.....I only know that as that's what the dentist told me during the original consult'

Maybe I should be blaming the original dentist that put the shitty defective fillings in in the first place :|
Click to expand...

so what work did you need? root canal? and why did you get the fillings in the first place if you were brushing well?
 
#39
Rhea said:
No you are quite right it wasn't the avoidance that caused the problems but it sure as hell made what would of been small issues much worse.

I doubt it was my lack of oral hygiene that caused my issues, I brush, floss and mouthwash religiously three times a day. The work I need done is mostly all replacement of defective fillings where cavities have formed underneath them. I had the fillibgs done years ago and they have come lose and created "food traps" where food got in and no amount flossing, brushing and rinsing was going to get it out.....I only know that as that's what the dentist told me during the original consult'

Maybe I should be blaming the original dentist that put the shitty defective fillings in in the first place :|
Click to expand...
i actually find that hard to believe that all your fillings were defective. why not sue him?
how many years ago were they done? its hard to believe because a filling is obviously supposed to be completely sealed so that nothing can get in. For food to get in, the gap would have to be big. was it the top biting surface of the tooth?
 
#40
Rhea said:
I need to raise my sound tolerance levels as have spent much of the last 2 years plugged in every situation apart form being alone in my own home
Click to expand...

Hi Rhea... without trying to be overoptimistic, i think that your T won't increase, i think your main problem is sound sensitivy... 2 years of plugged ears apart from being alone in your home is way to much time to not cause sound sensitivity. I have hyperacusis too, and the more i started to expose to everyday sounds, the more my ears started to not over react to sound.

I really feel my heart broken reading the fear you have right now, and that its perfectly understood, but in many years with T and 2 years with hyperacusis, i have also been exposed to loud noises by accident, or not. Before, when i was afraid, the sound started to be perceived louder. Now, that i just dont care about suddenly loud sounds in every day life, i just can't get more spikes from it.

It is so hard, i know, but go to get that job, and that college exams, best wishies :)
 
#42
JohnnyMx said:
What is the point of your comments? Looking for what? Stop judging the girl, she is not here for that.
Click to expand...
er, I took it more as an indication that it's possible to not see a dentist for a long period of time and also not necessarily have massive tooth problems. I agree with that, but believe that genetic and environmental factors are often at least as significant in dental health as hygiene habits.
 
#43
linearb said:
but believe that genetic and environmental factors are often at least as significant in dental health as hygiene habits.
Click to expand...

That is very true.

My wife is one of the most caring people talking about oral hygiene, and still have dental problems, hereditary problems with calcium.
 
#44
JohnnyMx said:
That is very true.

My wife is one of the most caring people talking about oral hygiene, and still have dental problems, hereditary problems with calcium.
Click to expand...
When I was a kid we didn't have fluoridated water. By the time I came along, my family understood this, and I took fluoride pills. I got too much, in fact, so I have some spotting and chipping on some teeth. But, I still have all my adult teeth, no fillings (one root canal, but that was from a blunt force trauma to the tooth). One of my cousins did not get the fluoride pills, and has had absolutely horrific dental problems since their early 20s.
 
#47
occlusion effect?
Is that when you have ear plugs in and they are scraping shit off your teeth and it sounds like 1000x louder because of the earplugs?

What about wearing ear muffs instead?
 
#48
LeQuack said:
Sorry to hear about your dentist troubles, I can't even imagine what awaits me when I finally decide to go. But how are you feeling today Rhea?
Click to expand...

Hey LeQuack,
thanks for the message. Yesterday my t felt a little more intense and quite "tinny" sounding but I think I just went into denial mode and fought through it somehow....I got up at 6am prepared for the day, attended three job interviews, and sat my final college exam...I was in a "I will not lay down and surrender to this" mode.

However since last night the t seems to have ramped up considerably more and feels all consuming and intense...this often seems to happen to me - My increases don't seem to fully come on for around 48 hours after a noise exposure....no idea why but it is rare I have ever had a large immediate increase in t directly after noise. Yeah so today I lost most of the fight I felt I had yesterday...going to be a hard one today and also in the coming weeks if this increase sticks.

For now best I can do is keep as busy as possible the next few days, accept that the increase may settle, hope that it may be due to stress rather than damage, and hope at the very least if the increase sticks I will get used to this new level after a few months.....sucks, but that is simple the realistic facts.
 
#49
Karl28 said:
occlusion effect?
Is that when you have ear plugs in and they are scraping shit off your teeth and it sounds like 1000x louder because of the earplugs?

What about wearing ear muffs instead?
Click to expand...

Hi Karl,
Yes the occlusion effect as in where you seal off the ear canal (in my case with plugs) and this increases the bone conducted noised inside the ear as the sound is bouncing back off of the plug directly into your ear.

I can't comment on scrapping...I never had any scrapping done, it was drilling and yes it sounded unbelievably louder. I am almost certain I would of been better off not using any ear protection rather than subjecting myself to that occlusion effect.

Anyway, thanks for the message, at the very least maybe others will read this and learn by my mistake and not wear plugs when being drilled :|
 
#50
my dentist drilled too much maybe 20 min, totaly i was on chair 50 min. it worsend my tinnitus. i was making crown for upper tooth.. :(
 
#51
Rhea said:
Hey LeQuack,
thanks for the message. Yesterday my t felt a little more intense and quite "tinny" sounding but I think I just went into denial mode and fought through it somehow....I got up at 6am prepared for the day, attended three job interviews, and sat my final college exam...I was in a "I will not lay down and surrender to this" mode.

For now best I can do is keep as busy as possible the next few days, accept that the increase may settle, hope that it may be due to stress rather than damage, and hope at the very least if the increase sticks I will get used to this new level after a few months.....sucks, but that is simple the realistic facts.
Click to expand...

Sorry that you're still having such a rough go of it @Rhea. I think that you're right, that the additional stress of multiple job interviews and an exam exacerbated your T spike. Last year, when you experienced that severe thunderclap didn't your T eventually return to your previous base? If it did, then I believe that it will in this case also. Stress always made my T spike for a while. Sometimes for weeks.

Btw, I apologize for that goofy post above. I know that you have a great sense of humor but I shouldn't have presumed that you would have been feeling a lot better today...:oops:

I hope that all went well with the job interviews and final exam!
 
#52
jimH said:
Sorry that you're still having such a rough go of it @Rhea. I think that you're right, that the additional stress of multiple job interviews and an exam exacerbated your T spike. Last year, when you experienced that severe thunderclap didn't your T eventually return to your previous base? If it did, then I believe that it will in this case also. Stress always made my T spike for a while. Sometimes for weeks.

Btw, I apologize for that goofy post above. I know that you have a great sense of humor but I shouldn't have presumed that you would have been feeling a lot better today...:oops:

I hope that all went well with the job interviews and final exam!
Click to expand...

Hi Jim and thanks for the message,

To be honest i'd take a full hour of the thunder claps over the drilling again lol ...yes it really was that bad.
Not much to do now other than wait and see what I'm left with t wise in the next few weeks, I am quite certain this increase will remain but still hold out some hope maybe it will settle a little at least or that i'll get used to it.

Don't worry about the goofy post...just because I'm miserable doesn't mean everyone else has to be too :)

Rhea x
 
#53
Rhea said:
I am almost certain I would of been better off not using any ear protection rather than subjecting myself to that occlusion effect.
Click to expand...

That's a fallacy. The occlusion effect won't cause any further damage! If that was the case no one would wear ear plugs to begin with. They would be rendered useless.

Telis said:
I have had major problems with the occlussion effect in the past when it has come to other activities,
Click to expand...

When you visit the dentist wear ear plugs + ear muffs and you are safe.

Carm said:
Implants cost £2,000 - £4,000.

If she needs 7, it would be less than £28,000.
Click to expand...

For that money she could get HIFU.^^
 
#54
NiNyu said:
That's a fallacy. The occlusion effect won't cause any further damage! If that was the case no one would wear ear plugs to begin with. They would be rendered useless.
Click to expand...
Ear plugs are 100 percent useless for bone conducted noise, they won't give you 1 Db of protection from this, in fact you will get amplification. You can only protect against exterior noise with ear plug-THATS IT!!

If you want to experiment, use bone conduction headphones with ear plugs inserted, you won't miss a single sound, in fact certain fequecies will be boosted.

If ear plugs protect you this way, I would purchase bone conduction headphones and a good set of ear plugs and go to town!! Crank it up and enjoy, unfortunately this is not how things work. After time my ears would be damaged from internal noise, 100 percent for sure.
 
#56
#57
Try EARMUFFS instead of plugs. Years before T my dentist wore them and suggested I do them same. At the time I thought it was silly.
IMO theres a different effect between plugging ears and covering them. I think plugging is not good if your chewing or having dental work done. Idk. Just my opinion.
 
#58
Telis said:
Ear plugs are 100 percent useless for bone conducted noise, they won't give you 1 Db of protection from this, in fact you will get amplification. You can only protect against exterior noise with ear plug-THATS IT!!
Click to expand...

I used to wear foam earplugs when having dental work done. And the high frequencies of the drill where superbly attenuated. Of course the low frequencies one hears due to bone conduction, but they would reach your cochlea anyway. That's why I suggest wearing ear plugs + ear muffs. That said, dental work is usually a short time exposure.

But wearing no protection at all will not attenuate any noise.

@Carm , you are the one that suggested dental implants. Last time I checked they definitely have to drill through the jaw/bone.
 
#59
An update on the dental situation....
I have had the weekend from hell..NEVER in my life have I experienced such pain...I confirm I have now found something worse than t ....mega toothache :( Have slept about 3 hours in the last 3 day and even attempted to pull my own tooth (do not recommend it) Ended up in hospital where they could only prescribe me antibiotics and strong pain relief as they don't have dental facilities at the hospital. Nothing is touching this tooth pain, been crying and rolling around on the floor like a nut case.

So called my dentist this morning and got an emergency appointment for 3.45pm...hope I can last until then..... I want to chop my head off. It hurts all the time but is bearable for about 2 hours after taking pain releif then another mega wave of agony kicks in.

Obviously I can't hack any drilling, as realized by my encounter last week with attempting to have some fillings done, the plan was to go on the list to be referred for sedation and have the work done that way but there is a 4 month wait and I can barely last another 4 minutes let alone 4 months, so I am planning on going in today and just telling them to pull this fucker out. My dentist who knows all about my t problems is on jury service so I got to see a dentist I haven't seen before and explain all the t saga again ...typical :( I hope he is as understanding as my own dentist.

I pray there is no drilling, surely not if it's just being pulled out ????

Now do I wear plugs to protect me from the suction noise or will the bone conducted sound from pulling a tooth be too much??surely it cannot be worse than drilling with plugs in? Or do I heed my lesson from trying to plug at the dentist last time and just go unplugged and put up with the suction noise??? I don't know what's best, all I know is that this tooth has to come out because I cannot take another attack of the overwhelming pain.....

Scared, sad, fed up, lonely, in pain.....hate teeth, hate T ...... what a nightmare

thanks for reading x
 
#60
I would say you could do either, plug or not plug, if they are not drilling you should be fine. By the way, being sedated will not protect your ears in any way.
 

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