Vicki Williams noticed her lower wisdom teeth hurt, but she was too scared to visit the dentist, so she took ibuprofen in the hope it would go away.
A mum who wore veneers to hide her ‘ugly brown stumps’ had to be put into a coma – as her teeth ‘rotten’ due to her fear of the dentist. Vicki Williams first noticed on May 2 that her lower wisdom teeth hurt.
However, she was too scared to visit the dentist so she took ibuprofen in the hope that it would go away. The 49-year-old hadn’t been to the dentist since before the COVID pandemic because she had a phobia and was so “ashamed” of her teeth. He actually hid them behind a set of veneers to make them ‘look like Hollywood teeth’ but really the teeth were ‘rotting’ underneath. However, by May 5, the pain had become “excruciating”, so she called 111 and was referred to Queen Victoria Hospital in Morecambe. Vicky, who works as an administrator, said she was in so much pain she struggled to even open her mouth to be examined and was given a two-week course of antibiotics to fight the infection. The next morning, she awoke to find her mouth and tongue had swollen so badly she couldn’t breathe and was rushed to Lancaster Royal Infirmary by ambulance. Here, doctors performed three operations to remove several teeth and drain her infection.
During the third operation, the mother-of-three was put into a five-day coma to help her fight the infection. Doctors had to remove her lower wisdom teeth and most of her upper teeth, but luckily after nearly a month in hospital, Vicky was discharged.
Now she’s speaking out in the hope she can raise awareness of what happened and encourage others to get their symptoms under control. Vicki, from Morecambe, Lancashire, said: “I started getting a toothache but I have a huge fear of the dentist so I never checked it out. I’ve had enough [dental] The work I did as a kid and then my teeth got so bad I was too embarrassed to go to the dentist to be honest with you. “It was more my anxiety than a bad experience or anything. I was scared. I was taking ibuprofen and paracetamol and using clove oil to numb it. The pain was excruciating. I’d put it on par with giving birth, really, it was really bad. It was very scary [in hospital]. I had a panic attack. I thought this was the end of days for me.
“It really doesn’t matter now when I look back on my fear of the dentist after what I had to endure. I feel so stupid. It could have killed me and it’s no big deal sitting in a dentist chair, they make sure you don’t feel pain and stuff. I don’t know what I was thinking, but with anxiety you don’t think straight.” While in the hospital doctors diagnosed Vicki with Ludwig’s angina, a rare but potentially fatal bacterial infection. Symptoms include pain, sore throat, swelling, difficulty breathing and fever. Over the last few years Vicky’s dental health deteriorated as she struggled with her mental health and was unable to take care of her teeth. This made her insecure about her smile and about a year ago she bought a £500 set of temporary veneers online to boost her confidence. However, Vicky admits to neglecting the health of her real teeth underneath. The Dental Education Center offered Vicki treatment starting in December, where students will work to clean her remaining teeth and fit her in some dentures. He has also been put on the NHS dentist waiting list. Vicky said, “Them [the veneers] they look amazing, they look like Hollywood teeth. I think with my gums being so tender I was afraid to actually take them out and the dental care underneath obviously deteriorated quite quickly. I think with my lack of care I was too shy to smile at people and I’m a very smiley person. “That’s why I got the veneers, to cover the problem underneath. I had to go to the dentist instead of looking for a quick fix. They basically covered the problem of the teeth rotting back. I suffered a lot of agoraphobia actually leaving the house because I was so self-conscious, but I had a lot of treatment last year and that helped a lot. “I have a pair on each side on the top row. My two front teeth are really stumps. They are very brown and ugly looking. I felt more confident in my smile. Even just opening the door to the postman, I feel embarrassed right now if I don’t have these veneers on. I’m ashamed of myself. “Never ignore a toothache and as horrible as you feel going to the dentist, it’s tiny compared to what I went through. I’d hate for anyone else to go through that just because of the toothache and the stress of the dentist.” DETAILS ON LUDWIG’S STATHCHINA According to Colgate, symptoms of Ludwig’s angina include pain, sore throat, swelling, difficulty breathing and fever. They recommend that people experiencing these symptoms seek medical attention.
Treatment includes antibiotics, tooth extraction, fluid drainage and in severe cases a tracheostomy.
