Nervous New Guy

I just want to start out by saying how thankful I am this forum exists. Anyway, onto business.

Long story short I am a 23 year old male who has not set foot in a dentist in over six years. I always had a fear of dentists, but it became a phobia when I had a cracked wisdom tooth extracted by a dentist who told me to 'suck it up" when i nearly jumped out of my chair mid extraction when I felt blinding pain, obviously not enough novacaine. Combine that with a previous deep scaling and I was done with dentists.

For the next few years I let my dental care fall to the wayside, picking up only when there was a tooth ache or when I noticed my gum line receding. About a year ago my teeth became an obsession. Anytime there was the slightest discomfort in my mouth I would fall off the rocker. I have had very good dental hygeine in the last year, making sure to always floss and rinse with mouth wash. Last week I bit into a potato chip and my front tooth chipped, and I had a panic attack soon afterward. Since than every single day has been filled with me constantly checking my teeth, seeing if there are new chips. I discovered there is a brown line running down one of my back teeth, I can only conclude it is cracked and I will need a root canal. I am planning on making an appt with the dentist next week but I am so scared. To make it worse I am so embarssed to feel this way, I don't think anyone would understand why someone would freak out so much over this stuff. But I am most ashamed that I am taking ativan that is not prescribed to me. I know it is wrong, yet I just took one right before writing this.

I'm sorry for the rant, I hope I don't sound to stupid, I'm just glad to see there are other people like me out there.

Hey Nervous New Guy,

I am too a nervous new guy, with just a few postings, although I have surfed this forum for a while, and knowing that we are all part of the same club helped me a lot. You're young, and I have to say if I could have gone to a dentist when I was 23, I would not have had to have 14 extractions just today. I have to recap that the most important thing you can do is start looking for dentist in your area. I googled the word "DentistandFear" and my city and a few popped up. I was able to select the best dentist in the world, I emailed about 4 or 5 times before I ever stepped foot into her office. When I did finally get into the office, Dr, Kazanis knew my whole story, she was so careful with me, explained everything that was going to happen. You may also want to try and find a dentist that specializes in sedation dentistry, with IV... you are pretty much out and done before you know it. I only made it this far because I established a relationship with my dentist before I ever entered her office. She is so caring and sincere that she called me just a few minutes ago, from home, just to make sure that I was okay. I have her cell, home number .... she cares.
The number one thing is find yourself a good dentist, it starts there.
I know you will be fine, don't let it get too much out of control, like myself, your teeth are part of you, and losing them is like losing a piece of yourself.
Good luck...

Thank you for the reply, I really appreciate it. I know my number one priority right now is finding a good dentist. Before going to my last dentist I went to one right down the road from me actually. I had two teeth pulled in one day, and my immediate reaction after the first one being extracted was "that was it?". I remember this dentist being very gentle and I plan on making a call to him tomorrow. I only hope he will be as understanding as your dentist is.

One thing I am realizing as I browse this board is that I should be thankful where I am right now, that I am only 23 and for the most part things don't look as bad as what some other people discuss on here. I can't help but feel like I needed to find this site tonite, so thanks again.

I agree that the key is to finding the right dentist. I am terrified of going but have finally found someone who makes me relax when in the chair!

I am another who in hindsight would have gone when I was younger, at 20/21 I need only 1 tooth removed and avoided the issue, now at 30 I need 20 removed.

Please try and see someone, there are nice dentists out there

It's good that you are exploring options to get this work done before it does get worse. I honestly knew I had a lot of work, but I was shocked when my dentist told me that I didn't need dentures, just partials, so I am happy that I was forced to get this work done.
Good luck to you, and keep us posted.
It only gets better...
JP

Hi AOC,
First of all welcpme to our community of friends. We all know know where you're coming from because we have been there too.
I agree with Chrisee that finding the right dentist can make all the difference.

It sounds like you have had some pretty bad experiences and medication can be a wonderful help so dont be embarfassed about needing it.
When i first started with my dentist, it took the maximum dose of Valium thats safe to give someone just to get me in the chair.

My recommendation to you is first to look in the FInd a Dentist section of this forum which lists dentists from all over recommended by the members here. Perhaps there is one in your area. When you find a dentist you think may work for you, call and ask if they are experienced in working with dental phobia. Ask of you can have an appointment just to meet the dentist and talk to him/her. Just talk, nothing else. This would be you oppportunity to see if you feel comfortable with them, to see if they are willing to help you work through your fears. Thisis also a good time to ask any questions you have and to voice your concerns. Most dentist who are sensitive to the needs pf people like us are willing to do this. This is the way you begin to build a relationship with the dentist. This is the way I started with my dentist and it made a huge difference.

All the best to you