• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

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Lloydy42

Junior member
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Messages
5
Went to dentist yesterday, due to 30 year old gold crown falling off. Hadn't been for over three years. Got through it, just about. Felt nervous before hand. Felt depressed after. Went on food binge and then felt even more depressed. Feeling better today.
Booked in for hygenist on Monday and back to dentist on Wednesday for a large fillinmg where the crown was.
Common sense tells me there is nothing to worry about, but past experiences (mostly from childhood, resaon for crown!!) trigger the fear factor.
Reaching middle age now, so I know that bits of the body, including the teeth, start to fall apart!
Does anyone else have a teeth cleaning/dental phobia that stops you from cleaning your teeth everyday? How to overcome?
 
I used to have one, guess I still do but am battling it head on! As always for me persistence is key. I just absolutely force myself to clean my teeth thoroughly twice a day and just think of the save in bills ;) I mean...it costs me very little to even get expensive tooth cleaning products and in the grand scheme of things I don't have to go under the nasty drill! My problem was depression, I barely wanted to get up to get a glass of water let alone spend time brushing my teeth.Plus it feeels SOOOOO good to have really clean teeth!
Sorry if that doesn't help :(
 
I didn't exactly have a phobia, problems were more to do with depression in my younger days same as the other poster, but until recently I didn't dare clean my teeth properly because I was scared the toothbrush would break them or that I would damage my gums even more by overbrushing. Even though the dentist told me to brush harder, I just couldn't bring myself to, and I didn't floss, again for fear of breaking my teeth. Then a year or two ago I was getting such pain I thought I might have to have loads of extractions and as I felt I had nothing to lose at this point I started cleaning much less gently and flossing properly every day, even using those interdental brushes. It's kept the pain under control and I just wish I'd done this years ago.
 
Hey
Dental phobia is a unique phobia. How exactly? Unlike other kind of phobias (like fear form spiders, fear from flying, agoraphobia), fear from the dentist (or the hygenist ) is the only fear that mainly refers to a person, to a human being.
For example: dental phobic patients who are afraid from pain, are actually afraid from pain that may be caused by the dentist.:o
This is also an advantage, because the human interaction and connection between the patient and the person who conducts the treatment has a big influence on how the hall experience is perceived by the patient.:)
In order to help the dental fear, it is very helpful to establish a good connection with the dentist, by sharing with the dentist the fear, making sure that the dentist acknowledges and tries to do his best in order to answer these needs.:cheers:
If it does not word out, stopping the treatment for a minute and emphasising your needs if needed.
If it totally does not work out, it is also OK to search for another dentist.
 
In my case I had several things that has 'prevented' me from brushing my teeth daily - the dislike of the sensation of toothpaste in my mouth along with the fact I detest anything with mint in it has stopped me from using toothpaste to this very day. Right now I just brush using water and then use a children's mouthwash (it contains a tiny amount of fluoride and the adult ones are mostly mint, or just taste too strong) but I'm trying to work up the courage to try a pomegranate toothpaste I found recently in the local health shop.
I also really don't like anything that isn't food going into my mouth. I seem to have an irrational worry that I will choke and die as I had rather large tonsils (or possibly normal sized tonsils and just a small mouth) and I used to have difficulty swallowing tablets as well. On several occasions when trying to brush my wisdom and back teeth I poked my tonsils with my toothbrush which caused a mini retch and completely put me off brushing my teeth...however that is little excuse as I had them removed at 19 and I'm now 28.
On top of all that my father had dentures and so never really brushed his teeth, and my mother had poor dental hygiene when I was growing up, so I was never encouraged to brush my teeth and as I didn't like doing it..I just didn't do it.

I only brush once a day at the moment but I'd like to build it up to twice. I also only use a soft manual toothbrush as I'm also paranoid that after years of neglect brushing too hard or using one of those sonic toothbrushes will somehow make my teeth worse as I've also got a bridge, crowns and fillings.
I have also had several extractions and I want these to be the last...but I know if I don't up my dental care I'll end up having them all out and be forced to wear dentures. I've several paranoias and I wish I could have just one day where I don't think and worry about my teeth!
 
OK, hygenist today (in about 1 hour). Thanks for all the messages so far, not quite so nervy today. Read a good message, its said something a long the lines of, this is the 21st Century, dentist shouln't be painfull, if they are, find anothe one.
The brushing is coming on, up to twice a day now, after meals. having to force myself, but I know the effort can only benefit me. It is a psycological problem, but now with this forum, I know there are other people like me and we can help one another.
:grouphug:
 
Good luck at the hygienist today! I'm sure you'll do fine.
:hug2:'s for courage,
Jen
 
Hygienist update:
very posative experience:jump:. She was very understanding, informative and caring. Thats more amunition for the anti-fear weapon!!
Thanks for the extra support Jen, it helped.
Next is the dentist on Wednesday for that large filling.
Keeping negative thoughts at bay:devilish:.
 
Congrats on a job well done!!!:cheers:
I switched dentists in 2010 and I was a bit afraid of my new hygienist........ turns out she was wonderful!! She knew when I needed a break before I even had to ask!!
When she hit a painful spot, she immediately stopped, asked me if I was ok to continue, and she was even more gentle than before!!!
I didn't want to post this til after your appointment.......didn't want to scare you.
Great job!!!:jump::yay::respect:
Jen
 
OK, big one today. The dentist:yay:
Not sure what to expect. The tooth he will be working on has no nerves, so I might not need the needle!:scared:
My appointment is for 45 mins.! What IS he going to do?

Now I've been to the surgery a couple of times in the past weeks, not quite so anxious, but still got the :thumbsup:"butterfies" in the stomach.

UPDATE:
All went OK, didn't take as long as expected and NO needle, yah!!
Now having a large glass of wine to calm me down!
 
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Great job!!!
I'm having a:sleepyjuice: in your honor!!
:hug2:'s,
Jen
 
Hygenist again today, actually not that worried this time:jump:
But what is it about the whole Dentist thing that puts the frightners on us? Is it the atmosphere, with all those surgical looking instruments? Is it the hospital style uniforms and masks that they have to wear? Or the fact they call it a dental SURGERY? Or all of the above? How modern is you dental practice? And what do you think they could do to help phobes like us?
:confused:
 
ohh... great quote... do you mind if I use it on the new website??

I totally agree with you that the importance of the environment is often overlooked!! Personally, these days, I would choose a dentist based about 50% on the environment alone - clinical colours, a clinical chair design, claustrophobic spaces and pictures of teeth on the walls are such a major turn-off to me :). The atmosphere alone can make such a huge difference in how you feel, and it often reflects the general attitude and philosophy of a dental practice.
 
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