Help.

I am terrified of the dentist, have been since I was a little girl.

But now, I think I have an impacted Wisdom Tooth, and I want to get it taken care of, but I'm still terrified.
Can anyone please help me on how I can over come my fear?

Hi! I'm not sure if I or anyone can tell you how to overcome your dental fear. For me, it was just facing it head on. It took me a long, long time to get there, but I finally did and you will to. This foum is great for support. It's the only way I could have gone through with it.

I just had 22 teeth extracted, so believe me, I understand fear.

A filling, from what I've read and experienced, isn't that bad. As long as they do the numbing injection slowly, it shouldn't hurt and you shouldn't experience any pain at all.

Keep posting on here and you will definitely get the support you need. Hang in there and let us know how you are coming along! Take care!

DaniHetzel,

It sounds like you've taken the biggest step and decided that you want to take care of your dental health. You should feel no pain with wisdom tooth extraction (even an impacted one). Do you plan to have IV sedation or just local anesthetic? Either way, you should NOT feel any pain. I think the most important part is finding a dentist who you feel like you can trust. I'm not sure where you are, but in the US, most general dentists will not extract impacted wisdom teeth -- they will refer to an oral surgeon. I don't know how things work in other countries.

In terms of overcoming your fear, I think it's helpful if you can identify if there are particular parts of going to the dentist that scare you most. I think it's also important to find the right dentist and to have some positive, pain-free dental visits. You may never be rid of your dental phobia (I don't think I will ever be), but you will certainly be able to get to a place where you can get yourself to appts and get through them.

Read some of the Success Stories on this forum. That may really help too!

Hi Dani,

You've definitely come to the right place. I know all too well the fear and anxiety you're going through, and I can tell you that you can get through it, and without pain.

There's lots of different "flavors" of dental phobias out there; if you can, it might help you to write out your story and fears here. We're a compassionate, non-judging group, and describing your triggers can help members reassure you about your specific fears. Also I think just putting your thoughts into words can help you feel more in control and less alone.

It's also a good idea to read through some of the journals and success stories here, to build up your confidence that it can be done and that it doesn't have to hurt.

Beyond that, I can tell you that it's a very common story here, that people think they need all kinds of work, and almost all the time the actual assessment from a dentist turns out to be much less than feared. And, lots of stories here can assure you that even major dental work can be done with no pain or even under sedation. So it's possible that it's not actually an impacted wisdom tooth, and it's likely that whatever image your out-of-control thoughts are spinning, the actual dental work will be actually be surprisingly easy. But oh, those thoughts keep spinning, I know...

It's hard to tell you an exact formula for getting yourself to the dentist. If you have a friend or family member you can confide in who's kind and compassionate, that person might be able to help you with scheduling an appointment and holding your hand and comforting you before and after. Searching your local area for dentists who specialize in terrified patients or who advertise "we cater to cowards" or similar (Google "dentists near X" or check Angie's list, in the US) might help you find a compassionate dentist to help. Many people here have had luck writing emails to local dentists and "interviewing" the ones who respond as a way to find someone with good people skills.

Whatever your situation, be assured that you are not alone, and you're not a bad person. It sounds like you're just cursed with the same out-of-control dental phobia as the rest of us, and need a little extra strength and help to overcome it. Hang in there, and keep moving forward a little at a time, and you'll find your way.

Great job on reaching out and posting here, by the way. It takes a lot of courage just to speak up and ask for help, so you should be proud of yourself for taking the first step, however small it seems to you. It's not-- it's huge. Good luck and keep posting, it does get better.

It's great you decided to go have it looked at. I know it's hard - each time I go to the dentist, it's like I do it in a daze - moments of calm and then periods of extreme panic ("what am I doing here..!?"). I just hold on to the thought that no matter what, in a little while I'll be back home with my wife, dog, etc. and it'll all be over.

I have no dental knowledge, but teeth won't need out unless they're going to cause problems. Have someone look at your wisdom tooth and see what they think. Might be that it's fine for now. And wisdom teeth are just teeth, after all - I got a couple out and there were no problems at all. The two I have left - very crooked and not very useful (the top one's not quite out) - but no problem, they can stay. So you never know - wisdom teeth are kind of dumb (why don't they just act normal?!) but no more scary than the other teeth.

Thanks everyone for the help But I went, and guess what? My wisdom teeth are growing in properly! Lol I'm so relieved that I won't have to have anything done, but they did find a slight cavity, and I've had fillings before, so I'm not too scared. But thanks all the same guys! It really is appreciated.

Btw, I'm in North Carolina. someone asked, so I thought I'd answer.