• 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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So scared!!

M

mskiss

Junior member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
8
Hi Everyone! I'm new here. I've been terrified of the dentist for years and years. Only going when I absolutely have to. I woke up last sunday with a swollen face and lots of pain. Went to the dentist on monday and found out it's an abcess. I'm scheduled to have it pulled this friday.

This has caused a lot of anxiety. I know that the tooth needs to go because I've been in an incredible amount of pain but I am so scared and can't stop imagining all the things that could possibly go wrong. My boyfriend was going to be there with me which helped ease my anxiety a little but I just found out that he can't make it because he has a funeral to attend that's taking place at the same time so now I'm really scared.

I've had teeth pulled before however it was oral surgery (wisdom teeth) and I was completely put under. I won't be completely under this time and the though of being away and watching them work really stresses me out.

I called to reschedule the appointment to another day and the dentist is completely booked so there's no way out of it.. I have to go alone. *wish me luck*:scared:
 
It definately wont be as bad as your mind is telling you, so try to relax. I know it is alot easier to say that than to do it lol. good luck:cheers:
 
Thank you! That's what I keep trying to telling myself. I'm hoping that I don't completely freak out when I get there tomorrow. Whew.. must remember to breath!!! :hidesbehindsofa:
 
I agree. I am confident the procedure will go smoothly and be completed before you know it. The pain you are experiencing and the anxiety are much more difficult than the treatment. Dentistry improves exponentially each year and dentists are becoming increasingly tuned in to improving patient comfort and calming fear.

You are to be congratulated for taking the action to get this fixed quickly, it takes a lot of courage to face your fear. You are not alone, I am sure you will hear from many people on this board that will offer help and support. There are many wonderful people here that can empathize with you because they have been there themselves.

I am a psychologist (20+ years) that specializes in anxiety/phobias. If you want to PM me I would be happy to share some techniques and tools you can use to calm yourself down.
 
Thank you so much for your support. Reading your message really does help. As soon as I found out that I couldn't reschedule the appt my first instinct was to just cancel. I knew that wouldn't be a good thing to do since I've been in an incredible amount of pain this week even with pain pills and the antibiotics.

Although my anxiety is incredibly high in regards to this appointment tomorrow I know that I will feel very proud for going tomorrow and for going there by myself. That's a huge accomplishment for me when it comes to the dentist.

I will definitely PM you. I could definitely use some techniques.:respect:
 
I don't know which tooth you are having extracted, but I just had one pulled today. It is very easy.

I did have the advantage of having had four extractions done at the end of last year.

None were done with anything but numbing.

It goes so quick. And I know how you feel. That is how I felt before the other ones. This time I actually felt relaxed and almost enjoyed the experience. Serious.

The hardest part is the numbing needle. Once the shots are done, the mouth numbs up. The dentist takes an elevator (some tool) to move and loosen the tooth. Then she (my dentist is a lady) takes a small pliers (and yes it is small) and wiggles the tooth loose. The whole process takes about two minutes...literally.

The fear is greater than the actual procedure. There is no pain. You will feel some pressure of the tooth being pulled, but that is all.

Good luck. I have been where you are and I know the feelings. Trust me when I say that it is not a difficult procedure.
 
Good luck for today

:grouphug: for you, hope you have a speedy recovery too
 
Goood luck from me too! Dental phobia is a terrible thing but as this site tells you the fear is far far worse than the actual procedure. I'll be thinking of you, all the best.

:cheers:
 
Another one here who's going for work this week due to an abscess - after avoiding any treatment for 15 years. Being in pain does certainly help you get through the anxiety, sadly! Plus getting it pulled will be soo quick,..
 
Another one here who's going for work this week due to an abscess - after avoiding any treatment for 15 years. Being in pain does certainly help you get through the anxiety, sadly! Plus getting it pulled will be soo quick,..

I agree wholeheartedly. About a week and a half I had the infection that caused me to have this tooth extracted. The pain or the memory of it has helped me see what not going to the dentist can cause.

Anxiety is real and frightening, but the tooth pain was overwhelming. When even Vicodin only keeps it away for a couple of hours, then you know it is better to have dental work done.
 
I agree wholeheartedly. About a week and a half I had the infection that caused me to have this tooth extracted. The pain or the memory of it has helped me see what not going to the dentist can cause.

So true...and the thing about tooth infections is they can linger around for AGES before you realise how bad they are. It was only when the pain got accute that I forced myself to see a dentist, but as soon as the infection was treated I felt 10 times more energetic than before, and I realised this had been affecing me for a lot longer than I'd realised. I think probably even when I had only minor on-and-off pain, I was still very run down.

I honestly wonder if this is what caused me chronic tiredness and general lifelessness for month on end...must be a common story.
 
I hope things went ok for for you MsKiss!
I too had an extraction on Thursday and I completely freaked out about it but i got through it. Let us know how you got on x
 
UPDATE:

I'm happy to say that my extraction yesterday went very well. With the use of some relaxation techniques I was able to control my anxiety for the most part. I made sure to tell the dentist that it always takes a few shots for my mouth to get really numb. He gave me extra and it worked really well. I didn't feel a thing. Best part of all is that it was over before I even knew it. 10 minutes tops! I was shocked. I didn't even know when he had taken the tooth out of my mouth.

At the begining I had mentioned that I do have dentist anxiety and I was worried that I might feel pain. The dr offered laughing gas saying that it would help relax me but wouldn't do anything for the pain. I thought it over and told him that I would pass on the gas. I was feeling some what comfortable and decided to just go for it.

I've been terrified of the dentist for years and after yesterday's visit I feel so much better. My mouth feels better and I'm not even sore today. I've finally found a great dentist as well and I think that makes a huge difference.

I'm going back in a week for a full check up and x rays. I'm determined to visit the dentist on a regular basis from no on and put the fear behind me.

Thank you so much for all of your support!!! :cheers::party:
 
I thought I had posted this the other day but I think the vicodin was playing tricks on me. heh.

My tooth extraction last friday was a great success. I went in to the appointment prepared with some relaxation techniques, mp3 player with beethoven on it for relaxation.. I was still scared but ready to face it.

My dentist was GREAT! I told him that I had a fear of the dentist and that I've always had issues getting numb and that I may require extra shots. He said no problem, gave me extra shots and even offered laughing gas for my anxiety. I considered it for a moment but realized that I wasn't as anxious as I thought I was going to be so I decided to be brave and turn down the gas.

The dentist made sure that I was extremely numb, I put on my headphones with beethoven (always relaxes me) and my not even kidding maybe 10 min later if even that he was done. I had no idea he had even taken the tooth out. I was amazed at how fast and easy it really was.

Dentistry has really come a long way. 7 years ago I had the worst dental experience of my life now I can say that this visit on friday really turned it around for me and changed my outlook.

I have another appointment in a week to check the healing in my mouth and to have a full exam and set of x rays. I'm determined to make the dentist a regular routine because I never want to wake up with another abcess again!

And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU StressDoc for your helpful tips & Support!
:jump::yay::whistle:
 
Actually you did post it the other day. Your other post is before this one.

You even mentioned you would "pass on the gas" which kept me laughing for quite awhile after reading your story. ;D

Congratulations....I know the feelings of relief that you have.
 
Actually you did post it the other day. Your other post is before this one.

You even mentioned you would "pass on the gas" which kept me laughing for quite awhile after reading your story. ;D

Congratulations....I know the feelings of relief that you have.

Great story, if you had still had trouble getting numb even with the extra shots then nitrous could well have helped. Congratulations :party::jump:and thanks for sharing.
 
Actually you did post it the other day. Your other post is before this one.

You even mentioned you would "pass on the gas" which kept me laughing for quite awhile after reading your story. ;D

Congratulations....I know the feelings of relief that you have.

hahahaa hilarious.. i didn't even notice that until you pointed it out! lol:thumbsup:
 
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