• 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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Not Quite there yet.....

M

minihaha

Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
33
hi everybody, 3 months ago i plucked up the courage to register with a dentist. I hadn't been to the dentist for 6 years, last time i was there i had a bad experience with a filling, prior to this i had a wisdom tooth extracted under LA (took an hour and 40 mins...) and also 3 wisdom teeth taken out under GA with a few problems, suffice to say i was suffering severe anxiety with all things dental related. Anyhow on the recommendation of a friend i have registered with a private practice and the level of care i received at my first consulation was fantastic and i thought i was ready to fight another day in the chair. First stop was a long overdue hygienist appt - this went well, albeit slightly uncomfortable as my teeth were cleaned and finally exposed to the elements. Second appt was a sealant on a top tooth - all was well. I then broke an existing filling in a bottom tooth and made an ad hoc appt to see the dentist - he put a temp dressing on it and all was well. Since then i have been working with my dentist on the care plan he made in nov 08 and i went last week for a filling (i stupidly thought it was my bottom tooth he was going to work on..ie the one he had temp dressed) however it was the slight decay in my front teeth that he had planned to work on. It was during this appt that i began to lose it a bit and my dentist himself said i was close to panic as he observed me during treatment...........whilst the injection itself was ok, i found the whole drilling and treating of my front teeth very traumatic to the point i thought i am going to have to give him the signal that i need this to stop now....i managed to keep going, am not sure how but i got there. My next appt is in march i am terrified purely bcos my dentist explained due to my anxieties he would deal with the simplest of treatment first and now i am terrified that the replacement of the back tooth filling is going to be worse than the front tooth and i honestly cant imagine anything being worse than the drill in my front tooth. Also i was at the hygienist again last week and even this i found very traumatic. I am terrified that my short lived confidence has gone and i am going to be back to square one. My dentist is excellent and so supportive and i know i am in control but once again i can feel the old fears coming back. Any ideas how to overcome it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Hi,

You're in a similar situation to me!

In November 08, i plucked up the courage from somewhere to contact the local dental clinic in town who deal with nervous patients, and let them know about my phobia.

I went for a check-up, and discovered i need quite a few fillings doing, plus maybe an extraction:cry:

Like you, my dentist wants to do all the simplest treatment first to try and get me used to it, and then do the major stuff. I went for my first filling yesterday, and like you i now also have a temporary dressing on a tooth as i have been having a bit of aching and senestivity in it - apparently this is a more major job so she wants to save this until the simplest stuff is done.

My next appointment is also in March!
 
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Hello Minihaha:

Thanks for posting your story. Congratulations on having the courage to move forward with reaching your dental health goals. That is a huge step, well done :)

Seems like your dentist understands where you are coming from and is sensitive to your needs and concerns.

In regard to the anxiety. If you find the drill noise bothersome research has shown that listening to "white noise" such as in ocean waves can be helpful in blocking the drill noise. It also can provide a pleasant distraction from the whole process. An unoccupied mind tends to wander into areas we do not want it to go.

To keep your confidence up, focus on all the success you have had. You made it through the filling without any episode. You may have felt like you were coming "unglued" but you did not. You finished the procedure and did well. :jump:

Anxiety always focuses on the future. What may happen, might happen or could happen. You have a fresh track record of success, build on it.

Look at what you have going for you.

1. You have a great and sensitive dentist that understands your fears.
2. You have made tremedous progress and have a plan of action.
3. You are doing things that 6 months ago might have seemed impossible to you.

Relax! You have the personal power and ability to conquer this. Do not dwell on all the ways things can go wrong, focus on what can go right. Believe in yourself and abilities.

You can use affirmation therapy to help boost your self-confidence. PM me and I can send you the techniques and information.

Keep up the good work. :grouphug::grouphug:
 
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