Should i?

Hi everyone,

I am absolutely terrified of dentists, and as a result have been taking off the patient list at my dentist, and have not been for a general check-up for 3 years.

3 years ago i had to have 4 teeth extracted, and due to my phobia and the way i acted up in our local dentist i had to go for a one off appointment at a dentist miles away from where i live, and they used the injection in my arm/hand to calm me down. I didn't like it though because they pulled all 4 out and they hadn't numbed my gums properly so i felt everything - they said i couldn't but i could and was in tears by the end of it!!

The end of August this year - i came down with an absolutely horrendous toothache, and became really ill with it as i just let it go - that was until my mum made me go to our local walk-in dental clinic in town - they treated me and were brilliant as alot of them at the place are trained to work with nervous/phobic patients (the community dental service is also offered at this dental clinic).

Would i qualifiy for a referral to the Community Dental Service?? Like i say, i'm terrified of the dentist and will do anything to avoid them, probably the reason i lost my dentist was due to cancelling so many appointments e.g. by saying that i was ill when it came round to it.

If i did get a referral to the Community Dental Service due to being phobic - would that be like a one-off appointment, or will they carry on seeing you for general-checkups if you are phobic??

Hi there and ,

yes, I think you would qualify for the CDS (considering a general NHS dentist refused to treat you in the past due to your anxiety). The referral process varies from NHS trust/PCT to NHS trust/PCT though. In some areas, you need a referral from a general dentist, in others, a referral from your GP, and I think in some places you can even self-refer. Contact your PCT/NHS trust to find out how the system works in your area.

The local walk-in clinic sounds great - it's great to hear you had such a good experience there! (and I'm sorry to hear that the other practice let you down so badly in the past ).


P.S.: Could you PM me to say which dental walk-in clinic you went to? It's just for our personal notes, so that we can pass on information on good dentists when somebody in your area asks about it. We don't make this information public (unless of course you want it to be accessible to other users and put it into the Dentist Reviews and Recommendations section).

Nicky_Byrne_Fan said:

If i did get a referral to the Community Dental Service due to being phobic - would that be like a one-off appointment, or will they carry on seeing you for general-checkups if you are phobic??

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Oops forgot this bit... I think that generally speaking, they do try to get you to go back to your general dentist for check-ups once your treatment is finished. However, if the check-up shows that you need treatment, you can then be referred back to the CDS for actual treatment. That's the situation in some parts of Scotland anyway, not sure if this is the same throughout the UK (or even Scotland) or not. Maybe someone else who has used the CDS knows more .

letsconnect said:

Oops forgot this bit... I think that generally speaking, they do try to get you to go back to your general dentist for check-ups once your treatment is finished. However, if the check-up shows that you need treatment, you can then be referred back to the CDS for actual treatment. That's the situation in some parts of Scotland anyway, not sure if this is the same throughout the UK (or even Scotland) or not. Maybe someone else who has used the CDS knows more .

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Thats how it works for me in scotland, i go to my normal dentist for check ups, and if i need treatment, I'm given an appointment for iv sedation at a dental clinic in a hospital.

In short i was registered with an NHS dentist until 3 years ago - although due to my phobia i now am not registered with one, and when i was they couldn;t do anything with me anyway. Here's the problems which i have.

*I feel sick just walking past dentist surgerys.

*My heart beats really fast on the way to the appointment, and i feel like i'm going to pass out.

*Immense panic in the waiting room - i go all hot and sweaty.

*When i get in the chair i almost always end up in tears and then the dentist can't do anything.

*When i was registered I cancelled alot of appointments due to my phobia - i couldn't bring myself to tell the dentist - as i am too terrified of them.

*I had to have 4 big molars removed 3 years ago and could feel pain - they said i couldn't - could so was in tears after it, and that just added to my immense fear of them.

*I had horrendous toothache at the end of August and even then let it go really bad, until i became really ill because of it, so my mum made me go to the Dental Access Centre (walk-in clinic).

*When i went to the dental access centre - i did get in a major panic about having an X-Ray when i went to the consultancy appointment. Also when i had the toothache - and just went for them to have a look at the tooth - i got in a right state - so they had to add to my notes about how nervous/frightened i am.

I don't know what to do really.

My family all attend our local dentist - but i'm not a patient there any more because of my extreme phobia/anxiety towards dentists. The dentist i used to have there has retired, but he refused to treat me because i turned up - sat in his chair, and absolutely bawled my eyes out and was shaking - he couldn't do anything with me - not even a check-up!!

He sent me to a place miles away to have I/V Sedation and that added more to my extreme phobia/anxiety of dentists, because the people were horrible as they wouldn't stop pulling the 4 teeth out when i told them i could feel pain - they were insistant that it was in my mind but it wasn't!

Anyway due to the fact that my normal dentist refused to treat me i'm now not included as a patient there anymore.

I hear horrible stories about dentists which panick me - i.e. i've been on the internet a few times and seen stories about people who have died in the dentists chair while recieving treatment - that really adds more panick.

I can't walk past dental surgeries without feeling sick.

I won't attend a dentist unless i'm in excruciating pain - even then i will let it go until i'm ill and then i have to be made to go by my mum/dad.

At the dental clinic which provides the community dental service (also the dental access centre) - where i had my emergency appointment the dentist who treated me was really nice and i felt at ease with him - i was speaking to a taxi driver and his daughter was a phobic patient and was a patient there for 4 years.

Do you know what sort of referral is required in your area to access the community dental service? If not, you can ring your PCT and find out. In some areas, you can get the referral from your GP rather than a general dentist.

Does anyone know how the Community Dental Service works.

I have emailed a few people - so didn't have to get a referral from my doctor or anything (been trying to get through to my doctors surgery all morning).

Anyway - someone from the Dental Access Centre (which also provides the Community Dental Service) must have seen my email - and the phone went, my dad answered it and i have to go into the place at 11.30 on 29th January.

Haha - come to think of it - i didn't actually provide them with my contact details! I mean i had some treatment at the Dental Access Centre last week, but that wasn't under the Community Dental Service - that was the emergency dental service abailable to everyone.

Thing is the name of the woman isn't actually listed under the list of dentist names at the clinic - do they give you an assessment to see if you are suitable and allowed to access the service before you meet/get given a dentist?????

Advice!

Hiya guys.

Well i have an appointment at the local Dental Clinic on 29th January, as i have enquired about the Community Dental Service which the staff there provide.

The local Dental Clinic is also the Access Centre for our town - i had an emergency appointment there for toothache where i had to have a tooth extracted, now i'm petrified of dentists, but i felt a little at ease with the man who extracted my tooth.

What i'm wondering is - if you are entitled to access the Community Dental Service - can you choose a particular dentist?? I felt at ease with the man i had for the emergency appointment, and would really like him if possible.

Re: Advice!

Haha, i have a bad expeirence with female dentists too so it's completely put me off them. Feel much more at ease with a man for some reason!

Re: Advice!

I was also bullied by all the girls in my year at school (only had one girl who was friendly with me - luckily she's still friends now). Had one occurence where a group of them followed me home and beat the hell out of me.

Am generally more comfortable with males than females.

Re: Advice!

Nicky_Byrne_Fan said:

Haha, i have a bad expeirence with female dentists too so it's completely put me off them. Feel much more at ease with a man for some reason!

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I am not fan of female dentists either even though my absolute worst experience was with a bloke.....I hate being sexist it goes against the grain but women often just have too high pain thresholds (from periods and childbirth) so give me a sympathetic competent male anyday.

Re: Advice!

brit said:

I am not fan of female dentists either even though my absolute worst experience was with a bloke.....I hate being sexist it goes against the grain but women often just have too high pain thresholds (from periods and childbirth) so give me a sympathetic competent male anyday.

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I would much prefer a female dentist over a male dentist based on my experiences...and I am a male.

Interesting question...which do we prefer?

My dentist does have a high pain tolerance, and she says I do, too. Now if I could get over the gagging fears we would be good.

As for women having high pain tolerances, the majority of the posters and dentaphobics are women. And many of them do not like the pain...even though many have had children. Take my wife. She does not like the dentist either, and her two reasons are embarrassment....and pain. Yet she has had four children, and only one of them did she have any sort of pain medication. And yes, her labors were not easy. While her pain tolerance is high in other areas, she has a lower pain tolerance in her mouth.

So, I think the experiences we have determine our likes and dislikes.

Re: Advice!

I also had a drug-free childbirth and have a pretty high pain threshold. My fear is not so much the pain as it is having people poke around my mouth, and then feeling what they are doing. It's not that it might hurt, just that I will feel them doing it if you know what I mean. I am ridiculously squeamish (my husband has never been allowed to fully explain Lasik to me!) and it is the thought of what they are doing to make that sound in my mouth that gets me. Of course nobody likes pain, and yet I would go through 10 more drug-free labors before willingly going to the dentist!

I found a dentist!

Well guys, as some of you may know, i got terrible toothache at the end of August and as a result of not being registered with a dentist (due to my phobia) i had to have an emergency appointment at the Dental Access Centre - and ended up having to have the tooth extracted (the sound of the cracking when it was coming out still haunts me in my head) on 7th November.

Anyway, the staff at the Access Centre were really nice - so when i found out that they will treat nervous/phobic patients there i enquired about it. They said that i would need a referral to the service from someone, and said that because i wasn't registered with a dentist due to my phobia, a referral from my doctor would be fine.

Well - i spent a whole morning and afternoon trying to get through to my doctor, but had no joy there. That same afternoon the Access Centre phoned up, and said that they had booked me in for an appointment to meet the dentist and for a check-up (turns out they got the dentist who took my tooth out at the beginning of the month to do the referral for me).

I went back for my appointment on Thursday (27th November). The dentist is really nice and carried out a check-up for me. They have found a few teeth which they want to fill, and there's one (the same tooth i've just had out but on the other side) which looking at the x-ray i had at the beginning of the month might be too deep to be filled, so i might have to have that one out too I go back on 10th February for my first filling!

One thing which i wanted to ask you guys is - the dentist said that if i have any emergencies or any problems to now contact them seen as i am registered with them.

The thing is - i don't know whether i can go back for check-ups after i've had the treatment or not. They know i don't have a dentist due to my phobia - so i'm wondering if i should send them an email to ask??

The woman also said they are trained to deal with many different phobias there - well i have dental phobia, and am also socially phobic (find it hard to talk to people and will avoid at all costs) - so i wonder whether this comes under it too.

Re: I found a dentist!

Nicky_Byrne_Fan said:

The thing is - i don't know whether i can go back for check-ups after i've had the treatment or not. They know i don't have a dentist due to my phobia - so i'm wondering if i should send them an email to ask??

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It would be a good idea to find out what is going to happen in the long run, so either e-mailing them or asking them while you're there would be a good idea .

The woman also said they are trained to deal with many different phobias there - well i have dental phobia, and am also socially phobic (find it hard to talk to people and will avoid at all costs) - so i wonder whether this comes under it too.

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I would imagine that anxiety problems such as social phobia and agoraphobia would come under it, since they are really common .

Re: I found a dentist!

Thanks for that. I've just sent an email to them. Haha, i did try to send one the other day but my internet was playing up and as a result i ended up with over 2,000 emails in my inbox and outbox, haha, about 30 copies of each email so i hope i didn't send aload to them!!

Back at the dentist tomorrow!

Well guys,

At the end of August, i ended up with the most horrendous toothache due to my phobia of dentists - which resulted in an emergency trip to the dental access centre in town, as my normal local dentist can't do anything with me so crossed me off their list! I ended up on Ibuprofen, Amoxicillin, Penecillin and Co-Codamol for a week to get rid of the pain. Then on 5th November, i went back to see the consultant and he said it would have to come out so booked me in for a provisional appointment two days later on 7th November - i ended up on Metronidazole for 3 days, and finally had the tooth extracted by him on 7th November.

The dental access centre were really good, and i found out that they will register certain groups of people via refferal (one of these being nervious/phobic people). I didn't have anyone who could refer me as i wasn't registered with a dentist, so i in the end the consultant at the access centre who carried out the extraction did the referral for me, as he and most of the staff there had seen how much of a state i got myself into (over the x-ray, extraction, and even just letting them look inside my mouth).

I went back at the very end of November to meet the person there who will now be my regular dentist. She carried out a check-up and concluded that i will need quite a few fillings, and also there is one tooth (the same one i've just had out but on the other side) which they want to try and fill but it might have to be extracted instead

I am back there tomorrow morning for the first filling (they have said they'll take the treatment very slowly for me).

Wish me luck!

Re: Back at the dentist tomorrow!

Thats so like me i have been reffered to so many dentists in my area and 5 get my self so wound up, in the end i have had nearly all of the force my mouth open to look. i know my slef that i need fillings i just cant talk myself round my phobia which i think im more scared of pain.only being 14 aswell

well good luck, please let us know how it goes x

Re: Back at the dentist tomorrow!

Hi NB Fan! I just wanted to send you good wishes for your appointment tomorrow. I'm sure that it will go just fine! Please let us know how everything went once it is over!!

Best of luck!!