• 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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Well...I'm baaaaaaaaaaack

Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder

I'm sorry to hear your recovery has been slow - good to hear though that you're finally able to eat more solid food :drool:!!


A funny little aside...at one point I was in this twilight state, not asleep but not functional either. I could hear them talking. I heard the doctor talking to my hubby about his business (hubby is a fire and security alarm professional) The doc is saying he isn't completely happy with the company he is using and he would like to talk to hubby about changing. I am sitting in the chair thinking, "Are you freakin kidding me...hello....patient here." But I guess the good news is hubby got a new client out of deal.:)

Hey that's great :) - hope this won't give your hubby ideas, lol (just kidding, he sounds really supportive :thumbsup:). His idea of you coming along to his appointments to get used to the environment sounds brilliant :cheers:.


Keep us updated!! You've done so well :grouphug:
 
Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder

He does have his moments. I am very blessed...he is the best. Of course I haven't mentioned that he is 12 yrs. younger than I and we have been married almost 17 years. So I guess he is here to stay. :ROFLMAO:
 
Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder

Congratulations Marty - I'm very pleased for you. Oral surgeons giving their nervous (or was that terrrified?) patients hugs:XXLhug: is definitely something worth applauding :jump:.
Going along with your OH to meet his dentist etc to see if you think they'd be a good match for you is a great idea. If they are not your cup of tea - you can always try a dental spa instead.
Remember fillings are much more straightforward vis a vis the 'after healing' than extractions. Goodluck with the rest of your journey to dental health.
 
Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder


A funny little aside...at one point I was in this twilight state, not asleep but not functional either. I could hear them talking. I heard the doctor talking to my hubby about his business (hubby is a fire and security alarm professional) The doc is saying he isn't completely happy with the company he is using and he would like to talk to hubby about changing. I am sitting in the chair thinking, "Are you freakin kidding me...hello....patient here."

I had a bit of a similar experience whilst having a C-section with spinal anaesthesia, my OH and the anaesthetist had a nice chat and demo of how our new digital camera worked while I was being operated on...the Anaesthetist said 'give me a shout if you start to feel faint at all :ROFLMAO:' just like you...I had a 'hello patient here - moment'. He was fab though didn't feel the anaesthetic being put into my spine and all went swimmingly well.
 
Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder

What is a dental spa? I have never heard that term. :confused:
 
Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder

Google it - there are loads in Florida I should think.

Your OH's practice may be fine though...at least he can vouch for their work quality. Spa type places tend to be more cosmetically focussed maybe and often more expensive than average.
 
Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder

Of course I haven't mentioned that he is 12 yrs. younger than I and we have been married almost 17 years. So I guess he is here to stay. :ROFLMAO:

He sounds like a great catch :cheers:!!
 
Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder

I am just lucky I had the right bait on my hook. I think it was my southern cooking that really reeled him in. :)
 
Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder

After having an MRI 8 years agao I was so claustrophobic and hyper-paniky I could barely walk into ANY medical seting without a panic attack taking over.....Well today after 3--5 years of backing out, procrastinating, lying, cowering and other behaviours I finallly went to the drntist and had a root canal and 4 teeth extracted!!!!!

I did tell him I wanted to bre conciously sedated...He gave me 2 Halcion pills to take 1 hr before the surgery and It wEnt so smooth I counldnt believe it!!!tOOK MY IPOD FOR MUSIC TOO !

It is now 5 hrs after surgury and NO PAIN!!!!! Just a sense of ovetwhelming RELIEF and a stA;Drt on improving my health in a major way

SO Y"ALL HANG IN THERE!!!!!!!!!! GET A DENTIST who is understanding of your fears and who will work with you in a non deMeaning way they are out there! and BEST OF LUCK you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!! i did!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Re: terrifed of dentists and have panic disorder

GREAT JOB....you should be soooooooooo proud of yourself. What an amazing success. Sounds like you found an excellent doc...and I know that is so important. Finding the right oral surgeon and the support from y'all is the only way I got through my surgery. I am so happy for you and proud of your accomplishment. Pat yourself on the back and give yourself a hug.:jump::hug2:

Marty
 
Marty here,

I haven't been here for quite awhile. Last spring I had tooth pain that I could not stand. I am sure the horrific story is somewhere in the archives. I finally found a good oral surgeon and got the immediate problem taken care of. My intent (the road to hell is paved with good intentions) was to try and find a compassionate dentist and try to continue with the process. I should mention I suffer from Panic Disorder. But shortly after my dental surgery, I had to have emergency gall bladder surgery. The pain was worse than the panic and I was able to get to the hospital.

The recovery process was longer than I anticipated and the teeth and dentist got put on the back burner. After all I could eat again and my teeth were not giving me any pain.

So now here we are at about the same time of year and I have a tooth that is raising it's ugly head with discomfort. I find that I am just as terrified as I was a year ago and don't for the life of me know how I am going to get through this again. I totally sympathize with the person who said they worry about what the dentist or nurse will say. My mouth is down right ugly. So add abject fear to embarrasment and it is a double whammy.

I am back to thinking....just yank them all and give me fake ones...and I won't have to go through this again.

Don't know at this point what I'm going to do....just venting I guess.

Of course there is the other issue that dental work in the states is incredibly expensive...and we are by no stretch of the imagination wealthy.

So now we add to the equation, abject fear, embarresment, and lack of funds. ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG:cry:
 
Hi there Marty
I have also asked the dentist to just take out all my teeth under general and give me some false ones...he said no!! Grrrrr.
I really sympathis with you i also have a real phobia with the dentist, and when i go i get panic attacks sweaty palms...get the violins out haha. Im glad im not the only one..in the best way possible, beause i felt like a huge baby for squirming in the chair, while getting a tempory filling...yeah thats right no drill no injection just a temp filling. At one point i thought my dentist said to his assistant that, he was gonna put a filling in (a proper one) i litarally jumped out that chair (all 10 stone 10 pounds of me) and practically knocked my self out on the over head lamp, well needless to say i was slightly embarrassed. Well im sorry that, i can't really help your situation, but i hope i made you feel better by telling you about the most embarrassing day of my life!!! ps/ i do have a lump on my head...Ouch!!!:mad::oops:
 
thanks for the reply, and find an ice bag. Part of the problem outside of the bad experiences I have had and the panic...is the feeling of being trapped when I am in the chair. I know this sounds batty, but I feel like once they get me in the chair I can't leave, run, pick a word. And of course that is exactly what I want to do when the panic, on a scale of 1 to 10 reaches about 200. I am sure that any dentist I see will refuse to remove all my teeth...as bad as they are....and they ain't purdy, I only have 5 or 6 that are a real problem. And many people have told me that no reputable dentist would suggest dentures under those conditions. So here I sit with a cotton ball soaked in vanilla, treating my own tooth.

This may sound even crazier, but on some level I kinda hope that the pain gets so bad, that I won't panic. That is purdy much what happened with my gall bladder surgery. I guess if you are in enough pain....the pain wins over the panic.

I hope your lump goes down soon, and good for you for doing what you did.:)
 
What you're saying doesn't sound "batty" or "crazy" at all! The fear of not being in control is one of the most common fears people voice with regards to seeing a dentist, and for most phobics it is true that the pain (either physical or emotional) must outweigh the perceived benefits of avoidance before we take any action.

You're certainly not alone with your feelings :grouphug:.

It sounds as if the most important thing which would enable you to get help would be knowing that you are in a safe and supportive environment - where *you* feel in control and able to stop treatment at any time. I think in order to be able to help you with this, a dentist would first need to know about exactly how you feel and what you fear. If you're worried about not being able to get up and "escape" or even give a stop signal because the panic attack may make you freeze, then practicing stop signals and getting up and leaving during some sort of "simulated" treatment may help? This would require your dentist to be willing to help you with practicing taking control.

In addition, you can learn how to exercise conscious control over your body's reactions when you feel the first signs of panic coming on (e.g. using relaxation techniques, biofeedback etc.). I'm sure Stress Doc will be able to point you into the right direction here :). While this may run counter to the usual advice of not fighting panic (because it's the fear of having a panic attack that keeps the cycle going), it can be really useful for tackling specific situations such as seeing your dentist.

Have you thought about finding a psychologist who specialises in anxiety disorders who also works together with a dentist? Working in a team of three (you, your psychologist and your dentist) can be a really effective way of going about this, if you can afford it financially.

Anyway - most of all, I just wanted to let you know that your feelings are in no way batty or crazy :).
 
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