• Dental Phobia Support

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12 years of bulimia have not been nice to my teeth :(

C

cherrycherry

Junior member
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
4
I have been afraid of the dentist mainly because of being bulimic for so long. I have it pretty much under control now but I have three molars that are broken to the gumline and one that is cracked pretty badly. I am not in any pain except for sensitivity.

I got approved for care credit and have some money saved for the work that needs to be done...but I dont know how to get over the fear of a dentist knowing about my past eating disorder. Is this something that will be very apparent to a dentist? :confused: is it possible for this to interfere with my regular health insurance???
 
Hi cherrycherry,

Welcome to the forum:welcome:

I think it's pretty critical that you give your history to the dentist so he understands why you have the extent of decay that you have. I don't think it will affect your medical insurance unless you have dental coverage under that plan, but none the less- you already have the insurance...

Congratulations on getting the bulemia under control, getting your oral health sorted is something that will help you continue to improve the quality of your life.

I'm going to move your post to "Your dentistry questions answered and see if one of our dentists has anything to add"
RP
 
Bulimia causes fairly distinctive damage to the teeth, so I wouldn't worry about telling the dentist about it, it'll be pretty obvious anyway.
 
it just adds a whole new level of shame. I've never told anyone about my eating disorder and in fact one of the biggest reasons I have it under control is it took me this long to realize that I have thoroughly screwed my mouth over and I couldn't let it get worse.

...I have printed out a list of dentists in the area that take carecredit. I am going to TRY to gather the courage to call around and try to find one tomorrow. When I call should I mention my fears? just that I'm scared of dentists in general? I can't live like this anymore but I don't know if I can emotionally handle landing a dentist that wont understand. :(
 
I would definatly mention your fears. Everyone says they are scared of the dentist, but they still go. Your phobia is stronger than just a fear as it prevents you going.

Be honest with the dentist about just how scared you are otherwise you will be seen as just someone who says they are scared like everyone else.

There is no shame in being scared, but there is huge respect if you face your fears. :XXLhug:
 
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