1st Appointment for 10 years - Petrified!!

[Zoe151073]

I am beyond terrified of dentists and do not get regular check-ups. I have never had a tooth extraction whilst awake and cannot abide fillings, cleaning and the general picking and poking that dentists do.

I have had trouble with my bottom left wisdom tooth for over 10 years (the reason for my last visit to a dentist). It is impacted and bothers me on a regular basis, most recently I have been getting on/off toothache since October. A more recent problem is my top left wisdom tooth, of which there is not much left and bits keep falling off it and this is also painful. I have an appointment tomorrow and I am petrified. I want both wisdom teeth taken out under GA - is this possible in the UK? I once had a tooth out under "twilight" and it was fantastic.

I feel sick even thinking about my appointment tomorrow.

 

[drummerswife]

Hi Zoe,
I hear your terror and I truly can identify with your feelings. In this forum, you will meet many others who also understand your fear. The wonderful dentist I have blessed to find tells me I was the most terrified patient she has ever met in her 17 years of practice. She also says I am her greatest success story too. By the time I met her, it had been 15+ years since I had dared step foot in a dentist office. The story of my dental journey is here in great detail as are the stories of many others who are or have been where you are.

I do not live in the UK. I live in the US in Nenbraska. However, on this forum I have learned from others that the UK has a government sponsored universal health care system. The US does not have such a system but I understand that in the UK you can either ise NHS services or go through a private provider. One thing I know for certain is that finding the right dentist, one that is sensitive and compassionate to your feelings and sympathetic to your feelings,are worth their weight in gold.
I don'y know exactly how this would work where you live but I am thinking that given the [roblems you are having coupled with your intense fear, you might be better off with an oral surgeon. I had 3 oral surgeries last summer with a great OS who gave me IV sedation. It was fabulous! I remember nothing, no fear, no pain. I watched him inject the meds into my IV and the next thing I know, it was time to go home. My teeth were a mess. I had two molars on the upper left side way in the back that were jammed into the same space one was a wisdom and they were rotting each other. The molar directly below these two on the same side was broken and rotting beyond repair. Surgery #1 was to remove these three teeth to prevent a massive infection. #2 was to remove a molar on my upper right side that was badly infected and had a fractured root that was pressing down on the abcess. #3 was to remove another molar on the lower right side way in the back that had become so infected that the infection had spread all the way down to the jaw bone.
You may find it helpful to investigate the possibility of going to an oral surgeon. Whatever you decide, I wish you he very best. Know that you are not alone.