A dentist at a new practice frightened me. Can you please give any advice?.

[anonfemale]

I tried to get an appointment with my usual dentist recently but all of the dentists had left the practice and they werent making appointments for check ups so I went to a different dental practice yesterday. The dentist wasn't friendly, didnt smile and she was very abrupt. She took an x ray and mentioned periodontitis and said people can lose bone and the teeth come out. I was very frightened and kept crying and having panic attacks after the appointment. My usual dentist said my gums had improved and before that they said it was superficial inflammation when I last saw her in March. I'm just quite worried because when I am physically and mentally ill I dont always brush and floss as much as I should. My waterpik flosser was also broken for a while and I have only just bought a new one. I will try my best to brush and floss twice a day now and hopefully my diet is good enough but I am still frightened by what happened yesterday. I am looking forward to seeing my usual dentist in three weeks. I called them and they said the dentist can see me then. They also said she will refer me to the hygienist if I need to see her. The dentist and hygienist at my usual practice are lovely and even if there is anything wrong, I know they will explain it in a nice way. What do you think about this?.

 

[NervousUSA]

Hi, I think it sounds like a good thing you can see the usual dentist in three weeks. I would probably not go to the other practice with the dentist that frightened me, if there was any way I could see the usual dentist, it sounds like you like the usual one but don't like the one at that different practice. I would try to increase on brushing, flossing, and using the water pic, and then when you go to see the usual dentist in 3 weeks, ask them about what the other dentist said. These are just my thoughts here, hope this helps.

 

[Dr. Daniel]

Hi, I say: stay with one dentist who you feel comfortable with and don‘t let other dentists confuse. Here is a video that might be helpful: