Anxiety attack at the dentists

[Luba1]

Today I went in to get a permanent crown put on a root canalled tooth. I don't know why, but for some reason I was having the worst anxiety about it since yesterday.

So, today, as I sat there in the chair waiting for the dentist I got a full on panic attack. I thought my heart would leap right out of my chest. Luckily I calmed down after I mentioned it to the dentist and he was really nice about it. I guess I should go back to take Ativan before I go in???

I've had a ton of dental work done this past year and a half, but this was the worst anxiety that I've had. I really don't know what it was about THIS particular day. Usually it's the drilling that sets me off, as I've had MAJOR problems with getting adequately numb, but there was no drilling today. I hope my phobia is not getting worse...

 

[vicki]

Hi Luba

Sorry to hear things didn't go as well as you'd hoped . Sometimes some appointments are better than others for whatever reason and sometimes things don't always work out as you'd planned. The panic attack might not necessarily mean that your phobia is getting worse though . Did something different happen which could have caused it? Or did you notice that maybe you were more nervous than usual before your appointment, and if so, what caused that? Even if you don't know why, your next appointment could be OK again - some of my visits are a lot worse than others and I have no idea why, but even if I panic at one appointment, it doesn't mean that I will at the next.

The important thing is not to dwell on having that panic attack (a lot easier said than done, I know ) because it won't help and could make you more nervous about your next appointment. Even though you did panic, your dentist was really nice about it, so it's OK. Also, don't forget that it takes a lot of courage to go to the dentist if you're terrified so feel good about yourself.

 

[letsconnect]

Hi Luba,
I don't think this means you're getting worse. In fact, I think you discovered a really good coping strategy there:

I calmed down after I mentioned it to the dentist and he was really nice about it.

You've now discovered that mentioning it to the dentist can help you calm down even if you have a full-blown panic attack .

That's a really handy thing to know for the future - so maybe it was a valuable experience after all?