Appointment made, dreading what will need to be done

[CammyM]

Hello, first time posting here! Ok soo... I'm 20 years old, have had an extreme fear of dentists my entire life starting from my first visit needing my two front teeth pulled out due to them being abbessed from falling and hitting them loose. My last visit I was probably 11 or 12 years old, and I remember the dentist and assistant talking over me while putting in a filling, talking about a girl one of them knew getting raped/murdered horrifically in great detail the whole time. It was traumatizing to the point I've never been back. I recently made an appointment with a new dentist, as I have three baby teeth still that never had adult teeth behind them, one of which is a molar that my old dentist put a crown on. The crown needs to be replaced, I know that already, it is far too small and rounded, I can't chew anything on it the other baby teeth are in front and I keep reading about dental implants and I'm terrified. My biggest fear is going in and being told I'll need wisdom teeth out, root canal, implants, etc etc. I don't know how I'm even going to get through the front door. I could use some sort of encouragement. I'm crying every single day over how afraid I am.

 

[Thisishard]

I would not worry about the implants. My daughter just had it done for a stubborn baby tooth and said it was really quite painless. We do have a great dentist, and his team is top notch. I will not say they are cheap, but quality comes at a price. My daughter said she did not need any gas or special sedation. Although I will admit, I could have used some nitrous, upon reviewing the bill.

 

[Thisishard]

I should have mentioned in my previous post. I was terrified of the dentist. For 25 years I did not go. Guess what, all those terrible scenarios my mind made up, they were completely over the top. Yeah I had work to be done, but the dentists are really quite well trained and very professional. I know you well do fine. Find a dentist you can relate to and trust, and let them guide you through the process.

Best of luck!

 

[haeshin]

I had those very same fears last year, when I went for the first time after years of not going. Not only was I scared of the dentist, the shots, and so on, my chest would get tight just by me picturing the block where the dentist office was! Since it was in a area that I'd been in before, it was all too easy to see it in my mind!

Good news: My dentist and his son, who also works with him as a dentist and sometimes does the work, are both friendly guys and so is everyone who works with them. They didn't judge, scold, etc., they just told me the problem and the solution.

Bad news: On my first visit I was told that I needed my wisdom teeth pulled out! All four! Two of which was NOT a peaceful procedure despite their efforts to make me high as a kite with numbing shots. That was one tough couple of months for me. Now I'm not scared of the dentist himself, but the image of his office and the thought of what might be wrong is still terrifying. The slightest twinge in my teeth sends me into a panic and I just want to curl up in my bed, scared, hoping that it'll go away but knowing deep down that I should call the dentist to be safe.

...Okay. Now I'm realizing that the bad news part isn't helping, especially as my fears haven't abated in the slightest. But I do know what you're going through and I feel jealous of the people who aren't scared at all. How do they do it? Are they just born that way? I, at least, wish very much that I was the same.

 

[newbieindeatalfear]

Make sure "You go" don't be embarrassed some of us haven't been in a while. I think I saved my teeth from just going, I had to go to a second dentist also to get extra work done. Don't beat yourself up over something that they can fix. Please learn from our mistakes and go before they cant fix it later on.