appointment next week

[gypwytch]

Hi I'm new here, I have an appointment next monday to have a filling replaced and am very nervous about it. I know a few of my other teeth need work and worry that when they work on one tooth they might aggravate the nearby teeth. Needles and drills don't bother me but I have a severe gag reflex (I throw up brushing my teeth sometimes) and worry about that. There is artritis in both jaw joints, that worries me too. I've also had bad experiences in the past. My older sister "terrorized" me with dentist stories as a child to the point that I was 11 before anyone could get me near a dentist and at the first appointment the assistant yelled at me which hasn't helped any. In my early twenties a dentist tried to remove one of my wisdom teeth and did what has been called by other dentists as a butcher job(they get REALLY upset when they see my x-rays), I still have the roots embedded in my jaw, now totaly encased in bone. The specialist who removed the other three two years ago made the decision to leave them in place. Three years ago I broke a molar, I saw someone on an emergency basis, he fixed the tooth but didn't do a good job and I have trouble chewing on it, so try not to. Now I need the molar on the opposite side fixed and worry about how sensitive it will be (it's a big filling) and how I'll be able to chew food. Due to past experiences I have trouble trusting new dentists and tend to put off seeing one.
Thanks for letting me air all this here, anyone have any advice for me about any of it?

 

[vicki]

Hi gypwytch



Sorry you've had such problems in the past with dentists and dental treatment - many people on this board have, so you've come to the right place .

About the gag reflex; I don't know whether you've seen it, but there's a page about gagging here:

How can I prevent gagging in the dentist's chair?

Our readers share their tips for preventing gagging at the dentist's: coping with X-rays, impressions, brushing teeth, dental treatment, dentures, and more.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

It's not something I'm that familiar with, but I'm sure there'll be someone on here who can maybe give you some advice about it .

Well done for making an appointment - it's not easy when you're nervous/scared. Is this the first appointment with the dentist you're seeing next week or have you been there before? Trust is important anyway, but it's especially important when you've got a fear or phobia or when you've had bad previous experiences. If you can tell the dentist that you're nervous and why (basically everything you put in your post), then they may be able to suggest a way of making things a bit better for you. There are lots of things that might help, see:

What Can Help

What can you do to overcome dental phobia? Get information about psychological strategies, new technologies, and sedation.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

if you look at the section about clarifying your fears, there's a download about what might help - you could go through the relevant bits on this list with your dentist if you think it might help.

Is there anything in particular that makes you nervous?

 

[gypwytch]

I saw this dentist several years ago for a checkup and have my wisdom teeth checked, at that time all was well with my teeth, but my wisdom's needed pulling, it took another year and a half for me to get my courage up for that. This is the first time he will be working on my teeth, my worries are about my gag reflex, that I might throw up, etc., and we did talk about it last week when he had a look at things, but I still worry (seem to be a proffessional at it). I also worry about how sensitive the tooth will be, and for how long. Also about where the money is going to come from to pay for all of it, due to health problems I'm unemployed, right now my mother is paying, but she can't really afford it, there are two or three other teeth that need work, we're talking about maybe doing one a month.

 

[vicki]

This is the first time he will be working on my teeth, my worries are about my gag reflex, that I might throw up, etc., and we did talk about it last week when he had a look at things, but I still worry (seem to be a proffessional at it).

When you talked about your gagging problems, did he suggest anything that might help? Sometimes people fear the reaction of others rather than the actual thing itself, for example, although I have the occasional panic attack, I'm not really that scared by them. What scares me is the thought of having one in front of someone else and how they'll react. I know it probably doesn't make it any easier but your dentist will probably have seen loads of people with gagging problems, so maybe he'll be more used to it than you are?

 

[gypwytch]

Just thought I'd post an update. I had my appointment today to replace a filling, the whole thing went well. They cut a hole in the rubber dam to make it a little easier for me and only put it in as far as they absolutly had to, to my amazement I didn't gag once on it, for the first time ever!
Things went well enough that I was alright with the idea of making an appointment for a cleaning and check-up to find out what else needs fixing. So I go in on Jan.19th.

 

[vicki]

That's fantastic news!!!   Well done! I'm glad things went well for you, especially as I can imagine that having a bad gag reflex can't be easy. It sounds like your next appointment could be even better .