Appointment today.

[ScaredyCat22]

Just venting really. It's 100 degrees here. Last night I took the valium the doc prescribed me to make sure I sleep and am able to force myself to go to today's dentist appointment. I still tossed and turned because of the heat and been up since 2am exhausted. All the valium did is make me more tired. I am hot and itchy and afraid to eat breakfast because xrays gag me and I don't want to vomit. I'm too nervous to eat anyway. I'm supposed to take another valium when it's time to go but it's not relaxing it's only making me more tired. I won't get to eat lunch either because my appointment is at noon. I'm not having work done today but it will still be a long appointment with a full set of xrays and exam and a cleaning.

I have not had a cleaning in 6 years so I know it will be painful. I hate that dentists don't have sinks by the chair anymore so they expect you to just swallow the tartar they scrape off and the blood. That will increase the chances that I vomit. It's 45 minutes to get to the dentist and another 45 to get home. I will leave at 11 and if I am lucky I will be home by 2:30. I don't feel ready to hear a lot of bad news about the state of my teeth. I hate being told I don't floss enough when I do it every day, twice. I doubt that I have any cavities because it's been 40 years since I last had one. But I know that my 40-year-old amalgam fillings are starting to crack my molars. I hate being forced to look at huge, enlarged, blown up photos of the cracks. I hate how it's all open floor plan with no privacy anymore so you have to hear other people being worked on and sometimes see things you don't want to see or have others hear and see you.
I wish they would just do the cleaning and let me go. I don't want to hear about crowns and root canals because I will never sit through one again. I don't want to hear about cosmetic dentistry or gum surgery. I wish they didn't force so much torture just to get a cleaning.
Thanks for listening to me whine.

 

[Stewart]

I got to the party late on this. I hope the experience wasnt too bad.

A lot of it resonates with a lot of the things i dislike.

An open plan dentist would be hell on earth. no way would i ever go to somewhere that i could see someone else being worked on or hear tools whizzing, thats just awful and totally unacceptable to me. I dont have to do that at my dentist.

Im like you, no matter what happens in life, im never having a root canal or crown. thats totally final, its not happening, ever. Not with any kind of sedation you want. It. Is. Not. Happening, and its non negotiable.

I really just hope you can find solace in the fact you are being proactive about your health and teeth and continuing to face your fears

 

[ScaredyCat22]

@Stewart Thank you. It was not quite as bad as I expected. They did try to give me a brand new dental tech who literally just graduated to do my xrays. I had to say sorry but no way because I will vomit. They let me have the panorex instead that takes an image of all of your teeth with just one xray.
That went ok because she was supervised since she had never done it before. The hygienist was absent that day so the dentist himself cleaned my teeth. It only hurt in one spot. They have a sink but you have to get up out of the chair to use it. I had to ask him twice to let me get up and rinse. He didn't seem to mind so that was good. I hate when they make me feel like I'm bothering them, but he didn't make me feel that way.

When it was over the new tech came back to polish my teeth. She didn't know what she was doing and she was so nervous, which made me more nervous. She kept putting too much polish and the thing they use kept starting and stopping, and once she caught my lip with it, which is painful since it is not meant to touch and twist up your skin. It felt like putting an electric sander on your lip. I told her our appointment was over at that point.

 

[smirked]

@ScaredyCat22 That isn't quite right. Surely they shouldn't have a trainee working on a nervous patient? That just feels very insensitive...

 

[Stewart]

@ScaredyCat22 its strange actually that some of my "better" dental experiences have come with brand new dentists and hygienists over experienced ones and i can only assume that is due to them trying to be super careful and accomodating, albeit this didnt work for you in your case and im sorry you went through that.

The idea of an open plan medical practice where everyone can hear everyone elses problems or see everyone being worked on, thats just unacceptable, why would anyone want that, let alone someone anxious?