L
Loupyloulou
Junior member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2024
- Messages
- 15
- Location
- Scotland
I have posted in another forum about my plight but what I really struggle with is the lack of knowledge when it comes to being neurodivergent and visiting the dentist.
My anxiety is mostly fuelled by what I DONT know and I tend to go non-verbal because I am so petrified. I tried facebooking my current dentist about this as the only other way to contact them is phone (non-verbal issue again) but they replied with a really rude message saying I had to call them and that was the last time they would speak to me via message (I only contacted them once, I was very polite).
I was also referred to a specialist clinic for sedation (it didn’t work) to have two teeth removed surgically. My partner called on my behalf but they refused to speak to him and I had to do it (cue me sobbing down the phone and the receptionist not being able to understand what I was saying). There is also a medical card for autistic people that you can send in previous to the appointment so they are made aware of what issues you struggle with. They brushed it off and said “we have all types pass through here”. When the dentist met me she said she had never seen a patient as anxious as me. In the waiting room I was rocking back and forth, sobbing and pulling chunks out of my arms (unaware… my brains’ attempt to distract I guess). I was utterly embarrassed.
I need to probably write everything down and hand it to the dentist but I’m afraid they will think I’m ridiculous.
I’ve had dental trauma since I can remember (gas-waking up, having months of fevers afterwards), complications with my baby teeth, spending primary 4 to 2nd year wearing painful braces to push the entire top of my jaw forward, root canals that I felt when I was 18 because of deep fissures, jokes made about my weight getting sedation previously by the dentist (I was a female size 14, now a skinny 6-8), much, much invalidation from long-term domestic abuse.
Anyhoo, it’s destroying my life. I have developed suicidal ideation just from dental phobia and it’s now threatening my career as a vocalist. Thanks for reading.
My anxiety is mostly fuelled by what I DONT know and I tend to go non-verbal because I am so petrified. I tried facebooking my current dentist about this as the only other way to contact them is phone (non-verbal issue again) but they replied with a really rude message saying I had to call them and that was the last time they would speak to me via message (I only contacted them once, I was very polite).
I was also referred to a specialist clinic for sedation (it didn’t work) to have two teeth removed surgically. My partner called on my behalf but they refused to speak to him and I had to do it (cue me sobbing down the phone and the receptionist not being able to understand what I was saying). There is also a medical card for autistic people that you can send in previous to the appointment so they are made aware of what issues you struggle with. They brushed it off and said “we have all types pass through here”. When the dentist met me she said she had never seen a patient as anxious as me. In the waiting room I was rocking back and forth, sobbing and pulling chunks out of my arms (unaware… my brains’ attempt to distract I guess). I was utterly embarrassed.
I need to probably write everything down and hand it to the dentist but I’m afraid they will think I’m ridiculous.
I’ve had dental trauma since I can remember (gas-waking up, having months of fevers afterwards), complications with my baby teeth, spending primary 4 to 2nd year wearing painful braces to push the entire top of my jaw forward, root canals that I felt when I was 18 because of deep fissures, jokes made about my weight getting sedation previously by the dentist (I was a female size 14, now a skinny 6-8), much, much invalidation from long-term domestic abuse.
Anyhoo, it’s destroying my life. I have developed suicidal ideation just from dental phobia and it’s now threatening my career as a vocalist. Thanks for reading.
