Back again -- and I have finally contacted a dentist

[lilliane]

Hello, once again. Well... I did it! For the first time in almost 35 years I sat in a dentist's chair and opened my mouth. Doesn't sound like much, I guess. But for me it was huge. I won't go through the whole story again, but will just say that this was very difficult for me to do. I felt as if I could just die right there in the office. But, the dentist I have found (with some good pointers from Brit on how to do it) seems to be just right. She is patient and understanding, and she seems to know her stuff. I think she is just what I need. So the process is underway -- she took impressions and has to consult with a surgeon before letting me know what my options are for dentures. But she has promised to pay a lot of attention to the final product, not just to my health but also to how I will look. For all these years I have not even been able to think about that part of it, but I find that now it is giving me some strength to go ahead -- just to think that I might actually be able to SMILE like a normal person!
So now I'm waiting for the next stage, but I feel for the first time that this is something I can do, as difficult as it is. With your help, the right dentist, and my wonderful husband, I might be able in a few months to say, "I did it." But for now, at least I can say, "I've started....".
By the way, I have found a lot of encouragement in some before and after photos on another site I found. Has DFC considered this?
Again, you have helped me more than you will know. I'll keep you informed.

 

[scaredinthechi]

Well done!

I discovered that feeling myself recently, the feeling that I can actually do it - I might still be scared, and the needles and noise might still give me nightmares, but I can do it.

The feeling of being able to actually show my teeth to colleagues the day after my first ever cleaning was amazing. I am pretty certain that you too will be experiencing similiar soon!

 

[brit]

Well done Lilliane
Keep us posted about the rest of your journey

 

[anya]

Well done Lilliane. I think a lot of us can empathise with both the fear and the enormous feeling of relief after making that first visit. It may seem like a small thing to people who are not afraid of dentists, but to us it's amazing!

My mum got dentures recently. Things have certainly moved on in the world of dentures. Hers look like real teeth and I really wouldn't know they were false if she had not have told me. From what I hear from her, they are also really comfortable too. She eats whatever she wants with no worries whatsoever, whereas when she had dentures before she had to be careful about what she ate and had to give up a lot of the foods she loved, like nuts. I think you will be really pleased with your dentures when you get them.

 

[brit]

Great news - Lilliane's Success Story thread is here:

Thank you to Brit and to DFC!

Here I am, some 7 months after first posting on DFC – and that was only after a few months of “lurking”, trying to get up the nerve even to write about my fears, let alone do anything about them. And this time, I’m writing to say THANK YOU to DFC, to the members who wrote kind words in response...

www.dentalfearcentral.org