Cant come to terms with the thought of being injected still

[Stewart]

Hi Everyone

I went to a recent appointment. I just went. No more cancelling, and I went. But it was only hygienist and im alright with that. The checkup showed i needed no work, so a relief.

I have huge injection problems still and I dont know how to get over it. Any ideas?

I think the fact that it comes at the very beginning makes it worse for me. Theres no kind of "working up to it", and neither does saying it wont hurt....maybe im just some sort of freak but ive had five dentists now, and yeah, it hurts. Five different peoples injections hurt. So thats my lived experience. Just reading "it doesnt hurt" doesnt change that.

The dentist i have now is pretty real about everything and is maybe TOO honest....but thats in a good way. Theyll readily admit things that are going to be unpleasant and uncomfortable, and respect to them for that.

I still look for any excuse not to go to the dentist and i know a days coming where there going to have to do something to me. So im on yet another hopeless 6 month count down until next time already. Unless i cancel.

I know needles are coming eventually. 6 months, 2 years, 5 years....doesnt matter. All hopeless.

Im just lost and ranting as usual, sorry.

 

[letsconnect]

maybe im just some sort of freak but ive had five dentists now, and yeah, it hurts. Five different peoples injections hurt. So thats my lived experience.

I wouldn't be surprised if 5 out of 10 dentists weren't good at giving consistently comfortable injections. I wouldn't even be surprised if only 20% were excellent at it. So the fact that you've had at most a handful of dentists, all of whom failed to impress with their painless injection technique, isn't all THAT unlikely, statistically speaking. Yes, it is unlucky, but far from impossible.

It certainly doesn't mean that everyone else on this forum who has had positive experiences with injections is lying. It also doesn't mean that YOU are the problem. Maybe you just haven't found the right dentist yet.

We've got some information here for finding a dentist which hopefully will be of help:

How to find a dentist for nervous patients

Discover how to find a dentist who is good with nervous, scared or phobic patients - and who to avoid!

www.dentalfearcentral.org

How to find a high-quality dentist

How do you know if a dentist really cares about the quality of their work? Here is what to look for and expect from a high-quality dentist.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

 

[Stewart]

@letsconnect thank you for your help.

To be honest, i dont want to keep moving dentists searching for the answer anymore. I just want to not have any work done unless its a total emergency now.

Ive been lucky to escape relatively easily with not having to have complicated procedures but I couldnt do them anyway. I will not sit through a root canal, whether im sedated or not, and theres absolutely no way i would ever be able to have one.

I can barely, and i mean barely without being sick multiple times, have a filling.

I just feel like im not allowed to say my feelings, and that hurts. It makes me incredibly sad.

I just want to pass away a happy wimp. Thats fine, that to me is bliss.

But i just feel like im waiting for that day something has to be wrong, its boud to be around the corner having had the last 5 or so checkups with no problems and being 39 now.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

The shots should not come right at the beginning and there should be a working up to it. First they should use the numbing gel to make it less painful, if they are not offering that to you, ask for it. I have had dentists that were good with shots and they were almost painless. I have had others who were lousy at it and it hurt. I never used to be afraid of the shots but am now. My fear is not the pain of the shot it is of being injected in the wrong place and having it go to a blood vessel; because that makes my heart pound so hard it feels like it's coming out of my chest and it's terrifying to me. I also have a fear of the shots not working because I have had a dentist work on me when I wasn't numb. I will never be able to sit through another crown or root canal. I have to be sedated to even show up for an appointment. I have to go next week and I already feel sick over it.

 

[Stewart]

@ScaredyCat22 you sum it up really well for me. It all seems like such a lottery to me. Getting through it with no pain is based on so many factors, your experiences are always going to vary massively and mine have.

Ive had it before where the injection itself has been hellishly painful. Then they do the tapping to see if I'm numb thing and its hard to distinguish from tapping whether I am or not, like their tapping isnt going to resemble them putting that screwdriver type thing in my gum....so if that goes wrong I have to endure some sharp horrible pain before I put my hand up.

I put my hand up, theyre going to inject me yet again, so I get yet another needle.

plus the fact that after theyve botched my injection which admittedly is not RIGHT at the beginning but its the first major thing that happens, I then have to trust them with the rest of the process thereafter even though theyve already made one huge botch thats killed my confidence.

And not being phobic themselves, I dont think they realise how damaging that experience theyve put me through is. I relive some of these negative experiences constantly, even though it might have been years ago. The thought of certain dental procedures whilst im fully awake just makes my skin crawl

 

[ScaredyCat22]

@Stewart I once had a dentist tell me that if you are not numb enough you can feel
"cold" before you can feel pain. so instead of the tapping and asking do you feel this or does your lip tingle I have them give the tooth they are about to work on a good spray of icy cold water. if I can't tell that it's cold I know I'm ready.

 

[Stewart]

@ScaredyCat22 I like that tip a lot, thank you!