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Completely clueless and absolutely terrified

P

Petra

Junior member
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
2
Hello all. I'm a 22 year old student, and I'm currently fending off panic about my dentist appointment next Monday. This will only be the 2nd time in my life I've been to the dentist. Last time was probably when I was 8 or 9, and they didn't even take x-rays or do a cleaning... just yanked a baby tooth that wasn't coming out on schedule. My whole damn life I've been embarrassed that I never went to the dentist like everyone else, and absolutely terrified that once I finally do go I'll find out that everything in my mouth has gone horribly wrong and I need root canals and extractions and braces and fillings 'til the cows come home.

But things have been hurting lately, and I've finally gotten my act together and realized that the longer I wait the worse it'll get and the more painful and expensive things will be... I know I have at least two cavities that I can see and probably at least one more that I can't, and to top it all off my wisdom teeth are coming in. I'm tired of pain, and I'm terrified that if I wait any longer I'll never get around to it and I'll lose my teeth, so after hanging up a dozen or so times, I finally stayed on the line long enough to make an appointment.

So now Monday is doomsday, and I'm simultaneously dreading it and wishing it could be sooner so I wouldn't have this long to worry! Ack. The worst part is that this is a COMPLETE and utter unknown.

Can anyone tell me if there's any chance the dentist might want to take care of some of the treatment part of things at the first appointment? Like I said before, I know for sure I'm going to need at least two fillings (if not root canals by now... ugh), and I'm wondering if there's a chance he might want to just drill right then and there.

Is it a bad idea to schedule a filling or root canal so that I have to go to class right after?

And most importantly, how can I keep myself from going crazy in the time I still have to wait? I'm jumping out of my skin worrying here, and I'm tempted to just call in the morning and take the next appointment they have available, never mind what classes I have to skip to do it, just to get this unbearable anticipation over with.
 
Hi Petra :welcome:

Well done for making the appointment :) Quite often making that phone call and the anticipation that follows is the hardest part.

It's important to remember that dentists see all sorts of people whose mouths are in all sorts of conditions so please don't feel bad about not going to the dentist regularly - what matters is that you've made an appointment for next week.

If this is the first time you've met this dentist, the first appointment will probably be just for a chat and a quick exam and maybe some x-rays - just so s/he can get a good idea of what's going on. You're the customer so if you don't want them to do anything at your first appointment, don't be afraid to say so. A good dentist will respect your wishes and only proceed at a pace you feel comfortable with.

You may not need as much treatment as you think - things have probably changed quite a lot since you last visited a dentist and techniques have also improved. It's a lot easier said than done but try not to go through all the "What if's" because it will make you even more nervous - and it really might not be as bad as you think.

Please feel free to post any questions or if you need advice/support or just to vent - post away :).

Hope this helps :).

Let us know how it goes.
 
Hi Petra :),

I can't add much to what Vicki has already said. Unless you're in a lot of pain and need emergency treatment to alleviate pain, no treatment will be carried out during a first appointment (except maybe a cleaning, if you so wish).

If it's the unknown you fear, you can find out about first appointments here (it's quite likely that not everything on that page will actually happen during the initial appointment):

 

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