• Dental Phobia Support

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Crippling phobia

K

Katieee

Junior member
Joined
Jun 25, 2017
Messages
2
Hi Guys,

I am 21 years old and I haven't been to the dentist for 6 years due to absolutely suffocating anxiety. Thinking about going makes me sweat and feel nervous.

My teeth have a lot of gaps in them, I grind my teeth unknowingly in the night, there is a bit of tartar build up behind two teeth also. I wear clip in veneers to improve the appearance and to appear more confident but it's a quick snap back to reality when I am reminded of what is underneath.

I brush them twice a day and use mouthwash and I have begun to notice some teeth are a little a sensitive so I am literally forcing myself to visit the dentist this week so if there is a problem, I can sort it before it becomes a bigger problem.

I am three days from my appointment and the anxiety is stopping my sleep and I have no appetite. I tried to open my mouth and pretend a dentist was doing their job and felt as though I couldn't breathe.

What am I worried about? Pain. Embarrassment of revealing I haven't been in so long. Worry the dentist will think my teeth are the worse they have ever seen which is silly because all my teeth are intact and not black or loose. Feelings of not being in control and feelings of there being more wrong than I think.

Does anyone have any advice on how to stay calm? The worry is crippling and making me miserable.

Thank you.
 
Hi Guys,

I am 21 years old and I haven't been to the dentist for 6 years due to absolutely suffocating anxiety. Thinking about going makes me sweat and feel nervous.

My teeth have a lot of gaps in them, I grind my teeth unknowingly in the night, there is a bit of tartar build up behind two teeth also. I wear clip in veneers to improve the appearance and to appear more confident but it's a quick snap back to reality when I am reminded of what is underneath.

I brush them twice a day and use mouthwash and I have begun to notice some teeth are a little a sensitive so I am literally forcing myself to visit the dentist this week so if there is a problem, I can sort it before it becomes a bigger problem.

I am three days from my appointment and the anxiety is stopping my sleep and I have no appetite. I tried to open my mouth and pretend a dentist was doing their job and felt as though I couldn't breathe.

What am I worried about? Pain. Embarrassment of revealing I haven't been in so long. Worry the dentist will think my teeth are the worse they have ever seen which is silly because all my teeth are intact and not black or loose. Feelings of not being in control and feelings of there being more wrong than I think.

Does anyone have any advice on how to stay calm? The worry is crippling and making me miserable.

Thank you.

I'm in the same boat. I have an appointment this Tuesday and I'm stressing out so badly. I haven't been in 8 years and I can't eat or sleep either. I'm going to a new dentist in a different town because I'm so embarrassed. I'm worried I'm going to have like 14 cavities and 10 root canals or dentures. I know this probably isn't the case because I brush my teeth regularly. I'm so scared I just want to cancel my appointment all together, but I know I need to fix anything now before my teeth break or something worse. I'm not afraid of the drill or the chair, I'm just embarrassed how long it has been and what the outcome will be... You're not alone! I'm 22 years old and I feel like a baby for worrying this much but I haven't ever been this scared of anything before.
 
I'm in the same boat. I have an appointment this Tuesday and I'm stressing out so badly. I haven't been in 8 years and I can't eat or sleep either. I'm going to a new dentist in a different town because I'm so embarrassed. I'm worried I'm going to have like 14 cavities and 10 root canals or dentures. I know this probably isn't the case because I brush my teeth regularly. I'm so scared I just want to cancel my appointment all together, but I know I need to fix anything now before my teeth break or something worse. I'm not afraid of the drill or the chair, I'm just embarrassed how long it has been and what the outcome will be... You're not alone! I'm 22 years old and I feel like a baby for worrying this much but I haven't ever been this scared of anything before.

Very best of luck to you! As you say, I think it is the embarrassment sometimes that over rides the feeling of fear. All my family have told me 'stop being silly, you are worrying for no reason' but to me, it's taking over. I am frightened of being lectured or something although thinking back on the years, I think I maintained good oral hygiene at home however did eat sweets a lot! My whole life revolves around my teeth, embarrassment, shame, fear of one breaking. It isn't financially an option for me to undergo cosmetic procedures so I will have to work with my what I've got. When Wednesday is here, I will be literally forcing myself into the dentists building. But I am full of worry. Good luck to you though.
 
Very best of luck to you! As you say, I think it is the embarrassment sometimes that over rides the feeling of fear. All my family have told me 'stop being silly, you are worrying for no reason' but to me, it's taking over. I am frightened of being lectured or something although thinking back on the years, I think I maintained good oral hygiene at home however did eat sweets a lot! My whole life revolves around my teeth, embarrassment, shame, fear of one breaking. It isn't financially an option for me to undergo cosmetic procedures so I will have to work with my what I've got. When Wednesday is here, I will be literally forcing myself into the dentists building. But I am full of worry. Good luck to you though.


My family has said the same thing, considering my family never goes either. They keep telling me I'm being stupid for worrying, but it's not calming me down at all! I ate sweets a lot too, but I did use my sonicare twice a day at least, I didn't floss a whole lot but I did use mouthwash a ton.. I think we're in the same boat. I just graduated college and am about to go to grad school, so I basically have 0 funds. I'm on my stepdads insurance, but I feel terrible if everything is wrong and he gets billed for a ton of procedures or something. This sounds lame but I'm making my mom go with me because I'm so scared... Good luck to you too! At least now that we're going nothing can get worse right? ?
 
If it helps at all...at one point I went six years without going. I don't even remember why. I think just poor adulting right after college and as I began my career. When I did go, they didn't bat an eye. I got the typical lecture about flossing and that was it. I had one small cavity that they were able to fill without numbing or the drill (air abrasion instead).
I know you are both quite concerned about what they will think/say, but consider this...in one day the two of you have mentioned very similar situations. If you read back through the posts you will see many others with lengthy dentist avoidances. It won't be a surprise to the dentist to have someone come in that hasn't been in awhile. Most probably won't even comment on it and will just be about the business of getting the clean and making sure everything is healthy.
 
If it helps at all...at one point I went six years without going. I don't even remember why. I think just poor adulting right after college and as I began my career. When I did go, they didn't bat an eye. I got the typical lecture about flossing and that was it. I had one small cavity that they were able to fill without numbing or the drill (air abrasion instead).
I know you are both quite concerned about what they will think/say, but consider this...in one day the two of you have mentioned very similar situations. If you read back through the posts you will see many others with lengthy dentist avoidances. It won't be a surprise to the dentist to have someone come in that hasn't been in awhile. Most probably won't even comment on it and will just be about the business of getting the clean and making sure everything is healthy.

Thanks! So I went today after almost having a panic attack.. I was so red and sweating bullets! The dentist came in and didn't understand why I was so nervous and laughed at me (that didn't help my nerves). But they took the X-ray which I thought was the worst part since it was going to show what all was wrong with me! Then he came back in and began scaling my teeth and he said "you seriously need to come in for cleanings more often" then got up and let the hygentist clean and polish me.... That's it! No cavities and he said my gums were fine! Don't stress tomorrow because I worried for no reason!
 
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