• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

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despair

V

vica

Junior member
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
10
Location
michigan
i'm in total despair, suffering from dental phobia for a long time
last time at a dentist office- 20year ago
i fell ashamed of my rotten teeth all over my mouth
last night i hit botton
i pulled a teeth by myself just to avoid the dentist
i really need help
nobady seems to understand me
 
Oh, wow. You pulled a tooth by yourself? That's pretty extreme. But don't worry, here are lots of people who are or have been very afraid of the dentist so we all understand your fears. What exactly are you afraid of about going to the dentist? I mean, obviously it's not pain as you pulled your own tooth. Extracions with normal local anesthesia are 100% painless, so whatever you do to yourself will be more painful than having it done by the dentist. The injection is no big deal. There are excellent articles in the Common Fears section about the different aspects of dental fear. Also I'd like to say that nobody is too phobic for getting a healthy mouth. There are so many options, even general anesthesia, and many will be totally fine by just finding a nice dentist who is understanding and non-judgemental. Even for the worst phobic sedation isn't the only choise. There certainly is a way for you to get better teeth and you have come to the exactly right place to start looking for it. Congratulations for taking this first step and welcome to the forum!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi vica :welcome:,

you've shown a lot of courage by coming here - if you're anything like me, it must have been terrifying to look up dental phobia on the internet.

As FinnishGirl said, there are lots of different reasons (usually in a combination!) why people are terrified of dentists - some of them are described on our dental fears page:


It can be really helpful to identify what exactly you're scared of - usually, our first reaction is "everything", and "everything" is very overwhelming. Breaking down the phobia into its individual parts can make it a little less overwhelming. It's much easier to tackle individual fears rather than a big mountain of fear.

Whatever your fears are, you can be sure that they are shared by many other people here, and that they will understand :grouphug:.

I hope that with the help of this forum and a kind and caring dentist you will eventually be able to get the help you deserve :XXLhug:
 
Hello Vica :-*,

you have taken a HUGE step :respect:in your willingness to share your phobia with us and the courage you took to share your experience with us with candor.

It is very common for people with dental phobia will avoid the dentist for 20,30, 40 years.... pretty much as long as they can bear the problem without having to see the dentist.

You mentioned that you feel ashamed of the rotten teeth all over your mouth. Many people feel ashamed because they feel that they intellectually know they are supposed to take care of their teeth 2-3 x/ year and are worried that the dentist or dental team member will judge them and criticize them for not doing something sooner. The truth is, when someone has a phobia, the fear is so terrifying that the 'shoulds of what you're supposed to do' goes out the window. the feeling for a dental phobic is 'I'd rather live with my teeth looking and feeling like this, than see a dentist" because seeing a dentist would mean that you'd have to face your area of terror. And that terror can feel paralyzing. Literally. where a person will not see a dentist unless absolutely necessary.... ie when they've hit that low or are in so much pain that they are now willing to look at options. With forums like this, caring dental teams, sedation dentistry... overcoming the fears is possible. it really is possible for you to have what you desire and make it to the other side emotionally alive.

I promise you that there are many dentists who are attuned to people who have dental phobias and are compassionate, caring and will respect the courage you've taken to make the first phone call, the courage you've had to keep your first appointment. Most sedation dentists are even more attuned to the needs, wants of people who are scared out of their wits about seeing a dentist. and are not judging or criticizing. they are there to help you have a healthy mouth and smile again.

we are here to help you in your journey to a healthy smile that you are happy with and confidently want to smile with.

Welcome to our support network. I'm happy to have you here.:magicwand: and please let me know if there is another scenario that you'd like support with. I'd like to help you.
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley
 
Hi, Vica~

I would just like to add my support. As was said, you've made a big first step by joining the forum and expressing your fears.

I had never been to a dentist until I was 26 years old and was forced to go by an infected molar. By then my phobia (caused by a father who relished pulling baby teeth with pliers whether they were loose or not) was full-blown and I was terrified.

I was lucky and found a very caring dentist. He was the second I tried, the first refused to touch me due to how anxious I was just at the initial consultation. I then set about looking for a dentist that deals with phobic patients and found a great one. I still have that same caring dentist who has treated me for nearly 20 years and has done his best to get me past my phobia.

You've made the first step, now you have to find that dentist that you can trust and feel comfortable with. Use this support network you've found to help you get through this. We're more than happy to help, and we DO understand.
 
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