Embarrased about the state of my teeth more than the fear of dentists

[jonboysez]

Hi I'm new to the forum
I admit to not finding visiting a dentist pleasant so haven't been for about 20 years - in the past I had numerous root canal treatments and eventually the fillings all came out and over the years my teeth have deteriorated badly so have a mouth full of broken teeth which I have filed down myself when sharp - my fear of pain isn't as bad as my fear of embarrassment now to let a dentist see my teeth - I have no pain just lots of broken teeth plus I don't have £10,000+ for a full mouth reconstruction - I'm 62

 

[Jennypin]

I’m sorry to hear this
telling someone is the first step to getting help
you are not alone , embarrassment and shame are uncomfortable emotions .
The first hurdle to get over is to put this feeling in its place
No one else can see this feeling .
Until you see a dentist and allow them to have a look at your teeth you won’t know what your options might be .
Have a look around this site for tips and there might be a reviewed dentist near you who understands nervous patients

 

[Gordon]

Welcome Jennifer Nice to have another dentist about.

We've got a whole page on this here: https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/fears/embarrassment/

It's a very common thing to worry about.

 

[Beckybo]

@jonboysez hi. I don’t post on this forum much, I just lurk when I need to ? but I came across your post and felt the need to comment.
I too hadn’t been to the dentist properly for years due to a bad experience when I was younger….in fact the only times I have set foot in the dentist in the past 20 years is when something has forced me into going (abscess etc) I’m back to lurking today as I’m just 24 hours into an antibiotic course for another infection, lots of pain and loads of swelling ?
Anyway I just wanted to say that I totally get how you feel, I’m really embarrassed about the state of my teeth, I have been for years. I thought I was being weird and stupid but I’ve gone on to realise that lots of people feel that way….I had to go to an emergency dentist yesterday to get these antibiotics (to much swelling and infection yet to deal with tooth…that’s next week) and he told me he wished that people would know that dentists do not care what the inside of our mouths look like or how bad we think they look, they care about making our mouths healthy and making us feel happy in ourselves with our smiles.
Please try and take that on board, a dentist isn’t going to laugh or be disgusted at your teeth, they will want to help you?

 

[Jodie Nelson]

he told me he wished that people would know that dentists do not care what the inside of our mouths look like or how bad we think they look, they care about making our mouths healthy and making us feel happy in ourselves with our smiles.
Please try and take that on board, a dentist isn’t going to laugh or be disgusted at your teeth, they will want to help you?

This is so true. We see all sorts of patients with widely varying mouths. Our focus is achieving a healthy final result @jonboysez . Acknowledging that you have some dental work that you'd like done and searching for an option is the biggest step. I hope you find a dentist who can help you get started with this soon.
Take care
Jodie