• 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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Enhanced Dentistry

Keeping my fingers crossed for you Simon 🤞 - all the best for the 24th!!
 
Hello again everyone and hope you have all kept well. As promised, my dental appointment did indeed go ahead today (November 24th) and was probably one of the nicest sessions I have ever had in my entire life. I have been going through much jaw discomfort in recent days and weeks, putting it down to stress and hence associated gnawing and clenching to cope with it! Having discussed this with Megan, she had a little feel of the affected area and surprised me with a lovely short burst of facial massage! How lovely - things felt better already. I was not able to have a full clean again today, as the surgery and staff were not equipped to carry this out safely but, along with the lovely surprise massage and a couple of very careful scrapes in some areas of concern, Megan was able to give me a lovely long indulgent polish! Oh what bliss - I nearly nodded off as I heard her gentle reassuring voice and felt the soft rotating brush spoiling every tooth in my mouth. If only I could have this every night!! Alongside all of this pampering, the usual checks were done, with nothing untoward; gums scores this time were mostly two and one or two three which was fantastic, all things considered. Megan readily agreed that although all was basically well, I did need a full clean, which we are now going to carry out in just a few days time on the 18th December, just in time for Unchristmas. This has been well choreographed already; I am reassured that although both dentist and nurse have to dress up in space suits, they are both meeting me initially in normal dress, and then one of them changing into their special suits whilst the other waits with me, so that I am not in any way daunted by the slightly different outlook. I will get the surgery to myself for I guess up to an hour for this to happen safely, but the treatment itself is no different to before. I cannot wait! I will write again when I have been for my next session of spoiling on the 18th.
From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
Hello folks. As promised, here is my missive following my session today on Friday December 18th 2020. All went very smoothly; the session was again sublime, with my first proper cleaning for over eight months. Apart from a couple of twinges it was all very pleasant and enjoyable; I simply relished being able to lie back in comfort and be seriously pampered by two very pretty ladies, Megan and Lisa. I am told that I was indeed very lucky to get Lisa for today, as she no longer routinely works with Megan, but her replacement (Sophie, who I have met a couple of times) is equally caring and will take the place of Lisa next time.
As forewarned, both Megan and Lisa did indeed dress up in what in the end looked like bee keeping suits for my session, but faces were still visible and despite both their oxygen supplies and the suction and ultrasonics, their lovely voices could still be heard. Afterwards, my mouth now feels bigger in size having lost all that muck of so many weeks and a little sensitive, but no real pain or discomfort to speak of. My next session is already booked for the end of February, by which time we hope that a large proportion of the vaccine programme will have been rolled out (this is in the UK) and things starting to ease off after what is promised to be an evil winter for us all. I wish everybody on this site health and renewed happiness for Christmas and the New year.
From dental heaven with love. Simon XX
 
And a very happy Christmas to you, too, Simon ? - great to hear all went well!! (had to snigger at the bee-keeping suits ?)
 
Thank you for the update! I often think of a cleaning as a wellness for teeth and your description of your cleaning really makes it sound like wellness! :love:
Happy Christmas and the New Year, Simon. Til soon! :xmas::plays:
 
Thanks everyone for your lovely messages and pictures. Hope to see you all safely on the other side in the New Year. Love from the angelic chair, Simon XX
 
Hello everyone and a very happy new year to you all. Some of you around the world are lucky enough to have finally returned to normal living; here in the UK, despite a fantastic vaccine programme running way ahead of expectations we are all convicted of a crime we have not committed and remain at the mercy of a bullish dictator. Much of Europe faces a similar fate at present too.
The one mercy we have been shown is the continuation of dental care; hence today, February 26th 2021AD I had my next follow up appointment with Megan and her new nurse Sophie. All went very well; my dental health had held out (just) and a couple of areas gently scraped at consequently, but I did have an issue with my new bridge; it turns out that it had in fact come unglued and shifted position, causing me some discomfort and one of my front incisors to start twisting back. Megan pounced straight away, reglueing the bridge back into position and the teeth now all moving back to where they belong. I am now in a little discomfort afterwards though not in any real pain, and my time in the chair was totally pain free. After so many weeks of minimal contact it was just so nice to see a real person and do something normal for a change! I will return for a full cleaning and further review on the 10th May if all continues to go well with the world situation.
From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
Hello everyone and hope you have all made it this far. This missive is a few days late but refers to my latest session which occurred earlier this week on Monday 10th May 2021 AD. All went very well again this time; apart from a couple of threes my gum scores had remained at all two or lower (so superb) and so just a very thorough cleaning was needed, as this had gone about six months due to the need to book out the surgery for safety cleaning and for Megan and nurse to dress up in their bee keeping suits again. The cleaning was a very pleasant experience again, and how nice to be staring up at four very pretty eyes as they worked away! I go again in September for the next round of dental pampering, provided the latest virus hasn't killed us all off in the meantime.

From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
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Hello everyone and hope you have all kept safe and well around the world. In the UK we are cautiously coming out the other side of this terror thanks to a fantastic vaccine programme of which I and all known to me have had our two doses and remained well consequently. This update is actually a month later than intended, as I was going through a very low patch up until mid September, and so I decided to postpone my planned September appointment and go a month later. Hence I now write following the events of two days ago, Thursday 14th October 2021 AD. This was another lovely and very heartfelt session of which now I still feel very emotional about, as it was just so nice to be surrounded by relative normality and to be among such lovely people. This session should have been just a review, but it was also a full cleaning, as this had been four months since the last and I did not want to go any longer without; indeed, much of the reason for postponing the recent appointment was because I knew a cleaning was needed and so did not want to waste time or money to be told thus. Anyway, the session was the usual sublime 40 minutes or so of dental pampering; I do now have Sophie instead of Lisa as my regular nurse to accompany Megan, but she was equally charming and attentive. The ultrasonic scaling was beautiful and pain free, the polishing so enjoyable that I cannot comment further on here...... and to top it all off I have been given a clean bill of health! My gum scores had remained at mostly two or less with a couple of three, and told not to worry about where I am at, as all is well! Great news indeed after such an awful year. Some interesting asides to mention; the practice tunics have changed from black to a very nice alluring dark blue with the company logo neatly to the top and side, and this time, only nurse Sophie had to cover up with the "bee keeping" outfit; Megan was down to just a thin overall over her tunic and a visor over her face, so four very pretty eyes to gaze up at.......
My next session is now six months on as my dental health has amazingly improved and settled down well despite all the goings on, and so I look forward to seeing my angels again in late March 2022! From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
Hello everyone. Hope you have all kept well and managed to get a Christmas in this time around! I cannot believe it is now six months on from my last session with my two dental angels and so at last with Easter (yes really!) almost upon us, I now write following my latest session from two days ago, Thursday March 31st 2022.
This was another lovely session with no nasty surprises or problems to report; Megan and Sophie did another fantastic job of giving my mouth some much needed pampering after six difficult months and this time both of them were back in normal clothes with no bee keeping suits in sight. The only difference this time was in the actual treatment; after the scaling with ultrasonic water as per usual, this time I was polished with a new procedure known as "air polishing". This was actually super easy as there was no real sensation whatsoever but just a lot of noise from suction and water spraying. The cleaning works by having water mixed with some sort of dust, so a dental equivalent of sand blasting as used on cars etc. After this there was a little of the conventional rotating brush polishing before I was finished and deemed fit once again to go off and fight my route towards the next one.

I had no issues this time, but we mutually agreed that we would split the difference on visit intervals and so I have gone for four months until the next session which is hence scheduled for early August.

From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
Hello everyone and hope you have all managed to survive the recent heatwaves around the world. Here in the UK normality seems to be finally returning, as I was to witness at my latest dental session today, Tuesday 2nd August 2022 AD, some four months after my last one in April.
All went very well; I did not have a full examination this time, although Megan still decided to do a quick gum score on the house for our mutual peace of mind. This time we got mostly two or less with about three showing a three, so all has kept remarkably stable. The session was thus a full cleaning which was mostly straightforward as before, although there was some considerable discomfort around my problem "eye" tooth as well as along my front lower teeth, which meant we actually took a couple of significant breaks so I could recover and then continue. Despite this, the sheer kindness of Megan with her dulcet tones enabled the session to still be a very positive and pleasant experience, rounded of with another bout of air polishing and finally my favourite, the rotating polishing brush, which I wish Megan would do every night instead of me having to! The surgery atmosphere was back to a refreshing and beautiful normal, with no reception staff covering faces anywhere nor us patients being made to wait outside and/or cover faces. I did take a face shield to wear in case, but soon took it off again when it was clearly not necessary. In the surgery area, not a bee keeping suit in sight, and Megan and nurse Sophie only covered their faces during the procedure (completely normal).
I was in some discomfort for a few hours afterwards, but this has faded off gradually as the day has progressed and I have managed to eat a sloppy lunch and supper and expect to be back to normal tomorrow. In closing this update I again thank all at "Enhance" for their life changing care and support, only feeling so sad that I did not have lovely people like this to look after me when I needed it most back in the eighties; I surely would not have gone through this dreadful spell of phobia had such care and empathy been there. I return all being well for another round of dental pampering in early December, four months again, next time with an examination along with the cleaning.
From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
Hello everyone. Hope you are all keeping well around the world. Yes, its four months on and so today (Tuesday 6th December 2022 AD) I had my next dental session with my tooth fairy Megan and her nurse Sophie. Despite all that has gone on with me in previous weeks, I had gum scores of two all round and x rays confirmed good bone density and otherwise general dental health, so good news. The cleaning was the usual loving indulgence and apart from a couple of twinges was very straightforward and trouble free; I go again next April. The last few weeks and months have been very challenging for me mentally; I have sadly been suffering a few "flashbacks" again in recent weeks and coping with facing up to past ghosts during some spells of major clearing out of old clutter and hence the associated memories. On top of all of this, I have been battling with identity issues; I have been increasingly discovering much more of a "female" side to me and have been desperately trying to work out how to carry this in everyday life whilst also not offending others. Megan and people at my local church and my hairdresser have been hugely supportive but I now look for some more targeted help and kindred spirits as I move forward from all of this.
In closing, I wish all of you every happiness for the festive season and continued good health and safe living for the coming year.
From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
Thank you for sharing!
 
Hello everyone and hope you are all keeping safe and well out there. I cannot believe it is four months on already, and so two days ago from this missive (Thursday 27th April 2023 AD) I had my latest dental session with Megan and nurse Sophie. This was another largely trouble free session with minimal discomfort and gum scores remaining fairly consistent at two or three. The only issue that cropped up was a query at my choice of toothbrush; admittedly it is quite old, but it is simple and seems to last. Although I am up for a later sonic type, they simply do not last and a year or two later you are having to chuck it out and buy a new one - very wasteful given the situation with our dying planet (any suggestions please write). That aside, all is otherwise well and thanks to some recent help and a lovely massage a couple of weeks ago, I am feeling generally more balanced and climbing slowly back out of the abyss of recent dark months. My next session is scheduled for August and will be an interesting one, as not only will it be exactly five (yes really!) years since first meeting Megan and all at "Enhance", but alas also the surgery is moving to new premises outside of Ely which now annoyingly involves either a very stiff walk or a short drive to get there (about two miles from the current location). Of course, we all wish the team well for a smooth and successful move. Take care and see you in August!

From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
Always good to hear from Dental Heaven Simon! Glad all is still beautiful and good over there!
 
Hello everyone and hope you have all kept safe and well over the last four months since my last missive. As I have mentioned in the "support" section, I have been going through a very rough patch in recent weeks and months; sadly my PTSD has started to recur again after over ten years of relative peace; I believe this to have been triggered by a very intensive period of clearing out of old possessions and going through a difficult spell with my family. To add to this, my beloved dental practice has moved from their previous location in central Ely to a new place about two miles away and so is either a stiff (about an hour) walk or a short (about seven minutes) drive to get there. It is not served at all by public transport.

Given my current issues, to avoid a possible panic attack on the day, I arranged to visit the new site for a tour so that I knew what I would be facing in three days time later this week (Friday 25th August 2023AD), so having just arrived back I though I would share my experience. I was welcomed and looked after very compassionately by Angie and Rebecca the two ladies that normally look after me when I both contact and visit the practice. The new waiting area has been designed to be like a very posh spa hotel and is certainly very plush; numerous sofas and chairs with lovely cushions welcome you, with a few small tables and magazines to use and drinks are available too. The space is very light and airy but a few plants and a botanical patterned wall gives a pleasant intimacy despite the bigger space and there is quiet but unobtrusive music playing in the background. A crucial advantage of this new place is that the surgeries are well out of earshot of the reception area, so one is not hearing any sinister dental sound whilst waiting. This a huge step forward for any phobics that may approach this practice. Although I did not see any of it, the new practice is now fully equipped and set up for sedation, so I have the peace of mind that this is there for me to avail myself of, should be it ever be needed in the future.

After sitting a few minutes, Rebecca then showed my the new surgery where I will be with Megan on Friday; I was very relieved to see that much of the furnishings were not too different from before but a new luxury that has been added is a clever ceiling mounted screen which can show images of nice places such as beaches or countryside etc., so it will interesting to see how this works out. I feel much better for having made this practice trip and just pray that my PTSD does not flare up at all on Friday so that I can enjoy my session as usual. I will write again to detail how things went.

From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
Hello everyone. Following my recent missive I duly report on how things went two days ago on Friday 25th August 2023 AD. Depending on how one looks at it, the visit was either a great success or a huge disaster. Having got there, I was duly made very welcome and an amazing miracle occurred in that my old nurse Lisa, who I was very comfortable with was unusually assigned to look after me that day. So, she settled me in the receptions area with a glass of water and made sure that I was coping before going back to help out on the reception desk but made herself available throughout should I need it. The second miracle of the day was that who should appear but a lady from my church having just had a cleaning! So she sat with me and looked after me until I was due to go in and hence released Lisa to do other things. All well and good. The disaster was not only was I some 40 minutes late going in as Megan had dealt with an unforeseen emergency, but due to this, my cleaning did not happen that day in the end. The examination did take place as planned, and this time gum scores were again mostly two or less with a couple of three, so nothing bad to report there. Despite the cleaning being abandoned, Megan did very gently clear a couple of mucky gaps to keep me safe until a full cleaning can be carried out in the near future. However, the conclusion to the disaster was that we finally discovered that my new bridge had indeed failed in its duty to stay fixed and hold everything together as it should, so we are now facing the ordeal of having to replace it all again over two sessions just as we did in early 2020 AD. It was a great comfort to have Lisa beside me, as she is by far the best for looking after phobics and the practice are doing their best to try and arrange for her to be by my side for this upcoming work, which is due to start on Monday 2nd October. As this is essentially a warranty issue, Megan has pledged to do this free of charge, but will also carry out the abandoned cleaning at the same time. As I write this, I am resting and recovering from a major brain washout, the fallout from putting all my mental effort into getting through all the antics of two days ago. I slept much of yesterday and plan not to do too much again today (Sunday) but hope to feel better tomorrow. I will write again following the next chain of events as they unfold.

With love from the angelic chair. Simon
 
Hello everyone and hope you are all keeping safe and well around the world. As promised, here is my latest spiel following the replacement of my failed bridge. This took place over two sessions; the first was some two weeks ago on Monday 2nd October 2023 and the second yesterday (Tuesday 17th October). The first session was particularly arduous, as not only did the old bridge have to be milled out as before and measurements taken but then it was refitted temporarily and then a full cleaning carried out which had been postponed due an emergency cropping up at my last appointment. The session was hard going only due to very prolonged spells of mouth opening and the cleaning and milling being quite intense and the water jet being very noisy at times. Megan and Lisa looked after me impeccably and probably could have done little more to make the session as bearable as possible so I am duly satisfied enough with how the session went, although I was left with considerable aching for the rest of that day. After a good night of sleep all was well again the next morning. The second session was much easier to bear, although there were still some periods of opening that took their toll afterwards, and the water was noisy at times though discomfort was minimal. I had Sophie back as my nurse this time; despite not saying much she did a superb job of keeping excess water at bay and seemed more clued up at setting up the newer equipment in use. Megan was her usual loving self, talking me through everything as it progressed, and managing to give me breaks so I could tolerate the procedure. The result is another nice new bridge which has brought my problem front tooth back to where it belongs and otherwise all performing well thus far. I have also been able to keep the previous bridge which is still serviceable in case of accident so I can be fixed up quickly should this ever be necessary. The aching lasted into the evening, but mostly fine today as I write this. Tomorrow (Thursday) I am having a planned head massage at my local hair salon which should settle both mind and skull back down to comfort again. In closing, I wish everyone well for the upcoming festive season and hope to be back in February after my next routine appointment.
From dental heaven with love. Simon
 
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