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Finally found an amazing dentist

S

sparklefairy

Junior member
Joined
Nov 19, 2019
Messages
7
Location
UK
Apologies if this goes on a little, I have a tendency to ramble ?

I have struggled with an eating disorder since I was 8 (I’m now 24) so it’s been there pretty much as long as I can remember. I’ve gone through periods where I’ve been diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia and currently have a diagnosis of OSFED and potential ARFID (I also have autism which is why I struggle with the sensory aspects of food a lot).

At my worst with anorexia I wouldn’t brush my teeth because I was scared toothpaste had calories in it, I even believed that shower gel might make me gain weight - dental hygiene was in no was a priority. Then when I started to struggle with bulimia I was constantly making myself sick, but still struggled with the idea of toothpaste having calories in it. And years of either not brushing my teeth or repeatedly vomiting caught up with me pretty quickly.

I learnt fairly quickly as an adult that if I didn’t make a dentist appointment then no one was going to ask me about it, my parents couldn’t take me, it didn’t really matter if I disappeared off my dentists grid. Two years ago I was an inpatient on a psychiatric ward and they took me to an emergency dentist because I had horrible toothache that was preventing me from sleeping and that then made my mental health worse. She told me that I needed a root canal and was really lovely and understanding about my mental health struggles. But I obviously had to go to my regular dentist for the treatment.

My old dental practice were awful - I have never felt more ashamed about my teeth. They treated me like a child and made me feel like it was all my fault - there was no compassion or understanding at all. I had the root canal done but it put me off ever going back again.

Earlier this year I started getting bad toothache again and knew that there were problems as they’d been pointed out to me by the last dentist I saw, but I couldn’t bring myself to go back and see them again. So I registered at a new practice - I wasn’t expecting to be seen as nhs practices seem like gold dust where I live but I decided, with much encouragement from a support worker, to go along and see what they said.

I’ve never been more impressed with a dentist before. She was incredible in my first appointment - let me ask as many questions as I wanted, told me what she was doing, reassured me throughout. And the nurse was super lovely too, holding my hand when needed. I scheduled my follow up treatment feeling like I’d be in good hands. It still filled me with dread, but I felt more comfortable than I’d ever felt before.

Today I went back for the first appointment and again, cannot fault them at all. The nurse held my hand, they explained everything, kept making sure that I was comfortable and I feel like they genuinely cared and were trying to make my experience as nice as possible. I genuinely have no worries about going back again, my faith in dentists has been restored after so many years of hating it and being terrified.
 
That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you. Finding a dentist you trust that feels like they care about you makes all the difference.
 
What a fantastic story! Congratulations on your success and hope that all will continue go well for you for many years to come. As I have mentioned many times before on this site, simply finding the right caring person really is the secret to success in all aspects of life. as well as dentistry. Take care and keep well. Simon (Surreyvwphobic)
 
Congratulations on your success it’s always a relief when you find a dentist that truly cares about you I just finished my first set of extractions on Tuesday and it was so nice I barely felt anything and the staff at the office were amazing take care and keep us posted on you’re journey
 

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