• 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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Finally Scheduled First Dental Appointment Ever

A

angelic

Junior member
Joined
Feb 27, 2018
Messages
1
Hi all,
I'm new to this forum but I've searched it privately for a couple of years. Reading some of your stories and success has been truly inspiring in giving me the courage to FINALLY schedule my first dentist appointment ever. Growing up my parents had a lot going on and I had a lot of health issues with multiple doctors appointments which took the forefront over my dental health. My parents also didn't really get along when I was a child so there was a lot of arguing, yelling and drinking when I was growing up which also contributed to some neglect to my dental health. I heard my parents and other family members complain about how bad their experiences at the dentist were so I was never in a rush to go. My older brother took great care of his teeth but I never did. I hated brushing my teeth as a child and then when I was depressed as a teen I stopped taking the best care of myself (and my teeth).

Here I am now, a woman in my 30s, self-conscious about the state of my teeth. I have a lot of cavities and know that I will need a lot of work due to my poor dental hygiene. I've gotten better about brushing and flossing these days but unfortunately I feel like the damage has already been done. About a month ago, I got up the courage to do some research on a judgment-free dentist in my area and sent a lot of my background and concerns in an email and got a supportive/understanding email back from the receptionist who told me she'd pass my email along to one of the head dentists.

I couldn't get up the nerve to respond to the email or call and schedule an appointment until yesterday. I now have my first ever appointment scheduled for next week and I am really nervous about it. I've never been to the dentist before and I'm afraid of being judged for my neglect over the years. I'm nervous to hear the extensive and likely long treatment plan ahead of me and while I do think I have one of the better dental plans through my job, I'm still concerned about how I will pay for all of the dental work I need. I'm hoping the dentist can save most (if not all) of the teeth I have left and give me the beautiful smile I've always wanted but I'm nervous about pain, cost, and all of the time it will take to get me there.

Any support, words of encouragement or positive/success stories from you all who have been in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated to help me actually show up for this appointment.

Thanks in advance!
 
Hi angelic and welcome! Lovely to have you around as a member now :)
A huge pat on the back for plucking up the courage making it to schedule the first appointment! :jump: The beginning is the hardest part and it must have taken really a lot of courage for you to get there. Good to hear that you took the time to research a bit and find a practice that can work with nervous patients.

There is no reason for any dentist to judge you. You have made the decision to take care of yourself and your dental health and that's, considering your childhood and teen experiences, a truly courageous thing to do. You deserve support and guidance on your way. Does your practice know that you are afraid of judgment?

Try not to think of all at once first. Your first appointment will be a chat and an exam and after that you will get all the information needed to plan the costs and the needed time. You can discuss your concerns with your dentist and he/she should be able to help you with it. I would say that concentrating on coming through the waiting time and not to get crazy is enough for the first part of your dental journey..

You are taking charge of your dental health and that's amazing and the only right thing to do.
 
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