first appointment in 10 years tomorrow

[kafkacat]

this is my second post here, and as you can see, my appointment is tomorrow and i’m so unbelievably nervous i keep catastrophising and imagining the worst. i’m scared im going to need loads of cavities filled which to most people seems simple but ive never had a filling before and it seems so scary! i’m also worried my wisdom teeth will need extracting and extractions sound much much scarier the thought givesme chills and makes me feel nauseous!! anyway i dont really have much to say i just wanted to put it out there because this is my biggest fear probably that im facing and its so nerve wracking. i dont know how i will relax

 

[letsconnect]

Wishing you all the best for tomorrow @kafkacat . I'm not sure if you have come across the "Interviews" pages on this website, but there's a great interview with a dentist (Mike) there where he basically says that the first appointment is your opportunity to "interview" the dentist and see if they are a good fit for you:

"I will often say to the patient they believed they were coming to that first appointment to be assessed when in fact it’s the other way round. You know, it’s a job interview, they’ve come to interview me to decide if I am the right person to be their dentist and I hope they choose to employ me."

If having the dentist have a look at your mouth is too scary, perhaps you could ask them if you can just have a chat about your fears and what they might be able to do to alleviate them!

Best of luck and let us know how you got on

 

[kafkacat]

@letsconnect hi, thank you for your response! i’m pleased to say my appointment went really, really well. the dentist was so lovely and understanding, and the whole atmosphere of the place was very relaxing and non-clinic-y! considering how long its been since i’ve had an appointment, my teeth really aren’t that bad. need a cleaning and i’m getting a plan in for invisalign which is verrrryyy expensive but hopefully will be worth it. i couldn’t get the bite wing xrays done but ill be getting a full jaw xray for this. but from what she can see, no decay so no fillings! just some calculus build up and a little gum inflammation! and my cleaning is on thursday. it’s always so much worse in your head lol. it’s crazy i waited 10 years for the most chilled out appointment ever

 

[letsconnect]

Oh that's wonderful news, @kafkacat ! So glad to hear it went really well - sounds like you found a lovely dentist and practice (the atmosphere is so important, isn't it??). I'm sure the Invisalign will be a huge confidence boost and absolutely worth it if you can afford it!

Congratulations !!!!