Gone and done it now. Really scarred! [lost original thread]

[commodore1981]

Hi,

I have really bad dental anxiety problem. Just finished writing my post. It took over 4h to write. Didn't realise login timed out lost post on clicking submit. I have a complex problem. Underlying anxiety and other disabilities. Just developed a dental-phobia. Have problem dental that causing extreme increase in-going anxiety. Really scarred lost post, can't rewrite it. Is it in cache? Help! Please respond.

 

[commodore1981]

Is there is anyone who can get back to me. I've been panicking non-stop for a week. And I lost the detailed thread I was writing here. Can anyone help me?

 

[haeshin]

Tell me about it! Every little twinge freaks me out to the point where I can't sleep at night and I surf forums that deal with dental fears. I have no idea if that helps me, but at least it's better than just lying there and imagining the worst. To top it all off I have a habit of trying to look up my exact problem online and WOW does my head get filled with horrors! Even though every one of my problems so far were either minor or straightforward, something you can fix with a simple dentist visit, I still freak out. After all, who knows when something might turn out to be really bad? I keep thinking that even though it's equally possible that something might be nothing at all.

Like you I'm pretty sure I have other problems too, especially anything that involves me making a decision, even if said decision was something as small as deciding what to have for dinner. Sometimes the anxiety and guilt of not doing anything substantial about it (like going to a therapist or mentioning it to family) overwhelm me in the night so I can't sleep, and I seriously envy people who seem so fearless.

Being riddled with fears and anxieties myself, I feel for you. I really do. Savor any little victory you can, such as being able to tell someone, anyone, your problems, even if it is the faceless masses of the Internet. That's still something. Also, for me it helped that everyone at the dentist office was nice, especially the dentists themselves, so despite one traumatic episode where he had to grab my head to pull out a wisdom tooth, and wow was it painful, I still run to them for tooth problems! Find someone who is like that for you.

 

[AsaGohan]

I think what would work best for you is to find a dentist that is phobic friendly. Your best bet would be to ask for suggestions from this forum, that way you know another phobic can vouch for that dentist. Then schedule a meeting with the dentist and explain to the dentist all your dental fears and bad experiences. The dentist can then recommend different methods and tricks to help you get through an appointment. I was very scared of dentistry, but my mom found an amazing dentist for me. What works for me is Xanax (half a milligram before the appointment), laughing gas, a stuffed animal to hold during the procedure (I won't let him work on me unless I'm holding my little Charizard plushie!) and my awesome dentist. I'm literally too scared to go to another dentist. There's lots of options and if you find the right dentist, they will help you.

If you aren't already, talking to a therapist about your general underlying anxiety. It might help things. Just my two cents!

 

[LeNoir]

@commodore1981

the most I do is I keep my eyes closed the entire time and let them do what they need to do. I know you could ask if you could put earbuds in and listen to a podcast or listen to music during it to try to see if that'll help. But sometimes the pain hits a threshold, you just want the dentist to take care of it so you won't be in pain.