C
Commander_Cody
Junior member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2007
- Messages
- 3
Hello all - I am new here, prompted to finally do this after what should have been a fairly routine appointment yesterday left me absolutely wiped out.
Some background:
As a child/teenager (only child, strict parents - did as they told me to) I had a HORRIBLE dentist in NYC. Had many, many cavities drilled with no novocaine (I didn't know there was such a thing). Had to endure the "seat of shame" as he told my parents how terrible it was that I had such bad teeth etc... I now think this was all exagerated as my teeth are really not that bad. Wonder if I really even had so many cavities. I remember crying at each appointment, and having to bribe myself to make myself walk into that door. I also remember wanting desperately to hurt him back (I think I still might like to do that).
Got worse my first experience with tooth pulling (4 in one day, all 4 sides) and novocaine - he had trouble with the injections and ended up breaking off a needle that was imbedded in the bone in the roof of my mouth.
Finally, I left home for college and was "free" from dentists for a long time.
Recently, I decided I HAD to go back again. I know I need to go. It took me months to make the appointment, and I luckily found a dentist who is nice and seems very competent.
HOWEVER, I had an appointment yesterday to replace some of those old fillings. No pain really, but as soon as the drilling starts, the physical response starts and I am embarassed but I can't stop it. It starts with my heart beating so fast I think I am going to pass out and I start breathing really hard. Then I start to shake in my whole body. I try to hold on to myself to stop it so the dentist can work. Then I start to cry, just tears running down my face. I am silently begging her to stop, to leave me alone, not because it hurts, it doesn't. After the appointment, I still was shaking and had to sit down outside for a while to regroup. They seem to think I am doing "better" than my first appointment, but I don't think so.
In a way this dentist is good, she keeps going and doesn't buy into my fears. She is kind and gentle, but she won't let me off the hook. That's a good thing, but I find myself now with the feelings again that I can't go back because I can't take the stress.
So, my question is how do I learn to control this? I consider myself a tough person - I am fit and have a hard, physical job (training horses) that requires me to be strong and aggressive. Yet this I can't control.
Some background:
As a child/teenager (only child, strict parents - did as they told me to) I had a HORRIBLE dentist in NYC. Had many, many cavities drilled with no novocaine (I didn't know there was such a thing). Had to endure the "seat of shame" as he told my parents how terrible it was that I had such bad teeth etc... I now think this was all exagerated as my teeth are really not that bad. Wonder if I really even had so many cavities. I remember crying at each appointment, and having to bribe myself to make myself walk into that door. I also remember wanting desperately to hurt him back (I think I still might like to do that).
Got worse my first experience with tooth pulling (4 in one day, all 4 sides) and novocaine - he had trouble with the injections and ended up breaking off a needle that was imbedded in the bone in the roof of my mouth.
Finally, I left home for college and was "free" from dentists for a long time.
Recently, I decided I HAD to go back again. I know I need to go. It took me months to make the appointment, and I luckily found a dentist who is nice and seems very competent.
HOWEVER, I had an appointment yesterday to replace some of those old fillings. No pain really, but as soon as the drilling starts, the physical response starts and I am embarassed but I can't stop it. It starts with my heart beating so fast I think I am going to pass out and I start breathing really hard. Then I start to shake in my whole body. I try to hold on to myself to stop it so the dentist can work. Then I start to cry, just tears running down my face. I am silently begging her to stop, to leave me alone, not because it hurts, it doesn't. After the appointment, I still was shaking and had to sit down outside for a while to regroup. They seem to think I am doing "better" than my first appointment, but I don't think so.
In a way this dentist is good, she keeps going and doesn't buy into my fears. She is kind and gentle, but she won't let me off the hook. That's a good thing, but I find myself now with the feelings again that I can't go back because I can't take the stress.
So, my question is how do I learn to control this? I consider myself a tough person - I am fit and have a hard, physical job (training horses) that requires me to be strong and aggressive. Yet this I can't control.