• 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.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

I am changing dentists

I

Issie

Junior member
Joined
Mar 26, 2006
Messages
4
My old dentist retired and I am scared the new on will be really mean and hurt. I have an appiontment for next week and have not sleeped for a month. I walked past his office the other day and I looked really scary all painted electric blue and black. The other problem is that at the last appiontment at the old dentist she said I may need a root canal what if I do at the new dentist. HEEEEEEEEELP. I am Also scared of having a male dentist. I have a huge phobia on needles. The scariest thing is that I have to go alone mum and dad are working. Please help :hidesbehindsofa: :mad:
 
:welcome:
Various options which occur to me:
Do you know anyone else who uses the same dentist? Why not ask around, someone you know must have already been to see them. 30 plus years ago, me and my friends used to do this when we went to a practice where the Associate dentists were changing every year - they were always fine by the way - and in those days things were potentially more uncomfortable.

Move your appointment and get your parents to check him out first?

If you prefer female dentists, can't you try and find a new female dentist maybe one who uses the Wand if you are needle phobic.

E-mail the new dentist explaining how you feel (maybe not the sex thing as there's nothing he can do about that), say you are needle phobic and enquire whether he uses the Wand or at the least get him to agree you can have topical anesthesia (numbing cream).

You're only going for a check up, if you don't like him you don't have to go back.

By the way, it really isn't the sex that matters, it's the personality, my best and worst dentists have been male; and you do get unfriendly unsympathetic female dentists too. Men generally have lower pain thresholds than women and that's probably an advantage in having a male dentist.

I've only had one root canal -it was 100% painless (male dentist) although the drilling does seem to go on for ages but I'm talking 13 years ago. If your tooth is not infected it should be straightforward anyway.


Hope this helps and good luck, he'll probably be fine - he wants to stay in business remember. It must be hard for him taking over someone else's practice.

Hope this helps
 
Last edited:
:grouphug: Thanx Brit. It really did help. Good and bad news The dentist rang and asked to move the appiontment forward to yesterday!!!!!!!!!! I still had to go alone and I did it. He wasn't that sympathetic but not to unsympathetic he was Ok. I do need a root canel and that was today. He doesn't use a wand and he beleives that it wreaks the process to use a numing cream so it was pain hell he is not that graceful with the drill either - double pain hell. And it is not over yet I have to go back tommorow to finish it of and he thinks I have a cavity now.   :scared:. After I told my mum she said that he didn't sound to good but I have to finish the root canel and cavity with him then we MIGHT change. However my sister needed a filling replaced and got to go to a different dentist so unfair. Any way I am really nervous about tommorw so wish me luck

Thanks
:XXLhug:
Issie  
 
Hi Issie

Your mum had a point - the experience you described doesn't really sound too good :(. The thing is, if you're scared of going to the dentists, then you need a dentist who will listen to your fears rather than making things worse and making you more scared.

There's nothing to be ashamed of - many people are scared of going to the dentist, so you're not alone :). There are also plenty of dentists out there who are good with nervous patients - maybe you could talk to your mum about seeing someone else?

If a dentist doesn't use the wand it doesn't mean that the injections will definitely hurt - as far as I know, it is perfectly possible to do painless injections without it, it's just a matter of technique (and some dentists are better than others in this respect). Using numbing gel before the injection obviously will help a lot though.

Let us know how it goes

:grouphug:
 
My dentist doesn't use the wand, she gives very painful injections (although apologizes 50 times while doing it) so she KNOWS she's painful. BUT her work is very very good so I had to weight the pros & cons.

I'd agree to finish the root canal & judge him after his work. Weigh the two together then I don't see a reason why you should return for the cavity filling if your not happy with his work. If you're that unhappy with him I wouldn't return to give him more work to do. Look around & take your time, providing the cavity isn't hurting or too large.
 
Post deleted.

Reason: content deliberately intended to scare others. Please read forum guidelines before posting.
 
That is so bad I suspect you are making it up and trying to scare people who are genuinely phobic????. The whole story is just outrageous, especially the 26 injections and demanding money bit....

As a 10 year old I did encounter a sadistic dentist who refused anesthetic for fillings (8 in total over 2 appointments) and my Mum made me finish the treatment too and I went along alone..(idiot should have told my Dad)..but he was one bad apple; and it was much more subtly done than what you have related.
If it's true, he isn't going to make much money in your town..not many people would go back for second helpings of that...
If it's true, I apologise and suggest you sue your mother for making you go back after the first appointment....I see no problem in going elsewhere to finish treatment if you are not happy....how did your sister get on elsewhere?(Doesn't add up?)
If true, obviously you tell everyone in town/school about your horrendous experience and put him out of business!
 
Whilst it is OK to share bad experiences (we all know that they do occasionally happen unfortunately),it is not OK to deliberately post scarey stories or dramatic versions of events which are intended to attract attention.

Please have some consideration for others; there are a lot of posters (and lurkers) out there who are genuinely very frightened and reading scare stories does not help anyone.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
:):)I had to change my dentis about 8.5 years ago when i took up employment and had to mone about 100 miles At my final checkup with my previous dentist i was able to thank her for the time and care she had taken with me. I chose a female dentist from the list my dental insurance company sent me. I then wrote to my new dentist explaining my history the bad experience i had had as a chid. in the second paragraph i expalained the fears i have:- the drill, fear of the drilling being painfull, fear of catching my tongue on the drill.

In the final part of the letter i discussed how i would like my new dentist to help me - speaking to me and reassuring me, explaining the treatment to me before she begins, how i find being able to have eye contact with the dentist more reassuring. i also included with the letter a questionnaire on dental fears - a similar one can be downloaded from Beyond Fear, at the bottom of the letter i wrote the date and time of my appointment.

When she first met me she thanked me for my letter and said it was very helpful and assured me there were lots of ways she could help me.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top