I just want it to stop

[OCR040542]

It's embarrassing, I'm a 27 year old man and I have not been to the dentist since I was 16...

I went because my parents told me it's time, but that's not where it started...I remember being a small child in America and I don't recall most of my time there but I remember getting jabbed by a needle; maybe I was too nervous as a kid but I remember something more vivid later: I remember waking up in that chair and seeing my mouth open and trying to say something but then I remember leaving the dentists...since then I've had bad...and I mean really bad anxiety with doctors and dentists; I felt liberated when I told my parents that I wasn't going back there but I think I need to change that....since everything with Coronavirus I've made steps to ensure getting better with the doctors and I got better; taking a physical for an overseas job, blood tests and the like; most recently being the COVID jabs and boosters...I feel that pit in my stomach but I'm not locking myself in the bathroom anymore

What I want to do is a lot of things; find out if I can fix my teeth....I've chipped teeth in the past but it's getting to the point that I feel holes and I don't know whether it's sugar or something else like my wisdom teeth pushing into the backs of my other teeth but all I know is that I WANT to fix it...the greyed parts of my teeth..the pain....I've dulled it with oragel and basic amenities like milk and water....but I just want the pain to stop and to be able to smile again.

however I also don't want to go to the dentist, partly because of those feelings and partly because I feel ashamed of myself for letting it get this bad

 

[IZZYBELLY2]

I understand your feelings. I am 28 and had not gone since 19. I am dealing with a lot of shame for not continuing to go and letting myself get to the point where I am.

However, many people on this site have found that when they go back to the dentist, things are not as bad as they feared. The scariest part for me was the first appointment and hearing what had to be done. I still am having anxiety about all the work, but at least I was able to know how bad it really was! The dentist is not going to shame you, especially if you seek out a dentist that has experience with anxious patients. You can let them know when booking the appointment.

You are still young, so if you can get your mouth checked out now, you will be able to set yourself up for success for years to come! It’s better to get smaller problems checked out before they become bigger issues. You might not need much work at all, but either way I’m sure you will benefit from a professional cleaning. I cleaned my teeth pretty well for ten years according to the hygienist, but they still felt much nicer as a professional clean

Healthy mouth will help the rest of you feel better as well.

If phone calls are too much, you could try emailing some dentists and explaining your phobia. This is what I had to do, as explaining it on the phone was too hard for me