I'm Living Proof You Can Heal

[writergiril61]

Yesterday, I had an appointment with my dentist for a routine check up and cleaning. Simple set of x-rays, quick look around by the dentist and then spent about 40 minutes with the hygienist to clean my teeth. Got my goody bag of toothpaste, toothbrush, and dental floss and I was good to go. Made another appointment for 6 months as I left.
Sounds like someone with no fear of dentists right? Wrong, not even close. This "routine" appointment was literally impossible 5 years ago. 5 years ago, just seeing a TV commercial for dentists was enough to set off a panic attack for me. Just getting me in the front door of a dentist office required heavy sedatives. Simply being in the same room with a dentist was a major accomplishment without her coming anywhere near me.
I was severely traumatized by two male dentists as a child and youth and the resulting severe dental phobia kept me out of the dentist's office for over 20 years.
And then I met Dr. Katy. An unconventional dentist specializing in working with dental phobia. My first two visits with this unique dentist was nothing more than conversation. She would later tell me I was the most terrified patient she had ever met in her 17 years of practice. She knew that the only way to get a look inside my mouth was going to require serious medication.
Long story short, it took two full years of sedatives and slowly building trust to address the disaster that was my teeth after two decades of no dental care. As trust grew, Dr. Katy began slowly lowering the medication until I was finally able to see her without being medicated.
Today, 5 years later, Dr. Katy is still my dentist and will be for as long as she is in practice. We both celebrate how far I have come in my recovery.
To all the precious people here, know that healing is possible. Believe me, it is.

 

[mardan]

Congratulations. Big thank you for this post.

 

[writergiril61]

I'm so happy to see my story helped the folks who responded. I will always believe that one of the most critical parts of overcoming our fears is finding the right dentist.

Dr. Katy has started her own practice and told me she has begun training new dentists in her unique and compassionate methods of treating frightened patients. She also shared with me that one of the dentists responsible for turning me into a dental phobic has been forever stripped of his license for abusive practices. Good riddance.
It is my hope that,over time, people like Dr. Katy will change the world of dentistry and the way people think of dentists.

 

[mrsemartz]

hopeful

I have an appointment coming up on March 7 with my 7th dentist in 10 yrs. I am hoping that this one will be a good fit.
I've gone through sedation and wasn't a fan, I don't like the sensation of loosing control, and yet I'm terrified.
Your post is giving me hope that I too can get through this and have a good relationship with someone who has (in their field) given me intense anxiety in the past.
Blessings.

 

[writergiril61]

I dont know if your up coming appt is with a male or female but I have found I feel much safer with women health care professionals in general. I think that's another big reason I bonded with Dr. Katy. I admit my bias is showing here but its been my experience that male health care people do not understand nor do they have the patience for nervous or anxious people. The only exception I have ever met was the oral surgeon Dr. Katy sent me to but then he has worked with her for years so knew how she expected her people to be treated.

 

[FearfulInMA]

So great to see your success story! I, too, have finally gotten to a place where o can go to the dentist without totally melting down. The dentist I found is male and does not specialize in treating phobic patients, but he was the right fit for me - I would never have considered a male dentist prior to this and didn't know at the time that there were dentists who specialize in treating phobic patients. I am a trauma survivor and my abuser is male - I think finding a male provider I could trust went a long way to helping me heal some of my trauma as well. I just wanted to add a little bit of a different perspective (I hope you don't mind).

 

[writergiril61]

Thanks for sharing this. I will always believe the most critical factor in healing from dental phobia is finding the right dentist and it sounds like you have done that. That's great!