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Intense anxiety about upcoming dental appointment

M

missjc

Junior member
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Messages
1
Today I called and schedule an appointment to go to the dentist for the second time in my life. I am 26 years old. I went once back in 2013 for bruxism. It was at that appointment that I was told I had one cavity which I suppose is excellent considering I had never been prior to that appointment. However, my experience was not a pleasant one. You see, I suffer from bruxism. It affects me on and off. That day, they took x-rays for it and the dental assistant hurt my mouth so bad during the process that I was too scared to go back. Fast forward to today and well, I’m in a lot of pain. Let me start by saying that I do try to take care of teeth, although flossing isn’t always my strong point. I believe my pain is due to grinding once again, however, I cannot be certain at this time. I often check my bottom front teeth for looseness because I’m paranoid about it. I don’t think that they are though. I believe that’s in my head. I do think that my teeth are sensitive due to slightly receding gums facing inward to my mouth, but none whatsoever on the outside. I also have a couple of black tiny spots in between my front teeth facing the inside of my mouth as well. I’m so scared that I’m going to go to this appointment and be made to feel ashamed of my teeth and/or the dentist is going to tell me that I’m going to loose them and I don’t know how to handle going to this appointment. I need some reassurance.
 
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on scheduling your appointment. Scheduling can be one of the hardest steps. I'm sorry to read that you are feeling so anxious about your visit and rest assured that you are not alone. I am 30 years old and went to my second dentist visit ever last week. It took me 10 years to schedule the darn visit and I was certain that my teeth were a lost cause. Unlike you, I have not taken very good care of my teeth, forgetting to brush often during episodes of depression or just pure laziness. In the past 5 years, I admit that I was so afraid of losing my teeth, that I became afraid to even brush with a firm toothbrush, worried that my teeth would just fall out or break. I poke and try to wiggle my teeth due to weird sensations but nothing seems to move. Anyway, I went to the visit and had all of the xrays done. I do need a significant amount of work done, but it's mostly cavities that are all fixable. We all tend to fear that we are going to have the worst teeth the dentist has ever seen, but that doesn't seem to be the case in modern dentistry. There are so many people who avoid the dentist for countless reasons, cost, fear, not caring, neglectful parents (in my case), etc. If you have a good dentist, they won't scold you or think negatively of you. They may recommend products or techniques to prevent future problems, but what's done is done. Dentists know that you are coming to them for help. I actually ended up feeling better after the first visit, simply because I didn't feel like the employees at the dentist office were judging my ugly smile since they knew I was there for help. When I go anywhere else in public, I always worry about what people think of my teeth but those people don't know that I'm trying to fix them. Anyway, I hope you feel better soon and I hope your appointment goes better than expected. Keep us updated on how everything goes!
 
missjc, how are you doing? I am wondering if your appointment went well? You have been so brave to have scheduled and the beginning is the most difficult part. Let us know how you got on.:)
 
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