H
Hope12
Member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2007
- Messages
- 38
Hello Everyone,
This is me Hope12. I have had dental fear so bad it kept me from going to any dentist and when I did finally go, boy did I give this oral surgeon a hard time. I had over 40 years of fear and I have finally overcome it. How? Please allow me to share my story and it's wonderful outcome.
I have Cerebral Palsy and when I was a child I was thought retarded and instead of the state paying for good dental care back then they put me to sleep at the age of 14 and pulled all my top teeth. You see I was a ward of the courts back the and they did not take care of children then like they do now. There was no real protection from those in authority to express that authority in a bad way.
Well to make a long story shorter, since that time I hated all doctors but especially dentists. About four year ago I started getting real bad infected teeth on the bottom and so I would take many antibiotics just to keep from going to the dentist to care for them. Fear and hatred of anything that looked like a dentist, walked like a dentist or acted as such, I would run the other way. Then starting last year the antibiotics would not work and my daughter became stressed out because she was afraid I would really get very sick. i went to many dentists and found fault with each one because of my fear. Then finally I found this website and Gordon and others who really were so kind and understanding. I posted and was surprised I received such encouragement and help. It was by this forum that I soon found a dentist that is a sweet, gentle man. He is an oral surgeon and was patient with me. First, I would not even sit in the chair because of the fear. He would have to examine me while I was standing up, but he did it and with tender care and it took about one month and he had me sitting in the chair. He really took his time and listened to me. They wanted to give me IV sedation that would not knock me out but where I would not remember everything, but I told him no, because I wanted to be in control. Instead he gave me three mg of Ativan and then he gave me a shot in the arm of the same stuff "vercet" that he wanted to give me in an IV. I didn't know that the only difference in the shots is that the IV has immediate effects while the one intermuscularly I would have to wait thiry minutes for it to take effect.
I finally had my infected tooth pulled on March 16th and I am doing fine. Would I do it again. Yes definitely. I hardly remember anything and I did not feel pain, just a little pinch when he gave me the injection. I recommend to any if you need a tooth pulled or filled and you are afraid and wish to concur your fear, have the IV sedation. It will at least get you to the point where you get the help you need to mantain your health and your teeth. Find someone who is kind and will listen as Dr. Henry listened to me and really was caring and gentle.
I have learned the hard way that not all dentists or oral surgeon are the same. If you find one's like "Gordon" and "Dr. Henry" you will be fine and the fear is worse then the actually treatment by a good dentist. To Gordon and others on this forum, I say a sincere thankyou and I will recommend this website to others who are in fear of dental work.
Sincerely and Thank you very much!
Hope12
This is me Hope12. I have had dental fear so bad it kept me from going to any dentist and when I did finally go, boy did I give this oral surgeon a hard time. I had over 40 years of fear and I have finally overcome it. How? Please allow me to share my story and it's wonderful outcome.
I have Cerebral Palsy and when I was a child I was thought retarded and instead of the state paying for good dental care back then they put me to sleep at the age of 14 and pulled all my top teeth. You see I was a ward of the courts back the and they did not take care of children then like they do now. There was no real protection from those in authority to express that authority in a bad way.
Well to make a long story shorter, since that time I hated all doctors but especially dentists. About four year ago I started getting real bad infected teeth on the bottom and so I would take many antibiotics just to keep from going to the dentist to care for them. Fear and hatred of anything that looked like a dentist, walked like a dentist or acted as such, I would run the other way. Then starting last year the antibiotics would not work and my daughter became stressed out because she was afraid I would really get very sick. i went to many dentists and found fault with each one because of my fear. Then finally I found this website and Gordon and others who really were so kind and understanding. I posted and was surprised I received such encouragement and help. It was by this forum that I soon found a dentist that is a sweet, gentle man. He is an oral surgeon and was patient with me. First, I would not even sit in the chair because of the fear. He would have to examine me while I was standing up, but he did it and with tender care and it took about one month and he had me sitting in the chair. He really took his time and listened to me. They wanted to give me IV sedation that would not knock me out but where I would not remember everything, but I told him no, because I wanted to be in control. Instead he gave me three mg of Ativan and then he gave me a shot in the arm of the same stuff "vercet" that he wanted to give me in an IV. I didn't know that the only difference in the shots is that the IV has immediate effects while the one intermuscularly I would have to wait thiry minutes for it to take effect.
I finally had my infected tooth pulled on March 16th and I am doing fine. Would I do it again. Yes definitely. I hardly remember anything and I did not feel pain, just a little pinch when he gave me the injection. I recommend to any if you need a tooth pulled or filled and you are afraid and wish to concur your fear, have the IV sedation. It will at least get you to the point where you get the help you need to mantain your health and your teeth. Find someone who is kind and will listen as Dr. Henry listened to me and really was caring and gentle.
I have learned the hard way that not all dentists or oral surgeon are the same. If you find one's like "Gordon" and "Dr. Henry" you will be fine and the fear is worse then the actually treatment by a good dentist. To Gordon and others on this forum, I say a sincere thankyou and I will recommend this website to others who are in fear of dental work.
Sincerely and Thank you very much!
Hope12
Thank you for sharing your story, I'm sure it will be an inspiration to others. I know some day in the future I'll need to have IV sedation so reading about positive experiences makes me feel that I'll be fine with it when the time comes.
!! As a fellow Gordon fan, I'm thrilled to hear that you managed to find the care you deserve partly with the help of this forum. Many thanks for sharing your story here!
