Kind of Uneasy?

[palette]

Hello,

Sorry about how long this is!

I've been afraid of dentists since I had a not-so-great experience with one in my childhood. A couple of years ago I finally plucked up the courage to visit a dentist (which was a journey in and of itself) and - surprise - I didn't have a horrible experience! My dentist was fairly patient, he had a sense of humour and he was gentle. He also seems to be pretty conservative because he said I didn't even need to get anything done besides the cleaning One of my wisdom teeth isn't completely erupted (there's a bit of gum covering it even though it's coming in straight) but he said that we could watch it and if I didn't have any further symptoms he wouldn't do anything. That was back in 2016.

I know it's irrational but the one good experience (and the couple of recall appointments I had) didn't erase my fear completely. I'm still nervous to the point of feeling physically ill before I call to make an appointment, or while I'm in the waiting room. I do trust this dentist though - he puts me at ease as much as possible and doesn't seem to prescribe unnecessary treatment.

I went back for a recall a few days back and I feel a bit strange about how it went. Before this I had only great things to say about this dentist and his office. This time, I had to wait 20 minutes (agonising because I was nervous as usual) but the staff did apologise and say that they had a lot of emergencies recently - totally understandable, and this had never happened before so I was ok with it.

But then the dentist scaled and polished my teeth and applied fluoride all within less than 15 minutes (the original appointment slot was for 30 minutes). He did make sure I had no new complaints and gave me the opportunity to ask questions so I didn't feel like I was being rushed in and out or anything like that. While I don't want to be at the dentist any longer than I really have to, I've never heard of a 15-minute cleaning that was thorough - maybe my dentist is really talented and fast?

Plus the area around the partially erupted wisdom tooth has been aching. I applied some numbing gel on the gum just now and it feels a bit better, but since my dentist reassured me (several times actually) that I was fine and well during my appointment and said that he'd see me in 6 months, I don't really want to seem like a hypochondriac and go back so soon just for him to tell me that I'm a worrywart.

I guess I'm trying to think about whether this one less-than-stellar experience is something to feel uneasy about. I really want to stick with this dentist since I've seen him for a couple of years now and I value continuity of care (also I don't want to go through the anxiety of having to make a new appointment with a different clinic), so maybe I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm thinking too much about this?

Thanks for reading if you made it this far

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Palette,

HI, I'm sorry you had to go through that bit of a rush appt.. rushed/quick appts kind of scare me, myself. and for me I tend to freeze and feel like i'm a burden so I don't make a big deal of things. But.. I do remember one time several years ago before I found my current dentist I was going to another one. and he usually was pretty nice and I liked him like had a pretty gentle personality and felt comfortable . but one he really rushed through and I had issues, I KNOW I did and I felt them and he just rushed off to the next appt ,and I didn't say anything when I was there. but felt a bit undone. so to say.

Well.. the next day I called and said something like.. You know I went and saw Dr ...... and I think he was in a bit of a rush for whatever reason. Maybe he had a busy day. but Im really feeling this pain and I want him to double check this if thats ok.. i know he is usually really careful..

Well they got me in to see him no problem again he looked and I did need a few fillings.. he missed it while he was in a rush, he apologized if I remember right.. doesn't right his miss.. but I guess it never hurts to humbly ask for a second look. maybe he had one of those days. ? Its good you notice .. follow your gut and if something still doesn't seem right.. I encourage ask again about it

 

[Enarete]

I know it's irrational but the one good experience (and the couple of recall appointments I had) didn't erase my fear completely.

Hi palette,

right to the start: your post is not that long at all and even if it were two pages, nobody would feel annoyed here, so do not worry about this.

Still having dental fear after having made a good experience is not irrational at all, it is actually very common. The reason for this is, that your subconscious works really really slowly and needs a lot of positive repetitions to learn that things are not as dangerous as learned in the past. What also plays a role is the time. The more time passes after a positive visit, the higher the probability of getting anxious again gets. So do not worry about still being anxious, it needs time and the needed time is different for everyone.

Given the fact that you have seen your dentist only one time before your visit few days ago and that this previous visit was two years ago, it makes sense that you feel uneasy about how things went, you just haven't been there often enough to really know if this was an exception or the rule.

It sounds like they really had a busy day on that day. I do not know if the cleaning was thorough enough or not with 15 minutes, I would like to hope that your teeth just weren't in a too bad state. A good sign is that your dentist gave you the opportunity to ask questions.

Going back to address a problem has nothing to do with being hypochondriac but with taking responsibility for your health. Your dentist can only see how your teeth look like and these is the only input he has to assess wether a tooth is fine or not. If something is painful, this is an additional information and it is a good idea to say it. Coming back would be in your case also a good opportunity to see your dentist again and mention your last experience. And make a good experience which on a long run will help you with your dental fear

All the best wishes and keep us posted.

 

[palette]

Thank you both for your replies

rushed/quick appts kind of scare me, myself. and for me I tend to freeze and feel like i'm a burden so I don't make a big deal of things.

This is exactly what happened to me - I froze and brushed over my concerns because I was afraid of taking up the dentist's time on such a busy day, or making him angry/frustrated with me if I did ask him questions. Maybe next time I'll write down my concerns or worries beforehand so I won't freeze again - I think this was one of the tips on this website, and now I totally see the point of it

Still having dental fear after having made a good experience is not irrational at all, it is actually very common. The reason for this is, that your subconscious works really really slowly and needs a lot of positive repetitions to learn that things are not as dangerous as learned in the past. What also plays a role is the time. The more time passes after a positive visit, the higher the probability of getting anxious again gets. So do not worry about still being anxious, it needs time and the needed time is different for everyone.

Thank you for this It made me feel a bit better about still being scared even after 2 years and 4 visits. It's kind of embarrassing because I want to work in healthcare so being scared of dentists, who are just as much healthcare providers as nurses or doctors, is pretty ironic Hopefully I'll eventually overcome this fear.

I gave it a bit more thought and my good experiences prior to this one appointment do outweigh the "bad". My tooth feels better today so I'm just going to put this experience out of my mind, hopefully all the way until it's time for the 6-month recall. But if I feel pain again I'll try to follow my gut and get an appointment for the dentist to take another look, like you both said.

Thanks again for your advice!

 

[Enarete]

It made me feel a bit better about still being scared even after 2 years and 4 visits. It's kind of embarrassing because I want to work in healthcare so being scared of dentists, who are just as much healthcare providers as nurses or doctors, is pretty ironic

Well I know about two dentists who suffer from anxiety when it comes to being a patient themselves and about a third one who says he is not 'that easy to treat' which quite sounds like anxiety too. Hope you'll be able to get rid of your dental fear entirely soon, but if not, do not worry about it coliding with your carreer - I am sure there are much more health care professionals who are afraid of treatment (be it dental treatment or needles or whatever) than you think. By the way, being a nervous patient makes you the best candidate for any work in health care sector because hardly anyone can be as gentle and empathic as a (former) phobic

 

[palette]

By the way, being a nervous patient makes you the best candidate for any work in health care sector because hardly anyone can be as gentle and empathic as a (former) phobic

Thank you so much for your kind words Enarete

Here's hoping that the next 6 months will be problem-free and that my next visit will be a good one!

 

[Dg6300]

Thanks for posting.

I don't have any advice or recommendations, but I do certainly send encouragement. You can do this. You already are.