gemcool16
Junior member
- Joined
- May 14, 2014
- Messages
- 17
My fears were choking, not being able to swallow, anaesthesia with adrenaline and sitting still for an hour or so.
I am absolutely terrified of the dentists, I have anxiety disorder and CPTSD which makes anything invasive so so difficult to sit through.
I had to get a large composite filing today with anaesthetic, I was so scared about having the lidocaine as it made my heart race 10 years ago when I got an extraction, I asked for the non adrenaline needle but was worried it would run out and I would feel pain. It actually ended up lasting 3 hours. The needle didn’t hurt going in but I didn’t like the feeling of it and I did panic at first but managed to calm myself down with deep breathing. I got my dentist to explain each step and how long it would take and put a podcast on to distract myself from the noise.
My legs did shake on and off during the appointment due to being nervous about being numbed. But I had zero pain throughout. The drilling was my least favourite bit as the suction pushed my tongue up a bit and sometimes I thought I couldn’t breathe but I put my hand up to have a break and spit any fluid out. I could actually breathe mostly fine I think it was more how anxious I was. The drilling only took about 10/20 mins and then it was time for the filling, this was the easiest and most pleasant part of my experience.
I’m so grateful I got it done otherwise I was risking loosing that tooth. Find a dentist who listens to your needs as this made the world of difference for me as I felt more in control of what was happening.
I’m so proud of myself as I never thought I could go back to the dentist especially not as someone with bad PTSD and anxiety. I kept telling myself that I can do hard things, this helped me stay strong and sit throughout the entire treatment.
We can do hard things!
I am absolutely terrified of the dentists, I have anxiety disorder and CPTSD which makes anything invasive so so difficult to sit through.
I had to get a large composite filing today with anaesthetic, I was so scared about having the lidocaine as it made my heart race 10 years ago when I got an extraction, I asked for the non adrenaline needle but was worried it would run out and I would feel pain. It actually ended up lasting 3 hours. The needle didn’t hurt going in but I didn’t like the feeling of it and I did panic at first but managed to calm myself down with deep breathing. I got my dentist to explain each step and how long it would take and put a podcast on to distract myself from the noise.
My legs did shake on and off during the appointment due to being nervous about being numbed. But I had zero pain throughout. The drilling was my least favourite bit as the suction pushed my tongue up a bit and sometimes I thought I couldn’t breathe but I put my hand up to have a break and spit any fluid out. I could actually breathe mostly fine I think it was more how anxious I was. The drilling only took about 10/20 mins and then it was time for the filling, this was the easiest and most pleasant part of my experience.
I’m so grateful I got it done otherwise I was risking loosing that tooth. Find a dentist who listens to your needs as this made the world of difference for me as I felt more in control of what was happening.
I’m so proud of myself as I never thought I could go back to the dentist especially not as someone with bad PTSD and anxiety. I kept telling myself that I can do hard things, this helped me stay strong and sit throughout the entire treatment.
We can do hard things!
