L
lotus
Member
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2005
- Messages
- 58
- Location
- Australia
The hardest part about this journal thing is where to start really! I guess the funny thing is, with my dental phobia, I don't really know where it started, although I can pin point major events which contribute to it, I can't remember not being scared of the dentist, and I'm also not a fan of most medical things altogether really. I guess my main aim is to start with a journal and eventually I'll have a success story to post! What a great day that will be!
My phobia has been something that seems to have followed me around my whole life. I cannot remember many days gone by, as a child or adult, that I haven't looked in the mirror and thought about my teeth and/or dentists. It's such a sad thing to think how much I have not done in this lifetime of mine, because of how sad I feel about the way my teeth look, and how sad I have been because I have not been able to face a dentist about them. It's such a nasty circle, I'm ashamed of the way I look, but I'm too scared to see a dentist about my teeth, which I need to do, to help me feel ok about my appearance, and for my general health, but I'm too scared to go, and around and around I go....
So here I am, trying desperatley to make an appointment to get to the dentist for the first time. I'm scared of everything, the sights, the sounds, the office, what will they say, what will they do, what will they say I have to get done, will it hurt, will it hurt more after I've left the surgery, will I cry, will I be embarrassed? They're all questions that have been asked before, but doesn't make it any easier for me to face them.
I found a practice in my city that deals with apprehensive and phobic patients, so I've emailed them a couple of times and got some nice supportive replies. Sometimes I can't believe after all these years I've actually contacted a dentist, just got to get to the visit now.
I'm just going to keep posting my thoughts every now and then, it helps just to vent sometimes, and this is a great place to do just that.
My phobia has been something that seems to have followed me around my whole life. I cannot remember many days gone by, as a child or adult, that I haven't looked in the mirror and thought about my teeth and/or dentists. It's such a sad thing to think how much I have not done in this lifetime of mine, because of how sad I feel about the way my teeth look, and how sad I have been because I have not been able to face a dentist about them. It's such a nasty circle, I'm ashamed of the way I look, but I'm too scared to see a dentist about my teeth, which I need to do, to help me feel ok about my appearance, and for my general health, but I'm too scared to go, and around and around I go....
So here I am, trying desperatley to make an appointment to get to the dentist for the first time. I'm scared of everything, the sights, the sounds, the office, what will they say, what will they do, what will they say I have to get done, will it hurt, will it hurt more after I've left the surgery, will I cry, will I be embarrassed? They're all questions that have been asked before, but doesn't make it any easier for me to face them.
I found a practice in my city that deals with apprehensive and phobic patients, so I've emailed them a couple of times and got some nice supportive replies. Sometimes I can't believe after all these years I've actually contacted a dentist, just got to get to the visit now.
I'm just going to keep posting my thoughts every now and then, it helps just to vent sometimes, and this is a great place to do just that.