Mental Health, dental anxiety's and neurodivergence.

[Egg]

Im at a bit of a loss, really.
I have a dentist who, whether just my perception or not, I feel is a bit patronising and lacks understanding of the issues in my thread title.
I have tried to explain to not much avail and am left needing treatment which I am avoiding because it is too overwhelming for me.
I am a smoker (yes I know I am working on it)
This has obviously caused bone loss in my teeth and now 2 of them on the top left need to be removed and my dentist told me that my only option would be to have a denture put in in place of them.

The thing is I already nervous and have pretty poor mental health and self worth meaning the thought of having a gap in my teeth that would be very visible is pretty distressing.
To top it off I am neurodivergent and so am also worried about how the denture would feel and whether I would be able to tolerate it and very stressed about not having enough information about how it would work as I assume I would not be able to get one immediately after extraction and the thought looking in a mirror and seeing myself like that is just more than I can bear.

I am currently not eating on that side or much at all really and in a fair bit of discomfort and can see the teeth moving and feel the gum becoming soft but still can't bring myself to make the appointment.
Im so stressed now I'm having panic attacks thinking about it so would just welcome any advice or support on how I can navigate this as it is all interlinked and I don't know how to cope anymore.
Thanks

 

[letsconnect]

Hi @Egg, I just noticed that you have not had any replies to your post yet... That sounds like a tough situation to be in. Have you tried talking therapies yet? You can self-refer on the NHS - there's a link here with more details: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/ta...rapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Maybe a psychologist or counsellor would be able to support you with this, taking into account both your mental health issues and the dental anxiety side of things. They may also be able to help you find a dentist who is more suited to supporting people with dental anxiety/mental health issues/neurodivergence. The other thing that might be worth exploring is what services are available in your area in terms of the community dental service. Have you been in touch with them at all?

 

[Egg]

Thanks for your reply.
Unfortunately in my area services like talking therapies are pretty dire.
Im trying to access mental health support but im on the 'awaiting allocation waiting list' and have been for some time.
People just fall through the cracos down here and your pretty much left to figure things out on your own.
I have thought about trying to change my dentist but finding someone who has the kind of awareness of everything is proving difficult and I also worry that should I move to someone new I could end up in a worse situation or without a dentist at all.
I haven't heard of the community dental service at all so I will look into it.
Thank you again for taking the time to reply and your advice.