My front teeth are about to fall out

[evie24284]

I have gum disease and reseeding gums and my front teeth are currently loose. Im freaking out about it so bad but my fear of the dentist is so bad it's almost crippling. I've neglected my teeth for 10 years, my self esteem is at an all time low and I hate looking at myself in the mirror. Im currently 8 months pregnant with my 2nd child and my teeth have just gotten so much worse, they hurt, they look terrible and I just dont know what to do anymore. I wish I could just go to the dentist and get it all sorted but I cant.

 

[letsconnect]

Hi @evie24284

I'm so sorry you're feeling so awful right now . It's such a frightening situation to be in - knowing that you need to do something to end the suffering, but at the same time being too terrified to get help.

May I ask, do you know what caused your fear of the dentist? Knowing this might help with coming up with some ideas. Also, do you have a support system (partner/friends/family) who might be able to help you with this?

 

[evie24284]

My fear stems from a horrible experience i had at the dentist a long long time ago. Also I'm scared of being judged and looked at differently from some of the bad choices I've made, trust me no one else is harder on myself then I am. I hate the way I look.

 

[evie24284]

Im currently 8 months pregnant and have a 2 year old daughter also and dont have much support around me. I dont want to have no teeth because that will just make my mental health ten times worse, I just dont know what to do.

 

[letsconnect]

I'm so sorry that you had such a terrible experience in the past . Have you been avoiding dentists ever since, or have you had any more positive experiences since then?

For lots of dentists, the most rewarding part of their job is to get people out of pain and help them feel happy with their smile. Unfortunately there may still be some judgmental dentists around, but they're in a minority. I don't know if you've seen this page, you might find it helpful:

Embarrassed? What dentists really think

Do you avoid the dentist because you're too embarrassed about the state of your teeth and what a dentist might say or think? You're not alone!

www.dentalfearcentral.org

So sorry to hear that you're feeling alone, when you say that you don't have much support around you, do you mean there's literally nobody you could ask for support, or are there people that might be empathetic but that you don't feel comfortable approaching?

 

[evie24284]

Ive felt alone for the majority of my life, I mean their are some people around that I could ask for some help but deep down I know they wouldn't really understand.
I really haven't had any good dental experiences which have led me to this phobia and to neglect my teeth for a very long time, and now im scared and in pain.

 

[letsconnect]

I'm so sorry that you've had only bad dental experiences - it makes it really difficult to trust.

I'm not familiar with how things work in Australia - do you know if there any free services available to help people with phobias/anxiety? Are you in a position to be able to pay for psychological or dental services yourself?

There's a woman by the name of Sharonne Zaks in Melbourne who has made a lot of videos for both dentists and survivors of abuse and I read that she's in the process of setting up a new national social enterprise trauma-informed dental service, but I don't know the details. Is this something that might be worth finding out about?