• Dental Phobia Support

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My journey to total mouth restoration

Good luck to both of you! Wish I could speed mine up (well in a way just to get it over with) if I can make it to your point it will be a miracle.
 
Thank you so much Tazey, I need to read your story so I understand what's going on better with you. I really hope you get to where you want to be with your dental health.
 
Good luck to both of you! Wish I could speed mine up (well in a way just to get it over with) if I can make it to your point it will be a miracle.

Thank you Tazey! You’ll get there too, we’re all going to get there. One day at a time. Weighing it all out I would have to say that the waiting is the worst part of it all.
 
A better start to the day after a restless night reading about dental implant procedures. What finally got me to relax and go to sleep was reading about the two types of implant procedures. This is a little graphic maybe so proceed with caution. One is the traditional and somewhat outdated method where the dentist makes an incision in the gum, makes two distinct flaps and opens them up to drill the implant into the jaw. The second type is where the dentist or surgeon uses the CT Scan to make stents before the actual procedure based on the exact anatomy of the patients jaw and has the exact angle that the implants will go in already marked so there doesn’t need to be any incision beforehand, the implant is drilled immediately and directly through the gum tissue at the precise angle and depth needed to achieve optimal results. I am extremely relieved to say that I recall my Prosthodontist talking to me about how he’s making the stents and would need a few weeks between my last appointment and the surgery to do so. Stents are less invasive less uncomfortable for the patient and take less time to install. Can I get an amen and hallelujah? I know it won’t be a walk in the park but I like the sound of that better than scalpel and invasion and more stitches involved. It was just nice to read something like that to put me at ease. Today I’m relaxing and enjoying my day.
There will be time for nerves on Tuesday at which point I see my therapist and hope to gain some techniques to calm me a bit so I don’t have to put myself through a bad night before. I’m determined to keep a level head, here’s hoping!
 
A better start to the day after a restless night reading about dental implant procedures. What finally got me to relax and go to sleep was reading about the two types of implant procedures. This is a little graphic maybe so proceed with caution. One is the traditional and somewhat outdated method where the dentist makes an incision in the gum, makes two distinct flaps and opens them up to drill the implant into the jaw. The second type is where the dentist or surgeon uses the CT Scan to make stents before the actual procedure based on the exact anatomy of the patients jaw and has the exact angle that the implants will go in already marked so there doesn’t need to be any incision beforehand, the implant is drilled immediately and directly through the gum tissue at the precise angle and depth needed to achieve optimal results. I am extremely relieved to say that I recall my Prosthodontist talking to me about how he’s making the stents and would need a few weeks between my last appointment and the surgery to do so. Stents are less invasive less uncomfortable for the patient and take less time to install. Can I get an amen and hallelujah? I know it won’t be a walk in the park but I like the sound of that better than scalpel and invasion and more stitches involved. It was just nice to read something like that to put me at ease. Today I’m relaxing and enjoying my day.
There will be time for nerves on Tuesday at which point I see my therapist and hope to gain some techniques to calm me a bit so I don’t have to put myself through a bad night before. I’m determined to keep a level head, here’s hoping!

You sound so positive today, yay!! I like that you took time to read about these different methods they use, and that you managed to distract yourself. I find I just have to keep busy or I have my mind flooded with negative thoughts and I need to avoid that at all costs. I love your determined attitude-keep it up!!
 
Well, I’m less than 48 hours from my dental implants. I’m mostly okay for right now but I understand that there will be moments between now and then when I want to run away. I hope to keep my eye on the ball and that my legs will carry me once again when every fiber of my being is wanting to stay right where I am. I’m thankful for Valium and Sedation, both of which will be my crutches on Wednesday. I’m also thankful for this site and all who have kept up with me and have taken a moment to wish me well or say some very supportive and encouraging words. It has meant so much to me, so thank you all. I’ll take your messages with me to replay on my way to the dentist Wednesday morning. Hey, if nothing else I certainly don’t want to let any of you down. We can get through our challenges together. Until later friends, see you on the flip side! ??
 
Hey, if nothing else I certainly don’t want to let any of you down. We can get through our challenges together. Until later friends, see you on the flip side! ??

This is lovely. You are an inspiration and you totally got this. Can't wait for the success story. Take care, all the best wishes and see you on the other side of fear. :)
 
Well, thats it. The inspirational one has hit the wall so to speak. I cancelled my appointment for today. I'm going to chronicle what got me to that point so I have it for future reference.

Yesterday started out well enough and I was feeling nervous but I wouldn’t say it was severe. I had a therapy appointment and it was great because my therapist gave me some techniques to help with my anxiety and we did some visualization and other stuff and I was feeling pretty relaxed after appointment. When I got out of there around 3:00, I listened to the voicemail from the dentist office.
They were making the routine confirmation call and asked that I called back so I did. We went over the directions of not to eat or drink after midnight, etc.

I think the answer I received to the question I asked next is what started me down the road to cancellation. I asked what type of prosthesis I would have in my mouth when the surgery was over with and they had to put me on hold and check my patient notes. The response was, and I quote, "That depends on how the surgery goes. The doctor doesn’t know how many implants he will be able to place, so if he can place them all you will have temporary bridges loaded on the implants, but if not you will have dentures until your next surgery." Next surgery. Wait a minute. I said okay I understand but inside I was spinning. I said see you tomorrow blah blah and hung up. Then it hit me...I would have to go through this shit again? All of this talking myself up to getting ready for this last one was pretty much wiped out at that point. The words of my therapist came back about how I should be flexible and not rigid in my thinking regarding this, I started to focus on that and began telling myself it was all going to be okay and used grounding and breathing techniques throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Hubs and I went to dinner and a movie since it would be the last time I could chew well for a while and since I welcomed the distraction and escape. The movie was good, although my mind started to drift a little during and I started to get panicky. I stopped myself and went back to the movie again. We got out and I was starting to cry off and on with dread and doom surrounding me. I shook it off best I could and we went to the grocery store so I could stock the house for my family and of course get all of the goodies I would need to recover from my surgery. I really started to get bad at that point. I felt seething resentment coupled with pure self pity as I was adding pudding and jello into the shopping cart, cottage cheese, ice cream, eggs...chicken broth...the same crap diet I had to be on for weeks last time because I was in so much pain. By the time I got to the frozen peas I was just disgusted. Some of you know that dentists suggest you use frozen peas to ice your face the first 24-48 hours after implants or any invasive surgery to keep the swelling and bruising at a minimum. I threw them down hard into the cart and announced I’m beginning to hate these f ing things!!! My husband who is the silent supportive calm type didnt react.

Next I got a huge bottle of Motrin and Tylenol since I knew I would be living off them for a good couple weeks if it was going to be anything like last time.
And let me just get real with you all now and say it. My first recovery was extremely painful and difficult for two weeks straight. The idea of being in that kind of pain again is what provokes my anxiety for the implants I think. I know the Sedation and procedure won’t be bad it’s the aftermath I'm not prepared for yet. I'm just not. I'm not prepared to make the recovery and I am not prepared to hear that I need another surgery. I may not need another surgery, but I damn well need to be strong enough to handle it if I do and I'm not. I don't have that flexibility my therapist said to strive for. I have much work to do on myself.

So on the way home from the grocery store I began to cry. Sob. It was 10:30 at that point and I was counting down the few hours left till impending doom. That's not a good sign. I wasnt like that the first go. The first time I was nervous as hell but I was able to cope without taking a Valium. I think it's because last time I was in a desperate situation to get my ugly hurting broken teeth out of my mouth since they were falling out anyway. This denture life is not ideal by any stretch but I'm not hurting and can somewhat function so there's not a desperate shove to action here. If I really absolutely HAD to I could live like this forever. I don't want to but I could if I had to. This is why I encourage those with phobia as bad as mine to get as much done in one sitting as possible because getting back there for more surgery is extremely difficult once you know first hand what’s coming. I can't even wrap my head around the prospect of a third.

By 11:30 I had snapped at my sweet husband and accused him of wanting me to get it done for his own selfish reasons (totally wrong) and told him I would go upstairs and drug myself so he wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. I fell on my bed and had body racking sobs. I had a splitting pounding headache I was sobbing so hard. Uncontrolled panic and crying and just dread and fear and doom and a real sense I wasn't ready. So I did what I didn’t want to do, what I didn’t have to do the night before last time, I took a Valium. It mellowed my crying and got me quiet but the gut wrenching fear wasn’t going anywhere. Hubs came upstairs I apologized profusely and we talked it out and I said I feel really bad about my appointment and he said maybe sleep would help. I passed out a bit from exhaustion or Valium but woke several times in the night and the minute I opened my eyes I looked at the clock and calculated how many hours till my doom (I shouldn't be looking at it that way at all) and then I would close my eyes and pray it away till I fell back out.

Finally at 7 I woke for good and had total fear gripping me to the point I felt like choking. That feeling wasn't with me last time. I was nervous and upset the morning of the last time but it was more jitters than terror. I cuddled up to my husband and said I don’t think I can do this. Of course he did what any good husband would and comforted me and told me everything would be okay and that I could do it and I would take my pill and be okay for the ride in. He said and did all the right things, I prayed and gave myself a pep talk internally but nothing was penetrating that sense that I wasn’t ready. It was then I said I'm cancelling. He said you can't , you confirmed the appointment they’re expecting us to be there at 10, you have to go. I said you’re not hearing me. I'm not going today I am not ready. To hell with what the office thinks, they're not the ones who have to lay there and take whatever is thrown at them. I'm. Not. Ready. He said I would feel ready when I take the pill. I said first of all it's bad enough I need a pill to go to an appointment in the first place because I have anxiety, but it's another to literally FORCE myself when I know I'm not ready. I should be going to my appointment with some shred of confidence and I don't have it now. I will work my therapist to get there, pray and mediate, get stronger...there will be a time for me but now is not it.

I haven't come to that point of surrender that I did when I had my first surgery. I'm not yet to the point where the pain of staying where I am is bigger than any apprehension. And it should be mere apprehension and nervousness not TERROR.
That's what set today apart and set alarms off on me. Terror isn't natural, not even for a dental phobe anxious baby like me.


My dentist office was lovely when I called to tell them I wasn't ready and needed to cancel. They said that my health and well-being is first priority and they are not willing to put me through the surgery if I'm not ready for it, Sedation or not.
I apologized for wasting the doctors time and theirs and they said not to feel bad, that it happens often especially with their Sedation patients and my doctor has enough to keep him very busy for the day so it's not a waste of time. This helped me at least renew my faith I had found the right office. They understand anxiety. She didn't pressure me to reschedule she told me to give her a call when I was feeling up to making the appointment.

I feel like I've let a lot of people down but I have to feel right about what I'm doing or I won't heal properly. I'm very tired and need to calm my nerves down today. Thank you again for all the support I've found here. I told you I need it more than you may realize.

Not sure why all those typos happened but I'm too tired to go back and fix them now. Sorry.
 
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Hi Sweetheart! Thanks for letting us know how you are doing. I feel so badly for you that you have been suffering so much. You are so right-it does not matter one bit what others THINK-YOU have to go through the pain and discomfort and the soft diet and it's HARD. The reason I think you feel more apprehensive this time is at least partly because you know what to expect. You know, like when you are expecting your second child. People try and tell you that you'll have no worries this time around as you've already done it before. That's true but you also know about the pain and discomfort etc. It's completely normal for you to feel as you do. You are a very logical person and an extremely courageous one, and you will have that appointment when you are truly ready and probably sooner than you think right now. I too would want to find our more about what is likely to happen with your treatment plan. I think your therapist is correct though, by saying you need to be flexible with that. It could be truly that he can't say for definate what needs to happen until you are in the procedure. It seems like you have a really good dentist and a great dental team and if when you talk to him, you feel satisfied he is being honest with you; give him the control and go with it. And that might take time with your therapist for you to get to that point but I believe you will get there because you want to get there. Take some time to reflect and rest but don't feel badly about this missed appointment. You did the right thing for you at this time and this is just a delay in your journey-not the end.
Here if you want to talk some more :)
 
Hi Sweetheart! Thanks for letting us know how you are doing. I feel so badly for you that you have been suffering so much. You are so right-it does not matter one bit what others THINK-YOU have to go through the pain and discomfort and the soft diet and it's HARD. The reason I think you feel more apprehensive this time is at least partly because you know what to expect. You know, like when you are expecting your second child. People try and tell you that you'll have no worries this time around as you've already done it before. That's true but you also know about the pain and discomfort etc. It's completely normal for you to feel as you do. You are a very logical person and an extremely courageous one, and you will have that appointment when you are truly ready and probably sooner than you think right now. I too would want to find our more about what is likely to happen with your treatment plan. I think your therapist is correct though, by saying you need to be flexible with that. It could be truly that he can't say for definate what needs to happen until you are in the procedure. It seems like you have a really good dentist and a great dental team and if when you talk to him, you feel satisfied he is being honest with you; give him the control and go with it. And that might take time with your therapist for you to get to that point but I believe you will get there because you want to get there. Take some time to reflect and rest but don't feel badly about this missed appointment. You did the right thing for you at this time and this is just a delay in your journey-not the end.
Here if you want to talk some more :)

Your caring and support are appreciated as always. You are 100% correct that it’s worse when you know what to expect the second go around. It’s like when I went into labor with my second and burst into tears when I was admitted. The nurse was a snot and asked “did you not think this was going to happen eventually?” I snapped and said yes as a matter of fact I did know, and my first baby was almost 10 pounds and I had a hell of a time and almost bled out so I’m scared it’s going to be that bad again, is that okay with you?!” But un-like labor I do have a choice as to when I go through with this next phase of surgery which is both good and not so good at once. As long as I take a breather but not a hiatus from my care plan I will be okay. I’ll talk to my therapist about delving less into my childhood crap which isn’t going anywhere and dealing more with this flexibility and trust issue I have. Luckily I see him weekly rather than bi-weekly. I’m actually looking forward to working through this with him. I know you’re over your anxiety now with flying colors but I hope you’ll stay in touch.?
 
Your caring and support are appreciated as always. You are 100% correct that it’s worse when you know what to expect the second go around. It’s like when I went into labor with my second and burst into tears when I was admitted. The nurse was a snot and asked “did you not think this was going to happen eventually?” I snapped and said yes as a matter of fact I did know, and my first baby was almost 10 pounds and I had a hell of a time and almost bled out so I’m scared it’s going to be that bad again, is that okay with you?!” But un-like labor I do have a choice as to when I go through with this next phase of surgery which is both good and not so good at once. As long as I take a breather but not a hiatus from my care plan I will be okay. I’ll talk to my therapist about delving less into my childhood crap which isn’t going anywhere and dealing more with this flexibility and trust issue I have. Luckily I see him weekly rather than bi-weekly. I’m actually looking forward to working through this with him. I know you’re over your anxiety now with flying colors but I hope you’ll stay in touch.?

Exactly! What a 'helpful' nurse hey?! You know what? I was only thinking to myself yesterday about your upcoming appointment and I thought-that girl is tough-she is so strong and I could never go through all that! How you're feeling is completely rational, and unless people have been through the stuff we've been through; how can they judge you now? That's why the dental office staff were so kind, they get it. And they get it because you're not alone, others feel as you do. You're doing the best you can, and I honestly believe you will get to where you need to be when you've had time to regroup and feel it's right for you.
I'm not going anywhere, and I intend to stay in touch :)
Enjoy your day friend!
 
Dear Anxious76,

thank you so much for sharing this and being so open and honest about it, I can imagine that it wasn't easy. I was quite mad at the lady you had on the phone in the first moment, from your post it sounds like she really messed up by her way to reply to your question and you were very brave not to cancel right away!
There is this balance in dental anxiety.. you have one voice in you that wants you to keep pushing yourself behind your limits to make progress and go through things that were planned and then there is the other voice that tries to make you take care of yourself and respect your limits. It is very difficult to find the harmony between the both but I would say that you absolutely did the right thing, because self-respect and self-care goes above anything else. It's your body and your psyche and you are suppose to take a good care of them. You wouldn't push your best friend through the procedure if you saw them being in a state like you were today. So why pushing yourself. I sometimes feel that if we all were able to take care of ourselves and respect our limits and emotional state in the first place, there would be no dental anxiety because we would just leave any treatment that doesn't feel right. Dental phobia has in my view a lot to do with setting boarders and consciously deciding what to allow and what now. Happy to hear that your dental team was fine and gave you the reassurance you needed and I can imagine how relieved you must have been after that.

I admire your courage and your strength it took to cancel, no matter what your husband says and no matter what you felt you were supposed to do. This must have been a really hard decision and the fact that your story is here on the forum probably didn't make it much easier. Writing about it here openly is also very brave.

So.. it might not have ended like you have planned, but a huge congrats and well done anyway because you recognized what you are ready for and what not, you refused to do what was expected from you and just followed your intuition and that's always the best thing to do.

All the best wishes, keep on going and I know you will make it sooner or later.
Look forward to read how your story continues :)
 
Dear Anxious76,

thank you so much for sharing this and being so open and honest about it, I can imagine that it wasn't easy. I was quite mad at the lady you had on the phone in the first moment, from your post it sounds like she really messed up by her way to reply to your question and you were very brave not to cancel right away!
There is this balance in dental anxiety.. you have one voice in you that wants you to keep pushing yourself behind your limits to make progress and go through things that were planned and then there is the other voice that tries to make you take care of yourself and respect your limits. It is very difficult to find the harmony between the both but I would say that you absolutely did the right thing, because self-respect and self-care goes above anything else. It's your body and your psyche and you are suppose to take a good care of them. You wouldn't push your best friend through the procedure if you saw them being in a state like you were today. So why pushing yourself. I sometimes feel that if we all were able to take care of ourselves and respect our limits and emotional state in the first place, there would be no dental anxiety because we would just leave any treatment that doesn't feel right. Dental phobia has in my view a lot to do with setting boarders and consciously deciding what to allow and what now. Happy to hear that your dental team was fine and gave you the reassurance you needed and I can imagine how relieved you must have been after that.

I admire your courage and your strength it took to cancel, no matter what your husband says and no matter what you felt you were supposed to do. This must have been a really hard decision and the fact that your story is here on the forum probably didn't make it much easier. Writing about it here openly is also very brave.

So.. it might not have ended like you have planned, but a huge congrats and well done anyway because you recognized what you are ready for and what not, you refused to do what was expected from you and just followed your intuition and that's always the best thing to do.

All the best wishes, keep on going and I know you will make it sooner or later.
Look forward to read how your story continues :)

Thank you much for your support. As I said the thing that got me to call it off this morning was the stark difference in how I felt. I know myself very well, and even though really scared the first time, it was nothing that the Valium couldn’t handle and nothing that I couldn’t push past. This morning was pure crippling terror and I knew if I went ahead anyway, the Sedation wouldn’t have had the same effect it did in my calmer state and my physical recovery would’ve been less than ideal. Preparation is just as vital as recovery. I need to get a grip on what the root cause is of this terror so I can get back to the normal run of the mill pre-op jitters.

I’m glad you see that the receptionist at the office really could have handled that question by maybe even having the doc himself call me to explain thoroughly, or even having one of the dental assistants field the call. I didn’t feel I would be well equipped to ask this morning geeked up on Valium as everyone around me was rushing to get me hooked up to monitors for Sedation. To get upset over a response right before going under really isn’t a pleasant note to end on either for lack of a better term. My husband had said he would get a lot of information from the dentist after the procedure but I prefer to hear things first hand.

I don’t regret my decision at all but I have serious nerves left over from last night. I suppose it will take a while to come down after being that amped up. Ironically I just looked at the clock and had I gone through with it I would be on my way home now. Yeah, I made a good call. I’m surely not up to it. Time to get to the root with my dear therapist and learn this flexibility and openness to variables in treatment. Seems I’m going to need it. Anxiety sucks.
 
Exactly! What a 'helpful' nurse hey?! You know what? I was only thinking to myself yesterday about your upcoming appointment and I thought-that girl is tough-she is so strong and I could never go through all that! How you're feeling is completely rational, and unless people have been through the stuff we've been through; how can they judge you now? That's why the dental office staff were so kind, they get it. And they get it because you're not alone, others feel as you do. You're doing the best you can, and I honestly believe you will get to where you need to be when you've had time to regroup and feel it's right for you.
I'm not going anywhere, and I intend to stay in touch :)
Enjoy your day friend!

Thank you so much! You enjoy your day too. You’ve got much to look forward to.?❤️
 
Anxious76!!! I'm sitting here on the other side of the world, trying to work out the time difference as to when you would be up and about telling me how wonderful your new chompers are!! And then I saw your other post about you cancelling your appointment!

This setback is so sad to hear! I was hoping to read some good news after all the hard work you've put in so far to get where you are! So what's the plan of attack from here? Don't have one? You NEED to formulate a plan and get yourself back on track!

I don't blame you for cancelling, I wouldn't want to have to go through the same procedure twice if they couldn't get it done properly the first time. What a lot of readers and others with a less severe phobia than you have (I'm talking about those that just have "trouble getting into the chair" but can deal with getting work done once they're in the chair - level of phobia here) might not realise, is that yes, popping a few Valium and getting the IV sedation will get the procedure done, but the aftermath is not so easy to deal with as you detailed in your post... and unless you've been there then you really can't understand just how daunting, depressing and frightening that can be for a person!

Chin up honey... you'll get back on the horse when you're ready to tackle this. I know how much of a struggle you've gone through to get to where you're at... and your sooooooo close to getting to the finish line! I'm here for support and to help you through the hard times!

Spanky xo
 
Anxious76!!! I'm sitting here on the other side of the world, trying to work out the time difference as to when you would be up and about telling me how wonderful your new chompers are!! And then I saw your other post about you cancelling your appointment!

This setback is so sad to hear! I was hoping to read some good news after all the hard work you've put in so far to get where you are! So what's the plan of attack from here? Don't have one? You NEED to formulate a plan and get yourself back on track!

I don't blame you for cancelling, I wouldn't want to have to go through the same procedure twice if they couldn't get it done properly the first time. What a lot of readers and others with a less severe phobia than you have (I'm talking about those that just have "trouble getting into the chair" but can deal with getting work done once they're in the chair - level of phobia here) might not realise, is that yes, popping a few Valium and getting the IV sedation will get the procedure done, but the aftermath is not so easy to deal with as you detailed in your post... and unless you've been there then you really can't understand just how daunting, depressing and frightening that can be for a person!

Chin up honey... you'll get back on the horse when you're ready to tackle this. I know how much of a struggle you've gone through to get to where you're at... and your sooooooo close to getting to the finish line! I'm here for support and to help you through the hard times!

Spanky xo


Hi Spanky, good to hear from you! I can understand how surprised you must have been, I was surprised too believe me. I think we both know I’ll be up on that horse again but I need to get myself in a place where I can mentally accept that things may not always go as planned and I may need to have another major procedure. And also a way to look at this next procedure as something brand new rather than letting the haunts of my difficult recovery frighten me from finishing. The game plan is to discuss this with my therapist and work out a strategy to get myself ready. I’m setting no timeline or deadline for myself but I don’t want this next part to carry on into the summer months so I suppose that’s at least the start of one. Spring is a time of renewal and growth so I’ll take that to heart and let it help me. It’s taken me the better part of two days just to get to a place where I no longer feel threatened, but I’m okay now.

You’re right, I was better off when I was naive about the recovery and all it entailed, and how slow it was for going to be for me to even get to this point of limited options chewing wise. I know that it will all will be worth it and that’s why I chose this course, but I have to do things at my own pace and not the pace the dentist has outlined in his mind. It’s a hell of a lot different for the one sitting in the chair. Dentists have a more scientific outlook rather than personal and that is fantastic for what they have to do, but for the nervous patient it doesn’t get more personal. To think I used to get nervous for a root canal....I would give anything to be back in the place of routine cleanings and even the more difficult maintenance. I hope I’m at least a cautionary tale to anyone who is afraid to go and and have those routine things done...you’re facing so much more if you don’t take care now.

It was nice to ready you’re getting on better. Thank you very much for your support.❤️
 
Hi Spanky, good to hear from you! I can understand how surprised you must have been, I was surprised too believe me. I think we both know I’ll be up on that horse again but I need to get myself in a place where I can mentally accept that things may not always go as planned and I may need to have another major procedure. And also a way to look at this next procedure as something brand new rather than letting the haunts of my difficult recovery frighten me from finishing. The game plan is to discuss this with my therapist and work out a strategy to get myself ready. I’m setting no timeline or deadline for myself but I don’t want this next part to carry on into the summer months so I suppose that’s at least the start of one. Spring is a time of renewal and growth so I’ll take that to heart and let it help me. It’s taken me the better part of two days just to get to a place where I no longer feel threatened, but I’m okay now.

You’re right, I was better off when I was naive about the recovery and all it entailed, and how slow it was for going to be for me to even get to this point of limited options chewing wise. I know that it will all will be worth it and that’s why I chose this course, but I have to do things at my own pace and not the pace the dentist has outlined in his mind. It’s a hell of a lot different for the one sitting in the chair. Dentists have a more scientific outlook rather than personal and that is fantastic for what they have to do, but for the nervous patient it doesn’t get more personal. To think I used to get nervous for a root canal....I would give anything to be back in the place of routine cleanings and even the more difficult maintenance. I hope I’m at least a cautionary tale to anyone who is afraid to go and and have those routine things done...you’re facing so much more if you don’t take care now.

It was nice to ready you’re getting on better. Thank you very much for your support.❤️

You'll get there!! And what you said is right... you can't move forward thinking that the next procedure is going to have such an impact to you during the recovery and healing phase! And if there is a issue and you have to go for round 2, you know you're strong enough to get through it! You never know, you might be fine and have a good recovery compared to previous experiences!! Positive thinking hon!!

Spanky xo
 
You'll get there!! And what you said is right... you can't move forward thinking that the next procedure is going to have such an impact to you during the recovery and healing phase! And if there is a issue and you have to go for round 2, you know you're strong enough to get through it! You never know, you might be fine and have a good recovery compared to previous experiences!! Positive thinking hon!!

Spanky xo

Thanks a bunch, Spanky. XO Feeling back to normal now.
 
A quick update for any who may be curious...

I’m stil on break from all things dental, including lurking about here on the forum and dwelling on dental anxiety. I’m waiting for that a-ha moment when I’ll be ready to make my appointment, and keep it like my first major surgery. I do feel for those who have posted here with issues similar to mine, because I understand all too well how alone you feel. I’m sorry I haven’t offered support. We who need an entire mouth reconstructed are in the minority and there aren’t many who can relate or offer insight from actual experience, and this makes it tough. My Prosthodontist can focus on his timeline for my plan of care all he wants, but until I’m ready it won’t make any difference. I am already two months behind where I was “supposed to be” in this thing, which is silly to even put that way since I’m in the drivers seat. I am growing tired of my ill fitting denture and the adhesive I need to use multiple times a day so I’m getting there. One day soon I’ll say chuck it all and be done and move on to implants.

I hope all is well with everyone. I haven’t stopped caring, I’ve just stopped focusing on fear.
 
Hi I'm still lurking to but don't have any updates :-\ new consultant is p**sing me off just as much as the last one.
 
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