My successful journey and gratitude for this page!

[GSte10]

Hi,

I just wanted to post on this forum as it has helped me a lot in the past reading through others experiences and helping me to know what to expect etc. So first of all thank you to anyone who has ever posted - I have had a dental phobia all my life and still very much have a limit of what I can cope with, but this site along with other supports I’ve had have helped me to come a long way. You have no idea how sharing experiences has helped me and so many others. So I feel compelled to share my experience from yesterday.

Yesterday I had an impacted, horizontal wisdom tooth removed under General Anaesthetic at my local hospital. Full story here:
https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/f...-out-general-anaesthetic-success-story.34619/

This was a very positive experience and the prior build up was worse than anything else. The wisdom tooth I had removed was 80% under the gum, so I have a few dissolvable stitches (didn’t want to know how many and refusing to look or feel for it just now!) I feel so proud of myself for being able to do this, and I’m extremely grateful to our NHS who I cannot fault and who have been so lovely and compassionate.
Since being forced at 18 years old to go to the dentist with toothache and I couldn’t even sit on the chair, I’ve definitely come a long way. I was referred for hypnotherapy and counselling due to a bad experience aged 6. I wouldn’t say hypnotherapy completely worked for me, but something mentally clicked as before this I couldn’t even have a conversation with anyone about dental things, never mind type this essay! It took a very long time, but I can now attend the dentist every 6 months and get treatments done up to a filling without a panic attack. I have also had 2 years of braces so orthodontic treatment too! I’m sure I'll continue to use this website in future as like I said, I still very much have a phobia and a limit to what I can tolerate. But I would be so happy to answer anyone’s questions about my experiences and if I can offer help or support to just one person this would make my day. I think we are stronger than we think and are fully in control of our decisions and treatments, and ultimately health is wealth.

 

[nutzforcats]

hi, thanks for your positive experience and you have come a long way, be proud of that. I am getting a top molar extracted this tuesday due to it being cracked(no idea how but it has had root canal so probably just ate something on that tooth and it happened) and as i haven't had a tooth out for 11 years, i'm a bit freaked but trying to remain calm- I am just getting local as i need to take the bus home but am going to an oral surgeon(just got my two wisdom teeth out by dentists-only had two wisdom teeth grow in thank god so less teeth to lose!). I am more upset i'm losing this tooth than the procedure- i spent money and time to save it over 5 years ago but i'm almost 53 and my only tooth i needed that has needed to go. The oral surgeon said it will only take a half hour so am hoping he is right, i've watched youtube videos and none have freaked me out too much. I need some support and am thinking positive that is will go well (they already moved my time to 2pm when i wanted 1pm so i can get home sooner and eat at dinner time due to an emergency, so am hoping this will be the only issue i will have to deal with). I am most worried about the bleeding after- they said i need the gauze on it for an hour and haven't told me how long i will need gauze in my mouth- wish i didn't need to take the public bus but it's the only way i can get home. I am taking my music with me and will try to think good thoughts during the procedure. My dentist put me through crown prep. twice before she noticed this crack on my tooth, so longer in a dental chair i needed, sent me to an endo. to get it CT scanned which cost me $200 and wanted me to go to a surgeon which is also costing me a lot ($700) so not happy about that. My dentist really messed up and she knows i am a nervous patient but i have time before deciding if i will return to my dentist ever again! I need some hope this will go okay- this year has been a tough one personally and now going through this as well has gotten me very depressed(i told my oral surgeon but he didn't even say a thing- said it was just a tooth and that we have to do hard things- i should really switch to a more caring surgeon but don't have time or money to switch- his reviews are really positive due to getting teeth out and i need it out asap). Anyway, they are nice at the office and hope the assistant is much more understanding, but i will be glad to be done and never go back, i don't even need a return visit which seems odd.