H
hiccupod
Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2011
- Messages
- 57
This is incredibly hard for me to discuss, even anonymously in a forum, but I would love any/all support or similar experiences, success stories you guys have.
I am 27 years old and have never been to the dentist. I had a good brushing/flossing routine up until I was about 14 or so, when my parents started fighting, getting into a messy divorce, and I had some bad home problems. I really think this caused a lot of my anxiety issues, including my attitude towards regular brushing. It hasn't been good since then, and I know my teeth are in bad shape.
With my new job, I have dental insurance for the first time in my life and took the first step in registering for it and choosing the more expensive plan for better coverage, since I know WHEN I go in, I will need some work...possibly major.
A few months ago, I had intense tooth pain from out of nowhere, so bad that I was on pain meds for 2 days just to cope and couldn't chew anywhere near that tooth. It's fine now, but I know there's a problem. Right next to the sore tooth is a tooth I've been losing for the past few years - it's decayed very badly now, which makes the thought of the dentist even worse. I also have 2 wisdom teeth that are slanted and barely showing on either side of my jaw.
I guess I just want to know A) what to expect from my first visit, B) how and who to tell about my intense phobia/anxiety issues and C) anything I can do to lower my anxiety before getting there. My biggest fears are just showing people my teeth and the issues I'm having, as well as crying at the dentist. Just reading about dental procedures (even basic cleaning) makes my eyes swell with tears, and I don't know how to stop that. I don't want to bawl my eyes out at the dentist and complicate matters or make it hard to be treated.
I really just want to get it over with. But it's so incredibly terrifying and daunting.
I am 27 years old and have never been to the dentist. I had a good brushing/flossing routine up until I was about 14 or so, when my parents started fighting, getting into a messy divorce, and I had some bad home problems. I really think this caused a lot of my anxiety issues, including my attitude towards regular brushing. It hasn't been good since then, and I know my teeth are in bad shape.
With my new job, I have dental insurance for the first time in my life and took the first step in registering for it and choosing the more expensive plan for better coverage, since I know WHEN I go in, I will need some work...possibly major.
A few months ago, I had intense tooth pain from out of nowhere, so bad that I was on pain meds for 2 days just to cope and couldn't chew anywhere near that tooth. It's fine now, but I know there's a problem. Right next to the sore tooth is a tooth I've been losing for the past few years - it's decayed very badly now, which makes the thought of the dentist even worse. I also have 2 wisdom teeth that are slanted and barely showing on either side of my jaw.
I guess I just want to know A) what to expect from my first visit, B) how and who to tell about my intense phobia/anxiety issues and C) anything I can do to lower my anxiety before getting there. My biggest fears are just showing people my teeth and the issues I'm having, as well as crying at the dentist. Just reading about dental procedures (even basic cleaning) makes my eyes swell with tears, and I don't know how to stop that. I don't want to bawl my eyes out at the dentist and complicate matters or make it hard to be treated.
I really just want to get it over with. But it's so incredibly terrifying and daunting.