shamrockerin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2012
- Messages
- 752
- Location
- New Hampshire, USA
**post involves discussing needle fear**
Hi everyone,
Most of you won't remember/know me, but I've been on this forum for almost a decade now.
About ten years ago, I had a crowned tooth fall out. I had been avoiding dentists for amost 10 years at that point, so it shouldn't have been a surprise, but it brought back all the fear, anxiety and shame that I had as a child regarding dentists, and it was a very painful journey (mostly mental/emotional) to get myself to a point where I found a dentist I liked and trusted, and could go for regular check-ups to prevent big problems from coming up again.
I've been going to my dentist for a few years now, but I only needed cleanings. This morning I went for my usual 3 month cleaning, and the hygienist (whom I also like and trust) did her usual routine and there seemed to be nothing new.
However, when the Dr. came in for a quick look, he noticed one of my teeth had a tacky spot that wasn't there before. It turns out one of my molars which has a filling already had a little margin around the filling. He said even though it wasn't really a cavity, I should get it fillled because it could lead to decay getting underneath the filing.
At this point, my heart was already going much faster and I was getting visibly nervous; I haven't had any kind of procedure in years and I was totally caught off guard. He was expaining everything about it, and assured me it would only take 5-10 minutes but the only thing I was concerned about was if it requied anesthetic, because I have a needle fear. He said I could go without because it was such a small 'filling' but also said I could opt for it if I wanted to make sure I didn't feel anything.
Even though he said I didn't have to make a decision right then, he mentioned having some time available so I just kind of blurted out "if you have time let's just do it right now", and he said "okay, we'll do it now".
I had to move to a different room because the hygienist had another patient waiting, and I was on the verge of tears at that point, because I was having flashbacks to the bad appointments I'd had (with previous dentists) in years before. . .
I decided to go with anesthetic because I was too nervous I'd feel the drilling, so they gave me a topical and let it sit for several minutes beforehand.
I was able to get through the injection (I felt a slight pinch, but it didn't really hurt) and I didn't feel any of the procedure.
It took maybe 15 minutes from the minute I sat down to when I walked out of the office.
It will sound ridiculous to anyone who doesn't have this phobia, but I am so proud of myself. Al of my instincts were saying "run! go! never come back!" but I knew if I put it off I'd just be miserable and dweling on it all the time, and I'd probably sip back into avoidance mode. . .
I was so relieved when it was over because it didn't hurt and I didn't cry or have a panic attack or anything. My Dr. also seemed very relieved because he knew this was a big deal to me and he knew I have a long history of fearing procedures.
I hope everyone who is currently dealing with this phobia can have this feeing, someday.
Hi everyone,
Most of you won't remember/know me, but I've been on this forum for almost a decade now.
About ten years ago, I had a crowned tooth fall out. I had been avoiding dentists for amost 10 years at that point, so it shouldn't have been a surprise, but it brought back all the fear, anxiety and shame that I had as a child regarding dentists, and it was a very painful journey (mostly mental/emotional) to get myself to a point where I found a dentist I liked and trusted, and could go for regular check-ups to prevent big problems from coming up again.
I've been going to my dentist for a few years now, but I only needed cleanings. This morning I went for my usual 3 month cleaning, and the hygienist (whom I also like and trust) did her usual routine and there seemed to be nothing new.
However, when the Dr. came in for a quick look, he noticed one of my teeth had a tacky spot that wasn't there before. It turns out one of my molars which has a filling already had a little margin around the filling. He said even though it wasn't really a cavity, I should get it fillled because it could lead to decay getting underneath the filing.
At this point, my heart was already going much faster and I was getting visibly nervous; I haven't had any kind of procedure in years and I was totally caught off guard. He was expaining everything about it, and assured me it would only take 5-10 minutes but the only thing I was concerned about was if it requied anesthetic, because I have a needle fear. He said I could go without because it was such a small 'filling' but also said I could opt for it if I wanted to make sure I didn't feel anything.
Even though he said I didn't have to make a decision right then, he mentioned having some time available so I just kind of blurted out "if you have time let's just do it right now", and he said "okay, we'll do it now".
I had to move to a different room because the hygienist had another patient waiting, and I was on the verge of tears at that point, because I was having flashbacks to the bad appointments I'd had (with previous dentists) in years before. . .
I decided to go with anesthetic because I was too nervous I'd feel the drilling, so they gave me a topical and let it sit for several minutes beforehand.
I was able to get through the injection (I felt a slight pinch, but it didn't really hurt) and I didn't feel any of the procedure.
It took maybe 15 minutes from the minute I sat down to when I walked out of the office.
It will sound ridiculous to anyone who doesn't have this phobia, but I am so proud of myself. Al of my instincts were saying "run! go! never come back!" but I knew if I put it off I'd just be miserable and dweling on it all the time, and I'd probably sip back into avoidance mode. . .
I was so relieved when it was over because it didn't hurt and I didn't cry or have a panic attack or anything. My Dr. also seemed very relieved because he knew this was a big deal to me and he knew I have a long history of fearing procedures.
I hope everyone who is currently dealing with this phobia can have this feeing, someday.
