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Scared For My First Appointment in Years

S

ShihTzuMom

Junior member
Joined
Jul 13, 2021
Messages
1
Location
Ft Lauderdale, FL
Hello,
I am new to this forum. I stumbled upon it when I was googling "what to expect when not going to the dentist in years". I am scared to go to the dentist for a mixture of reasons. Its been so long I am not even sure of how many years since I last went.

The last time I went for a consultation I expressed how I felt and the dentist seemed nice and gentle. They did x-rays and she checked my mouth and then I was supposed to sit with a hygienist to see how deep my pockets are (which absolutely petrifies me because of the pain) but they were behind schedule and I had to go back to work so I told them I would reschedule that. When I was leaving they asked when I wanted to schedule an appointment for my cavity. I found it odd since the dentist never told me I had a cavity during the checkup so that just set a red flag for me never to return.

Prior to that I had some issues with abscess and I felt like every time I went to the dentist his solution was to keep removing teeth. Maybe that was the only solution but it sure scared me away because I was young and didn't want to lose all my teeth. Also, I always had to get deep cleanings which were not pleasant and during one of my last deep cleanings the hygienist tried to sell me an electric toothbrush and water flosser, it was quite annoying as I was not there for her to pitch a sale but to clean my teeth. I felt like the office dynamics of that dentist changed for the worst. I've been seen by periodontists too and I felt like they just judged me saying I was so young (at the time) and shouldn't be having the issues that I did. That made me feel very uncomfortable as well.

Maybe I'm just trying to find the worst as an excuse not to return but prior to having dental issues I was always OK with going to the dentist. I actually loved it as I never had a cavity until I was in my late 20's or early 30's. I have also had a couple of consultations that advised I had 10+ cavities that needed to be filled from a couple of different dentists which made me not trust anyone anymore. I couldn't see how I could possibly go from never having a cavity to 10+.

Today I made my first dentist appointment for tomorrow because I am having tooth pain and I would like it removed prior to my vacation next week. I am anxious and scared. I advised the lady over the phone how I am feeling and she said she notated the file which made me feel a little better. I've done lots of research and the dentist has a lot of great reviews and best part they office is very close to my house. My husband encouraged me that everything will be OK and I can do it. So I will try my hardest to be brave for tomorrow.

Thank you so much for reading my rant and if you have any advice or would like to share your story with me please comment.

Have a great day!
 
Hello,
I am new to this forum. I stumbled upon it when I was googling "what to expect when not going to the dentist in years". I am scared to go to the dentist for a mixture of reasons. Its been so long I am not even sure of how many years since I last went.

The last time I went for a consultation I expressed how I felt and the dentist seemed nice and gentle. They did x-rays and she checked my mouth and then I was supposed to sit with a hygienist to see how deep my pockets are (which absolutely petrifies me because of the pain) but they were behind schedule and I had to go back to work so I told them I would reschedule that. When I was leaving they asked when I wanted to schedule an appointment for my cavity. I found it odd since the dentist never told me I had a cavity during the checkup so that just set a red flag for me never to return.

Prior to that I had some issues with abscess and I felt like every time I went to the dentist his solution was to keep removing teeth. Maybe that was the only solution but it sure scared me away because I was young and didn't want to lose all my teeth. Also, I always had to get deep cleanings which were not pleasant and during one of my last deep cleanings the hygienist tried to sell me an electric toothbrush and water flosser, it was quite annoying as I was not there for her to pitch a sale but to clean my teeth. I felt like the office dynamics of that dentist changed for the worst. I've been seen by periodontists too and I felt like they just judged me saying I was so young (at the time) and shouldn't be having the issues that I did. That made me feel very uncomfortable as well.

Maybe I'm just trying to find the worst as an excuse not to return but prior to having dental issues I was always OK with going to the dentist. I actually loved it as I never had a cavity until I was in my late 20's or early 30's. I have also had a couple of consultations that advised I had 10+ cavities that needed to be filled from a couple of different dentists which made me not trust anyone anymore. I couldn't see how I could possibly go from never having a cavity to 10+.

Today I made my first dentist appointment for tomorrow because I am having tooth pain and I would like it removed prior to my vacation next week. I am anxious and scared. I advised the lady over the phone how I am feeling and she said she notated the file which made me feel a little better. I've done lots of research and the dentist has a lot of great reviews and best part they office is very close to my house. My husband encouraged me that everything will be OK and I can do it. So I will try my hardest to be brave for tomorrow.

Thank you so much for reading my rant and if you have any advice or would like to share your story with me please comment.

Have a great day!


Hi! I just wanted to encourage you as I have an appointment tomorrow as well and am very anxious and scared and having symptoms. I still wonder if I will go through with it. I wrote part of my story in another thread so I won't write more here yet because it's getting late. I just thought since we're both going on the same day that I would say hello.
 
Last edited:
Hi ShihTzuMom :welcome: ,

how brave of you to have an appointment today, wishing you best of luck! Let us know how it went!

I was sorry to read how you coped with an exam and x-rays perfectly that last time and things looked good and how that remark about a cavity totally destroyed your trust in the practice. Hope today all goes well and the dentist will treat you kindly and gently.

Looking forward to read your update! :clover:
 
Hello,
I am new to this forum. I stumbled upon it when I was googling "what to expect when not going to the dentist in years". I am scared to go to the dentist for a mixture of reasons. Its been so long I am not even sure of how many years since I last went.

The last time I went for a consultation I expressed how I felt and the dentist seemed nice and gentle. They did x-rays and she checked my mouth and then I was supposed to sit with a hygienist to see how deep my pockets are (which absolutely petrifies me because of the pain) but they were behind schedule and I had to go back to work so I told them I would reschedule that. When I was leaving they asked when I wanted to schedule an appointment for my cavity. I found it odd since the dentist never told me I had a cavity during the checkup so that just set a red flag for me never to return.

Prior to that I had some issues with abscess and I felt like every time I went to the dentist his solution was to keep removing teeth. Maybe that was the only solution but it sure scared me away because I was young and didn't want to lose all my teeth. Also, I always had to get deep cleanings which were not pleasant and during one of my last deep cleanings the hygienist tried to sell me an electric toothbrush and water flosser, it was quite annoying as I was not there for her to pitch a sale but to clean my teeth. I felt like the office dynamics of that dentist changed for the worst. I've been seen by periodontists too and I felt like they just judged me saying I was so young (at the time) and shouldn't be having the issues that I did. That made me feel very uncomfortable as well.

Maybe I'm just trying to find the worst as an excuse not to return but prior to having dental issues I was always OK with going to the dentist. I actually loved it as I never had a cavity until I was in my late 20's or early 30's. I have also had a couple of consultations that advised I had 10+ cavities that needed to be filled from a couple of different dentists which made me not trust anyone anymore. I couldn't see how I could possibly go from never having a cavity to 10+.

Today I made my first dentist appointment for tomorrow because I am having tooth pain and I would like it removed prior to my vacation next week. I am anxious and scared. I advised the lady over the phone how I am feeling and she said she notated the file which made me feel a little better. I've done lots of research and the dentist has a lot of great reviews and best part they office is very close to my house. My husband encouraged me that everything will be OK and I can do it. So I will try my hardest to be brave for tomorrow.

Thank you so much for reading my rant and if you have any advice or would like to share your story with me please comment.

Have a great day!

How did it go?
 
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