W
whitney
Junior member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2018
- Messages
- 1
Hi everyone, my name is Whitney and I am super relieved to have found this forum through all of my paranoid Internet searching (which is, I'm sure, negatively impacting my situation further). I will try not to take too much of anyone's time with my backstory.
I am terrified of dentists. I had a very scary experience when I was a little girl with a dentist who was verbally mean to me, and did not listen when the numbing agents wore off. To make matters worse, I struggled severely with depression and a panic disorder (which I still have, but it does not cripple me as badly). During the height of my depressed years (14-early 20s, I am 26 now), I honestly did not care anything about myself or my health. I was suicidal and did not want to take care of my body, or even do things like shower or brush my teeth. I am aware this was all my own doing, but I definitely did not take care of my teeth in any way and I know that has led to problems today.
I have not been to a dentist in probably 4-5 years, and I am finally mustering up the courage to go, but I am scared out of my mind that I am dying and I won't live long enough. I have one back molar that is gone, and two upper molars that are blackening. I am terrified that there is an infection and/or abscess and it is going to spread to my brain or block off my airway and kill me. I have been researching a lot of things on the Internet and I have convinced myself this is happening now, and I really need some reassurance.
I have an upper respiratory infection right now, and I am scared it is somehow the teeth that are causing it? I am experiencing no tooth pain and I cannot see any overt signs of infection, which my mom is convinced I would see. I have no swelling. My cheeks (both of them; all problem teeth are on the left) have been flushing pink and feel hot to my own touch (no one else's), but I have not had a fever. The doctor looked at my tonsils and one of them is inflamed, but she did not say anything about anything going on with my teeth. Is there still a chance something is wrong with my teeth and I am dying? I have been having more panic attacks than I have had in years because I am scared of this.
I was prescribed amoxicillin this morning as a result of the URI, and I am hoping that even if something is happening, it will save me for long enough. I found a dentist in my area who specializes in folks who are afraid of dentists and offers things to help distract them, but when I got the guts to call, no one answered - it was within 30 minutes of their closing time, so I'm guessing they went home early.
Again, any help or reassuring words at all would be so appreciated right now. I am scared out of my mind. I am psyching myself up to call the dentist in the morning when they open instead of waiting. I am trying to convince myself that I would be seriously sick and unable to function normally if I truly had a life-threatening infection, but so far everything I've read is scaring me and winning out instead.
Thanks in advance for any help at all, I really appreciate it.
I am terrified of dentists. I had a very scary experience when I was a little girl with a dentist who was verbally mean to me, and did not listen when the numbing agents wore off. To make matters worse, I struggled severely with depression and a panic disorder (which I still have, but it does not cripple me as badly). During the height of my depressed years (14-early 20s, I am 26 now), I honestly did not care anything about myself or my health. I was suicidal and did not want to take care of my body, or even do things like shower or brush my teeth. I am aware this was all my own doing, but I definitely did not take care of my teeth in any way and I know that has led to problems today.
I have not been to a dentist in probably 4-5 years, and I am finally mustering up the courage to go, but I am scared out of my mind that I am dying and I won't live long enough. I have one back molar that is gone, and two upper molars that are blackening. I am terrified that there is an infection and/or abscess and it is going to spread to my brain or block off my airway and kill me. I have been researching a lot of things on the Internet and I have convinced myself this is happening now, and I really need some reassurance.
I have an upper respiratory infection right now, and I am scared it is somehow the teeth that are causing it? I am experiencing no tooth pain and I cannot see any overt signs of infection, which my mom is convinced I would see. I have no swelling. My cheeks (both of them; all problem teeth are on the left) have been flushing pink and feel hot to my own touch (no one else's), but I have not had a fever. The doctor looked at my tonsils and one of them is inflamed, but she did not say anything about anything going on with my teeth. Is there still a chance something is wrong with my teeth and I am dying? I have been having more panic attacks than I have had in years because I am scared of this.
I was prescribed amoxicillin this morning as a result of the URI, and I am hoping that even if something is happening, it will save me for long enough. I found a dentist in my area who specializes in folks who are afraid of dentists and offers things to help distract them, but when I got the guts to call, no one answered - it was within 30 minutes of their closing time, so I'm guessing they went home early.
Again, any help or reassuring words at all would be so appreciated right now. I am scared out of my mind. I am psyching myself up to call the dentist in the morning when they open instead of waiting. I am trying to convince myself that I would be seriously sick and unable to function normally if I truly had a life-threatening infection, but so far everything I've read is scaring me and winning out instead.
Thanks in advance for any help at all, I really appreciate it.