Seeking support - totally ashamed of going to the dentist

[aimz1303]

Omg! This is an EXACT story of mine! Im soo fearful of going to dentist! Not to mention im soo ashamed & stressed out about how I will afford procedures! I only make $300/month..no dental insurance..i made an appointment but had to cancel due to my sick grandchild..i convinced myself to go but now im back to being so ashamed & wondering how i can force myself to go..can u tell me the details of what happened when you went to dentist?

 

[aimz1303]

I am actually more scared of the judgment and shame than actual pain.

Me too!!!???

 

[Gfan]

I know exactly how you feel. I'm 37 and my teeth are a constant source of embarrassment for me. It seems everyone around me has perfect smiles, and here I am with a mouth full of teeth that are rotting away. I think about it 24/7. My teeth in front are starting to separate which makes it even worse to smile. I have several rotted to the gumline in back and it's starting in the front. I have constant pain.
I'm so over this and as soon as Christmas is over I will be making an appt. You can do it too!!! I realize that nothing I do on my own is going to make my smile better and the pain go away. I need help and as much as I fear getting dentures or what people might say I know I can't live like this anymore! You can do this!! So many people here will support you through this journey! It will be a slow process for me as I am a single mom of three, one which is heading off to college soon, but i know I need to do this for me. If I am this embarrassed now I can only imagine how i will feel when one of my front teeth fall out... which will be soon if I don't act fast. You can message me anytime if you need to talk. We can do this together!!

 

[Danni9242]

You can do this guys. I still suffer with major anxiety before dental visits (due next month as on a 3 month callback), but I have majorly sucked it up in order to take my daughter so she doesn't end up like me. The shame was worst at the start after years of never going and not brushing but the dentist we have is kind and sees my fear. I've not really got my bad habits in check nor brushing technique perfected so I've kept having to have a bit more work done by way of fillings and I still feel shame she may still find issues but I want to keep my teeth as long as possible whilst being open to the idea of just going to dentures. My shame did stop me getting my broken wisdom teeth sorted though. I didn't want a new dentist to see my teeth when they may not be as kind. I delayed the appointment and then cancelled. I'm going to need to be rereffered but I'm going to try to be honest when I go on Jan 18th why my teeth aren't done yet. I'm only 29 and I'm hoping I can get to 40 before really having to consider dentures. I hate my teeth being so wonky but I can't afford braces. I'm hoping to sort the money for a good cleaning as I have dark stains on a couple of teeth that getting rid of might help with self esteem but at the moment we only have my husbands wage.

 

[Lee R]

Hello all,

I am very happy that I found this forum, I hope I can feel better by sharing my story.

My big problem is that I have very poor dental health. I have several broken molars (problems started when I was in a heavy period of my life, could not afford dental care) so with things always getting worse, I just became ashamed of my teeth and still am not able to go see a dentist to this day. I fear I might also have gum disease and I am totally freaking out about losing my teeth (front ones). I am so scared to lose one, it's all I can think about. I am having major anxiety because of this.

I'm scared of being told the damage done, I am scared of judgment (I'm only 31). I need to find the courage to fix things, I can't live like this anymore.

Thank you.

I'm feeling the same way. I lost my front tooth and it changes your life, you don't want to talk to people because your too embarrassed . I only have four teeth. Go to the dentist because you sure don't want to get as bad me. I can barely eat, and half of the I eat can't be chewed properly so I'm sure that is impacting my healt, I've lost weight because of it( kind of a bonus). I'm 59 and I can't put it off anymore. All I can tell you is to keep reading about other people's experiences , and I hope you do find the courage. Praying for ya!