Enarete
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Several questions to a particular part of a check-up, do not feel able to cope
My first post in this section and feeling physically sick even writing this.
During an exam there is this part where the dentist has to touch certain parts of the face and the neck. My dentist did this on my first appointment but I was dissociated and not too aware of what was going on. I then had 8 appointments to get desensitized and can cope with basic things, but we never did this particular part again.
My next appointment is in September and it will be a check up and this particular part is worrying me to an extent that it makes me want to cancel everything altogether and never get back. I could discuss this with my dentist, but even talking about this while sitting in a treatment room would be too triggering.
There are some questions that might help me find a way to deal with this... :
1. Is this particular part of the exam something that has to happen on every exam or something that just happens when a new patient gets in? (If so, then I'm fine and you can forget all other questions)
2. Can this be done while a patient is sitting upright? Or maybe even outside of the chair?
3. And at which point does this happen - is it in the middle of an exam or as the last part?
4. How many seconds / minutes / does it take?
5. Is it necessary to keep the muscles relaxed for this part / If my neck muscles get tensed, will it spoil the exam?
6. How do you deal with patients who cannot cope with this?
7. What exactly gets touched - I remember the lower jaw and some points on the face when I had to open and close and I am wondering if there is anything that involves the neck
Sorry for the many details, I struggle with this so much and I was thinking of posting this for about a month and it is just driving me crazy.
Thank you very much
My first post in this section and feeling physically sick even writing this.
During an exam there is this part where the dentist has to touch certain parts of the face and the neck. My dentist did this on my first appointment but I was dissociated and not too aware of what was going on. I then had 8 appointments to get desensitized and can cope with basic things, but we never did this particular part again.
My next appointment is in September and it will be a check up and this particular part is worrying me to an extent that it makes me want to cancel everything altogether and never get back. I could discuss this with my dentist, but even talking about this while sitting in a treatment room would be too triggering.
There are some questions that might help me find a way to deal with this... :
1. Is this particular part of the exam something that has to happen on every exam or something that just happens when a new patient gets in? (If so, then I'm fine and you can forget all other questions)
2. Can this be done while a patient is sitting upright? Or maybe even outside of the chair?
3. And at which point does this happen - is it in the middle of an exam or as the last part?
4. How many seconds / minutes / does it take?
5. Is it necessary to keep the muscles relaxed for this part / If my neck muscles get tensed, will it spoil the exam?
6. How do you deal with patients who cannot cope with this?
7. What exactly gets touched - I remember the lower jaw and some points on the face when I had to open and close and I am wondering if there is anything that involves the neck
Sorry for the many details, I struggle with this so much and I was thinking of posting this for about a month and it is just driving me crazy.
Thank you very much
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