Severe dental phobia

[Buddy Leroy]

Hello there. My name is Barb. I am 50 years old and have had extreme dental anxiety all my life. I have never had a “great” dental experience. I have badly needed to go to a dentist since 2020. Of course with Covid everything was difficult. Let me explain a little background. My genetic dental background is not great. I have had some really bad experiences with several dentists. I feel they have been unfeeling and quite rough. I essentially feel as if I’m going to have a heart attack. I become drenched in sweat. I swear through the paper they use to cover the chair. I have a had time hold still. So i facing some major issues now. Periodontal disease. Infections. Abscesses. All my teeth have broken down to the gum line. I suffer severe pain. Needless to say I can’t eat. Live on liquid. I am a small boned person to begin with. I’ve lost 50 pounds since then. I’m 5 feet 3 inches. I’m depressed. Have become reclusive. My husband does all the things that need to be taken care of out of the house. I had been a lively person. An extrovert who like going out to dinner and being with family. Everything revolves around food when you are out. I have no quality of life really. I know this and still am so terrified. I would love any support any help please.

 

[Buddy Leroy]

I have a very small mouth and I know I’m gonna need dentures. Implants are so expensive and I’m afraid they are going to look like horse teeth. This is a add on to the above statement

 

[Buddy Leroy]

Hello there. My name is Barb. I am 50 years old and have had extreme dental anxiety all my life. I have never had a “great” dental experience. I have badly needed to go to a dentist since 2020. Of course with Covid everything was difficult. Let me explain a little background. My genetic dental background is not great. I have had some really bad experiences with several dentists. I feel they have been unfeeling and quite rough. I essentially feel as if I’m going to have a heart attack. I become drenched in sweat. I sweat through the paper they use to cover the chair. I have a had time holding still and become jumpy. So I am now facing some major issues now. Periodontal disease. Infections. Abscesses. All my teeth have broken down to the gum line. I suffer severe pain. Needless to say I can’t eat. Live on liquid. I am a small boned person to begin with. I’ve lost 50 pounds since then. I’m 5 feet 3 inches. I’m depressed. Have become reclusive. My husband does all the things that need to be taken care of out of the house. I had been a lively person. An extrovert who like going out to dinner and being with family. Everything revolves around food when you are out. I have no quality of life really. I know this and still am so terrified. I would love any support any help please.

 

[letsconnect]

Hi Barb and welcome! It's so sad to hear that dental phobia has affected your life, and your social life, so much . It's understandable that having had unfeeling and rough dentists in the past would make you phobic and would prevent you from trying again. Having a dentist you like and trust is key to overcoming dental phobia, and depending on your fears and your personal preferences, there are also various sedation options which can help a lot.

Have you tried seeing a psychologist or counsellor for help and support? When we're depressed, it's hard to see a way forward, and having someone on your side to help you get back to being the sociable person you used to be might not be a bad idea at all. Hopefully, they'd be able to help with finding a kind and caring dentist to help with the dental side of things as well.

Also, I'm so sorry that you haven't had any other replies yet. There are lots of people in a similar boat:

my first appointment in YEARS is in 7 hours - and i'm scared they'll say i have cancer

i have posted on here a few times but left. i think i can safely say this has happened many times to many members. we get the courage to post and talk about what it is we're going through and tell everyone our fears, but then we start scrolling and see other posts and think: "that is NOTHING...

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Maybe you could connect up with others in a similar situation by replying to their posts? They may not have seen your story, and they may be glad to discover that they're not alone .