• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

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Survived a cleaning!

H

HappyFeet36

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2014
Messages
32
And...I am one appointment away from hearing "See you in six months." (!!)

So I was still a little nervous when I went in to the dentist today, but it wasn't as stressful as it was two weeks ago since I knew I had already been to the office, met everyone but the hygienist and had a consult. When I walked in, the dentist was sitting at the front desk and she said hello to me as soon as she saw me, even addressing me by name. I was happy that she remembered me and once again felt welcome and comfortable.

I didn't wait long before the hygienist called me back. She'd been on vacation for my first appointment, so that's why I was meeting her today. I told her that I was embarrassed about how long I had taken off from the dentist and she said "Oh 12 years?" but didn't talk about it beyond that. I then added I was a nervous patient and didn't want to be too hard on her, but she said, "I've been doing this for a long time and I've seen it all. Don't worry about me!" She told me to just put my headphones in and sit back. I listened to my iPod the entire time she was working and took out one headphone when she needed to talk to me or I had something to say.

Having my iPod really helped me relax. I didn't cry like I thought I was going to and only gagged once. It also helped the time go faster, since if I hadn't had them, it would've felt like an eternity. This was especially true during the scraping, which was *not* fun, as I had decent tartar build-up, but the hygienist said she could tell I brushed since it wasn't as bad as you would think it could be. That was really the only part that hurt, though. The rest was pretty gentle, and my whole cleaning was over in 20 minutes. Then I had some more X-rays, and the dentist said I needed one old filling replaced and another one filled. We set up a separate appointment for that next week. The receptionist asked me if I wanted to make my six-month cleaning appointment today, but I told her one thing at a time and that I would set it up once my fillings were done.

I also got a new toothbrush and a pack of floss for free. I do still have to set up a consult with an oral surgeon for my wisdom teeth to come out, so I will do that by the end of this week.

I'm still shocked that I lucked out and didn't need a lot of work done, and my phobia is getting better. I know I need to take better care of my teeth now and the hygienist gave me a couple of good tips, especially about flossing. I'm also confident now that I like my dentist and her staff and want to keep going there. Everybody's been warm, and although they tell me some things I could do better, it's not at all said in a patronizing or judgmental way. So much different than my experiences as a young child or teenager where I would leave crying or close to it when I didn't have an understanding dentist. I feel so much more in control now that I can pick where I go or say no to something I'm not comfortable with.

My gums will probably be tender for a day or two, but I am otherwise fine. I will be keeping up with my home care and dental visits for sure now!
 
Great job! You've inspired people like me to not avoid dental checkups :jump:
 
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