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Teen terrified and turned away from many dentists

  • Thread starter Thread starter kat2032
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kat2032

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My teen is 17 and has horrible decay. For years she has been to dentists and been so scared she panics even getting nitrous. Now, gen dentists won't see her without sedation and sedation dentists won't see her until she is 18. I just had a mental health provider threaten to call CPS on me and I have no idea what else to do! I've had my dentist talk to her, show her everything, it's impossible to get her to not physically fight. Tried anti anxiety meds and nothing! I could use some guidance.
 
Hi kat2032,

sorry to read about your situation, I can see how difficult this must be. How does your daughter feel about the situation and what have you / has she tried? And would you mind explaining a bit on the mental health provider to threaten to call CPS? In which context was a mental health provider involved? Getting a bit of a background may help to narrow down the options before jumping into any advice...
 
Also— if CPS is called, they will likely try to figure out a solution. I don’t know what your relationship is with them (if you have an existing case etc etc), but if this is your first contact with them, they will be concerned about her dental care and might even be able to help you connect to care.
 
@Enarete thanks for commenting. She wants to address her fears and get her teeth done but she runs every time she tries. She was major depressive disorder and has been in psychiatric settings on and off for a year. The last time the staff noticed her teeth and discussed CPS. I did talk to them about our attempts so they didn't report but we still need to figure out how to get her treated.
 
@HeatherWasHere i have no case history and thankfully the therapist and I talked before they did anything. My daughter still can't figure out a way to get in that seat.
 
@Enarete thanks for commenting. She wants to address her fears and get her teeth done but she runs every time she tries. She was major depressive disorder and has been in psychiatric settings on and off for a year. The last time the staff noticed her teeth and discussed CPS. I did talk to them about our attempts so they didn't report but we still need to figure out how to get her treated.


Hi. I was just wondering if major depressive disorder is the same as recurring depressive disorder?. I read on the internet that it's the same and those are two names for it. I have recurring depressive disorder and autism and anxiety and i am also terrified when i go to see the dentist. What helps me get in to the seat is thinking that the dentist is only there to help me and that even if they diagnose something that is worrying, i still have people that I can talk to on the forum about it and talk to my family about it which would help me feel better. Would thinking about something like this help your daughter?.
 
@anonfemale I'm not sure about the depression distinctions, but I shared the idea you mentioned with her and also urged her to come on here independently and see if it helps. Thanks!
 
@Enarete thanks for commenting. She wants to address her fears and get her teeth done but she runs every time she tries. She was major depressive disorder and has been in psychiatric settings on and off for a year. The last time the staff noticed her teeth and discussed CPS. I did talk to them about our attempts so they didn't report but we still need to figure out how to get her treated.

Thank you for elaborating. Struggling mentally on and off makes your daughter more likely having issues with teeth (most dentists even ask about depression in their intake forms) as it impacts the ability for selfcare. It also makes her more likely to have other issues, such as severe anxiety. I am therefore a bit surprised that anyone would want to involve CPS for this, but I am not familiar with how the system in the US works.
It seems to me that a slow gradual approach may be the best, the anxiety seems to be too severe to try to tackle it at once, particularly if meds had not worked and sedation / general anesthesia is not an option. A good CBT therapist and preferably a dentist who would be on board for that may be a good idea. You can find some information on CBT and exposure here:


Also, great idea for your daughter to take a look around here if she likes.
 
Hi. I was just wondering if major depressive disorder is the same as recurring depressive disorder?. I read on the internet that it's the same and those are two names for it.

Depression comes in different severity levels, from light to very severe (major), that's the first distinction. For some people it then stays with one episode and doesn't come back, for some they are fine and then get another episode after some time. In that case, from the second episode on you would call it "recurring".
 
@kat2032 I'm glad you have shared the idea I mentioned with your daughter and urged her to come on here and see if it helps. I hope she will find it helpful.

@Enarete Thank you for explaining about the distinctions with depression. I have had more than one episode and it happens a lot.
 
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