terrified ~ about to get filling! pls help

[dental.fears]

hi, heres the deal:

operation: 2 fillings in bottom back teeth and sealing repairs (should i be worried about the last one??)
experience: braces & plate, needles when small child (can't remember) otherwise, no needles/shots had
phobias: everything to do with blood, operations, and needles/shots
examples: vomiting just at watching my mum getting her teeth cleaned at dentist
fainting at vet, no operation nearby just the atmosphere and tools
vomiting after watching 5min documentary on donating blood

what i want... step by step procedure of a filling operation. things to be extra worried about, how to reduce pain and panic, advice, and comfort!

notice: if it hurts, don't lie, tell me the truth..just wrapped in comfort haha.
also, I'm very worried about the filling I've been having panic attacks and crying (i know, I'm a wimp)

THANKS SO MUCH!​

 

[littlething]

Hi and welcome! I've just had something like 12 fillings over the last few months (I know...) and can say that it is a super easy, painless procedure. My dentist likes to say that the worst part about the whole thing is keeping your mouth open, and I find that to be mostly true.

First, they will numb your gums with a topical anesthetic so that you don't feel the needle going in as much. All you will feel from the injection is the tiniest little pinch, if that. They should go really slowly. Once you are nice and numb, they will clean out all the decay. You may feel a little bit of vibration, but none of this should hurt at all. Then they will put on some stuff to make the filling bond to the tooth better, then pit the filling in. If you are
getting a composite filling, they will use a special light to harden the filling. Then they will check your bite by making you bite down on a piece of marking paper, make any adjustments as necessary, polish it off, and you will be done!

Tell them that you are nervous. Some people bring some music and headphones to help drown out the noise and distract them. My dentist talks me through the whole thing, and that helps. A good, patient dentist will make it a lot easier - they should be willing to take it at your pace. Arrange a hand signal that you can use when you want them to stop. Ask for breaks if you need it (if you are getting a composite filling, there are parts of the procedure where the tooth needs to be completely dry and you can't really close, but my dentist has been great about letting me take a break right before and right after).

Good luck - I'm sure you will do great!

 

[dental.fears]

Thankyou so much, 'littlething' that really helped me!

 

[CollegeBound]

One thing I might add to littlething's awesome explanation is that if you are afraid the needles, you can ask them not to let you see it. They can then warn you before bringing it to your line of vision, and you can have a chance to close your eyes so you don't get more nervous.

 

[bcjch]

This may sound silly, but one thing that helps during tense moments in the chair is to straighten your knees and hold your feet out until it passes. Some, but not all, dentists and hygienists know about that trick.

 

[Angeldove]

Worse thing about fillings (any dental work) is the needle. By worse I mean the most painful part. Fillings are probably one of the easiest treatments to go through (I've "survived" oral surgery before), so for me once the needle is over I'm fine (although I don't like the high pitch sound of the drill - it's a noise thing, not so much what the tool is doing).

I basically have my eyes closed for all of my procedures - from cleanings to anything big, so I never see the needle or anything else that they are doing.

Before I have a new kind of treatment I go through 2 steps to help myself better understand what they are doing - I read up on what the treatment includes and then I watch a video on the procedure. Reading seems easier for me, but visuals help me to understand what will really happen. (Might be helpful since you can stop reading/viewing when you need to) For me, I don't like it when dentists tell me what is happening - just do your work and get out of my mouth kind of mentality.

I wish you the best - seems like pretty easy treatments that won't take a long time in the chair.