• 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.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Thank you for this site!

M

Matthew22

Junior member
Joined
Dec 4, 2012
Messages
1
I stumbled upon this site by accident, but I am so very glad I did. I haven't been to the dentist for nearly ten years now for what started as a lot of the common fears I read about in the sections on the site. Fear of being lectured, the cost, and due to a painful extraction I had the last time I went.

As time's gone on my teeth have gotten worse, I've lost fillings, my wisdom teeth that were once floating are now broken, and I'm sure I have more than a few cavities. I've had several times when I've been in intense pain due to this, but I still couldn't bring myself to even contact a dentist.

This website is a godsend. Reading through the sections and reading through posts on these forums I am so very relieved to realize that this is more common than I ever thought. As my teeth got worse and worse I just kept losing more and more confidence in my smile and in my ability to even face a dentist. What would he say when I opened my mouth for him? Even if he didn't say anything, would I be able to just tell that he was disgusted?

I've been looking around on this site for over an hour now and I've teared up more than a few times reading posts and the help sections as I completely understand and empathize with the fears and concerns others have posted. I am so happy I've found this site and so thankful for those who set it up and run it and all those who frequent these forums and offer support and encouragement.
 
I'm so glad you found us, Matthew! :welcome:

As you've been learning from reading the forums, you're far from being alone! Dental phobics are all around-- most of them just hide their smiles!

The most important thing you need to know is that having "bad" teeth does not make you a bad person! (Or dirty, or defective, or disgusting, or stupid, etc). Dental phobia affects people from all walks of life, from all social and financial levels, and all ages. We have people on the forum with advanced degrees, successful careers, loving families, and yet their phobia has prevented them from being able to do a "simple" thing like visit the dentist. We're all on different parts of our journeys, and here on the forum we help each other out by sharing our experiences, cheering each other on, and even just speaking out about our condition and fears, which lets others know that they're not alone.

So, just by putting your story out there, and introducing yourself, you've made a huge step! :welldone: For many years I couldn't even mention the word dentist or acknowledge my story even in my own private journal. And, if you look at the numbers on the forum, you'll find that there's usually 10-20 members/posters on, and hundreds of "visitors"-- which means you're helping out many more people just by stepping forward and "joining" our merry band of misfits. A big pat on the back to you!

Lastly, the good news is, however bad your teeth have gotten, there are ways to fix them, and there are plenty of compassionate dentists who won't judge or lecture you, or draw back in disgust when you open your mouth. Dentists see all kinds of patients with rotted, broken, and otherwise damaged teeth, and believe it or not, they've seen way worse than what you think is so bad. Many teeth-- even those that are broken or damaged-- can still be restored, and when they can't, lots of options exist for replacing them. As someone who now has more "fake" teeth in his head than real ones, I can tell you that life is so much better now that I've managed to find a kind dentist to help rebuild my smile.

You can read my journal, which has some of the same experiences as you describe, and talks about what it was like to go back to the dentist after a long long time away.

Congratulations on sharing your story, and I wish you much success and happiness on your own dental journey, whenever and at whatever pace you choose to take it. There is hope!
 
Hi there!

I think Steve did an awesome job (as usual) of welcoming you to the forum, but I just wanted to chime in and offer even more support.

I am glad you came across the site. I lurked on this site for months before I ever posted, but I am glad that I did. I have heard so many stories not unlike my own, found some great people to relate to, welcomed new people to the site, and of course, received so much support as I trudge through my own dental dilemmas.

I hope you'll continue to post here so we can get to know you more, and you can get to know us more. We're actually kind of a fun group!:jump:
 
Hi Matthew!
I wanted to extend a warm welcome to you as well! :welcome:
For many of us, the forum is our "safe place" to come and vent/rant, discuss decisions and conflicts, seek advice, and best of all, it is a place to rejoice in our successes with people who understand us. No matter what route you choose with your teeth, you will always have a strong support system here to encourage and inspire you and in turn, your journey will inspire others who are walking in similar shoes. As the others have stated, you are definitely not alone in your fear! This site has lots of fantastic, friendly, helpful people (and even a few fantastic, friendly, helpful dentists). Just joining this site and reaching out by posting here is a huge accomplishment and I wish you lots of luck with the next step in your dental journey. :clover::clover::clover:
 
Would like to add my thanks for this website as well. I cannot thank everyone enough for all the encouragement and support here. If not for all the success stories I don't know if I could even consider the extractions I have coming up.
 

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