That feeling of terror

[Chrisee]

I am a dental phobic and only visit a dentist when I really have to. Then I have sedation at a huge financial cost. Takes me a couple of years to save up to go. Most times I get little understanding from others as it’s either ‘nothing to worry about’ or ‘you’re under sedation so what’s the problem’

I have been living with some damaged teeth for about 18 months now. Always having to be careful what I eat etc. Today another crack appeared and I feel I will have to go.

immediately I feel like my heart is going to burst. I’m shaking and crying and also feeling so sick. Even if I call to make an appointment it’s likely to be a long wait. I cannot cope. It dominates my life. I have the same fear of doctors so cannot even see a gp.

Not sure what support I need but felt I should write it down as I can’t actually talk to anyone.

 

[Enarete]

Hi Chrisee ,

so sorry to read what you're going through and glad you reached out. Many people find it hard to talk about this to friends or family, particularly if getting so little understanding as you mentioned.
Sedation is a great thing if you need urgent treatment and don't have the time to take things slowly at your own pace. The shadow part of it is that it doesn't help with the anxiety so it's not a very flexible solution. The high cost is the other part of the problem. I'm sorry to read that you can't see a GP either.

Maybe for now, the best thing would be to give you a bit of time to process what happened to that tooth and calm down even if just a bit. Shaking and crying makes it hard to focus on good solutions. Are you in currently in pain?

All the best wishes and feel free to vent, writing often helps