• Dental Phobia Support

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Thisismyjournal (thisisme)

  • Thread starter Thread starter thisisme
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Thisisme.

I'm thinking of you with your appt tomorrow.. you are really an inspiration to me and so many!! I know it is nerve wracking. right before.. You are amazing and hope this is a great appt for you and they put you to peace throughout.. from the minute you arrive.. let us know how it goes. !! Thinking of you!!! :grouphug:
 
krlovesherkids777 said:
Thisisme.

I'm thinking of you with your appt tomorrow.. you are really an inspiration to me and so many!! I know it is nerve wracking. right before.. You are amazing and hope this is a great appt for you and they put you to peace throughout.. from the minute you arrive.. let us know how it goes. !! Thinking of you!!! :grouphug:
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Thank you. Your reply is so sweet. I didn’t sleep well. Lots of dreams. I was stupid and watched ortho consults on YouTube. My heart can’t take them taking pictures of my teeth like that. I don’t want to be weird but I really don’t want to see them. I’ll look at the 3D model and simulation of them straightening but looking at actual close up pictures. That is one of the things that makes me the most scared about this. ?
 
I’m in the parking lot thinking why the heck I’m doing this. I could have non straight teeth. Heck, I made it 32 years. What’s another 40? ??
 
Me walking out of there: “Did I just agree to braces?”

They didn’t do xrays or pictures which made the appointment much more chill than I was expecting. All it really was was me sitting in a small room with a dental chair. He talked to me and had me sit in the chair and look in my mouth.

To be honest, the worst part was when he mentioned a little recession (my dentist has never mentioned this) but he said it was nothing too concerning that would prevent treatment. But recession?! How do I stop this? Surely orthodontic treatment would make it worse, so I probably should have asked him how bad it would get, but I didn’t.

He really did put me instantly at ease. I told him about my dental phobia and I said please don’t make fun of my teeth. He said I would never and that we all start somewhere. There was an older woman there (maybe late 50s, early 60s) getting braces put on. That was encouraging and when she said “why am I doing this?”, it felt so relatable.

He didn’t mention that wisdom tooth, so I do worry at the next appointment they’ll drop the bomb about removing it. One step at a time, I guess.

And yeah, I said next appointment. I scheduled an xray appointment for July 8. Why? I don’t know but I got a good vibe from the place so why not.

He recommended going with ceramic on the top and bottom and would rather not try lingual based on my past history with nickel. He said if I absolutely didn’t want braces, I could do Invisalign... what?! How am I even a candidate? Haha. But I’ve done research and Invisalign is no cake walk either. The aligners jab into your gums, you have a lisp, you have to remove them to eat. He mentioned something that I wasn’t a fan of too. Some metal bands on your molars and a metal wire connecting them to correct my open bite. Ugh. That feels like a lot of metal in my mouth. He said rubber bands too. ? I was expecting rubber bands though but that metal thing? I don’t know. At least it’s behind the teeth and not head gear, but I worry about lisping. BUT... he said despite the overcrowding, he would rather not do extractions, which is the best news of the visit.

They went over cost, which was honestly much lower than I was expecting and pretty much the reason I’m deciding to move forward. $5320 if I pay in full ($5600 if I don’t.) I know that seems like a lot of money but 5k to make your dream come true? Honestly feels like a steal. Estimated treatment time is long though... 26 months. ?

Anyway, he and his staff seemed really nice and you know when you just get a good vibe and could see yourself going there? That’s how I felt. So I guess we’ll see how the next appointment goes but it feels like it’s kind of happening, which is insane.
 
Let us know how it went...ahhh I hate the parking lot.. :frantic::frantic:
 
thisisme said:
I’m in the parking lot thinking why the heck I’m doing this. I could have non straight teeth. Heck, I made it 32 years. What’s another 40? ??
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At least I don’t have the parking lot to contend with. I can walk to mine - I feel like a zombie on the way though!
 
One of the things that really sticks out on my mind since I’ve returned to dentistry are the offices. They are really nice and warm. My dentist office has couches and the ortho had hardwood floors and a beautiful setup.

I remember my old dentist office having chairs outline the room and a very medical setup. A doctor office I visited not too long had the same and it’s awful. I remember carpeting but like the cheap carpeting. I feel like other medical offices should take note of what the dental field is doing.
 
So I’m a bit proud of myself. I called my dentist office and told them the bite adjustment didn’t fix the tooth and was wondering if they could just refill it now. They were so nice and scheduled me at 5pm on July 7. Then on July 8, I see the orthodontist for Xrays and pictures (I think) but I’m going to try to be brave and tell them I don’t want to see any pics right now. So I will be in two dental chairs in a week. What?!? Okay, I’m a little nervous but I’m proud of myself for moving forward and calling these places now. I even wrote up a message I’m gonna send my best friend to tell her next week because it feels like it’s really happening. I’m still trying to figure out how I should tell my parents, as if it’s big deal. It really shouldn’t be. The crazy thing is I was with my best friend when she had to tell her parents that her doctors found more cancer (so she didn’t have to tell them alone), and I can’t tell my parents I’m wanting to get braces. I’m so weak. Side note: she’s doing great (that was two years ago) and I truly believe they were wrong but that’s a different story.

I keep thinking of braces as a disability and that’s horrible. It’s a luxury. Sure, it may be a bit painful at first and you have to be careful eating certain foods and spend more time brushing and flossing but the end result is worth it. I’m just looking to get away at the end of the month and was like “but oh no... what if I have braces?!” And I’m like uhhh, millions of people have braces and do things. It doesn’t limit you. Ughhhh. I have to get that thought out of my head. I just want to smile at weddings and in selfies and not run away from family pictures. Those are memories you’ll never get back and I want to be in them. I can do this... I think. Just got to keep moving forward.

So yeah, next week will be interesting.
 
Thisisme,

You totally got this!! You are doing so amazing with the momentum of moving forward and being brave, asking for your needs, calling , making appts you need to take care of yourself.. You give myself and I'm sure so many others courage to move forward as well as we watch your journey!!
 
You have come so far on your journey! It is interesting to look back and compare how we were to what we can deal with now. Two different dental chairs in one week - that really is brave! So much of this stuff we have to deal with is mental and a constant fight with ourselves. There is sometimes just so much we have to wrap our heads around.
I still need to persuade myself that the dentist is not there to torture me, but is actually helping me!
You’ve taken a step further and are actually doing something with your teeth that is not medically necessary. Voluntary! I don’t think I will ever be in that position (but I don’t need to be, so it’s OK).
Quite an inspiration!
 
Wednesday is a big day for me.

I feel like after that ortho appointment, I will start to tell people. I have even started adding braces stuff to my cart on Amazon. I’ve got straws (to prevent staining), waterpick, some “OrthoDots” which are supposed to be better than wax, cotton balls (I don’t know why but I just feel like they could be beneficial, haha). I found a member on here from years ago with a story similar to mine and she has the beautiful straight smile she has always wanted now! Her braces have been off for 1.5 years. I really want this. I’m afraid of the pain and living with braces, and I’m afraid of telling people.

But I keep remembering that this is my life and my money and I deserve to do things that will make me happy. It’s crazy to even be thinking about this. I have been wanting this for so long but was too afraid to move forward, and all of this is finally starting to happen and it’s terrifying.

Tell me I can do this! I want to do this so badly.
 
You’re doing it. No need to tell you you can do this, you’re in the middle already and have passed the first few landmarks. The rest is easy and with your determination you’ll see it through!
 
JaySee19 said:
You’re doing it. No need to tell you you can do this, you’re in the middle already and have passed the first few landmarks. The rest is easy and with your determination you’ll see it through!
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Thanks! I freaked myself out last night thinking that this appointment will also involve inserting spacers. I originally thought it was just xrays, digital impressions, and photos, but the more I read about the ortho process, the more it seems like spacers will also be applied at this appointment. And getting spacers will make this final. Like it will really be happening. I’ve also heard and read how painful spacers are and am now terrified about the appointment. ?
 
I’m starting to wish I agreed to Invisalign. Maybe I still can. I’d still have to wear rubber bands and I’m sure they would need Invisalign buttons (Which don’t seem fun exactly), and I know the movement is ultimately slower but braces... on my teeth... I’m really starting to wig out about this. Spacers seem so painful. Then, braces. For 26 months?! I’m not sure I can do this. Ready to cancel but I really want this. Ughhhh.
 
It’s natural to feel anxious as things are starting to become a reality now. Think about how long you have wanted this and try not to listen to your fear too much. I do not have experience with braces but had friends who had them...from what I have seen, spacers are not comfortable but they are bearable! You will get through it and you will do this! Just remember that we almost always imagine things to be much worse than they really are!
 
Thisisme,

If anyone can do it you can!! You have such strong momentum going and courage! Its not an easy journey this dental journey.. but you are really going strong! One step at a time you will conquer this with a lot of DFC friends on your side cheering you on!

Hope they will give you some time to ask your questions before they start and they are gentle and kind to you at your appt and make sure you are comfortable with everything you decide on !

:grouphug:
 
Thanks everyone. I’m doing a lot of thinking and researching and writing down questions. I received an email from them with a video about what to expect from the appointment and it was just Xrays, pictures, and impressions, so I’m thinking no spacers this week, which is a relief. Still not excited about pictures, haha. I really do want to ask more questions about Invisalign. It can’t be too late. They haven’t even taken Xrays and just had one look in my mouth. Enough to say it’s a possibility if I really didn’t want braces.

I know Invisalign can often look like ceramic braces. I honestly thought a coworker had ceramic braces years ago until I creeped on her FB page and discovered it was Invisalign with buttons, but it does generally seem less scary to me. So I need to ask why ceramic would be better in my case and why he recommends that over Invisalign. Obviously I want the best result but need to balance that with what I think I can handle.
 
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