• 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.

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Today I finally did it and made an appointment after 15 years! Thank you Mugz and Lost!

S

scaredandshamed

Junior member
Joined
Nov 5, 2014
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Today I finally did it and made an appointment after 15 years! Thank you Mugz and Lost!

First I want to thank Mugz and Lost... I posted my one and only post back in November. You two were so helpful and welcoming and kind. I have felt really guilty for never replying but I resorted back to my old ways and stuck my head in the sand once again for a few more months. But I want you to know that, even though I tried to ignore the situation, I really appreciated your replies and have kept your words of wisdom and encouragement close to me ever since.

So here I am once again because it dawned on me this past Sunday when my fiance and I put our first payment down at our wedding venue. After we paid, we took a little walk to the ceremony site. It was a beautiful day and the place is so serene and just gorgeous. This should have been such a happy moment for me, but all I could think about were my teeth and how in the world could I do this and feel so self conscious about my smile! Meanwhile my fiance (who by the way thinks I have a beautiful smile which truly confuses me) is looking so happy and wants us to take selfie together at the alter. Of course I obliged and smiled big pushing "those thoughts" out of my mind for the moment. But when I looked at that picture, all I could see was my ugly front tooth which has now shifted back and it looks absolutely horrible.

I knew then that I have no choice. No matter the shame and embarrassment when the dentist sees my mouth, no matter the pain, the money, the anguish, the crazy nerves, I have to take care of this now. My wedding is in September. Do I even have enough time to fix my teeth? Will I need implants? I read that implants take at least 6 months. I don't want removable teeth.

These are the constant thoughts that fill my head 24/7. These thoughts make me crazy and make me want to stick my head back in the sand. But I can't anymore. So the question is, how do I get through this? MY appointed is 2/7 at 11am. I had to make it on a day my fiance wasn't working because there is no way I'm going without him.

Contrary to what my fiance thinks about my teeth, they are not so good. My gums are really receding badly, my front tooth has shifted very noticeably, I'm just positive that they will need to be extracted. My bottom front gums are extremely receded as well. My gums never bleed which I read is not a good thing at this state. I mean what could I expect when I haven't seen the dentist in 15 years? I have never had a deep cleaning which I was suppose to have 15 years ago but never went back, I'm 44 by the way.

I told the guy who answered the phone at the dentist office that I was really scared of dentists and he told me that the whole staff are trained for fearful patients and not to worry. They will do everything to make it a pleasant visit so that made me feel really good. But I think my number 1 concern at this time is me having to tell them how long it's been since I've seen a dentist and the embarrassment of having someone see what's in my mouth.

Thank you for reading. I promise not to stick my head in the sand anymore.
 
Re: Today I finally did it and made an appointment after 15 years! Thank you Mugz and Lost!

No matter how bad you think your teeth are, your dentist will have seen worse so don't be afraid for them to see your teeth. Did you have a negative experience at the dentist in the past? What scares you the most about the dentist? Express these concerns at your appointment so your dentist can avoid furthering you fears.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
 
Re: Today I finally did it and made an appointment after 15 years! Thank you Mugz and Lost!

WELL DONE!!!

Thank you for the kind words and congratulations on YOUR HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT!! Making (and keeping) that very first appointment is really the hardest part. It is. So you're almost done with the hardest part!! You are totally motivated now and have support from your fiancé and all of us here and those three things (plus a patient and caring dentist) make it VERY possible for you to experience success in this department even though it seems overwhelming and scary right now.

While I'm still navigating this finding the right dentist/treatment thing others may have helpful suggestions on how to get through it all. My suggestions...don't be afraid to ask for medication to take the edge off if you need it and try to take one appointment at a time, don't get ahead of yourself with all that may or may not need to be done. Start slowly and build trust with your dentist...work up to getting big things done. Focus more on fun things like your wedding and honeymoon...don't give the stress of your teeth one more minute than they deserve!

We are here for support too so remember you're not alone especially if people around you don't "get it".

Be proud of yourself for taking this huge step!!! Really well done!!!!
 
Re: Today I finally did it and made an appointment after 15 years! Thank you Mugz and Lost!

Thank you both so much for the support! I can't tell you what a relief it is to have found this forum. The support and encouragement has been a God send for me.

I'm taking your advice and focusing on the positive things in my life, mainly my wedding; while at the same time addressing the big elephant in my head, my teeth. I'm scared anxious and embarrassed for my upcoming appointment, but I'm also relieved and excited to finally be taking care of it. To finally be rid of the constant shame in my head and the continual stress of knowing that this needs to be addressed. It's taken up so much of my life already and you're so right when you said not to give it another minute that it deserves!!!

Thank you again,
S&S:respect:
 
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