• Dental Phobia Support

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Two great apps in a week, totally surprised!

K

Katarina

Junior member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Messages
5
In my first post a month ago I replied to a post with my story and said that I was really anxious about seeing the dentist in the beginning of March, considering that my first appointment with this dentist a year ago did not go well at all, and that in Dec 2012, when I came near the office, I just dissociated, "got lost", and couldn't find the entrance (but must have passed by it at least once). I had to schedule that app because the upper molar had broken 3 times and was deeply carious. A few more months went by before another appointment was set up.

The app was in the afternoon, plenty of time to be nervous :hidesbehindsofa: I made it to the office without zoning out :thumbsup!: While in the waiting area, I was hyperalert, felt slightly nauseous, shivers down my spine, my hands were ice-cold and my heart was going crazy. The nurse called me in. Walking into the dental office, I began to float away, but tried to act "relaxed" :hmm: ('cause there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I'd (spontaneously) disclose to my dentist - or to any doctor, for that matter - that I'm frightened; I have, however, promised myself to tell the truth if the question comes up). And then … the dentist kindly greets me and begins chatting with me, asks me about that tooth … WHAT? :confused: I was speechless! No awkwardness, she had just made me feel a tiny bit more comfortable :wow:! I still jerked when the chair was lowered, though, and my heart was racing, I was tense and slipping away and all the usual stuff :cool: The dentist looked at that tooth (or what's left of it) - if the caries is too deep it may have to be removed (hopefully it can still be treated). She briefly checked the other teeth, too, but I didn't even notice it <sigh>. She found that a filling had fallen out from a premolar, it would have to be replaced ASAP. [Khm, as in today …?] She asked me about local anaesthesia, I mumbled something along the lines, "Is it necessary," she explained that the cavity was very deep, I stuttered, "With anaesthesia, then," and she said kindly, "Well, let's go ahead with it, then. Just relax." My eyeballs just flew out, I felt a burden fall off my shoulders and for a split second I thought that maybe I could trust her. Still tense, focused on breathing slowly, eyes closed. With me, it's not so much the fear of needles, pain, gagging/choking etc., it's the proximity of the dentist, the touch, feeling exposed and being "pretty much at the mercy of that person" [Handbook on Sensitive Practice for Health Care Practitioners: Lessons From Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (Schachter CL, Stalker C, Teram E, Lasiuk GC & Danilkewich A, 2009, Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada, p. 44 - that book helped a lot]. Well, I didn't feel the injection AT ALL and it was without the topical! During the procedure, my lower jaw began to tremble, so she put a spacer to bite on into my mouth and relax the muscles, then asked me if I was OK (yes, sort of) and if I felt any pain (no, except for the clenched fists). It must have been obvious that I was scared stiff and "not quite there" all the time, but trying to cooperate. On the way home, my legs turned into jelly :)

The pain after the procedure was bad, and in a few days it spread to the whole lower law, then to the upper jaw and towards the eye on that side of the face :ill:. I had to call the dentist (aaargh) and was told to come back:noway:Again, the usual stuff - cold, sweaty hands, shivers, butterflies in the stomach, etc. The dentist was again extra nice, she told me to just hop in the chair (!!! … !) and she really took the time to talk to me and see what was causing the pain, did a battery of tests. I felt extreme discomfort during the examination, she tried to ease it by talking to me, I probably blabbered and looked like a fool, at least I felt like one. Still no way I'm telling her I'm afraid, but the signals must be apparent. Anyway, I got some meds and was told to come back immediately if it got worse. In a few days the pain subsided, I'm OK now. I have another app coming up in about a month … Three apps in two months after a 1+5+x years of avoiding, that's crazy! I suspect it might include a comprehensive examination and something about the treatment (or extraction and replacement ?????) of that badly decayed tooth which is still not painful, how cool is that.

All in all, those two dental appointments were a small victory for me :dance2: and in the future, I might try to have regular check-ups and not wait until the emergency. But then again … dental examinations really freak me out, even more than some other procedures; I've never had a comprehensive examination, though, but I soon may. I know what happens during a comprehensive examination, I've read a lot about it <lab :geek:>, but has anyone had it? How long does it take? How does it feel?
 
Well done :jump::jump::jump: thank you for taking the time to write about your success, let us know how you get on with your future appointments :jump::jump::jump::jump::jump::jump::jump:

You dentist sounds lovely and very caring, :cool::butterfly:
 
Congrats, Katarina!!!!!!
I'm not sure about what a comprehensive examination means, I would guess it would mean looking at the WHOLE of your mouth, all of your teeth and gums as opposed to just looking at the one tooth that was bothering you.
Many :hug5:'s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Chickenjen, Carole, THANKS for that:jump:!!!!

I'll definitely let you know how the upcoming appointments go!

Comprehensive exam - the dentist examines the outside and the inside your mouth, and the teeth, of course (so extraoral, intraoral and dental). It's more thorough than the regular check-up, to really make sure there's nothing out of the ordinary, like lumps, swollen glands, sensitive areas, cracked teeth, sensitive areas …

There's something else I'd like to say - MANY THANKS and r.e.s.p.e.c.t. :respect: to everyone here for support, the forum posts and the articles!
 
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