What caused your fear or phobia?

[Davee]

The first thing was a sadistic oral surgeon who suffocated me to keep me from crying when I was 11. Actually put his hand over my mouth and nose and told me he would let me breathe if I was a good girl and did not cry. Did such a horrible job that I had tons of stitches and infection from what should have been a simple root canal.

Second was an orthodontist who told me at 14 years old "Your teeth are ruining your face". Not so, I was considered "pretty" despite his assessment.

Third thing was being humiliated by my brother's orthodontist when I took him to his appointment. Long story...

Recently- having a dentist recommend unecessary work, do shoddy work, and still feeling I need him to keep me in a proper fitting flipper which seems to need to be remade every two months.

 

[bigfeartie]

My fears started as a child with anaesthetic not working, and the dentist drilling away regardless. I was taking valium at age 7 to get me there. Drilled through a nerve in a front tooth when I was 10, and 15 years later, an xray showed a huge cyst in the jawbone. I had to attend the dental hospital in Glasgow for 3 years having it drained, but they did manage to save all my teeth except the one that had been drilled, they were amazing! And very patient and reassuring. The dentist who continued with treatment despite the lask of anaesthetic burst my lip when he slapped me for screaming, then told my mum that the drill had caught my lip because I was jumping in the chair. She couldn't believe he would slap me, so continued to take me to him. I was passing out after seeing him, and she was having to physically drag me to the car as I couldn't walk. At 17, I said enough, and refused to go back.

 

[iMac]

I guess what amused mine was a traumatic experience that happened when I was in about 1st grade so I was about 6 maybe 7. I had to get about 4 crowns on, and I still shutter to this very day about it. I felt EVERYTHING that happened. The dentist knew I was young, but still gave me the adult treatment. They barely use any gas, no needle and the put too much pressure on me. One of the assistants stood literally right over me. I felt raped. And I couldn't eat for about a week. Even Jello, one of the softest foods there are. I got over my fear until about a year ago, when I discovered a small cavity on one of my back left teeth. I was 12 years old. I was freezing out big time. I was about to tell my parents but then the experience flashed back into my head. I quickly decided not to and just hide the pain, which I'm somehow doing quite well. But now I'm here, telling everyone on here my problems when I should be trying to help you all out first. But please know, I'm only 13. And I have dental phobia. Is that awkward? Or is it stupid because I shouldn't be afraid? Please help.

 

[carole]

Hi you have no need to help anyone on here, a lot of people come on here because they are afraid, and there are many reasons. You had a terrible experience and anyone would have been put off, you are not stupid.

You need to know that not all dentists are like this and now there are many that make sure patient comfort is the first thing they pay attention to. As a young child and at various times in my life I have had good and bad experiences. It is not easy when something like this has happened to you but with the right dentist you will be able to build up a trust and feel comfortable enough to let them have a look and advise you on the best treatment. Explain to them what happened and tell them you are afraid because of this, they will understand. If they don't do not let them even look in your mouth, go to one that will listen. I know this is in your parents control but I am sure if you explain to them how you feel they will want to help you.

We all understand on here how you feel and I am glad you have mentioned your age because it makes us aware that you need to consult with your parents about this.

You are welcome on here as much as you need to be, we are very good at giving support and comfort.

Talk to your parents and see if you feel you could manage to go and see a different dentist. You have to consent to any treatment that a dentist advises that you need so if you are not happy don't allow it. If at any time you feel anything while having treatment ask the dentist to arrange a stop signal for you to use, like raising your arm. They will be able to stop and give you more numbing stuff if needed, or even if you feel you need a break.

Good luck

 

[Hunter]

This is ridiculous ok? I had a lot of orthodontic work in my teens due to an accident with a tennis racquet. However, this isn't what caused my fear. What actually caused my fear was laughing gas. I can remember being little and going to the dentist for a tooth out, being terrified of the mask, being put under, then the fear inducing thing happened...I actually dreamt that I was being hanged by my tooth. The dream was incredibly vivid, so much so that I can still remember the landscape, the whole scenario and the tooth noose. I woke up on the nurse's knee screaming. I'm so glad gas has gone. I have a lovely dentist now and I'm so relieved I never have to be put under with that concoction of hallucinogens ever again! Laughing gas was a terrible thing to use on children.

 

[toothfairy80]

When I was a teenager, I started to get "white coat" hypertension. I still have that problem as an adult. My blood pressure shoots up quite high in the doctor's office, but when I take it at home, it's fine. This problem actually caused me to develop a fear of having my blood pressure taken, and I still get horrible anxiety when I know that a nurse is about to do it. Of course, the anxiety just makes my BP higher!

When I was 19, I went to the dentist for a cleaning. The hygienist walked in with a BP cuff, which I was not at all expecting, and I felt my heart start to pound. I'd been to that office many times, but they'd never done that. She took it, and it was high. She started lecturing me, telling me that I had the BP of an old man (and I was a very young woman). She took it again, and it was higher, and she acted like it was the worst thing in the world, telling me that she was going to call my parents because I was in danger. She was very high-strung and shrill, and not a pleasant woman in general. During the same visit, it turned out that I had a small cavity. They scheduled a filling, and I canceled it a few days later. I was so afraid of dealing with her or anyone like her again that I did not want to go there anymore. Fourteen years later, and three weeks ago, I had that tooth extracted because it finally crumbled from years of decay.

I know it sounds ridiculous that I allowed my fear of the BP cuff to cause me to stop going to the dentist, but that's what happened. It wasn't just the cuff, but the fear of judgment and lecturing, and the fact that many doctors and nurses won't take the time to listen to your fears or explanations. When I went to the dentist for the first time in all those years last month, one of my biggest fears was that they would take my BP. They didn't, and it helped me get through the visit. I had already planned on asking them not to do it, even if they wanted to. By the way, when I go to the doctor, I almost always have to get my BP taken twice. Once when I get there and am in a complete panic, and again when I'm leaving and feel calmer. It is just a complex I developed as a teenager that I've yet to overcome.

Anyway, I wish that more people in the healthcare business could understand that they need to be careful with their words and their body language. That hygienist probably thought that she was helping me with her scary words and lecturing, but she made it much worse. I never returned to their office, and over the years, my dental fears escalated and began to include many other issues aside from the BP cuff.

 

[griffinej5]

I'm afraid of the blood pressure cuff too. I was on a medication for some time that raised my blood pressure. There was a bit of trial and error to figure that out. I'm phobic of needles, so anticipating a needle will raise it. The white coat phobia raises it. I know it's okay, because I have stayed in the doctors office and had it done over time, and it comes down. My sister is a nurse, and I've had her do it, it's fine. It's fine on those machines in places. At the dentist it's sky high usually. They usually repeat it, and they'll try the other arm. It doesn't help much. I even react to certain rooms at my doctors office. At the allergy doctor, if I am in the room where I had my first allergy testing, it will measure higher. At that time I was severely needle phobic, and the testing involved a ton of needles. Then they left me in the room for a bit to prep me for a test(had to make my nose numb with some gel stuff), and I threw up, because I basically had a delayed panic reaction to the needles. Then I was in there waiting for the doctor to come back. Then I panicked that my throwing up, which dislodged the q tip with numbing stuff from my nose, would mess up that test. Now if I'm in that room, my blood pressure is off the wall. They do sometimes get it before and after, after is always better.
I don't look horribly panicked most of the time at the dentist now, but my blood pressure tells the truth. It's off the wall, and if it wasn't documented, they'd probably have me in the hospital.

 

[mcfly666]

My fear was caused when I was younger. I remember dentists just jabbing me with a shot of Novacain or whatever and then just getting down and drilling, I wasn't even numb to begin with!

After a few of those 'visits' my brain just assumes that there is pain with a dentist. On very rare occasions I can get though an appointment with no pain, but my anxiety about the whole thing makes me hypersensitive. I sometimes think that there is no pain and my brain just makes some up!

 

[Dancinhamster]

My crippling fear of dentists started when I was about 7 or 8. I had 'over-crowding', so the dentist decided to remove 4 teeth, two from upper and lower, all at once.
I had the gas mask shoved on my face, and I remember every, single, agonising minute. I was choking on the blood, struggling to get out if the chair, with two nurses SITTING on my arms. The dentist clamped his hand over my mouth and told me to "shut up". He also said I couldn't feel anything - I could. Horrific.
That's where the terror started.
I had to have a brace when I was 14. It cut my lips, and caused terrific pain. Once again I was told there was no pain...of course HE didn't feel a thing!! The brace didn't work after 2 years, leaving a left canine in an odd place. I was told I was "vain" for wanting it to be fixed.
That was it....I didn't return to a dentist for about 12 years. The phobia, and trying to find an NHS dentist meant a long time before I had my teeth checked again. After 12 problem-free years, after my first appointment with a new dentist, a whole new range of problems started. Fillings. Lots of fillings. Also horrific pain after a filling, waiting two weeks to be told I'd need root canal work. The root canal was extremely painful....and resulted in 3 large abscesses. The local anaesthetic didn't work. After jabbing away, the tooth was still excruciatingly painful, and it took over an hour to extract. So why does it say here that pain relief works?? It doesn't!!! I had the same thing AGAIN with another tooth after a root canal. Weeks of terrible pain, messy extraction when the anaesthetic didn't work AGAIN.
Now, I have TMJD. Plus a gum infection that hasn't gone after 5 days of antibiotics. So I am beside myself with fear....yet ANOTHER agonising abscess/extraction where I feel EVERYTHING....

 

[Soma]

For me it was a mix of things. Oddly enough I think it started by a Sesame Street segment that I watched when I was younger. It showed a child getting numbed up and a filling filled. I was terrified. So I went years without getting numbed, in that time I probably sat through 15 fillings. To the point where I said enough is enough and I stopped going to the dentist for 7 years. One thing I learned about myself is that the longer I go without going back - the bigger my fear gets. A weird thing is, my first appointment back after 7 years of not going, I only had ONE cavity. And since I've been going every 6 months I seem to have one every other visit..coincidence I don't know. I can't say any one event really did it for me, I think it's just in the human code to avoid harm to yourself, so after sitting in that chair of pain for 30 years my body has grown a defense mechanism against the dentist by placing a deep fear within me. The thing I look forward to about death is never having to worry about teeth again. It is a true curse to your quality of life on this planet.

 

[griffinej5]

Soma, I just tried watching the Sesame Street video, just out of curiosity. I wanted to see if I'd remember it, maybe it was a trigger for me. I didn't even get to anything happening. The kid walked in to the dentist, and they showed the dentist guy. Panic ensued and I shut it off. I need to go watch something else now.

 

[oozoo]

When I was 4 years old my Father pulled most of my baby teeth out with a pair of pliers, he then beat me for crying. He left the four top front ones for future punishments that would involve him tying cotton around one tooth and the other end to a door, I was made to sit and wait for someone to come in, I lost 3 more teeth in this way and again more severe beatings if I cried or wet myself through fear. Later when my adult teeth came through,they were all crooked so he took out a further 3 (I was about 10 then) and because I cried he would put me down in the kitchen well until I shut up. I needed further treatment from age 12 and had 5 adult teeth removed by a dentist. I was terrified and panicked so the dental nurse twisted my arm to keep me still while they pulled them out. My dad beat me when we got home for making a fuss. This phobia has ruined my life and I can't eat solid food in case my teeth break. I have asked that all of my teeth are to be removed under GA but have been told that this is unethical and that I must keep them. I have had years of different therapies but this is one phobia that I believe can not be cured. I dream of false teeth so that I can live an ordinary life without worrying about what might go wrong with my real teeth.

 

[Justknockmeout!]

Mine was a combination of being abused by my dentist repeatedly in childhood and other abuses I endured. I have complex PTSD for which I have had lots of therapy and have been helped a lot. However, I have one lingering panic attack trigger and that is having ANY procedure done medically under local anesthetic most especially at the dentist. I will get complete emotional flashbacks the second I even think about going to the dentist. Being in the office is a major accomplishment for me and having any work done is going to be pure torture as I know I'm going to re experience trauma. It is exactly as if I am right back there again and there's literally nothing I can do to stop it. Horrible!

I've had a very,very hard time finding any dentist that really understands the levels this goes to with me. Saying it is "dental phobia" doesn't even begin to describe the situation. I get severe panic attacks just calling a dentists office that will last off and on for the entire day. Even writing this or talking about dental procedures at all is a hurdle.

I have horrible teeth and I know I have gum disease and once again I am trying to find someone who can work with me to fix my issues with my teeth and gums while fully understanding the way I'm going to feel in their office, in the chair, and the entire time they are working on me.

I have overcome all other issues related to my PTSD except this one and for some reason I'm totally blocked and cannot get past the way I feel when having anything done under local. I get in a huge panic attack when someone says "You wont' be fully asleep" or "This is a better procedure because you don't have to be put to sleep" NO! As my name says please just knock me out.

Some local procedures I can deal with though it's very unpleasant to say the least. With the dentist though...it's a whole other level of terror.

 

[gamergirl123]

It's more of a 2 part phobia thing for me, a past issue and a current issue.

Past phobia, which to some extent still haunts me, is the dental work(silver crown things) as a result of teeth grinding when i was younger and being strapped down to the papoose board.

current... well not exactly phobia, more personal issues as a result of being a little on the sensitive side is a few part problem.

One is that i HATE people being in my personal space and crowded areas(meaning like shoulder to shoulder crowded). If there's an escape from the madness, i'm fine though.

two is that i am pretty sure that the whole papoose incident will rear it's ugly head in my mind and the dentist and assistant surronding me will bring up bad memories. can you say full fledged freakout!

Third is that i just don't know what it is but somethings creeping me out about the dentist chair too. No clue why. The only thing i can figure is that it's kind of a mental connection to #1 since whenever i try to do a mental image of being in the chair and the dentist coming towards me to talk, it's creeping me out.

Fourth is that there's no telling if the type of work would be something i'd have to see an oral surgeon about or if i'd be an in office thing and if it'd be a case of having to go under GA or if it'd be iv sedation or what. *SHUDDER*

 

[kittykat]

I was orally raped by a dentist, and that's what started my fear. I can't have anything in my mouth, especially not dentists.... it's a struggle

 

[Irrelevant]

I was in pain, especially since one of the fillings was very deep, almost to the nerve.

this! And the younger me playing tough and all decided to keep quiet and when the pain became unbearable i made a sudden move and suddenly there was a bloody taste in my mouth. And a lot of liquid.
And the dentists didn't try to calm me down,but blamed me.

 

[zombiegroupie]

I had 8 teeth pulled when I was around 7 years old, no anesthesia just gas (which made me feel very scared and strange)

That frightened me. Then I managed to get past it for a litle while, then got retriggered again when I was 20 and had my wisdom teeth out, the dentist was brutal and shoved me in the chair and told me to be quiet after I was having a bad reaction to too many injections.

 

[pastrybot]

When I was 12 I was referred to an orthodontist for braces, but in my first appointment with him I could tell he wasn't very nice or patient. When I was choking on a mould he wouldn't help me, didn't even reassure me. After that was done I asked if that was the last thing and nobody responded to me - and then the dentist told me to open and put another mould in.

As if that wasn't bad enough, he then removed two of my teeth without explicitly telling me that that was what he was going to do - so I was scared to death. Bleeding and crying and panicking. I left that day in a hysterical mess and never wanted to go back... but the treatment was started, and only he could continue it. So I was forced into a whole year of visiting this horrid man once a month. Several times he wouldn't stop working when I asked. One time he was on the phone as he worked and I couldn't speak to him. It was horrendous.

As soon as the braces were off I said I was never going to the dentists again.

The worst thing is, I couldn't wear the retainer they'd made for me, so my teeth moved back to where they were and that horrible year and the phobia it gave me was all for nothing!

 

[CollegeBound]

Soma, What episode is that? I have never seen that.

 

[Ihatedentistss]

If I had to guess what caused my phobia I presume it's this:

When I was five I had a tooth that needed to be filled. The dentist I was supposed to have it worked on by decided to go on vacation *eye roll* and acted like I would be fine until he got back from his stupid vacay. Well, during his absence, the tooth abscessed and I ended up needing to have it pulled. I can still remember biting into a piece of hard gum while sitting on the slide at night and balling my eyes out because of the immediate pain I felt. I soon got thrust into the hands of a horrid dentist, who stuffed cotton into my mouth during the procedure who screamed at me and threatened to shove cotton down my throat if I didn't stop crying. He was very violent when pulling the tooth and I remember it finally popping off onto the floor somewhere.

god, I hate that bastard. And to this very day he's still in business. I keep thinking about going and paying him a little visit to tell him off about what he did when I was five. Maybe I'll write a letter. I'll do something eventually

so there you have it.