Young,afraid,and quickly loosing teeth ?

[SarahG]

Hi everyone,I'm a 25 year old female who's absolutely terrified of dentists.I spent 3 years homeless until very recent and battled an addiction while homeless which led to short term methadone treatment.As you can imagine my teeth are destroyed.Im trying to study now and im so embarrassed of anyone seeing my teeth,it gets me so down ? I managed to bite the bullet a few weeks ago and go in for a filling in one of my front teeth,was already having a bad panic attack on arriving at the dentists but he managed to make my fear much worse,so judgemental very domineering and sort of old fashioned in his ways.I also have an irrational but serious fear of the numbness from the injection,I start panicking thinking that maybe it won't go away etc etc.I now have 3 teeth at the front that are either full of holes or hanging on by s thread and it looks disgraceful.Im so ashamed to have my teeth in such a state and at such a young age but I'm terrified to go back to the dentist.please help ?feel like crying ?

 

[sunflower32]

You sound like you've been through a lot. Congratulations on getting off drugs and having the courage to get that filling done.

Sounds like you should find a different dentist. I know that can be so hard to do, but there really are many compassionate, non-judgemental dentists out there who will be happy that you're wanting to work towards a healthy mouth and won't lecture you. I've actually been quite surprised at how many caring dentists there are out there. Back in March, I started going back to the dentist after 18 years away, and since then, I've seen two dentists (in the same office), an orthodontist, and an oral surgeon, and they have all been so kind to me and only wanted to help me. My point is, there is a dentist out there who will be a good fit for you, who will work with you to manage your fears. I'm sorry it wasn't the first dentist you tried. Maybe looking at online reviews might help? That's how I found my dentist. Or you can try asking friends and family for recommendations on dentists they like.

I know it can be hard to go back again, but you can do it! You've already come so far. A lot of people on this board have been through similar circumstances and understand where you're coming from, and you can always come on here and vent if you need the support. I wish you all the best in your dental journey. Good luck, and keep us posted on how you're doing.