Fear of dentist

[Sunny B]

I have a check up today. Yesterday I woke up and was instantly wide awake worrying about it at 6 in the morning. This morning I woke up feeling sick, and had to rush to the bathroom. I've been feeling horrible and tearful and am having huge trouble forcing breakfast down. This is quite normal, I wish there was some way I could not be so scared, especially as I know I won't be having any treatment! I even got the wobbles when I entered the place just to make the appointment.

I expect he/she will say I need a few fillings and I'm scared that the adrenaline will cancel out the stuff in the injection like it did before.

Is it just me? I know no-one likes the dentist, but at coming on for *21 again* I should know better!

[wendy]

Aww what a shame. My dentist is gentle and sweet. Also they have the new injection that works immediately and is gone off by the time you leave. No hours of a lopsided grin and tea down your shirt.
Spencer fell asleep two weeks ago, in the chair.
Dentistry has come on so much since my children were small, you really shouldn't worry...easy to say I know.
Any comfort, the older you get the less fillings it seems. My teeth are like tombstones but Spencers seemed to need fillings when he was younger.But not now.
Wendy

[silentkiller]

Now there is nothing be afraid of, they use simple methods that will not hurt at all I remember a long time ago when i went to remove one of my tooth it was done like plucking a fruit with ur hand. It was soooo painful. But fortunately those times are over.

[p.penn]

I am sorry you feel so scared Sunny. I saw on the news last week that they are hoping to have a new light type drill within the next few years so no injections will be needed for fillings.

Try to think of sunny tropical beaches when you are in there. Or cake. Or something nice.

[Bollybarb]

take some personal music like an ipod or cd player with head phones. I borrowed my sons ipod (i don't have one) and listen to music (i was having a crown) and it really helped, possibly as it was high school musical who could fail to be happer after listening to unadultated disney

Hope you are ok and paln a nice treat for after even if it's just a coffee with 's

[Sunny B]

I will try to be brave today - after all they are only looking! For the treatment I will try to think of being on a sunny beach with David Tennant and listen to my fave feelgood tune - Numanuma. If there is a lot to be done I may consider asking the doc for a couple of Valium, which did the trick last time I had a tooth out.

In my defence, I had to have a wisdom tooth out when I was pregnant, so they couldn't put me to sleep. 4 injections failed to numb me because of the adrenaline - I ended up being held in the chair by one man while the other did the drilling (why the hell did they drill it if they were going to take it out?) and screaming my head off. Everyone in the waiting room was deadly silent and very pale when I came out!

[Bollybarb]

OMG

[Richard]

I'd imagine that Hypnotism would be quite good for allaying fears and paranoia.
I self hypnotise, really helps - guess it's the same as Yoga in a way.

Just think Sunny - 'when I was a lad', it was the foot pedal drills and no jabs !!

Richard

[Steve the Gas]

When I go to the tooth butcher - not really he's nice and v good at his job.
Anyway if I have to have a filling I opt for zero pain relief ie no injection. To qualify this, it's 'cos I HATE that numb feeling afterwards. It feels like I've had a stroke, so I take the pain. Also hate to say this but when in different pain 24/7 you do get used to it.So a bit more pain for a short while, he says he can't believe my 'resolve' and none of his other patients opt for this.

On a frugal note the bill is less

[wendy]

NHS the price is the same, if you are fortunate enough to get one.
The 'new' injections you don't get that feeling. I am afraid I will take all the pain relief agoing.
Wendy

[Sunny B]

Well, I have seen the new dentist, she was lovely. What I took for holes she said were brown dentine(?) marks and actually my teeth are unusually strong and will probably outlast the rest of me! All the pain is due to receding gums and sensitivity. I went back this morning for a clean and to have some old fillings polished smooth where they were irritating the gums. I took some painkillers before I went, the worst thing was the freezing cold water on my gums, she nearly had to pull me down from the ceiling! Also I was blue in the face by the finish from not breathing!







Bought a kitkat on the way home as a reward to myself for being a good girl

[stace]

Well done Sunny



Hope you enjoyed the Kitcat

[llbigbird]

"DENTIST" who mentioned that dreadful, terrifying, nerve ripping, spine chilling,word eeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkk

NO NO NO !!!!!!!!! i am so scared of the dentist that unless i am in agony i will not go, i am so scared of the dentist and i cant' even go for a check up, and yet i was really brave when taking my children to the dentist. one who is now 27 and the other 24.
It's funny, i remember taking them when they were young and coming out of the dentist they would tell me how brave i was and not the other way round how sad is that....only looking back on it now it makes me laugh....

So that i dont have to go to the dentist i have always taken good care of the teeth but the fear is always there in the back of my mind that one day i will have to circum to the dentists chair but until then i will just keep scrubbing...

Regards
Karen

[greyparrot]

Those of you who are terrified, talk to your dentist about it!
I didn't go for 12 years after some horrid experiences, and when I discovered I needed a filling (the worst possible scenario) I just couldn't do it. My dentist referred me to a specialist clinic at our local health centre, and it has been a total turn around for me.
We did acclimatisation visits first, I have valium before treatment (night before, then before my appt), I have double the anaesthetic and she insists on numbing my gums first even though I am fine with the injections (she says why make it uncomfy if it doesn't need to be). She takes it all very slowly, if I raise my hand she stops immediately, gives me frequent rest breaks, books long appts so I don't feel rushed, and tells me what she is doing before she starts.
Another good thing is that she never puts a permanent filling straight in, she dresses it then puts in a temp filling, so it gives the tooth a chance to settle down before she puts the permanent one in.
On my last visit I had a temp filling removed, a permanent one put in, and another tooth drilled with another temp one in, no way on earth could anyone have come near me with a drill before this!
They offer all sorts of treatment options, sedation etc and it is all nhs, it is really worth a try if your fear is bad :)

[Jane in London]

I, too, used to have a morbid fear of dentists. I would cross over the road to avoid walking past the door - really daft! I certainly would never visit one. Then I realised that this was starting to interfere with life - and what would happen when I really needed to see a dentist?

So I got referred to a lovely dentist who specialised in treating abnormally nervous patients. Like greyparrot, I had loads of visits (one a week) when I didn't have anything done at all; just sat in the chair and was shown the instruments. Then gradually I became more confident - and eventually I was so bored that I asked her to get on with it!

Anyway, years later here am I, going every 6 months for my check up without a care in the world. I had to have some root canal work recently, I was a bit nervous but no more than anyone else would be. The only painful bit was when I had to get my purse out at the end!

So I would certainly encourage anyone who is terrified to just ask for help - and your fear can be overcome with a bit of care, time and effort and no dr-ugs!

Jane