dental phobia

[Torri]

Would like to hear from anyone thats overcome this problem, i have not seen a dentist in over ten years and have finally made an appointment just to have chat etc, they do know i suffer from panic disorder:)

[Magic]

Torri,
I am so pleased you have made this appointment.
You will be ok.
If they know about your situation the dentist will put you at ease.
When i am in the dentist chair, and I put my hand up they stop whatever
they are doing and ask if I am ok or if i want a breather.
I have no problem now. It's just getting the right dentist.
Let us know how you go on.
Honestly don't worry about it:)

[unsure_about_this]

Well done for making an appointment at the dentist, like magic has said even though I go to dentist every three months she knows I suffer from HA and worrying about my teeth and other conditions of the mouth.

She always tell me what she is doing and gives me good breaks.

[bernie1977]

Good on you for making the appointment, that's a massive achievement in itself.

I'm dental phobic too, with me it's the fear of gagging and choking which might lead to vomitting. If I need any work done I have conscious sedation, I'm totally out of it and don't remember a thing about what they have done. I did have an embarrassing flashback where I was shouting at the dentist to get the stuff out of my mouth!!

Explain your situation to the Dentist when you get there and I'm sure they'll be able to help. Good luck

[BubblegumUK]

good luck with the appointment!

Some dentists can be very caring and understanding. I had a filling last week and my anxiety was so high about the injection i nearly fainted, i went white as a sheet and sweating loads and went cold etc but he so kind and understanding, he said we won;t start yet, just wait until you feel ready. When he was carrying out the procedure he stopped every 10-15 seconds because i had a fear of choking, not being able to swallow and that the anaesthetic wasn't behaving the way it was supposed to, i thought it was spreading too far but he kept re-assuring me.

So its proof that there are some very kind dentists out there who understand and will help you get through it. I know this doesn't answer your question but i thought it might re-assure you a little bit that you'll be okay.

[littleme92]

I used to have a massive phobia of the dentist which all started after some bad dental work as a child. I didn't go to the dentist for ages but eventually I needed to find a dentist because I had 2 teeth that needed work and they were giving me tooth ache. When I went to the dentist eventually it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be. Because of how sacred I was, they sent me to another dentist where I could be given gas and air(I think that's what you call it) but I didn't like that and I preferred to be fully conscious. The dentist put some gel on my gum first which made the it number so the injection hardly even hurt. After that I couldn't feel a thing. I am not scared anymore and now I wonder why I was even scared in the first place. Everybody was so nice and understanding!

[shotokansho]

I hope your appointment goes well, it's a great step that you have made the appointment. I have dental phobia, although I can cope with a check up anything beyond that I just go into sheer panic. I am actually having a tooth extracted this month, I wouldn't let my dentist do it because of my fears so he has refered me to the hospital so I can be sedated. know if I had plucked up the courage I could have had it out months ago with my dentist but I just couldn't face it. I've had to put up with the pain for so long now, I can't wait to have it out but I'm still terrified. I'm actually having a consultation at the hospital tomoz so I'm hoping the procedure won't be much longer now.

[Ranbunctious]

I have panic-associated gagging & retching that make dentistry almost impossible. Luckily, I found a dentist that puts me completely out. I say goodnight, then they wake me up and say "all done". Awesome...

[AnxietyGirl87]

Hey Torri

I have a dental phobia too and have done for some time but I did some research and found a dental clinic about 40 mins away from where I live, which specialise in nervous patients. I'm not sure where in the UK you are but I am sure there are similar clinics around that would be good. It was important for me to find a dentist that I felt comfortable with before they even went near my mouth and after a few visits to different people, I found a really lovely one. She is the nicest dentist ever! She makes me feel so relaxed and she goes really slowly, talking you through everything with you and making you feel calmer. I still don't like having anything done but I recently needed a filling and I was given sedation which was brilliant as you don't remember a thing!! There are great dentists out there its just a case of finding one :)

x