Is anyone else TERRIFIED of dentists

[Scaredtoo]

Because I am. I do believe this is from trauma as a child. I had terrible dental and orthodontal experiences. Now as an adult I’m petrified of them. I need to get to a dentist but I’m too scared. I’m just scared of it all. Seems so irrational but it’s a really big fear. I’m having some gum issues and what looks like a clearish painful blister behind one of my fillings higher up on my gum line behind my top teeth. It hurts. I’m so scared. Any advice?

[ServerError]

Well my first piece of advice would be GO NOW before it's too late. Dentists these days can often work wonders to treat oral problems before they become more serious. The sooner you go, the better it will be for your oral health.

Have you considered contacting your dentist to discuss your anxieties? Most modern dentists - certainly any good one - knows all about patients' anxieties around dentistry and they are often well aware that older patients have in the past been exposed to much poorer treatment and standards. My mum lost all her teeth mainly as a result of flat out refusing to go to the dentist. Her trauma from her own childhood experience meant she also refused to take me or my sister to the dentist. Fortunately we nevertheless maintained decent teeth, but my mum didn't go to the dentist until it was too late for her. When she did finally go, she couldn't believe how understanding and reassuring the dentist and the hygienists were.

It may be that you need to talk your fears through with a therapist to really get to grips with them, but as somebody who has no real fear of the dentist, I can tell you that the reason I have no fear is that I'm used to going. I know what it's like and I know my dentist, I know the hygienists and the receptionists, so it feels like a familiar and really quite friendly environment to me.

Perhaps you fear being judged? I know this is a common fear for some people. The thing to remember is that a good dentist will understand this fear too. They aren't there to judge, they're there to treat, and the likelihood is they've seen worse than what you present with, probably on the same day.

[nomorepanic]

I wrote this ....


https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/dental

[Scass]

I wrote this ....


https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/dental

Thank you!

[Scaredtoo]

Thank you everyone. It’s so helpful to read this all. Great article.