dentist tomorrow :(

[mummy4]

hi all

i have not been on here for fair few weeks as i have not been feeling too bad but that is really ignorant of me to say that as i should still come on to try to help other people. sorry.

right, i have the dentist tomorrow at 2.10pm for a filling and a scale and polish. i have been putting this off for 9 months now and have cancelled about 3 or 4 times and i know that is bad of me.

i hate not being in control while in that dentist chair. also i hate the thought of having to have a needle so i can have the filling, im petrified of needles. grrrrrr its a half hour appointment and im dreading it.

a week on sat i have an appointment at the hospital to see the consultant with regards to having about 3 back teeth out, and this too i have been putting off for almost a year! i do actually feel very embarrassed and ashamed to say that because i feel a total and utter time waster :( apparently the work will be done 3ish weeks after my consultation and im scared about the whole thing. i hate hospitals at the best of times! apparently i have the choice to either be knocked out completely or have i v sedation and both scare the hell out of me.

please please please if any of you have any words to help even just a little or have experienced the same i would love to hear from you :) xx

[mummy4]

someone please :(

[phattgal]

Hi I had a filling and scale and polish yesterday I also really hate going to the dentist but I had put it off for 2 years that was when I was originally meant to have the filling done but I kept cancelling......anyway I've had it done now and it's just 4 seconds while he injects you then you can't feel it.....I know that's not much help Hun but I was shaking like a leaf when I came out but in hindsight it wasn't the treatment that made me that way it was the anxiety I had put myself through and anticipation of it all.
Hope it goes well for you and like you say......half hour......then it will be over.
Jo xxx

[nomorepanic]

I have fillings without the injection cos I hate it. Can you tolerate the pain for 10 mins?

[mummy4]

well done jo you should be really proud of yourself :)

nicola, i think i would rather not have the injection too x

[mummy4]

i cancelled :(

got another appointment for 19th july, really do p**s myself off at times

[shell24]

Thats a shame but i can see why you did. Sometimes the anxiety just gets in the way and we cant see past it. My only worry for you now is that you have to wait till the 19th of July and as everyone im sure will agree the waiting part is the worst. Is your dentist aware of your phobia? Have you got anyone who can accompany you to the dentist for moral support?

[shell24]

When i am at the dentist i tell myself that if the dentist hurts me more then i believe he should i will get up out of the chair and leave. It sounds funny but it gives me back some control and i get out of the vunerable position, I also tell my dentist i will do this so he puts his kiddy gloves on. Works well for me

[mummy4]

hi shell, tbh my anxiety is still there but no where near as bad as it has been. i wont worry too much between now and next appointment its usually just the day before. my husband could see if he could get the morning off of work. my eldest 2 will be at school but we will have our youngest 2 with us x

[tonystalloney]

just remember the last time you went, and how you felt then, now its a distant memory and will soon fade and be taken over by something else, just like your next visit ...

dont give the thought your power

[Alabasterlyn]

I don't think anyone actually enjoys going to the dentist, even people who don't have the added problem of suffering with anxiety, so you shouldn't feel ashamed or embarrassed about feeling the way you do.

I've spent the last 8mths having treatment and just had an hour long appointment today for a couple of crowns. When I started back in October last year the mere mention of sitting in the dentist's chair for even 20mins filled me with terror. I've had so many problems with root canals and infections that it's been really hard at times, mainly because I have very bad agoraphobia and having to go out of my comfort zone to a dentist I trust has been really hard.

A few things I would suggest are trying to start off with very short appointments. Maybe just have the scale and polish to start with and the filling on your next appointment. Also agree on a signal to give your dentist if you feel the need to stop and have a break. I always take my iPod to listen to in the waiting room and I would often phone before I set off for my appointments to check if the dentist was running to time, so that I wouldn't be sitting in the waiting room for ages getting myself more worked up.

Honestly I am the biggest wuss going and I've surprised myself at how much work I've had done and I do believe it gets easier once you get into the swing of it :hugs:

[mummy4]

wow lyn you should be really proud of yourself :)

do you think i would be able to do the scale and polish first then go back for the filling then as ideally i would like to do it that way round!! its the filling im dreading most!

i do have an appointment early next month with my kids and its just a routine 6 month appiontment and although i really hate the dentist i will go for that appointment.

now am dreading saturday as i have my hospital appointment :(
xx

[Alabasterlyn]

I don't see why they can't do the scale and polish first if they know that the thought of the filling is making you very anxious. After all you are the one who is paying for this work, so they should be making an effort to fit around your needs and not the other way around.

When you do have you filling I would recommend that if you have the injection that you ask for the one without adrenaline. For some reason a lot of dentists don't even bother to mention that there are two types of injection. The one with the adrenaline acts quicker and lasts longer, which is most likely why it's used the most. However as it contains adrenaline, if you are already anxious it could make you feel worse. I only ever have the injection without the adrenaline and make sure at every appointment that the dentist hasn't forgotten to give me the right one.

I'm sure you will be fine, let us know how you get on. Good luck with your hospital appointment too :hugs:

[Becky210788]

Hi mummy4,

Please dont panic about your treatment, im a dental nurse and we see so many scared patients every day that it comes second nature to us. Thinking about it is the worse part and the fillings and scale and polish is not so bad. I know thats easy for me to say but the dentist and nurse will really understand this. To help the injection ask for some topical gel this numbs the surface before the injection. Also if you dont feel like you can do that ask to have twilight sleep this is sedation but just makes you feel a little drunk you are awake but cant really remember whats happened usualy the treatment is done all at ones. General anaesthetic is available where you are funny put to sleep.
Hope this helps please pm if you need anything else.
Takecare