((Cthomas)) - I'm going to share something with you. I used to have very bad anxiety when it came to visiting the dentist. It all started when I was 6 yrs old. I remember sitting in the chair and unfortunately my mom was in the waiting room. When he was trying to look in my mouth, I gagged and he raised his hand above my head in a threatening way, as if he was going to hit me - I guess he thought this would prevent me from gagging. Anyway, after that I became very afraid of going to the dentist.

Everytime I would go, I would literally shake. I also had a negative experience with an impacted wisdom tooth because the idiot should have sent me to an oral surgeon but he opted to try and take it out himself - I was there all day...it's a long story so I won't get into it. One time when I was 20, I suffered 5 yrs with pain - every time I would drink anything cold/hot - I would get a shooting pain. I needed a root canal and finally got it, but I shook the whole visit.

A few years later my husband became friends with a dentist and I've been seeing him happily ever since. I still don't like going but I'm 98% better than I used to be. I even went through braces in my 30's and major jaw surgery. I'm sharing all this with you, to let you know you're not the only one who had a total fear of going to the dentist. My story can also give you hope that you can improve too.

The great news is, most good dentists are better prepared to handle dentist anxiety now a days. The best thing to do is, tell them you have this fear. There are some dentists who actually advertise they're great in treating this problem. I now go every 6 months and now I feel relaxed. I'm still kind of afraid of the drill and that's why I take care of my teeth so well lol.

This is something you can overcome and you need to do this because dental health is so important to your overall health. Did you know that gum disease can actually lead to heart disease, premature labor and other problems. When you there, let them know you have this fear and hopefully they will accomodate you. Maybe you can take something to calm yours nerves before you go. Take some slow deep breaths and remind yourself this is good for your health. Good luck.