Dentist

Ok so i have to leave for the dentist in 45 minutes and i am so nervous. The dentist totally freaks me out! 6 months ago when i went i got my first cavity and when they fixed it it hurt so much. I jumped out of my seat *seriously*. i think they got annoyed because right b4 me in the chair next to me there was a girl who coulndt have been older then 6 getting her cavity fixed and she didnt move once. I hate just getting my teeth cleaned. The noise of all the tools bothers me and i just get so nervous! Does anyone else have this problem? My mom suggested i bring my ipod to listen to when they are cleaning my teeth to drown out the noise but i know i will still feel it and hear it.

Hi Court Knee,

Your dreading your dentist's appointment, and I'm dreading my physical therapy appointment later on today.

The iPod sounds like a good idea. I've gotten so I don't like the dentist's in the last year either.

Was it the shot that hurt, or did you feel pain as the dentist was drilling or afterwards?

You are lucky to have not have had a cavity until just recently, on the other hand it means you're not used to "the drill" either.

Let us know how it goes.

Hugs,

EJ

Your probably on your way already...just let them know ahead of time the concerns you have...good dentist will work with you to minimize things...

ok my mom just got home and i am leaving to go now!!!!!
wish me luck and pray that i have no cavities.

Just to let you know, there are some of us....or at least me, who have a fear of dentists beyond what can even normally be handled.....even though I know I have to go & force myself to go & just deal with it.

I have problems where my teeth just break off.....they are like chalk. When I was a kid, they say that because when the teeth were forming, I had high temperatures & that effected the forming of the enamel.....well, I am paying for it now.

I went to the dentist several years ago & needed so many teeth pulled then, but no money & no insurance made it impossible to follow through....couldn't even afford to make the payments cause of all the other payments I have. I wouldn't have anything pulled unless I could be totally knocked out.....no way to listen to any of that going on in my mouth. Now it is much worse & more teeth have broken down.

I will find a dentist & oral surgeon when I finally settle here in Kentucky & then plan on getting the implants done.....that is the future & a lot of money later, but it's something I have to do, so it will get done...but it will be a huge expensive project.

It wasn't because I didn't take care of my teeth either.....they got brushed all the time, but I lived before they came up with the things to strengthen enamel, so now I am dealing with it. Luckily I am not in any pain, but that may be because of the med I am on for my migraine pain.

There are dentists that deal with people who have serious fear of dentists.....it might be worth looking for someone like that. You don't have to go to dentists who don't know how to deal with that fear. I think some give valium or something like that before they treat you to mellow you out, but even that wouldn't help me....(I tried taking a whole bunch of valium one time & NOTHING!!!!)

Hope it all goes well for you...you aren't alone,
Debbie

Ok, the dentist appointmet went ok i guess. First i had to take 2 huge pills for my heart hour befor hand.They are so hard to swallow. When i firt got there i felt like myheart beating so fast in my chst and then i went in there and i turned on my ipod i was so nervous. They took pics of my teeth first then cleaned them and i got told my knucles were turning white from squeezing the chair so hard. The whole ipod thing didnt really work because i was so nervous i couldnt really hear or foccus on the music. But i have no cavities and told i have beautiful teeth. Even though i told him i think they r not white enough... oh well.

Dental visits are not fun for me, either, but I'm not as phobic as I used to be about them. Still, it's been a long time since I've been to a dentist, so I'd probably be much more afraid than the last several times I went.

I've had good experiences (comparably) and bad experiences at the dentist. I've had several dentists, and some are definitely better than others. One dentist I had had a big sign outside his office, plus ads, that said, "Gentle Dentistry." Gentle my *****!!!!! There was a kid in there one time at the same time I was, and the room was separated by a partition, rather than having separate rooms, and he screamed! I felt awful for him.

That said, I have had dentists who really were gentle, and knew how to minimize pain. It's the needle I usually hate most, and I had a dentist who actually shook the lip in a way that you didn't feel the pain of the needle (or not much). The dentists I'd probably go back to now are a bit of a drive, but they were local when I lived in the area, about 35 miles away. They make sure you're numb, and numb enough, before drilling, and are very sensitive to their patients.

Some dentists have TVs in their offices, but I have never really been able to focus on the TV when I'm not at an angle to easily or comfortably see it. Those bright lights are awful! I know they need the light to see into your mouth, but my eyes water profusely, and sometimes even shutting my eyes isn't enough for me to stand it.

Maven, your post gave me an idea. Maybe taking a stress gel eye-cover would help. I don't know if you've seen them, but they're sold in Wal-mart by the spa-bath scrubbies and such. They're like the ones people use to cover their eyes to make it dark to sleep, but they're filled with gel and relaxing. Could help anyone relax at the dentist's.

Having an understanding dentist helps me. I've trained him. He listens to me when I say no to something. He's seen me hyperventalate and cry etc so I'm not so ashamed and I'm more comfortable with him now. (I also know him socially outside the office.) Don't know what I'd do if I had to find someone else and go through it all again.

I fear dentists and needles and gas. Just nothing that I like about the whole thing. Last time I needed a cavity redone (no new ones, but the old ones keep needing replacing) I finally let him use the needle, but usually I do not - I'm that scared of them. I say the pain is sharp but short without the needle - if I use the needle then the effects last longer instead of just an instant.

Hope you get a dentist who listens to you and works with you!

Tau, thanks for the suggestion! What a wonderful idea!

Of course, I like the idea I've heard in jokes before...you grab the dentist's private parts (if he's a man) and say, "Now, we're not going to hurt each other, are we?"