Mods please dont move or if uou fo can uou leave a copy here pls

Anyone else have dental phobia? Fo you think it is related CSA?

Possible trigger:

specifically to being forced yo do things with your mouth

did talking yo t. help?
I dont know why i had to say that as if it wasnt self evident

[MessyD]

I am terrified of dentists but I don’t think it has anything to do with CSA, probably a cruel dentist when I was a child. Never mentioned it to my T as I didn’t think it was relevant but it does stop me from taking good care of my teeth so maybe worth mentioning. But I don’t think that’s what you looking for here.

[stopdog]

I don't like going but I never really associated it with the csa although the whole mouth thing could I guess be a part of it from that. For me it seems more likely from my mother's threats of what she would do if I embarrassed her in front of the dentist by acting like a baby. My parents were good friends with the dentist and his family. Enduring ordeals without complaint or crying or flinching was sort of a thing for us.

[feralkittymom]

I'm OK with dental work now, but will not allow gas anesthesia. It was the result of both a bad childhood dentist and a mother who insisted I wasn't feeling pain during dental work when I was, and csa. What made the difference, after years of avoiding dental work, was finding a really good dentist and being honest about my experience. By that time I needed a lot of work, and we spaced it out over a year. But I had to have control and the dentist had to explain everything he needed to do and ask me at every step before proceeding--and immediately stop if I asked him to. He was willing to book extra time for my appointments. But it worked, and now I don't need any special accommodations.

[Demunie]

Originally Posted by BlessedCheeseMaker

Mods please dont move or if uou fo can uou leave a copy here pls

Anyone else have dental phobia? Fo you think it is related CSA?

Possible trigger:

specifically to being forced yo do things with your mouth

did talking yo t. help?
I dont know why i had to say that as if it wasnt self evident

I've not been to a dentist since I was a child. The dentist then told my parents that I'm impossible (biting his finger, crying, throwing a tantrum) and to please send me to a T / pdoc because of suspected CSA.

So yeah, I guess what you're describing is rather common.

I haven't looked at this phobia with my T yet, there are just other things that are more important...

[childofchaos831]

I do have a problem with things being in my mouth. I have a lot of difficulty brushing my teeth and the dentist is terrifying. For me it wasn't csa, I don't think, but I do think it was related to what you had in the trigger box, aparticular incident around 18. It will even extend to eating sometimes for me. I use protein shakes when that happens.

[1stepatatime]

I am just straight up afraid of the dentist. When we were kids my mother took us every 6 months for a dental check up. The dentist didn’t use Novocain so when we needed a filling we had to just deal. It makes me cringe to even think about it. I am a survivor of csa but I don’t think that contributes to my fear of the dentist.

I don't have CSA history but I think that the fear of the dentist can simply be an aversion to discomfort and pain, even if only anticipated, but especially if there is past uncomfortable experience. Dental procedures are also quite intrusive and invasive, someone getting into our bodies and doing things there. I never associate a doctor's work with anything sexual (not even the gynecologist) but certainly do not enjoy a stranger touching my body even on the outside.

I find this post interesting, because when I was about 18, I had an affair with my dentist. Before that started, I did typically looked forward to my appointments because I felt attracted to him, but never associated the dental work he did on me with anything sexual. I can imagine that though if someone has an unpleasant, forced memory involving any body part, aversion would be completely natural.

Originally Posted by feralkittymom

I'm OK with dental work now, but will not allow gas anesthesia. It was the result of both a bad childhood dentist and a mother who insisted I wasn't feeling pain during dental work when I was, and csa. What made the difference, after years of avoiding dental work, was finding a really good dentist and being honest about my experience. By that time I needed a lot of work, and we spaced it out over a year. But I had to have control and the dentist had to explain everything he needed to do and ask me at every step before proceeding--and immediately stop if I asked him to. He was willing to book extra time for my appointments. But it worked, and now I don't need any special accommodations.

This sounds like a great idea and i have seen it recommended somewhere unfirtunately i see a govt dentist and i dont have a choice as to who inwill see. If i can i will try and get them to do some of the things you have suggested.

[GeminiNZ]

Yes, i have a dental phobia. Yes, it is directly related to CSA (though, unfortunately, that's not the only factor). Yes, it has helped some to talk to T about it.

What has helped more, though, is talking to the dentist. Like you, i receive dental treatment through the health system (i'm in NZ). Initially i was worried about asking for any accommodations, given i'm already receiving subsidised care, but then i realised it was going to be easier for them to treat me if they had some idea of just how triggering the process was going to be.

When making the initial appointment (for a broken filling), i said i have PTSD and need to see a female dentist. It meant i had to wait a bit longer to get in, but i was okay with that. When i turned up, the dentist had a male assistant in the room and i asked if he could please be swapped out and that was done. And i spent the first session talking through things that may help me stay grounded, e.g. having every step of the procedure explained to me, an agreed 'stop immediately' signal, signs to look for in case i can't communicate (shaking, tears, freezing, not responding).

In that first appt, the only work i had done was x-rays. That was all i could handle and even that was really tough. But i've been back several times since. Had some appts go smoothly, others very much not - in one, i had a flashback and had no idea where i was for a while. But because my dentist knew what to look for, she realised what was happening and was able to get me 'back in the room' quickly.

Just recently, i've transitioned to a new dentist as mine left the clinic. The first appt with this one was even more fraught as she has the same name as my mother (one of my primary abusers). Previous dentist has told her about the PTSD, i told her about the shared name, and she was relaxed and supportive about all of it. She reiterated that knowing these things makes it easier for her to treat me because we can work around it, rather than her triggering me unknowingly and the sessions being (re)traumatising.

Two other things that help me: taking some lorazepam before i go, and having a tangle/fidget toy to hold onto. Both just help take the edge off the anxiety. It's still not an easy or pleasant process for me, and i doubt i'll ever look forward to going; however, with time and some accommodations and dentists who listen, it has become more manageable.

BCM, if you have any questions, or want to know anything else, feel free to ask, either here or by PM if you'd prefer.

[LonesomeTonight]

I don't have CSA history, but I do have a very strong dental phobia and haven't been to the dentist in years. For me, it's partly fears of choking/throwing up. And also just the feeling of being trapped, like if they're in the middle of some procedure and I'm freaking out, it's not like I can just leave. Plus my last visit, I started freaking out because there were multiple hands and instruments in my mouth and I wanted to get them to stop, but they yelled at me.

So... I think I need to find a dentist who is very sensitive to phobias and will work with me as a couple of you have described. Of course, now I fear going in and having them lecture me on not having gone in years, too...

[feralkittymom]

FWIW I think there really has been a widespread change, at least in the US, in how dentists are trained to accommodate conditions that impact treatment. I've changed dentists multiple times since that first adult experience years ago and even the intake forms now ask about phobias, fears, and any conditions that the dental team should be aware of to make treatment as easy as possible.

Although my current dentist is male, I often find female dentists easier simply because their hands are usually smaller and so aren't as likely to trigger uncomfortable feelings.

[LonesomeTonight]

Originally Posted by feralkittymom

FWIW I think there really has been a widespread change, at least in the US, in how dentists are trained to accommodate conditions that impact treatment. I've changed dentists multiple times since that first adult experience years ago and even the intake forms now ask about phobias, fears, and any conditions that the dental team should be aware of to make treatment as easy as possible.

Although my current dentist is male, I often find female dentists easier simply because their hands are usually smaller and so aren't as likely to trigger uncomfortable feelings.

That's good to know, thanks! And didn't really think about the thing with female dentists having smaller hands...