to be afraid to go to the dentistt?????????

[twisha]

i am 49 yrs old and cry like a baby and shake from head to toe as soon as i sit in the chair,i really am that scared....comes from barbaric dentists that were allowed to practice when i was younger.

[strawberrycake]

Do it, I did for the first time in 16 years recently. It was fine.

I was so scared I couldn't even look in my teeth in a mirror and had nightmares about teeth I'm fine now I've brave dit.

[Seona1973]

go to your gp first and they may be able to prescribe something to calm your nerves - thats what my mum does anyway!

[Meglet]

Some dentists specialise in treating people with phobias. Have a look in the yellow pages, they are much friendlier these days.

I love the dentist .

[Nomorerain]

Ah.. you're not on your own honey. Have you got a good dentist that you can feel confident with? You need to find someone who can help put you at ease.

[Stillcounting]

No not at all. Same here twisha - was traumatised in my youth by too many extractions with gas ...I shake, perspire, and generally feel miserable. I also have to ask to stay fairly upright in the chair, otherwise I retch too

Lots of practices offer sedation nowadays. Why not just go and explain the situation and ask if you can have an initial appt just to say "hi" and familiarise yourself with the place and the staff and talk through the options. I'm sure they've heard it all before - you are not alone in this - and if they don't seem receptive then find another practice that is.

Good luck!

[twisha]

i do go, but almost pass out every time!!!!! it takes me about 10 mins to try and calm down enough just to have the injections, im not scared of needles its this stupid thing i go through every time and each time its the same thing and has been for as long as i can remember.

[winnybella]

I was terrified of them (childhood in Poland- no anaesthetic there)- and when I went for the first time as an adult I took a Valium and still was squeezing assistant's hand during the whole procedure.

However the next time I had to go I had to have a tooth removed and it didn't hurt AT ALL.

No reason to be scared, they put a lovely gel on your gums so you don't really feel the shot and then you don't feel anything.

So YABU.

[quaere]

God I am terrified of the dentist. I usually make it fairly regularly, like.. every few years . My teeth are actually fine, only one filling at that was 10 years ago. I haven't had any bad past experiences with dentists and have no idea why I have this phobia. I hate a stranger touching my face and mouth, I hate lying in the chair when it goes backwards and you have no control over it. Eugh. Eugh eugh eugh.

[twisha]

i too have to sit upright,i gag everytime they put something in my mouth, i remember as a child about 5/6 bieng held down in the chair by the nurse whilst the dentist held the gas mask over my mouth and then waking up minus 3 teeth and covered in blood.... i know where my fears come from i just though and wish id grown out of them!!

[Flisspaps]

YANBU to be afraid, but go go go!

I went on Tuesday - was absolutely cacking myself as I've only been to the dentist a couple of times since the age of 16 (even more scared of needles - have had fillings without anaesthetic before) but was brave this time, had 2 needles, dentist and her assistant were AMAZING and I'll never be afraid about going again. I've had horrible marks on my teeth since the age of 14 from where my brace took the enamel off my teeth and this wonderful wonderful woman has managed to disguise them without veneers - and all for free because I'm still covered by my maternity exemption! That wasn't even what I'd gone in for!

If you mention to your dentist when you register that you are scared, they should take this into account. The first visit is usually just a check up anyway so there's no treatment done which means you have a chance to get used to being in the chair and can have a chat with the dentist about your fears.

[Marjee]

Yanbu I'm terrified of the dentist! I had to have some work done a few years ago and they gave me IV sedation. It was great, I don't remember a thing! I got it on the nhs so its worth asking.

[Vallhala]

YANBU. The dentist is the devil incarnate. Not only do they fill you with fear, they take a huge chunk of yoyr income too.

That really IS adding insult to injury. :(

I really must make an appointment and have been summoning up the courage for weeks to no avail. Worse still I've just moved so I have to find a new dentist and know no-one locally to ask for a recommendation.

[peeringintothevoid]

YANBU! I'm also utterly, utterly pathetic, but having read some of the posts on here, I do feel a bit better.

A crown came out very recently, so I had to go, and having made an utter gibbering fool of myself last time (leapt off table stammering that I couldn't do it, as soon as she touched my gum with her horrid little pointy thing), I was quite proud of myself. I managed to close my eyes (helped enormously to blank out said pointy tools), and put myself in a happy place (this involved Alexander Skarsgaard) as they plunged the bloody needle in. They cut my gum away, so I was anticipating hideous pain when the anaesthetic wore off, but nothing - not a peep!

[TequilaMockinBird]

YANBU, I was (and still am largely!) exactly the same as you. I couldnt even go sit in the waiting room without having a panic attack and needing oxygen!

Last year though I was lucky enough to be promoted into a job which came with free Dental Insurance. So I thought, right, my teeth are in a horrific state and now is my chance to go private and get it all done - it's free afterall!

So I found a lovely dentist who completely understood my fears. I had to ring around a few to find this one though, so many dont want to know when you're as nervous as me!

For my first appointment, I went to the GP who prescribed me 1 2mg tablet of Diazepam. I have to be honest - it did nothing! I went to the appointment and was still petrified, so much so that the dentist wouldnt even do the check up! He gave me a prescription for some 5mg tablets and told me to take 3 before my next appointment - 1 the night before, 1 on waking and 1 an hour before the appointment.

I cannot begin to tell you how fantastic they are! I have now finished my course of treatment (it's taken me about 18 months), and although I had some done under sedation, most of the appointments I got through with just the Diazepam. I still couldnt go now without the tablets but its amazing how they calm you down. I also used a tapping technique which helps calm you (google it), a lovely MN'er told me about it before one of my appointments and it does work! Although whether or not it would work without the help of Diazepam I dont know

Anyway, please ring around, find a sympathetic dentist and go. Ask him if he'll prescribe you something to calm you - I wouldnt bother asking the GP as apparently they dont like prescribing valium type drugs just for dentist appointments!

Good luck, it is tough but believe me, it is SO worth it in the end. I'm so glad I did it and will now go regularly for check ups!

[ratspeaker]

There must have been something about dentists in the 1960s!
I'm also afraid
I find Rescue Remedy helps
My dentist is a lovely woman who gently follows me as I slide futher and futher down the chair
She was sneaky though, when the kids were young she suggested I sit in the chair with them on my knee to "get them used to it". She'd get them examined , then me, then started by giving me polishes til she worked up to scaling.
They got to sit at the side when I got a filling once!

Now all I have to do is conquer my fear of hairdressers