General Chat

The lovely dentist I had before I moved knew I was terrified, so he always approached with the needle behind his back and said 'would you like to close your eyes for a few seconds?' Throughout each session he used to say 'you are being so brave' and always ended with 'you've been a model patient' - either he had a psycholgy degree as well, or was a compulsive liar! Jay

Oooh Maz.....maybe you are even more scared than me?? I wish I could remember what the dentist said about my bottom wisdom teeth when I went the once 6 years ago when I broke the top tooth? As far as I remember he said leave them alone (wishful thinking?) Trouble is, they are partly exposed and I have nightmares about them rotting...... Merry

I'm not keen , in fact I too cry at the thought , never mind at the receptionist. I have an arrangement with the dentist~ because what i feel is vunerable ~ that when i slap my hand on the arm of the chair he WILL stop , what ever he is doing and climb out of my gob. Then, take a deep breath and then I let him re-start- We get there evenutaully and it works for me, because You cant say ''ouch or Ooohhhhh'' with a gob full of dentists fingers, and once he is out you can say it,breathe and then start again - seems to make me feel i am back in control of the situation. The nurse wipes the odd tear as they run whilst he's working too. ...and if the banging on the arm doesn't work, change the action from up and down to a quick flick right and catch HIM in the bit that hurts~ that'll stop him! (not had to try that yet thought!) Jess x

Merry - an addition to my previous reply - I even had my 2 front teeth crowned, which involves a lot of drilling and it was absolutely painless !! Stella

Hi Merry I had all four of mine taken out at once ok I was knock out and in hospital they put us all together but one who had a room of her own when everyone was awake afterwards I was the only one that looked like a gerbal. When the doc came around he looked at me and said ah yes we had a slight problem with you I looked at him and said no kidding he just walked of I later found out the the girl they put in the room by herself was because they thought she would be the one with the swelling ah they had to break my jaw to get the teeth out because my mouth was to small will never forget it but at least I was out cold for it Laura

Cor, your brave, Phoenix! I saw the fees for root canal work, so hope I don't need that! My bro-in-law had a root canal done without any pain relief! Can you believe that?? He was scared of the jab :o(( Merry

Hi Merry, as you may know I am another dental phobic - I cry too! I only go when I 'have' to - which makes it worse I suppose cos you never get that 'no fillings today' boost. My teeth have been awful since I was a kid - both parents had bad teeth so I am convinced it is genetic. Of course my ex has PERFECT teeth (thankfully the kids have inherited them too) but he always came with me when I needed work done - even though he couldn't really understand my fears. I had 2 crowns a couple of years ago and insisted on sedation and I can truly say I don't remember a thing about it. I remember crying when the drip thing was put in my hand, then I remember sitting in the recovery room while ex rang my mum. Next thing I remember was waking up in bed 3 hours later! I don't remember walking to/from the car, going upstairs - nothing! Soon after that I had an extraction and DIDN'T get sedated - worst thing I have even done as it had a really deep root. Ex came rushing in to find out what all the yelling was about! A little while ago I needed another crown and my dentist persuaded me to be awake. (The worst part for me is the injections - even typing about it makes me breathless) Father-in-law came with me and held my hand during the 45 minutes of drilling and other horrid stuff. We all have different parts that scare us it seems. Check-ups are a breeze for me - it's the needle that makes me cry! The best advice I can give you is to take someone CALM that you trust with you and to explain properly to the dentist that you are phobic and exactly what you are terrified of. Tell him if you want him to explain everything before he does it, or if you would rather not know. The more you tell him, the better he will be able to help you. I will be thinking of you, please let us know how you get on. (((hugs))) Maz. XXX

Hi Merry I am just back from root canal work. My new dentist is just wonderful. At the merest flicker of pain he gave me more painkiller. It is a world away from the dentists of my youth. He was lovely too with the abcess that prompted this. Prepared to squeeze emergency appointments in and extra visits when I got neurotic. I almost found myself falling asleep, except that the treatment was so interesting! Good luck!

Stella.....that's what I want to do. I must stay strong! I know it makes sense! Elaine - wiggle, wiggle! Merry

Vivienna and Jay......thankyou! I agree about childhood dentists! Mine was an ex-heaviweight boxer! When I was in my teens I had some orthodontic treatment at the local hospital and the dentists all gathered to see Mr X's work in my mouth!!! Still not entirely sure why?! Merry

Merry - no-one could have been more scared of dentists than me !! But after having toothache, was forced to go and had the tooth out - didn't feel a thing honestly. After that I decided to conquer my fear and go regularly every year and because I do that, have got so used to it I am no longer afraid. Stop fretting and try to go on a regular basis - you'll be OK, believe me. Stella

Merry - you´re not getting a lot of help on here - so here´s a bit more input from someone else who hates the dentist. As a child I was petrified of going to the dentist - and as we all know when it starts to hurt, our body tenses up and the pain seems to increase. Something my father told me - which I always remember when I am at the dentist - and believe me it does help. What you have to do is try to relax - I know easier said than done - first of all concentrate on your breathing (think of something pleasant at the same time - will leave you to decide what that might be!!) and at the same time just wiggle (in a relaxed mode!!) your fingers and toes - there must be NO tension in your body. Now you will find it almost impossible to tense your body at the same time - give it a try. You will find your body will inevitably go into 'tense mode' at some point - so just start again. I do feel a bit of a fool sometimes laid back in a dentist chair wiggling my fingers and toes - but who cares!!! Give it a try now !! (Imagines everyone sitting at pc wiggling bits of their bodies !!!)

Linda and Joy....that's more like it. Thank you!! Merry

Hi Merry, I know just how you feel. My children used to have to make my appointments & not tell me until it was almost time to go & I would be shaking & crying all the time even though the dentist was very kind. I live a long way from them now & away from that dentist. So when I got an abcess a couple of years ago I had to make myself go to a dentist. I was lucky in that the new dentist just opening was taking NHS patients & she also specialised in dealing with special needs children. She has so much patience with this quivering wreck that I find it much easier to go regularly now & only tend to cry afterwards, with relief I supose. These days it really isn't as bad as one imagines, it's just my awfull memories of childhood. Sending you healing & strength Vivienne xx

Merry, It WON'T be as bad as you think!! I am terrified of dentists and am ill at the thoughts of making an appointment, never mind doing it or even turning up. I broke the whole crown off a tooth and was left with just the root embedded in the gum - thought I was going to die of fear. Dentist just said 'It's my problem now, not yours' and successfully removed the root cleanly and painlessly. The only bit I didn't like was when he brandished the remains before my eyes, to show me what a clever chap he was! Bear in mind it's a new and traumatic experience for us, but NOT for the dentist. If I lived nearer, I'd come and hold your hand! You WILL survive. Jay

You will be fine. Tell the dentist of your fears, and the dentist will be kind to you, just as mine is to me. Trust me. :-) Joy PS please ignore my husband Mr E.

This dentist surgery is called ''The Gentle Dentist'' and they pride themselves on helping the phobics!! However, whilst I accept paying privately to get myself out of the mire, I can't really afford to do that for ever! (though I might be tempted if they are REALLY nice!!) Merry

I mean this Merry I had all my teeth out and in and never really felt anything so hope you get a dentist like I had Linda

I'm not sure what needs doing?!! To be honest I am more scared of the checkup where they prod and poke all the way round, than the actual treatment, which I know will hurt a bit (OK, maybe a lot!). It's like I can focus on one tooth and accept what they do, but don't like the pointy thing they stick in your bad teeth! Merry

If you're scared, tell the dentist. Most of them are human. Personally, I would find a dentist you like and trust and stick with them. I switched dentitst when I moved, rather than travel 1 hour each way. Couldn't stand the new dentist, so I now have a longer journey to a dentist I have used for donkey's years and trust completely. He's private (unfortunately), but to my mind it's money well spent. I was nervous last year when I had to have root canal treatment (for the first time), but he was brilliant and, although I ached a bit after, I never felt a thing. He has also taken two wisdom teeth out for me in the past. Please don't put up with any dentist. If you're unhappy with one, search around until you find one you like. Make sure you have regular check-ups so that any problems are nipped in the bud. I'm sure everything will be fine. AL