I have a dentist appointment today.
I’m scared to death.
I’ve had a long list of bad dental-related experiences both as a child and as an adult. Which makes my dental visits few and far between. My last dental experience was a few years ago and involved a very painful new bridge that I’ve hated every day since. It changed me smile to a point where I am really self-conscious. Not to mention it HURT LIKE HELL. That’s just the tip of a lifetime’s worth of bad stories associated with people putting their hands in my mouth.
I Hate The Dentist.
So, I made an appointment at a new dentist today. I’ve been dreading it since I made the appointment. I’m bringing my Harry Potter audiobook and I plan on sticking the headphones in my hears and not taking them out until they send me home. I’ve openly cried just talking to dentists before, so I’m hoping if I just ignore them all together, maybe I can avoid some sort of humiliating experience.
*sigh*
You’re not alone…Years ago (like 20 or so) I had the “bad experience”. From that day forward I’ve been a mess. Even though my dentist is the kindest, gentlest man alive, I still can’t get past the fear. It’s a running joke in the office… I show up in sweats, carrying a blanket, and begin shaking the moment I clear the door. I’ve had to go so far as to have my husband take my daughter instead of me. He doesn’t shake, squirm, or cry, I figure that’s a better example…
Good for you, braving it out again. Just GOING is a really good thing, and I sincerely hope it goes well for you. Hopefully when you talk to the new dentist and mention your negative experiences, he or she will be extra careful to make sure this one is more positive! I think the audio book idea is a really good one, too. Hang in there!
(((((Kim)))))
Here is hoping it is relatives painless and absolutely uneventful.
P.S. Ditto Elaine. Applause for being a brave soul.
My husband and I were both terrified to go but finally forced ourselves after five years. We were so nervous that we were picking fights with each other all morning before the appointment. It ended up being not so bad and we still talk about how relieved we are. I hope you have a surprisingly not-so-bad experience too!
I am TERRIFIED of the dentist. Fortunately I have a really great dentist who understands. That’s key right there. Also, talk about sedation dentistry – it’s a great way for you to be able to go to the dentist without having to feel any of the anxiety that you’re feeling!
Good Luck. I hate going too. I guess I should put on my big girl pants and make an appoinment.
I cry openly at the dentist EVERY. TIME. I dread going and I put it off as much as possible. A lifetime of severe acid reflux has left me with a seriously messed up mouth and I’m REALLY hesitant to let anyone reach in there and fix it. HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the dentist.
Hate.
(Good luck today.)
I hate the dentist, and I hate shots. I hate them both so bad I have sent myself into nervous breakdowns for relatively harmless things. I blacked out when I went to get a flu shot and had to be taken away. And that was just waiting in line – I hadn’t even seen the needle yet.
Aww, I’m sorry. I actually don’t mind (read: kinda sorta *like*) going to the dentist, but then I’ve never had a bad experience. Good luck!
Hey, you’re preaching to the choir here.
Good luck at the dentist.
My teeth are so sensitive that I have to have nitrous just for a cleaning. Plus, no matter if I brush 2 or 3 times a day & floss, I still get tartar build-up. So I go for cleanings every 3 months instead of every 6 as normal folks.
I will admit that the times I’ve had cavities filled weren’t nearly as painful as I expected. In some ways the cleanings are worse.
I totally get your anxiety. I can’t remember now if it was Jan 2007 or Jan 2008, but I finally went to the dentist after not having gone in like 15 years. I was scared shitless. My gums were in terrible shape and bled all over the damn place. They had to use a special ultrasonic thing to blast the plaque off my teeth. And the equipment wasn’t painful, but the high pitched noise it made inside my head sure was.
Needless to say, I white knuckled and squirmed the whole time. However, since then, it’s gotten progressively better each time I’ve gone. I still don’t like it, but I no longer hate it.
I wish you well today Zoot.
I’ve had so many bad dental experiences that I actually lie in the chair and shake now, even when they are just cleaning my teeth. I know it is ridiculous, but I can’t control it.
I left my bridge prep appointment crying, so you’re not the only one who has ever cried at the dentist. Good luck today!
you poor thing! I hate to hear it when people have bad experiences…from the sound of it, you’ve had some really bad dentists. There ARE good ones out there- I’m lucky enough to work for one (and have all my dental work done by him). I’ve never felt a single shot given- he’s THAT gentle.
Hopefully you’ll have better luck this time!
Looks like you’re not alone!
I’d say think of a treat to look forward to after the dentist visit–not necessarily food-related, since most times a person doesn’t feel like eating after going to the dentist. Go buy a new book, get a massage, a pedicure, something special to look forward to.
I cry every time. And I have not yet found a dentist that isn’t pompous and judgmental. My teeth are not in the best shape as I am terrified to go and a) have it hurt and b) be judged for the condition of my teeth and the fact that I don’t go often enough. Ugh. Hope it goes well for you!
I don’t really care who I see for an MD, as long as they don’t roll their eyes at me when I tell them I have bronchitis. Again. (“How dare you self-diagnose? I AM THE ONE WITH A MEDICAL DEGREE!”) Then they panic — turns out I do have bronchitis, ohmygoshhere — start these antibiotics straightaway. Whatever.
But a dentist? That is the trickiest doc to pick in life.
I hope you find someone who takes excellent care of you.
Ugh! I’m sorry. I know what you mean, though. I never used to have any anxiety about dentists, but I had braces from third grade through ninth grade and I guess that was enough. I hate going to the dentist now! It seems to be getting worse with every appointment, though I do really like my current dentist.
I just saw your Tweet – If you have to have your wisdom teeth out, I highly recommend going to an oral surgeon. I had to do that a few years ago and it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be. (Of course, that could be because I was unconcious for the whole thing!)
Have you looked into sleep dentistry? It’s for people who get super anxious and they will do anything from give you nitrous for a routine cleaning to knocking you out, I think. I was considering it since I was totally freaked out just to get a cleaning (though the last one was fine. I’m still anxious, though!)
I hate going to the dentist as well. I am right now using the excuse that I don’t have insurance as to not to go…..
My dentist gives me nitrous (even for cleanings) because I hate the dentist so much. It’s not covered by my insurance, but it is definitely the best $15 I could spend.
I hate the dentist so much jsut thinking of it makes me want to cry and have a panic attack. The last time I went was almost three years ago to get a tooth pulled. I cried in the chair before he even started. But I have to have some stuff fixed so I told my husband to make an appointment for me, not tell me when it is, and just take me down. It’s with his dentist who I know is good and will knock me out with no questions asked. But it is still terrifying.
Girl, I feel you. There was a point during college where I didn’t go to the dentist for several years. By the time I got a full-time job and my own insurance, I needed a crown (and eventually a root canal on the same tooth), my wisdom teeth out, and an implant to replace a molar. It took three years to get all of that stuff done. Plus, like other posters before me, I am also squeamish in the chair and hold my hands for dear life and keep my eyes shut and flinch at the slightest bit of pressure. At first my current dentist didn’t believe me when I talked about my low tolerance for pain, but after the implant experience that left me sobbing in the chair, he believes me now and is gentle as can be.
Now, to avoid additional major work, I go to the dentist religiously every six months so nothing has a chance to build up. Sometimes I wish I could just have him pull all my teeth and get dentures. No more dentistry, plus extra fun at parties! Everyone wins.
Lastly, on the up side, the removal of my wisdom teeth was the easiest of all the procedures I had done. The recovery was fine so long as I was taking my pain meds, and it was nice to have a reason to lounge on the couch and drink shakes all day long. Then again, I was single without children, and Luke was available to pamper me hand and foot. Those were the days!
(Who knew I could write such a long comment about dentistry?)
(On a totally unrelated note, are you going to BlogHer this year?)
Right there with you. I had a sadistic dentist as a child – a man who “invented” cavities that I didn’t have because we were on welfare and I was an easy mark (poor people have bad teeth, ya know!) and welfare paid out. After finding out that I cried at every appointment for 12 years FOR NOTHING, I didn’t go again until I was in my 20s. At that point my teeth were an actual mess. I had no insurance and a series of awful dentists, and didn’t go again until recently. He was AWESOME, and then I moved. I have a cavity that is driving me crazy and I need a bridge, and I have NO IDEA what I am going to do. I’m thinking a handful of xanax might help….
I do the same thing..when I’mnot heavily medicated that is.
Another dentist crier here.
Right now I am in the middle of a crown-lengthening/crown/4 replacement filling nightmare that started last SEPTEMBER and has involved two dentists and three specialists so far. 
Also, when I had my wisdom teeth out (had to be knocked out, two impacted and then two dry sockets, whee), they gave me Versed in my IV. ASK FOR THIS DRUG! I was so so so happy when I woke up, and then was able to stay ahead of the pain. Even after the horrible horrible pain of dry sockets, I can remember how nice that initial high was.
(Same as any heavy duty sedative type drug, you will want to have someone stay with you for 24 hours-ish after the procedure. Myself, I was useless for a couple of days.)
Love the Harry Potter as well. My dentist trick–episodes of Chuck or Gossip Girl on my ipod. I really concentrate on visualizing the scene so I don’t freak out in the chair.
I am with you on hating the dentist. I always always cry no matter what. HATE the dentist.
Have to share something with you. When you wrote about your “When do you obey? First time.” thing that you did with NikkiZ, we started doing that with our daughter (now 4 1/2) and it worked like a charm. We kind of let it fall by the wayside for awhile though because she was doing “fairly” well at obeying, but lately she’s gotten not so good at it again. So I pulled out the “when do you obey” again and my hubby changed the answer to “first time, right away” to not only make it rhyme, but make it clear that not only does she have to obey first time, but that she needs to do it NOW…lol! So, thanks again for that little trick. Still working here!