Dental Phobia, or shame, or whatever...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Who’s avoiding the dentist?

I hadn’t been to a dentist in YEARS. When I was little, I was truly afraid thanks to our lousy dentist. Then I didn’t want to go due to a bizarre feeling of guilt over the cost (my family was sorta poor, and I felt guilty about the cost of my eyeglasses, etc). Then it got to be a mixture of being poor myself and feeling outright ashamed that I would’ve let professional dental care lapse so long.

The shame ended up being the biggest deal ever as time went on. “Hello, I’m a grown woman, with an education, and I haven’t been to the dentist in 20 years.” I couldn’t BEAR the thought of being scolded, mocked, or the subject of an entire dental office staff gape-fest. I was even too embarrassed to tell anyone else about this quirk.

Of course, teeth have a way of making their needs known and I ended up with an abcess. As it happened, The dentists and staff didn’t even blink an eye at my mouth–I needn’t have sweated it out so much over that part. From that point, I’ve gotten all my cavities filled (multiple visits) and am actually LOOKING FORWARD to going to my next cleaning shame-free.

Having discussed this with another group, I was stunned to find I had been in good company. Tons of people are in the same boat (which was borne out by the dentist’s ho-hum reaction to my negligence).

So, how many of you have (or had) dental phobias? Are they true phobias, or the same sort of bizarre mix of neuroses I had?

2

I don’t really have a phobia about the dentist; I just keep putting it off. I think I am going on about 4 years now since my last visit.

My scenario plays out something like this:

  1. I go to the dentist after much time away and get yelled at for not flossing properly or enough.
  2. I resolve to be the best little brusher and flosser ever and start up again
  3. I lose interest in the whole flossing thing
  4. I put off going to the dentist because I don’t want to get yelled at for not flossing.
  5. I repeat the above steps every few years
3

YES! I havn’t been to the dentist since I was like 18!! I am SCARED to death as to what they might find in there. I know my reason though. Needles. I can take a needle in my flesh any day and it doesn’t bother me a bit, but a needle in your mouth?? UGHHHH! That’s just creepy.
Darby

4

I’m in the goes every couple of years crowd. My scenario is like this:
1). Brush my teeth pretty regularly for a couple of years.
2). 2 days before dentist appointment, try to make up for years of mediocre brushing by flossing & brushing & cleaning like a fiend.
3). Go to the dentist, they say nothing, all is well.
4). The 24 hours after I go to the dentist is the only time my teeth & gums hurt and/or bleed.
5). Harbor resentment toward the hygenist for making my teeth hurt, don’t go to the dentist for another 2-3 years.
6). repeat #1.

5

I’m terrified of the dentist. I’ve never been to one that didn’t HURT, and the fact that it’s been over ten years since my last visit isn’t making me feel any better.

But I’m going to have to go, I’ve a cavity that’s finally started to hurt…sigh.

6

We have a pretty good dental plan at work. I go, and my children go quite often.

Mrs. Nipples WILL NOT go to the dentist. Scared shirtless.

The hygenist abhores smoking, and smokers I’m sure. She was really rough on me during the cleaning, always making some less than subtle comment on what smoking does to ones mouth. She was giving me attitude, so I gave it back. This mad scientist with a dental probe, really went to town on my poor delicate gums…I (gently) grabbed her arm and pulled the instrument out of my mouth and told her she had better back off or I was going to scream and flail about like nobody’s business.

The dentist comes in, they exchange glances, and she was the model of patient relations from then on.

Darby…needles in the gums aren’t very nice, but they use a topical freeze first…they just wipe it on with a swab or something. The dentist is really clever when it comes to concealing the hypo too. 30 seconds of discomfort isn’t too bad if you’ve been chewing on one side of your mouth for the past x amount of years.

7

My mom makes me go, because I have very bad teeth problems. It all began a few years ago when I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled (all five of them), and things just went down hill from that. Now I need to have like 4 root canals. Every time I go in to the dentist, it hurts SOOOOOOOOOOOO much. Just to have one cavity filled I need not 1, not 2, not 3, but FOUR novacaine shots. FOUR! for a single cavity! Do you realize how painful that is? And every single shot hurts as much as if not moreso, than the previous one.
Last time I was there he hit a raw nerve with the drill. That was the most exquisite pain I have ever felt in my life. I was breathless afterward, and unable to comprehend how something could hurt so bad.
I have so many dental horror stories, it’s not even funny.

8

I love my dentist. I’ve been going to him for 10 years. He did my braces and everything. He puts some kind of jell on my gums before giving me a shot and I don’t feel a thing! The only time I was a little uncomfortable was during my root canal. He had to stick that little pin up there to make sure the root was dead and it wasn’t!! That kind of stung. Then he had to put a shot directly into the root and that stung a little worse! I have two appointments with him this month… one for a cleaning and one for a small cavity. The only thing I won’t let him do is pull my wisdom teeth. For some reason that scares me to death to think about him pulling one of my teeth out. I just dread the day I have to have it done.

9

My dentist is pretty nice, but I’m a total wimp. I’ve got no idea why I’m this way - hell, I CHOSE unmedicated childbirth but can’t handle dental exams.

I’ve got a chipped molar I really need to get fixed, but I keep putting it off. I’m such a wimp :stuck_out_tongue:

–tygre

10

[/quote]
I know my reason though. Needles.
[/quote]

My dentist does this cool little trick so I can’t feel the needle at all: he hooks his index finger inside my cheek on the side he’s numbing, and tugs it outwards repeatedly while giving the shot - I can feel tension and a little pain from my cheek being pulled on, but somehow this completely masks the needle feeling. The first time he did it, I was like, “Aren’t you going to give me a shot?” Shop around for a dentist who does something like this - they must teach it in dentist continuing education or something.

JimmyNipples, good for you! People are all too often cowed by medical professionals, but let me remind you all that you are the consumer, just like when you buy a car or go to Pizza Hut or whatever. Don’t let them bully you. If some idiot hygenist is filleting your gums, you have every right in the world not only to grab her arm and remove her hand from your mouth, but to get up out of the chair and walk out - and get a better dentist! If your dentist is haranguing you about flossing for the 500th time, you can tell them that, yes, you understand, and you are working on it, but sometimes intention and habit do not coincide. Inform them that their chastising you again is only going to deter you from coming back for care.

Rachelle, I heard recently that the professional organization for dentists in the UK changed their stance and said that even impacted wisdom teeth shouldn’t be routinely extracted - basically, if they’re not harming you, leave them alone.

11

It isn’t the pain I know I’ll have from the shot, or from the cleaning, it’s because of how I was butchered my military dentists. They hurt me SO badly that I will only go to a dentist under extreme duress.

12

As a child, I had a dentist that didn’t believe in novocaine for children. He caused a terrible dental phobia in me, compounded by the fact that my baby teeth had no enamel and would rot and fall out at the drop of a hat. I had five abcessed teeth removed by the time I was about 8. Now I would rather have dental pain than go to the dentist. It’s pathetic.

StG

13

I would rather go to the dentist, any day, than to the gynecologist.

14

Good dentists are a joy to behold. I’ve been going to the same dentist every time I move back to vancouver since I was four years old. He did the first and last fillings I required at 4 and even at that age I didn’t feel a thing when he did the needles.

All you who need your wisdom teeth out, shop around for a good oral surgeon! I had a great one – didn’t feel the IV go in, was out in less than 5 seconds. Woke up feeling a little drowsy, but no pain. Didn’t even have to take a tylanol. The biggest annoyance was having to stay away from solid food for a couple days and cleaning out the holes a couple times a day. Playing with the stitches was fun. :slight_smile:

-niggle

15

Definately- I had my wisdom teeth, all 4, taken out 7 years ago(dang…didn’t realize it had been that long!) and had almost no pain, swelling or anything afterwards, and 3 of them were badly impacted.

I’m still bad about going to the dentist. Mine has been a question of constant moves-for the last several years I’ve moved to a new city every year, plus I had a job that took me out of town 5 days a week, making it hard to go to the dentist. So it had been 4 years when I had a large amount of time off AND dental insurance.

I started going in January of this year…and so far have had 7 fillings and 1 root canal/crown…with atleas 6 more fillings needed. I brush and floss at least twice a day, don’t eat a lot of sugar(only in my AM coffee) and take care of my teeth except for the dentist thing, but genetics handed me soft teeth.

Fillings aren’t so bad- 1 shot and I’m numb enough for that. Root canals though- I had one in college on an abcessed tooth that didn’t hurt at all. THe one this year was SO bad that I tense now every time I walk in the office. I didn’t realize that I wasn’t completely numb when he started grinding/drilling/whatever and almost jumped out of the chair. My tooth is on edge just thinking about it. I ended up needing 4 additional shots to numbe me enough to get through it- partly because I tensed up. I cried during the rest of the procedure. Then he didn’t get the crown right, it was too high, so 3 days later I was STILL in incredible pain. Now I’m nervous about going back.

-Lsura

16

The dentist was never really anywhere near the top of favorite people and I believe this is 'cause of my childhood. (We’ll get to my dentist appointment yesterday – the first one in six years – in a bit. Bear with me. You’ve got nothing better to do anyway.)

As the oldest of 13 kids money was always tight. My Mom had an arrangement with the local dentist – Dr. Lucadis – to see each and every one of us over two days each summer.

Mom was very adament about us brushing after every meal. She’d traipse all of us upstairs and stand watch as wee brushed our teeth. She really bought into the adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

She had very bad teeth. She was always getting cavities filled even though she brushed her teeth just as much as us kids. In order to save money, she would never take Novocaine! At the time it was an extra five bucks. She just grinned and bore the pain (if you’ll excuse the lame entendre).

One year, Dr. Lukadis told be I had a cavity. An appointment was made for the following week. I rode my bike their by myself since Mom was busy with the other kids. I went in the big wooden door and plopped myself down on the aromatic leather couch with the latest Jack and Jill.

I was lead to the back room, helped into the seat and had my bib affized by the nurse. She turned on the big light as the doctor came in the room.

He was a fairly young guy, but I was still afraid. He chatted as he prepared everything – checking the X-rays again, having me open and poking around. He told me it was a very small cavity.

He turned on the drill and went to work. This was my first cavity so I had no idea what to expect.

After a minute or two, he straightens up and turns off the drill.

He says, "OK. You have two choices. One, you can be a big boy. I need to drill a little more and it will hurt for about 3 seconds. You can save you mom a lot of money and we’ll be done quicker.
“Or you can take a shot. What’ll it be?”

“I’ll take the shot.”

“You such a thoughtful boy,” he said as he dove in and preceded to torture me with his medievil drill for half an hour! (I know it was only a second or two, but your adolesent mind blows these things up when you are an adult.)

God! The fucking pain! I went rigid and bolts of electrical pain ran from my mouth to my toes to my forehead! I was instantly bathed in sweat!

When he finished inflicting punishment on me he says, “Now that wasn’t so bad was it?”

“No… Sir.?!”

He filled the hole, I went home. Mom saved a couple of bucks. I now hate dentists.

Segue to yesterday.

I’d been putting off seeing the dentists aboard since I reported to the ship in December of '98. Prior to that I was on recruiting and hadn’t seen a dentist for four years. The last time was when I check out of Sigonella as I was returning to the States (yes, the day before I fell in the toilet!)

So it’s been nearly six years since I set foot in a dentists office. But I went.

Realy good check up, too. A little plaque which they will clean off during a follow-up appointment next Wednesday. And a tiny cavity, which the dentist said he wasn’t gonna worry about now. He’l see if he can get to it closer to Christmas!

I was happy.

Some folks make a long story short. I guess this proves I can make a short story long.

17

The dentist scares me big time. Quiet little guy, surprised him when I said he intimidated the heck out of me. He asked why, I said you put power tools in my mouth!

Actually am calmer in the ER bleeding on the floor from various accidents (bike, whitewater rafting) than in the dentist waiting on a filling.

18

It all boils down to getting a good dentist. As
a child, I was taken to a guy who was a butcher.
I developed a huge phobia.

In my twenties, I was refered to a divorce lawyer
who was also a dentist. He handled my divorce
and fixed my teeth. When I moved, I didn’t find
another dentist for a long time. I went to a
clinic that was horrible. They did a root canal
and cut my gum line with no novacaine!

When I need some more work twelve years ago, a
friend refered me to Dr. Stern. I’ve been seeing
him ever since. They know me, and we have great
times talking about stuff. The hygenist and I
once discussed what’s worst, a trip to the
dentist or the gynecologist. Last September, I
ended up having major trips to both.

19

I too have endured the seemingly endless search for a good dentist. Now that I have finally found one, I am having major reconstructive work done. Bleck!

Try having 14 whole cartridges of Lidocaine injected into your upper gums above your front teeth. The maximum allowable by law in this state. Oh yes, and that took way more than 14 shots to deliver. My face was swollen over two inches out, simply because of the fluid not absorbed yet. This was to remove 6 of my front teeth for replacement.

I fully commiserate with anyone who has dental fear. I’ve been going every since I busted my front teeth when I was 6. Now it’s about 6 pulled teeth, several abscesses, and 14 root canals later, and I am in the process of full maleofacial reconstruction.

Oh fun.

I go to this dentist about twice a month. For all of you that are just bitching about a lil cavity - buck up and get it fixed, before you wind up doing what I’m doing.

20

Ironically, tygre, it was childbirth that helped me get over my fear. My abcess flared up when my son was less than a month old and I was still recovering from an emergency c-section (after a long labor) and a bladder puncture. My attitude was “I’ve done childbirth. Take your best shot, Dr. Teeth!”

Also, an abcessed tooth hurts worse than labor. That was motivating… :slight_smile: