Dentists and driving are my major phobias. Stinging insects and needles are my minor ones. All caused by bad experiences:
(1) The Orthodontist From Hell. Before I got my braces (on at age 10, off at age 12, retainer at night until I was 14), I wasn’t afraid of the dentist. I didn’t LIKE it, but it didn’t scare the living shit out of me. Probably because I didn’t have any cavities and didn’t need him to do anything after the checkup. But he did say I had an overbite and referred my mother to an orthodontist.
The orthodontist used no pain killer of any kind and one thing I remember him doing was affixing metal molds of my back molars, top and bottom, onto those teeth (so they could be used to attach the rubber bands), pounding into my mouth with what to me was horrible force. I screamed so loud I would scare people out of the waiting room, so I was told. But in any event, until I was 14 my mother had to drag me by the hair practically to go to the dentist, and after that, even she couldn’t get me to go, except for once when I was almost 18. She had said she’d found this dentist she thought was great and asked me to try him, she’d take me. I went for a checkup and teeth cleaning. The teeth cleaning was so painful – even though they had me on full blast nitrous oxide (Mom told them I was dental phobic) I was shrieking through the whole thing and it’s a good thing the dental hygienist finished when she did, becuase I was ready to kick her in the chest to get her away from me.
From that point on, I didn’t go to a dentist until I was 26, and that only because I found one who would (a) do the checkup with X-rays only, no sharp instruments, and (b) do the teeth cleaning and fill any cavities I might have under a full IV sedation, i.e., with me knocked out totally cold. Turned out by this time I had one impacted wisdom tooth and six cavities, which they took care of in this way, along with having cleaned my teeth. I was happy to have found a dentist and I scheduled an appointment for six months later, relieved that now I could take proper care of my teeth besides the daily brushing. Well, six months passed, and the dental office called to talk to me about my appointment which was now a week away. It seemed that in that time, the dentist would not be allowed to use IV sedation for general dentistry (cleanings and fillings), only for oral surgery. So I cancelled the appointment.
Eleven years go by, and for the first time I actually have a toothache. It was so bad I had to go to a dentist, but I kept telling myself that this was so bad I probably wouldn’t care what he had to do to make it stop. Yet when I got there I was sitting in the waiting room – I hadn’t even SEEN the dentist yet – and I was in tears – not from the toothache, but from my fear of the dentist!
The dentist took one look at this tooth (a back upper molar) and said I had a choice: I could have the tooth pulled by an oral surgeon or I could save it via root canal. My question: “Do you do root canal under IV sedation?” (I’ve heard horrible things from others about root canal) The answer was “No, just novocaine.” Then I asked, “If I have the tooth pulled, will I be knocked out?” The answer was yes, so instantly I said, “I’ll have it pulled.” The dentist was very nice and had his receptionist (a) schedule me an appointment for the next day with an oral surgeon, and (b) call in a prescription of pain pills for the toothache to my pharmacy for me to pick up on the way home, so I could get through the rest of the day and the night. The tooth was pulled, all was well. This was five years ago. I haven’t been to a dentist since, and probably won’t until the next toothache.
(2) In my teens people I knew who were old enough to drive and gave me rides were all “aggressive drivers” (to put it politely) who scared the bejeezus out of me. I learned to drive myself for the sole reason that I didn’t want to be dependent on them. And then out on the road as a driver myself, the other drivers scared me nearly as much as I’d been scared in those passenger seats I’d gotten my license and a car to escape. I deal with it by not driving unless I have to, and I run my errands on the way home from work, when I’m already out, so I don’t have to make any special trips.
I consider dentists and driving to be my major phobias because in my opinion these are the things that most interfere with a “normal life.” I mean, I won’t drive someplace new to do something I might enjoy because to me nothing can be worth the anxiety attacks of the driving to get there (I have no sense of direction, and I get overwhelmed when I try to follow written directions AND pay attention to the other drivers at the same time). Not to mention that it’s not healthy to neglect your teeth for years on end; I brush my teeth, but I’m sure they could use more attention than that.
The minor phobias, the stinging insects and needles:
When I was nine, a wasp flew up my sleeve and stung me under my arm. Hurt like all f***ing hell. I’ve been running from bees, wasps, hornets ever since (haven’t been stung since that once, so I consider this strategy successful), and I keep a spray can of Raid Wasp and Hornet Killer in my apartment in case one flies in. I’m not at all afraid of OTHER insects, millipedes, caterpillars or spiders, but bees, wasps and hornets will send me running in an instant.
Getting shots when I was a kid (they hurt like hell! Doc said it might “pinch” but for me needles are REALLY painful) put me off to needles at an early age. But this I can deal with if I need medical attention. I hold out my arm, turn my head away, close my eyes, and don’t look. I also tell the doctor or nurse about to use the needle on me, when he or she starts saying, “You’re going to feel…” – “Please don’t tell me, I don’t want to hear it. Just do what you need to do.”
