Irrational fear of dentists?

Rroff said:
Never really understood the fear of going to the dentist - unless your dentist actually hates you. I've had a few relatively major procedures and its all been pretty routine the injection is barely comparable to someone running a biro across your skin and then you feel nothing else.
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Let me help you then, because local anesthetic doesn't work great on everyone.
It is as if I didn't have any when I go, the pain is immense, it's what makes me terrified of going, the pain, just the pain.

Must be great to have stuff like that actually work :|

Last time I went was probably.... 8 years or a decade ago, I just had everything done at once under general anesthetic and I've been fine since.
Same goes for not being able to do stuff for the day after the above, I guess I'm unlucky because I walked home after the work and just carried on as normal, none of this feeling drowsy for the rest of the day.
 
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I'll count myself lucky then, its been pretty relaxed on my visits despite having had a root canal and later extraction on one tooth and another one being crowned. The worst bit was the recovery from the extraction as it was new ground to me and I was probably a bit overly cautious and worrying myself unnecessarily in trying to avoid possible complications.
 
Got a bit freaked out the other day at the dentist.. He was doing a root canal, and they put some like balloon clamp over my entire mouth. So my entire mouth opening was completely covered by what felt like a plastic bag. It activated a 'i'm getting smothered here' mode... It was pretty embarrasing. My heart was beating like a drum, and i had to sit up and admit i was freaking out.. Took a deep breath and relaxed.. end up being a very relaxing procedure once i got over the panic.
 
I suffered seriously from a dental phobia from about 12 till I was 26-27. I had problems develop, it pretty much controlled my life ("I don't want to do this in case that happens to my teeth etc"). It really was the first thing I thought of and the last thing I thought about at night. Knowing I had to have work done only scared me more, which stopped me from going and it allowed me to paint this awful picture in my mind of what would need to be done etc etc.

There is a big difference between being scared of the dentist and having a phobia of them. Being scared is quite normal, it's not a trip we look forward to. But if you feel it is closer to being a phobia and how it affects you, then speaking to someone before you look at getting things looked at could be benificial.

After years I finally bit the bullet as I knew it would getting to the point that something really needed to be done. I spoke to the right people and went to see a specialist dentist. Fast forward to now, I have no fear whatsoever of the dentist, not even butterflies before getting in there chair.

What you build in your head is usually nowhere near bad as the reality, I can confirm that! If you find an understanding dentist that will listen to your concerns and come up with a plan around it that you are both happy with it will also make the process much easier.

You will get there buddy and you will then see that it was so much easier than you thought it would be! Don't listen to or worry about horror stories, you can find that in anything in life. Chances are all will go without a hitch and it will all be sorted before you know. Good luck buddy!
 
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what a bunch of wimps, what's to fear? some failed doctor with a pair a plyers and a shot of benzocaine? :p

but seriously i know why i fear, my dad lied to me about just a check up when i was about 8 (1978) and the dentist pulled out one of my back teeth very painfully.

i got a new firemans truck dicast :) but still, the damage was done.
 
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yeah it's just great when the the nurse goes "oh wow look how fast his heart is beating!" total bunch of unprofessional cowboys i've had the displeasure :(

actually only ever professionals are in the hospital when i had my wisdoms out.
 
I went to a Dentist once and she left me with a Nerve exposed and just gave me painkillers. After an Hour I went back and said that I cant cope with this pain, her assistant was visibly shocked at seeing the nerve being exposed. I could tell she was not happy with Dentist.
 
A lot of people struggle with doctors/dentists. If you need nothing done to your teeth then a dentist visit can be pleasant enough, however you're often left feeling a little sore I find after a visit to the dentist or even the hygienist. It's the sounds that reverberate throughout your skull that makes it rather unpleasant.

The more often you go the less scary it becomes. That said I only go once a year but I'm quite fastidious about looking after my teeth - but since I do not drink fizzy drinks or eat sweets I'm actually generally in good oral health.

I think it is perfectly rational after your experience to be wary of them - just go in and explain your fear, and what has happened they're usually pretty good at settling you down. What helped me was that my dentist is actually a friend of mine, and his hygienist is pretty and pleasant too! :)
 
Getting Wisdom teeth extracted is a doddle. I couldn't believe it was over so quickly. Literally sat in the chair for 2 minutes. He had these special Pliers and he just whipped em out.
 
I have large roots apparently. 2 extractions in the past 15 years or so have taken nearly an hour each and went to the point of my dentist asking a colleague to come in and help. All the time I'm sat there in agony with the anaesthetic wearing off.

I have massive fear of needles which really doesn't help. I need to go before Christmas but just can't bring myself to make that phone call.
 
I also have a fear of dentists to the point of severe anxiety, I would literally rather have a full blown operation in hospital than any dental work.

its also not an "irrational" fear as it always hurts, even the cleaning hurts so fear of pain is completely rational in my opinion.
 
RedDanDoc said:
Getting Wisdom teeth extracted is a doddle. I couldn't believe it was over so quickly. Literally sat in the chair for 2 minutes. He had these special Pliers and he just whipped em out.
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As mentioned, it depends on the teeth and how they're coming in. Some people can just get them popped out. Others need a hammer and chisel for removal. I'm hoping when I go next month they just pop out... minute I see him going for a hammer and chisel I'm calling an end to it and making an appointment for general anaesthetic.
 
pitchfork said:
But you know, worse case? A bit of pain and blood, you aren't gonna die.
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Sounds close enough, to a horror death.

I might need to get mine removed too, every so often they throw up a fit and become bruised. Dentist said last time I'll need to get them removed sometime in the future.
 
I've had a lot of work done over the years. As a child I had a great dentist and in my 20's I lived in Republic of Ireland where there are no free dentists so I also had a great dentist that my insurance paid for. Then I moved to the North and encountered an NHS dentist who made a total hames of a job and has put me off going to the dentist somewhat since then :(
 
Not been to the dentist in over a decade. Luckily i'm more evolved than you and my wisdom teeth never came through :D:p

Do want to go back and see if they can knock all my teeth out and put a proper set in there, they're wonky as **** but pretty healthy as teeth go, considering i mean.
 
I can't stand that hook looking thing, and when they tap your teeth with it. Makes me cringe just thinking about the noise it makes.

Having had 4 teeth out, from both the top and bottom, and the needle twanged at the front, and that hurt I must say.

I wouldn't say i'm scared, but I certainly don't like it either!
 
Mynight said:
My wisdom teeth have started coming through and I'm dreading going to the dentists so much it's unhealthy :(. I mean to the extent of heart pounding, lightheaded, nausea kinda fear.

I think it all stemmed from an orthodontist who managed to put a piece of brace wire through my cheek :eek:. Other than that I've never had a bad experience so I don't know why I'm being such a pussy :(.

Does anyone else suffer from an irrational phobia of dentists(well dental work)?

Anyone conquered their fear of dentists? Any advice?
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Been there. I did not go for about 20 years after some bad experiences at dentists. Some of my teeth became so bad I was left with little alternative.

What I did was I thought about time. Time as a line. I imagined the day after I went for treatment. The visit would be just a memory. By thinking that it will be just a moment in time that passes I eventually went to the dentist to get treatment. I now go every six months. I would say that like any thing that needs treatment, it will only get worse the longer you put it off.
 
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