# Dental Phobia



## Heartbreaker (Sep 2, 2013)

So I think I have a developing tooth abscess. There's a bit of swelling and redness around one of my teeth and my jaw hurts a little when I clench it or open my mouth too wide. *If there's anything I'm scared of in this world, it's DENTISTS. OH god...*

If this doesn't go away soon, I will probably have to undergo surgery and have weird medical tools inserted into my mouth, while the dentist laughs hysterically behind his mask. Hell I heard you can die from a tooth abscess because the infection spreads to your vital organs if you don't treat it. All of this is making me uneasy and I just want to punch a wall. I know it's not the end of the world, but I wish it was... Has any of you experienced such a thing? If so tell me how you coped with it...


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## Meli24R (Dec 9, 2008)

I don't like dentists either, but I recently just forced myself to go and it really wasn't bad..not like I imagined it. If you really have a tooth abscess, it will only get worse. My mom had one and she put off going to a dentist forever and eventually her face swelled up real bad and she was in agony for two days (and she has a high tolerance for pain) 
And yeah there's also the possibility that the infection will spread to organs and kill you. I think worst case scenario, it spreads to the brain. Someone on another forum I frequent said that her friend had to learn to walk and talk again because she didn't get her tooth infection treated and it caused massive brain damage.


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## Banzai (Jun 4, 2009)

I have massive dentist phobia as well. I was meant to see them 2 years ago but then found excuses to not go. I forced myself to go last month and now I think I will need to go get all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed :eek. Absolutely, utterly dreading it. I can't deal with anything involving blood, pain, flesh, drugs, injections...!!


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## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

Yes! I have. I didn't go to the dentist for years because of my phobia. I think I developed it when I was a kid. I refused to take the anesthesia, which made it really hurt. I really panicked in there and started screaming and crying.

I grew up terrified of the dentist. I started doing whatever I could to avoid going there. As an adult, I went for a few check-ups, but I never returned to fix my cavities(I knew I had a few).

In the end I had no choice but to go. One of my teeth in the back had broke when I bit something hard. I told them about my fears. The first thing I asked was "is it supposed to hurt even with anesthesia?"(it always had for me). She said no. "If it still hurts we'll just give you more. It's not supposed to *hurt*!". We took it step by step. I had cavities to fix and I had to pull out the broken tooth. I think we started with an appointment where she just intruduced me to everything and gave me anesthesia(as practice). I was still scared when we fixed the first cavity, but I just tried to focus and breathing and staying as relaxed as possible. The next time wasn't as bad.

In hindsight; I can't believe I went through all of that. Half a year of going back and forth. Even pulling that tooth out... But I did it! You just have to talk to your dentist about it and try to find an approach that could work for _you_. They're used to people with phobias. You can always say "I can't do this" if it gets too hard. They wont blame you. Don't give up, please! Trust me on this. I'm not _nearly_ as afraid as I was before. I can handle it now. And my teeth are in good condition<3

Ps. Your gum just sounds infected. Do you floss/use your toothbrush properly around your gum?


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## Amorphousanomaly (Jun 20, 2012)

Man, I thought I was scared of the dentist, you really sound scared of the dentist.
I was glad when at work they told me I didn't qualify for dental coverage as a part time associate. Haven't been to one since I had baby teeth. :/


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## Amorphousanomaly (Jun 20, 2012)

Oh but yeah, you should probably go to the dentist if you're in pain. Don't suffer needlessly.


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## starsonfire (May 28, 2013)

I used to have a severe dentist phobia where I couldn't get anything teeth related done for years. After I started taking paxil, it went away. I was able to go and get it all done. You have to find a good dentist though, that doesn't scare you. None of those impatient ones with a bad attitude. Just let them know beforehand that you have a phobia.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

there are dentists who also work with anesthetists or are anesthetists themselves who can administer anything from general anesthesia to light sedation, e.g. a benzodiazepine, to intravenous sedation in order to get quite a bit of work completed at one time while you, the patient, are unaware of what's going on around you. 

i have a very severe gag reflex and i'm afraid of the dentist and so i have to be placed under IV sedation every time i visit. it has saved my teeth and i never have any recollection of anything that's happened while there!


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## VanDamMan (Nov 2, 2009)

Call me weird but I've always loved going to the dentist.


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## dontwaitupforme (Feb 23, 2013)

Try the twilight treatment, that way you can just sleep through it. You'd be surprised at how popular they are as well.


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## hmweasley (Sep 12, 2013)

I completely understand being scared of the dentist. I'm not really scared, but I still despise going. My mom was big on going exactly every six months though, so I've gone regularly my entire life. I think that helped me just hate it and not really fear it. It's still the worst experience ever though. I have a really horrible gag reflex, so they have to go through all this extra stuff for that. Plus, I had a horrible experience on laughing gas once while getting teeth pulled. It was horrible.

I actually did have a panic attack when I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled. The dentist sat down and talked to me until I calmed down, but for the actual surgery I was out of it so it didn't really matter. It honestly was a better experience than just the laughing gas because with the laughing gas I was freaking out the entire time instead of just sleeping... If it's at all possible to be put to sleep during whatever procedure they're doing, I'd recommend it.


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## visualkeirockstar (Aug 5, 2012)

**** i have the same problem right now. Im probably better off dead though. I never liked going to the dentists. I hate that stuff they make you breathe in to make you asleep.


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## hmweasley (Sep 12, 2013)

visualkeirockstar said:


> I hate that stuff they make you breathe in to make you asleep.


I've had to be put to sleep by gas before (not in the dentist though), and it was the worst. Not as bad as the laughing gas that numbs your mouth but doesn't put you to sleep though. But I'm not even sure how much that is used now? When I had to be put to sleep for my wisdom teeth, they used a shot to put me to sleep, and it was much easier. I'd prefer that over gas any day.


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## scarpia (Nov 23, 2009)

I'm going dentistless right now because I can't find one is both honest and competent.


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## SummerRae (Nov 21, 2013)

Yeah, my teacher knocked my tooth out about two years ago and I had to go to the dentist almost everyday for about a month to get a fake tooth. It was terrible, I absolutely HATED it! Also, when ever I go to get my teeth checked and cleaned, it's like they're trying to drown me in my own saliva, they never give me the spit sucker until my mouth is full and I'm like choking. I feel like they are trying to kill me!


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