Scared of dentist

Have you ever had a bad experience wiht a dentist? TOday dental prodcedures have come along way. ITs virtually pain free. A lot easier than allowing a cavatiy to rot in your moutn casusing excruciating pain, whne all along you could have had that tooth filed and saved and not been in pain. I've had fillings, root canals, gum replacement surgery to hold what healthyy teeth I have in, braces 4 years, extractions, and most recently going for implants! New screw in permanent teeth. I took care ofmy daughter teeth (raised her alone, and neglected my own). Only havd the $ for one set and I wanted her to have the best set ofteeth she could have. AHd them sealed t oekkp cavaties from forming. You need to find a good reputable dentist and esplain you are terrified. They will noy hurt you or allow yo uto have a bad experience if you are up front and explain to them your nervous. You only have hte one set of teeth to take care of....neglect them and they will go away...........Attractive to pop out your new ones on a date? HMMMMMM. SOmetimes you ahve to bite the bullet and face up to you are growing up and not a wuss anymore. The dentist is there to help you not hurt you..........

I Understand what you mean i have a tooth infection which is leaking bacteria i went to the dentist to have my tooth taken out i wouldnt open my mouth as i got so scared some people can hide the fear others live it out.
Im being put to sleep in hospital for my teeth out after my baby is born im scared of the dentist more than ever im ashamed of my self aswell as i could of done it

Hi, ninjaxpoptart!

Having nerves about going to dentists (or any other doctor for that matter) has nothing to do with age, so anyone telling you to 'grow up' is really being unfair; there are people of all ages who don't like it.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much you can do to help how you feel at this stage of the game. The first thing I'd suggest is to think about WHAT about going to a dentist makes you freak out. Is it the idea of them finding problems? Concern that you'll be in pain? Dislike of the idea of them putting their hands in your mouth?

Think about it and make sure you relay your feelings to your dentist (and your mother, too; she can help you make sure you find a dentist that will really listen to you). The more they know about you and your fears, the better they can make sure you're prepared for anything they do. If you're nervous about what will happen, they'll explain each thing before they do it and let you ask lots of questions so you feel prepared for it. If you're squeamish about what's going on, maybe you don't WANT to hear anything about it, and I'm sure they'll honor that as well. If your dentist doesn't seem like they care or aren't listening to you, then find another one. I promise, there are sympathetic dentists out there who specialize in 'gentle dentistry' for people who aren't comfortable with dentists.

I recently had a TON of mouth problems starting with having some cavities filled last year, in June. It led to nearly 6 months of jaw/head/ear pain and finally a root canal after a second opinion. After I had my wisdom teeth out in early February, I finally had to go back to have the last of my cavities filled a week or so ago, and can I tell you that, even after a root canal and wisdom tooth extraction, I was TERRIFIED of getting the fillings! (After all, the last fillings had led to severe pain and a root canal!)

I talked to my new dentist about how I was feeling and they were very sensitive to it. They made sure I was in no pain during the fillings (continually asking me how I was doing, did my jaw hurt, was I feeling any pain) and also called me twice during the week following, to make sure that I was doing alright.

I really think that you shouldn't feel that you're alone in this. I think there are MANY people who have similar feelings about dentists and other doctors, and I think that if you make sure to discuss it with your dentist, they can try to help you feel more at ease. And, seriously, if you don't think they're listening, don't hesitate to get up out of that chair and say that you aren't comfortable there.

I know that you're not fond of it, but dental health is pretty important, and not just in regards to your teeth; problems in your teeth/mouth can affect other areas of your health, as well. As worried as you are of a normal cleaning, if you can get used to those and make sure you keep up with them, you can hopefully avoid the not so fun visits (cavities, root canals, etc.), which is a much better option, in the long run.

I hope you feel better about it and let us know how things go if you decide to go.