teeth

[jacksie]

how do any of you cope with having to go to the dentist.I will openly admit it i'm terrified,my one tooth is playing up ,has done for a few weeks now.I just dread them using that sharp thing to prod your teeth with, until you go"aaaaaagh".Jacksiex

[Aashaw22]

I am in the middle of having dental treatment. the first thing you need to find is a compassionate dentist who understand Fibromyalgia. Also you need a dentist with an OPG X ray machine. You need to ask them to stop between the drilling and give you a rest. I am very ill and in terrific pain from the ordeal.sitting for 30 minutes in one position is so hard. I have one more filling and then I will look for a new dentist

[jacksie]

What's an OPG xray machine?.i suspect finding a dentist with knowledge of Fibro is rarer than" Hens" teeth,just my little joke,but seriously i am very scared,childish if you like, but can't help it.I will probably hang on till can't stand it, then go.jacksiex

[Angeldancea812]

When we moved to Brighton I phoned the local authority and asked for advice about a sympathetic dentist as I have a phobia and am unable to have injections in my mouth. One was recommended who was very good, until he retired. The dentist I have now was pot luck but I did make sure they performed dentistry under sedation if I need any work done. That just means a needle in my hand and I am fairly unaware of what is happening until I come back round again. You do need to have someone with you for 24 hours afterwards though. She has been very good with that sharp thing only really using when essential ie to find a cracked tooth when I complained about tooth ache.

[Hidden]

I am terrified of any dental treatment too,i had to have a tooth removed last year and thankfully the dentist didn't tell me till he got me back in the chair that he was going to take it out,i thought i was going to have another filling but my dentist had other ideas,i'm glad he did it that way as he knows how fearful i am and had i known prior with time to dwell i probably wouldn't have gone! xxx

[ArctoLindy]

As a child I had a dentist who would literally hold me down with his knee in my stomach in the dentist chair and shout at me, I was terrified of him and still hate going to the dentist to this day. When my son was little I used to make separate appointments, getting someone to look after him when I went so he didn't learn to be scared too. I have a great dentist these days who also has a great sense of humour and a lot of patience - which helps. Unfortunately I grind my teeth in my sleep quite badly and I have a recurring infection in one tooth which means I see rather more of him than I would like in terms of treatment. But I think having a dentist you like (despite his being a dentist) really helps.

Tell them up front you're going to be a nervous patient and that you don't want them to use the pokey tool, also if you ever have to have an injection, ask for the non-adrenaline version as the other sort will only increase your heart rate and anxiety.

[Angeldancea812 in reply to ArctoLindy]

I think my problems all started as a child. I needed a couple of fillings and so he injected for those. At that time the injections took a while to work and he had put one injection in the wrong place for one of the teeth. I think I then ended up waiting again by which time the earlier injections were wearing off. It sounds a bit confusing but I'm sure it dates from around then.

I didn't pass it on to my daughter as she preferred the dentist to the doctor for some atrange reason!!

[Ozzygirl64]

I hold out until I am in absolute agony and then go over as an emergency. I am not scared more worried about having to try and keep my mouth open for so long xxxxx