Does going to the dentist make you nervous?

[Johar]

I leave in about 10 minutes for a routine cleaning, but am nervous as hell. I guess part of it is because I have a sore tooth, which may or may not be related to sinus irritating the nerve endings.

I am terrified I will need a root canal or cavity filled.

Gosh, I am such a big baby. I wish these darn butterflies would go away. And the upset tummy I have because of them.

 

[Jill]

In a word, YES! I hate going to the dentist, even for just a cleaning.

 

[Johar]

Bad news.

I Have two small cavities, on either side of my mouth which means two painful shots and $$$ in a bill.

I floss 1-3 times a day and I brush 1-3 times a day, usually 3 times. So how did I get these cavities? :sheesh:

 

[show 42]

Johar..........could be genetics. My sister's teeth started to abscess in her 30's. She had to have them straightened, then filed and capped. My dad's teeth were bad too. My sister and I have had nothing major happen to our teeth, except I did have a root canal.............but it was no big deal. I did have to have a gum graft on an area below a tooth due to the braces that I had been wearing. They took the skin from the roof of my mouth and sewed in on over the gum area. Now that hurt. I always tell my dentist that on a list of the top ten places I never want to be, he's number 9 on my list right above the undertaker...................... 42

 

[Grgranny]

I'm a lot better than previously but still hate going.

Do you know that the amalgram (silver) fillings have mercury in them? I now insist on some without mercury. It releases mercury in your system every time you chew. The biggest problem when they remove them is all the mercury it releases when they dig them out. There are special dentists that do this but they are very expensive and not many of them.

 

[NJSk8Fan]

Going to the dentist doesn't bother me at all....probably because my dentist gives me nitrous oxide and he's really cool about letting me sit there breathing it in for awhile before he works on me. I just had a root canal recently and it was a piece of cake. The dentist we went to previous to this one used to ONLY give us the nitrous oxide, no needles with novacaine. What bothers me the most with dental work is the holding of the mouth open for so long and/or the biting down for impressions, gets the jaw so sore...and the different instruments the dentist sometimes has to use(i.e., the mirror they clamp in your mouth so they can see what they're doing, the "saw" to make sure a filling doesn't close the gap between teeth, etc.)

Bad teeth can definitely be genetics. Your diet can also play havoc on your teeth, especially if you consume a lot of sugar in sodas, coffee and tea as well as in the foods you eat.

 

[StillBlueLake]

Bad news.

I Have two small cavities, on either side of my mouth which means two painful shots and $$$ in a bill.

I floss 1-3 times a day and I brush 1-3 times a day, usually 3 times. So how did I get these cavities? :sheesh:

My dentist tells me that I have natural pits and grooves in my teeth. She said that she can tell that I brush and floss because my teeth are pretty clean (brush 2x, daily flossing, mouthwash), but that I am naturally disposed towards cavities. Blah. Cavities run me quite a bit in money, even with dental insurance. Blah again.

I am not scared of the dentist and cavities don't bother me in terms of having them filled (I just don't like paying for them). I am quite scared of getting my wisdom teeth out though.

My oral surgery is in six days. It's gonna be alright! I know this, but I am still a bit scared, but much better than I was when I found out I had to have them taken out for sure.

 

[guinevere]

I used to be incredibly dentist-phobic. I didn't go to the dentist from the ages of 10-20 (thanks, Mom!) and in that time I developed a terror of dentistry. I seriously had a plan in high school to commit suicide of my mom made a dentist appointment for me (I was a little, uh, dramatique you might say)! I went to the dentist when I was 20 because my wisdom teeth started pushing all my other teeth forward. I have a high tolerance for pain, but the constant dull ache drove me batty!

By the time I was 22 I'd had all of my wisdom teeth removed, 10 fillings put in (all enamel-colored - they don't last as long as silver but they're purty and no mercury), and a root canal. When I started going again, I was so nervous every time I went (even for a cleaning) that I had to have nitrous - and something to hold onto, like a tea towel. I would be practically in tears sitting in the chair.

Now, cleanings don't bother me too much. I found a dentist with a hygenist I like a lot. I get a bit uptight during the cleaning but I'm ok. I had to get a filling 6 months ago and was upset when they tried to do it without nitrous (the dentist made a big point of talking to me like I'm 5 after I insisted. I'm like, dude, I'm paying extra for this, so just shut it, ok?), but I just keep telling myself it's going to be ok. The worst is getting a dentist/hygenist who wears glasses, so I can't help but see what they're doing reflected in the lenses. I hate that! I do not want to see what's going on in there! Ew! Pretty much at this point, I know what I need to get through the experience, and that in itself calms me down a bit.

I am really fortunate, because my teeth are in good shape. I go to the dentist every 6 months on the dot, I floss better than most people I know (but not every single day), I use denta sticks. I also have had a bite guard that I've worn for 12 years because I grind my teeth like crazy at night.

 

[SingAlto]

It's funny that I would run into this thread today. I had a crown put on a tooth today and had a cavity filled. I don't have insurance, so I now owe $1040 for dental work. :sheesh:

I went to the dentist last week after my tooth broke, and he put a temporary crown on it. I was really nervous, and the day after I went to the dentist I woke up with acid reflux. It's been a week now, and I'm still having problems with acid reflux. Everything I eat bothers me, and I've never had that problem before.

Oh, and while I'm whining, I might also add that now that the novocaine (or whatever the heck they used to numb my mouth) has worn off, my mouth hurts. Call the WAAAHHM-bulance!

 

[Johar]

If you were in Canada I bet it wouldn't cost $1,049. :sheesh:

I hate those damn shots! My dentist never has used the gas. He swabs my gums and only waits a few seconds before jabbing me with the needle. And he points it at my face as he is coming in for the landing.

And once he was doing a root canal and he drilled into a live nerve. That was incredibly, impossibly painful.

This is 2005. Why are they still filling cavities this way?

 

[Ladskater]

I leave in about 10 minutes for a routine cleaning, but am nervous as hell. I guess part of it is because I have a sore tooth, which may or may not be related to sinus irritating the nerve endings.

I am terrified I will need a root canal or cavity filled.

Gosh, I am such a big baby. I wish these darn butterflies would go away. And the upset tummy I have because of them.

I have an avid fear of dentists! Despite the fact, that I have had about six or seven root canals done over the years and several crowns, I still quake with fear at the thought of going. I recently had a check up - after neglecting my teeth for about five years - and was pleasantly surprised to learn I had no cavaties! I had to have a major cleaning of course.

My biggest phobia is when they put the rubber dam on my mouth. On one of my previous visits when I had to have work done, I panicked and the dental assistant had to take the dam off twice. I felt faint. I also have to have about eight or nine needles of novocane before the dentist can proceed. He could hardly believe on my last root canal it took six needles to freeze my gum!! That was a four root canal treatment. I also had to pay out of pocket for that visit as well as for the crown which followed. Cost me about $2,000.00 Thank goodness I am now on my husband's dental plan!!!

I share your fear!!

 

[sk8tngcanuck]

OMG,

I have to be one of the WORST dental patients EVER! My dentist is very patient with me, and is fantastic, but I get so worked up about dental appointments that I don't sleep the night before. My dentist now gives me a perscription for Halcion before i have to see him, and I get the " happy nose" when I go but I am still a mess. That said, I am going to relay my last visit to the dentist to you, as it was the WORST experience ever.

I had a tooth that was very decayed in the back of my mouth. I was given the choice of removal or root canal. Since there is no way in the world I would sit in any dentist chair for 2 hours, I elected to have an exactraction, as it seemed the quickest possible way of dealing with the problem. I took my happy pill an hour before I went, just as I am supposed to. Arrived at the dreaded clinic right on time (normally I am a person who is early for everything, but hey this is the dentist's office and NO way am I going to be there any longer than necessary).
I take my seat in what I am sure is a very comfortable chair under normal circumstances, but I see no comfort in any part of the dentist office. He gives me the needles to freeze the back part of my jaw. All is going reasonably well, seeing as I am higher than a kite on halcion and nitrus! He then begins the extraction process, and low and behold, the tooth breaks off at the gumline
He then explains to me that he is going to have to bisect it and take it out in 2 parts, which is still a relatively easy procedure, but of course more than I had expected in the first place. Out comes the saw he must use to cut the root into 2 sections. As soon as he touches it to the root, I nearly came out of my chair. I could FEEL immense pain. He realizes that perhaps he needs to freeze me a little more, so out come the dreaded needles AGAIN. 2 more needles, and away he goes with the saw again - and again, they nearly had to peel me off the ceiling. I would rather give birth to a baby elephant than tolerate that pain again. 2 more needles, one more attempt with the saw, and still no luck. He has determined that he can't get the freezing to take well enough to do the procedure. Apparently this happens on occasion, especially with very tense patients. So now, there I sit with a broken tooth, with all the nerves now fully exposed - it was AGONY! I ended up having to go the next day (longest 24 hours of my life) to a dental surgeon in the city. The only good thing about seeing him was that I received a general anaesthetic. The bad thing is it cost me 1100 dollars vs. the 30.00 I would have had to pay had it been the regular extraction that I was expecting.

That's the story of my last, and most likely final, dental visit ever. I would rather give birth to 12 baby elephants than endure another dental visit ever.

Canuck

 

[RealtorGal]

I'm not afraid at all, I just don't have those "Oh, goody! I've got a dental appointment" warm & fuzzies!

In all fairness, I've been fortunate and have had very few dental issues, thank heaven. Semi-impacted wisdom teeth in my 20s made me look like a chipmunk. One crown, some gum treatments and a few fillings, now all replaced with white ones. I never feel the novacaine needle because I always use nitrous oxide. ALWAYS. Then I get all goofy and my dentist and I talk stock market. When I was a teen, my dentist ran out of it and was preparing to give me a shot of novacaine before a filling, and I got up out of the chair and said, "Call me when you replenish your supply." And I left.

My poor husband has been through much worse, yet he is never fearful. I could never handle what he's been through: dental surgeries, bridges, root canals, crowns--what a mess. You'd never know it by looking at his teeth, which look really good--but that's because he's obsessed with taking care of them.

Even my daughter is much braver than I could ever be. She's almost out of braces--and she's still 10! She started orthodontia just before she turned 7, then went through a series of appliances followed by braces. She's been amazing through it all. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), although she was only 6, her mouth was that of a 9 or 10 year old and there were already "issues". I think I've scared her into rigorous follow up by telling her that if she did not wear a retainer after the braces come off next month, there is a high probability that she'll be back in braces in her teens. NO WAY does she want to do that again!

Unfortunately, my idiot dentist told my Mom I didn't need braces, when I really did. Now I'm considering doing the Invisiline. My daughter's orthodontist said I would be a good candidate. Anyone ever do it?