Stress Center Peer Support

I have a lot of anxiety surrounding dental visits. Years ago when I had my first fillings, the dentist insisted on doing it without any novacaine. You can imagine how good that felt! I avoided the dentist for a few years and finally went back last year, thinking I had finally found a good, gentle dentist. At first it was OK. Then I had to have a filling and he let his assistant do it. It was really traumatizing - she used a "dental dam" without even explaining why she was using it or what she was doing. I really freaked out to say the least. Having something cover your mouth/nose, freaking out that you can't breathe or that your jaw will lock (I have TMJ), etc. The end result was even more pain in my teeth than before.

Well so six months later I KNOW I need to go and found a new dentist. I do like him/his staff so far, the cleaning went well and I had no anxiety. however today I go in to do a filling that I kept putting off and I am really scared and anxious. By the way, the last dentist (or assistant) that did my botched filling is now resulting in having to do that filling over again.

What can I tell myself to let go of some of this anxiety? I'm so scared I will be in pain or that it will be as traumatic as my last experience. Relaxation techniques? Ahh!

I bit my dentist when I was about 6. I have TMJ, I had braces, I have lots of filings, 1 root canal and 2 crowns so I feel your anxiety.
The best thing I can say is to breath and relax. Talk to your dentist before they start and make sure they realize any signals you may decide on to stop or take a break if needed. I hope you have a good visit and things go well.

Hey, I am so sorry to hear about your anxiety at the dentists office. I had to get a lot of dental work done within the last few years and I have terrible anxiety, even worse at the dentist's office. My dentist actually referred me to someone else because couldn't even sit through a filling. He referred me to the best dentist. This dentist gives me medicine that really calms me down and almost puts me to sleep. He has used a dental dam on me as well, they explained it to me and showed it to me and I freaked too. There is no way they could put that thing in my mouth, but he explained that it's okay and would make it go by faster. I let them try and kept it in as long as I could before I raised my hand and they took it out. THey worked around it and around my anxiety. They always said positive comforting things even when I'm sure I was probably annoying lol.

But yes, use your relaxation techniques and just keep repeating positive things to yourself even before the dentist. If the dentist and his/her staff seems great so far maybe it will really work out and think of it that way. Not every dentist is going to be like the ones you have had, there are really great ones out there and maybe you found him/her. I say if you went through your cleaning there well with no anxiety then that is a great sign. If you experience pain or are uncomfortable you NEED to tell them right away. YOu should not be hurting during a filling, you should be completely numb, and of course you will feel some pain later for a few days, but that's normal. If you want let your dentist know about your past experiences and anxiety, that might make them more cautious and more helpful. Yes just like Sdon said, figure out the signals before hand, and USE them. It will make your appointment much better, and it will make you feel better.

Hi everyone, thanks for the responses. Schpludoinkle your advice was great! I managed to make it through my appt. I was really anxious beforehand but I kept telling myself that if I made it through without freaking out, I could reward myself somehow this weekend. My dentist was a little late arriving to my appt which made me more anxious, but I tried to use soothing self-talk to get through that.

My dentist turned out to be fantastic. He made me laugh a lot and was very relaxing. He also asked if I wanted to watch a movie while having my fillings done! It was great to focus on a movie and not worry about whether or not I'm going to have a panic attack! The two fillings were pain-free except for the numbing shots, which I expected. I am really happy with my experience although having more fillings is something I'd like to avoid! He did use a dental dam but it wasn't like the dam I had last time..instead it was just a small piece of plastic that he put against my inside cheek and was quick with the rest of the tools. It was much less nerve-wracking than the stuff my old dentist used!

Thanks all for your advice and support! I need to think of my reward for not having a panic attack this time! Things like this just make me really confident.

I am so glad your appointment was great! You're so lucky you got to watch a movie. I'm sure that did help take your mind off of your anxiety and made the appointment go by faster. What a relief to know you have a good dentist now that makes you feel comfortable if you need anything in the future, but like you said, hopefully you won't! =D Hopefully I won't either =P

So you got through your appointment just fine? How wonderful. Thank you for the follow up.