to be TERRIFIED of going to dentist for fillings

[latterlov3r]

I know i am and millions of people get them but i was never taken to the dentist that i can remember as a child and then couldnt get registered with one, ive been on waiting list for 6 years and finally got registered i had 2 cases of emergency work in that time an extraction (horrific without working anesthetic) and a temp filling. Ive had my check up with new place and a new practice and they seemed nice but very broken english so difficult to understand i gathered that i need two appointments for fillings lasting 40mins each no idea how many i actually need or how many will be done per appointment and im shitting it i dont even know if i will get white fillings or not practically having sweats over a bloody filling!

Look at it this way - if you don't grit your teeth (sorry, awful pun!) and just go and get them sorted, they are only going to keep decaying. What is worse, a couple of fillings or some agonising abscesses, from teeth that are so rotten that they break apart and have to be dug out of your gums in pieces? Also infected tissue is very difficult to numb, you really don't want to let it get this far.

oh i know thats how i ended up with one removed 6 years ago without working anesthetic i had a bad infection and the anesthetic wouldnt take, the pain of that was excrutiating, i will definatly go tomorrow just really scared to the point my hearts racing and i know iabu and rather ridiculous lol

It'll all be over before you know it! Deep breaths and find your happy place! Or just have one of these

If the fillings are in back teeth they will be amalgam unless you pay privately for white fillings. You should be able to phone the receptionist and ask how many fillings you are having per appointment. I would guess you wouldn't be having more than 2 in 40minutes.

Try not to worry, you'll be fine. Remember you can always raise your hand if you want the dentist to stop, any decent caring dentist will Stop if you do.

i had 2 cases of emergency work in that time an extraction (horrific without working anesthetic)

that wasn't a dentist, that was butchers.

I used to be terrified - to the point of needing gas and air, valium, or intravenous valium!

Since finding a very gentle dentist who stops when I panic, I'm able to cope now. But if you're really scared, ask him to prescribe you a tranquilliser.

But it is soon over!

I am totally phobic!!! Went with an abcess, been twice now and given anti-bs!! Now they have reffered me to the NHS special clinic!!

That may be an option for you!!

AKiss - i need have to bottom ones which i know need filling can see holes in them they are sort of middle of my mouth but the 3rd tooth from the back they are just visible when i smile though

jumping - with that one i had seen emergency dentist with sudden agonising pain they couldnt get anesthetic to take so gave my anti biotics didnt work at all referred to an oral surgeon who was like a butcher anesthetic didnt take again and he pulled it on the spot i was 7 months pregnant at the time was horrific

thanks all for advice and not laughing at me :)

You're not the only one with a problem. I had a check up today and was so nervous I was shaking on going in. Dentis is nice though, which is so helpful.

It stems from when I was about 10 yrs old. My mum had forgotten to get check-ups for me and Bro for about 2 yrs and I needed a filling. The dentist was drilling and hit a nerve and I started kicking with the pain. Dentist got the assistant to hold my legs down and shouted at me it was my own fault for not going for 2 years. No anasthetic given or offered.

I feel your pain OP..... I was exactly like you. I had 2 wisdom teeth out in the chair and felt everything when I was about 19, until I found an amazing dentist.

I am there every 6 months and the best thing is I feel nothing. My previous dentist said he would only treat me if I was sedated because I was in tears every time.

Seems I didnt need sedation just a kind dentist and the right amount of anasthetic. Persevere, its worth it.

You could have written this for me, OP. I have an appointment in the morning. I am in a real state about it.

I can cope with most things, but will have to ask her not to use that hooky thingy they poke and prod with when looking to start with. That I just can't let them do.

I am shitting myself tbh and probably won't sleep tonight. But, I have toothache from a broken tooth and will have to force myself to go.

I was the same as you, and in my late teens it got so bad i would cry my eyes out, before and during, not opening my mouth to let him have a look. In the end, my mum bribed me with a pair of shoes every time i went to the dentist and behaved myself.

Its probably not the way to go about it, but could you treat yourself to something after if you get through it?

I feel for you, I really do. My dentist referrers me to somewhere called the St Faith clinic (because I said I'd kick the shit out of them thrash around a bit if they came near me in a normal surgery. Basically they give me some IV drugs, I flake out, and wake up when everything's done. Does cost a wee bit for the sedation, but is well worth it IMHO, I have never remembered anything. Ask your dentist if there's somewhere similar near you that they could refer you too ... shame they don't still do the gas and air like they used to - that was great

Not at all unreasonable but all dentists are not the same and in my experience private dentists in general are much more motivated to care about the quality of the patient's experience. There is no reason modern dentistry should ever be painful even if a tooth is infected - there are advanced numbing techniques that not all dentists bother to learn or there is sedation.
Finding a competent caring dentist you like and trust with who, there is no language barrier, is usually an effective solution to overcoming dental fear. Much of it is about needing to feel in control and to feel that the dentist has painfree techniques and means you no harm.
This non-profit website will help anyone in your shoes: www.dentalfearcentral.org

Diazepam is your friend! As long as you can sleep it off after, one high dose pill half an hour before will work wonders :)

Good luck! There are some excellent dentists out there, no reason for you to suffer

UPDATE - just to let you all know i went to the appointment and it was worse than i thought! i got a scale and polish and actually choked on the water and had to force myself up, the anesthetic for the filling numbed my tounge but half way through i got a sharp pain in tooth and nerly jumped out chair, it was given again which worked but im still numb now 4 and a half hours later! then i was told at the end the decay was deep so he just used a temp filling for 6 months if all ok then will be replaced with real filling, if not then root canal! :( ive to go back next week for other fillings dont want to!

If you don't like and trust the dentist, find one you do. NHS dentists usually change frequently so you never get the chance to build a relationship. You need to find someone who will go out of their way to make it less of an ordeal for you and who you can keep as your permanent dentist. Root canals are best done by specialists/dentists with lots of time/experience/equipment - sounds a bit like you have been fobbed off.
The newly-qualified in the nhs although well-meaning will rarely be able to stick around and also will not have honed their painless techniques.
An inexperienced dentist is a bit like accepting a lift from a recently qualified driver. I did my share of being a guinea pig for newly qualified NHS dentists in 1970s and have never regretted making dental a priority and going private since late 1980s.
With the right dentist I also have no fear - go figure - as there is no pain and they care, they want my repeat business and recommendations to friends. NHS dentists in contrast have lists of patients queuing up and can get away with very basic rushed care.