Anxious-help me reframe the dentist

[Changedusernameforthis2]

Hello I had toothache last week and went straight to the dentist. Got antibiotics and a 45 min appt this week to investigate the tooth. He could see cracks in from grinding. He has said root canal is a possibility or extraction.
I've been to this dentist before (private as no NHS spaces) and he is nice, they are a practice who say anxious patients are a speciality of theirs. I've since not been able to stop googling.
One part of my brain is screaming THIS IS ONE TOOTH GET A GRIP. I've had fillings there before, and never any issue at all. Last time I went I felt fine in the chair (and that was when I was in pain and he was prodding) it's like my brain has hijacked itself and has blown this all out of proportion. Lots of positive stuff on here from people who have had root canal and say its just like a long filling. Someone at work was good and said to reframe it as the dentist is helping me not to be in pain which sort of worked. It's like my brain won't comply though and just keeps obsessively researching. Help me get a grip!

Is the issue that you are obsessively looking things up? Or are you too scared to have the actual treatment?

If it's the second then you can get some help. I have severe sensory issues and ARFID so any kind of dental work was stressing me out beyond what I could cope with. My GP prescribed some medicine to help get me calm enough to get into the dentist chair. The dentist then did the work while I was sedated. I had it done last thursday and I'm already pain free again.

Obsessively looking things up.
In a way, my health anxiety will get me back there as I'd be too anxious about leaving it untreated..
I just need my brain to wait until the appt and see what my dentist says, rather than Google every possible thing that might happen, then every possible thing that might happen afterwards...

I've seen this interesting thing for anxiety which has a terrible name (reparenting) but I think could be useful. You basically talk out loud to yourself (when alone) and say all the things you'd say to you if you were a young child to reassure (let's wait and see what the dentist says, the dentist is there to make you feel better, the dentist is going to look after you...)

@Changedusernameforthis2 I have an appointment for a root canal filling this afternoon and I can't wait! I have had toothache for a month so although the appointment won't be particularly pleasant I am SO looking forward to it not hurting any more.

If you can view it like that it will really help, I think.

I can't offer much advice then sorry. I have the opposite issue - mentally I have no bad thoughts about my dental treatment. I know what needs doing and I want it to be done. Nothing about it feels scary.

But then I feel a full body terror and go into "fight and flee" mode as soon as it comes time to actually go through with it. The medication was enough to get me into the chair but I was shaking from head to toe and tried to leave a couple of times while calmly joking and laughing with the dentist. It's like my brain and body are controlled by two very different beings.

I get flashes of this, and my dentist is great. I have flashes of "well done, you are getting it sorted" but I have anxious OCD in the form of intrusive thoughts and fixated behaviour. I hate it as I can feel ny brain running the show, and another bit of my brain trying to get it in check. Weirdly, in the dentist chair I'm OK, I can rally round. This bit before though is mentally exhausting

Your brain is acting like a wild horse and you really must show it who is in charge. Allocate 15 minutes "worry time" at a specified time each day and allow yourself to worry yourself into a frenzy- really go crazy with worrying scenarios. The only caveat is that the rest of the day you are not to google or think about it- there is no need as you have your allocated time to do it. I guarantee that once you get to that time, you will struggle to fill it with worry for 15 mins.

Reframe the dentist as "yippee! finally I'm getting my tooth sorted out- thank goodness its being sorted - what an absolute relief and what a blessing I have my dentist" and keep repeating this over and over to yourself.

Cold showers- I've found cold showers immensely helpful for panic/anxiety. I started with 30 seconds of cold water at the end of a normal shower and now I am up to 2.5 mins. Once I get out- I feel completely calm for several hours afterwards- literally, its like having a diazepam, it releases dopamine and other neurotransmitters that make you feel good.

Wow this is so right. The wild horse thing is exactly spot on.
Years ago when I was in a bad place, I used the worry time thing and I'd forgotten all about it! I will definitely use that. Thank you for the reminder!
I'll try the cold shower thing too

@Changedusernameforthis2 I'm back from my root canal treatment, the first part of it anyway. I had a lot of local anaesthetic injections but only 2 hurt at all as I was numb for the other ones. So the actual treatment itself did not hurt AT ALL!

I expect to be a bit sore for the next couple of days - after all I have had a lot of injections! I was also warned that the dressing my tooth was packed with might cause a burning sensation for a few days. This was a particular dressing that was used because there was so much inflammation that there was quite a lot of bleeding, and I'm on blood thinners which didn't help, but not everyone has that. This should be nowhere near as painful as the toothache - in fact I have been assured that I may have a little discomfort but no pain.

I go back in 2 weeks to have it finished off.

Thanks so much for giving me the detail, I always feel much better to hear people's experiences.

How does the dressing stay in your tooth? Has it got a temporary top on?

@Changedusernameforthis2 I think it's like a temporary filling - not sure really! But I can bite on it.