Seeing a dentist for the first time in 5 years tomorrow, need a hand hold please!

[Lsquiggles]

I've always been scared of the dentist and have never been good at taking care of my teeth. I used to use an electric toothbrush but it hurt my gums so I stopped. I use a manual toothbrush once a day but brush gently because I have gum disease and it hurts. I'm only in my twenties and ashamed of the state of my teeth, I've been drinking litres of fizzy drink everyday for 10 years so I should've seen this coming

I have a tooth abscess that you see when I smile and in the past week have had agonising tooth pain and swelling. I've just noticed the tooth is wobbly and I'm freaking out.

I have an emergency appointment tomorrow and the thought of a dentist judging me and stabbing at my gums is bringing me out in a sweat.

I want to have a nice smile and healthy gums that don't bleed, I know this is the place to start and I've ordered a new electric toothbrush but I'm terrified of what I might need doing.

Please tell me your positive experiences or just a handhold, I'm so afraid

Oh you poor thing.
You are doing the right thing going, do tell the dentist that you have always been scared of going to the dentist. They will understand.

There was a thread a while ago and some lovely dental staff said they wouldn’t judge patients who had teeth that hadn’t been looked after, they would just help them and do the best they could to improve their teeth, and their experience of going to the dentist.

I hope it won’t be as bad as you think & that they can quickly sort out your pain

How was it @Lsquiggles ?
I hope it wasn’t as bad as you feared and the dentist was able to prescribe antibiotics for the abscess & reassure you about the wobbling