To afraid to go to the dentist..help me get over it!

[ohgoonthen]

I have a really bad toothache and it's driving me insane!! I've had it for months and have not done anything about it as it kept coming and going but now it's here to stay, and my whole head is in agony!! Now...I have never been afraid of the dentist although I didn't really like going, last time I was there was about a year ago (bad...I know) for a filling and it hurt but I survived! I just can't make myself go!!
I'm also 18 weeks pregnant with first DC and I have convinced myself that maybe an injection will be dangerous...pathetic I know but I now have that in my head! I can't keep taking painkillers which are doing bugger all good anyway, someone please talk some sense into me!!!!!!!

First things first. Make an appt. You can always cancel it if you bottle it. When you've made it post back I expect the dentist will probably not do anything other than give you antibiotics at the first appt if theres an infection.

You have to go. You'll get an abcess and then you'll feel like you're dying.
If you have a good dentist, iy shouldn't really hurt. The injection might not be v.pleasant, but that's all.
Injection is fine during pg.

Maybe get a new dentist? (If possible). I used to be petrified of the dentist, but then I moved to a different area and changed dentists and my experience with the new dentist was so vastly different that I am very almost over it now. I still hate the part where you have to pay at the end but I don't dread going any more.

Might it be possible to see someone else? You need to have confidence in your dentist.

emsyj - I was considering that. My dentist is very nice but I seem to have developed this phobia since going to her really. I'm not in the UK and things are a bit old fashoned here which worries me slightly when someone has a drill in my mouth!
The last time I went to get a filling in one of my top teeth, she gave me an injection in the roof of my mouth. It was very painful, and there was a very obvious crunch! The tought of it is actually making my skin crawl now!!
I don't mind injections at all and have had loads of dental work done when younger which never bothered me but somehow, that really freaked me out!
As I have a very obvious hole in my tooth on the bottom now I know I'm going to at least need a filling!
I've never heard of anyone having an injection right in the roof of their mouth, im wondering if she is infact a little evil
Am investigating other dentists and still trying to summon up some courage!

I had root canal recently-ish and told the endodontist that I was afraid of the injection and he used a numbing gel on my gum. Can honestly say I didn't even feel the needle at all.

You definitely need a new dentist. Try and find one who specialises in nervous patients. I had a couple of horrible dentists up north, but when I moved to London I had bad tooth trouble and had to find a new one. My workplace had a dentist in the building and I went there thinking 'oh they're all the same' but actually she was brilliant and she restored my faith. I trusted her completely. Am gutted now I've moved back up north again!!! It makes such a difference when you have faith in the person treating you.

Maybe change your dentist?

I've been terrified of going for years. Two years ago I had terrible toothache, saw a dentist I didn't trust, was a terrible experience. This month I had toothache again, saw a new dentist, he sorted me out(sadly had to take the tooth out) and he is now going to sort out the rest of my teeth. I'm still scared, but I trust him, he's very gentle so I'm having a filling in two weeks, then another one two weeks later... All in my own time. I can't quite believe I'm actually going to do this, huge progress, and it's all down to this very lovely dentist

There is hope! BTW I had to have an injection in the roof of my mouth - he overnumbed me to make sure I didn't feel anything - and there certainly wasn't any 'crunch'. It was just like an injection anywhere else tbh.