Posted by WorryGirl on April 29, 2003, at 2:07:33
In reply to Dental phobia, posted by leeran on April 28, 2003, at 10:32:30
> I am sitting here in a near panic attack. Does anyone else go into a tailspin about dental appointments?
>
I used to.> I have a dental appointment at 11:00 with a new dentist that I researched in my typical obsessive fashion, going through the list of providers one by one for an entire afternoon until I found something positive about one of them out of about 150 on the internet.
>
> I have the directions to the office printed (20 miles away in a neighborhood I've never been to), copies of what our insurance company covers, and a bottle of Zithromax in case they require it before the examination (I have a very slight myocardial infarction and most dental offices require antibiotics before examination). I'm more prepared than when I went to the hospital to give birth.
>I understand how you feel. If it comforts you at all, dentists seem to be much gentler than they were in the past.
> Part of my anxiety stems back to a bike accident in college that ended up with a fixed bridge that's grown to six teeth over the twenty years since college. Plus, I have a broken back tooth that's going to require excessive work.
>I had several horrible experiences, one of which involved having one of my back teeth removed with hardly any novocaine used. I believe that this dentist was a sadist. But after having so much dental work done over these past few years, I don't panic nearly as much as I did.
> One attraction is that this dentist is a "sedation dentist," plus, he's an assistant professor at one of the large universities here - and he has a website (don't ask me why that's important - I think because I can safely sit at my computer and evaluate the situation beforehand). BUT, the "patient coordinator" said he (the dentist) could have his moods.
>
> I dreamt last night that all my top teeth (not just the bridge) fell out in his hand, one quadrant at a time. I also dreamt about a weird bathroom incident wherein the dentist could look through a sixties type beaded door curtain and see me GOING to the bathroom and when I flushed, the water was designed to cover the carpet versus going down the drain (I have had "bathroom anxiety dreams" for years and they always crop up, I guess, when I'm facing a stressful situation).
>I have had dreams about my bridges and/or teeth falling out. I believe that I read that it means that you are afraid of growing older. But I always thought that mine had to do with my bulimia. Because of it, I lost a few teeth and have had extensive bridge work.
As for your dream about using the bathroom, maybe it represents that you are afraid that the dentist will see you in a vulnerable state. Could it be that this is what is actually causing your fear of dentists?
> Sorry to go on about this, but I was wondering if anyone else has this horrid anxiety about dentists and having your mouth pryed around with.
>
>
My husband dreads going to the dentist, too. He's not phobic, but close. His dislike of dentists goes back to when he was a child - he, too, had painful experiences.
Again, the dentists these days are very gentle, and you will most likely not even feel any discomfort. Take your med and you should be OK.
Good luck
poster:WorryGirl
thread:222890
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030426/msgs/223078.html