Very scared of going to the dentist?!

Very scared of going to the dentist?

I haven't seen a dentist for almost 10 years, I'm currently 25 years old. I'm not sure why but I seem to have developed a massive phobia of going to the dentist, despite never having had any traumatic experiences. The only dental work I ever needed as a child was the extraction of 3 premolars for braces at the age of 13, and that went pretty smoothly, I don't remember it being particularly horrific or anything like that.

I've been starting to get a bit of occasional pain from a couple of teeth though and I know I need to see a dentist because they will only get worse if I leave them. But I'm absolutely terrified at the thought, it makes me feel physically sick. I don't have any huge holes in my teeth or anything like that, but I'm certain I'll need at least a couple of fillings.

It's not really pain that worries me, I think it's more finding out what needs done, and the vulnerability of lying in the chair that scares me.

What can I do to reduce my fear about this?

When I get freaked out about something where intellectually I know the situation does not warrant the amount of fear and anxiety I am feeling, I try to remind myself to have a little perspective.

Example. I have to go in for a root canal (yes, I have had several). But what situation would I rather face? That root canal....or something like cancer? What if I were going in for radiation or chemotherapy or even surgery to remove a tumor?

When I start to think about how truly bad things can (and do) get, I realize that in the big picture, something like a filling or even a root canal is small potatoes. It could be so much worse.

Now as for your fear, please remember you are not alone in this. I hear commercials on the radio all the time for local dentists who say they specialize in fearful patients! They promise anxiety-free dentistry, and my understanding is that they achieve it through things like medications (mild sedatives), laughing gas, or even having you watch a movie or listen to music while they work on you.

I once had a complete gum cleaning (they had to numb everything with novacaine) while watching that Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant movie, "Two Weeks Notice". Believe it or not I got so into the movie I was actually laughing at the funny parts, and was almost able to forget I was having something mildly unpleasant done to my teeth.

Get the phone book out and start calling dentists. Tell them up front you have extreme anxiety over coming in, and ask what measures they offer to alleviate your concerns. Don't be afraid to ask to come in and see their office and even speak with the dentist briefly before committing to an appointment.

A good dentist will do everything in his or her power to make you feel comfortable and keep things as pleasant as possible under the circumstances. And there are a lot of good dentists out there.

Don't wait much longer -- pain in your teeth is a definite sign something is going on. Everyone is different, but I have a mouthful of fillings, and with the exception of ONE, I had zero warning pains with any of them. If you are to the point of having pain, you need to have those teeth looked at. Good luck! You can do this!