Hi!
I'll spare you the REALLY LONG backstory. The shorter recent story: I have had a severe dental phobia since I was 5. Three terrible visits with three separate dentists and it snowballed. Around the same time - age 5 - I remember being particularly picky about food, not liking the feeling of anything in my mouth, on my teeth - including forks, spoons, toothbrush, paste, etc... and the WORST was the feeling of a loose tooth, the underside of the tooth before it came out and the socket or gum once it was gone, and cotton or gauze. In addition I HATE the sounds of eating, chewing, noises made if teeth accidentally touch utensils, don't like crunchy or very textured foods. As a child I was dragged, by force, to yearly visits and restrained for very painful work to be done. If I had a dollar for every time I heard " that shouldn't hurt" or " I've never had a patient feel discomfort from that before" or "Dont jump, quit flinching etc..." I'd have made a profit from my appointments. I am now in my 40's and since becoming an adult have only gone to the dentist three times in 20 years, only when the pain was unbearable. The third time was last week for a tooth aching for 2 years. The appointment for xrays and a partial cleaning, 45 minutes of work took 2 hours to do, and had me freaking out so much even I was caught off guard! It occurred to me the dental fear may be more than just that and I think what I've always called my " thing about teeth" may have a real name. When I read the info on this site I had one of those "A ha" moments and don't think it's just in my head anymore. I am facing at least two crown and three more fillings possibly root canals but have only scheduled one appointment.....I don't know if I can get through it. Any suggestions on what to do to make it more palatable...literally? I am afraid to lose my teeth...on one hand. On the other I think it might be better...I know how horrible that sounds...but that is where I am right now. Full of dread at the thought of someone touching my teeth and gums and the sounds and smells ...ugh. Forgive and ignore me if I have not come to the right place...I'm in a blind panic right now.

I know fear of Dentists. Though mine may not be to the degree that you have suffered. When I was young the dentist had a very hard time getting me numb, and so I always got extra shots, or big jolts of pain from drilling. I hated going. I went 5 years without going for a check up after I got married. What helped was to try it with "sleep dentistry." Though you aren't really sleeping through the proceedure, you just end up in a really "chilled out" kind of state and then you can't remember what was done/said during your appointment. I've done it twice now so they could get 4-5 things done in my mouth at once and I can remember going into the dentist, and I can remember coming home and sleeping for another couple hours, but other than that, I don't remember!! My anxiety over it is gone! I'll always do it this way. Hope that helps.

Hi Yarnmama,
Thank you for your reply and thoughtful suggestion. I have tried the sleep dentistry for these appointments but so far we haven't gotten the dose and timing right. We started one pill an hour before then one there and went to two an hour before and one there....so far I end up taking a great nap when it is over but I am wide awake and climbing out of the chair when I need to be still. Now we are moving appt to first thing in am and doing 2 before and 2 there. I've had jolts of pain like you described too. Hard to get numb and stay that way long enough to get the filing done etc. I read people 24 and younger don't have the same fear because of improvements in dentistry...but I don't know if I believe that. I think there are two issues that have merged for me. One is the dentist and all it entails. The other is the oral sensory issue. Would that be the sensory defensiveness or tactile defensiveness ? I've read a lot today and it is all merging together. The long survey I took on one of these sites I could have written...it was so scary. Things that totally made sense for the first time.

I'm sorry I have no advice on what can help but this sounds exactly like my friends little girl. When she has a wobbly tooth she won't even drink because of it.