I know I'm not the only one that is terrified of the dentist. I have no idea when the fear started, but all I know is that my parents would have to trick me into going into the car in order for me to go. To say the least, there was a lot of bargaining, crying, and tantrums. How did I get over this fear? Well, I learned it was finding the right doctor.
Different from my brother, I was always the sibling with terrible teeth. Well, just the sibling with bad enamel and the sibling that always had a cavity when we would go for our biannual check-up. When I went to the dentist as a child, I always had baby teeth that had to come out (duh). But what I hated is that my dentist would pull out my teeth during the check-up without me knowing she was going to!
I get that baby teeth have to come out, but let me know that you're doing that!! Because I had a fear, the dentist telling me exactly what she was going to do always calmed my nerves. This dentist, however, did not care whatsoever! This obviously escalated my fear of going to the dentist.
Fast forward a lot of years later, I found myself going to a new dentist because my parents moved away after I went off to college. Knowing that I haven't been to the dentist in a while (definitely more than a year) I knew that I had to make an appointment to go. I knew I would have cavities, but I really tried to stay calm and collected when sitting in the chair.
When I walked into the new dentist office, I was welcomed with friendly faces and personalities, and I was automatically calmer than I was before. Sitting in the dentist chair, the hygenist definitely knew that I was nervous and calmed my nerves by asking me questions and keeping my mind distracted.
I also will say that it was the best dental cleaning I have had in my whole entire life! She not only scraped plaque off of each individual tooth, but also brushed, flossed, and inspected. It was amazing! My teeth have never felt so good in my life (despite the fact that I, of course, had cavities that had to be tended to at a later time).
The idea that my teeth have never been cleaned like that before definitely says something about my teeth's condition. Maybe I wouldn't have as many cavities filled in my past if they were always cleaned like this. So for the past 20 years, I found myself being terrified of the dentist. How did I get over this fear? I found the right dentist that knew how to not only properly clean my teeth, but also a dentist that always had a friendly and kind smile on their face.
I wish you luck in finding the 'right' dentist! It makes such a dramatic difference and it is the only way to get over your fear!
