Dentists & dental work....how do you feel about it? Am I the only wimp?

You are certainly not alone. My husband's career was in dentistry in the military and I was a dental assistant, quality control was superb - civilian sector however, we do not like going to the dentist because the ones we have been familiarized with do shotty work and the sterilizing and general disinfecting practices are not up to par! a lot of germs fly around a dental operatory and they should be extra careful with cleanliness.

I guess I will just say that I am sorry for your pain. I will also remind you that whatever starts as a little job has the potential to turn into a big expense, if neglected.Like your hubby. The other thing is that if you have an oral infection it might make your cancer treatment less effective. I hope all is well and you get by with just cleaning and xrays.

I am also a big wimp when it comes to going to the dentist. there is a dentists office right around the corner from where we live. I keep saying I am going to make an appointment but so far haven`t. I must get better at going.

Atleast you have a reason for the way you feel. I am just scared of the dentist for no reason. I just fear the dentist although I won't let my children know that. I hope all is going well for you and you beat this thing. You are a very brave person and my prayers go out to you.

I hate the dentist!! It is amazing I can go years without going to the dentist and no pain. I go back and get my teeth cleaned and any other work that may be needed and my teeth hurt for months afterwards. Ugh!! And that drill !!!!! it is just eeeeeeee eeeee eee ee eeee eeee Like nails on a chalkboard. Oh and I have TMJ so by the time I leave my jaw hurts and it hurts for days afterwards. I honestly prefer the ob-gyn!!

I'm a wimp also LOL I don't like dentists and have avoided going to them for years. I am 36 years and the last time I had seen a dentist was in High School (like 1980's). Since moving to USA, we have since acquired dental insurance and so my husband thought it would be good for us to get out teeth checked and cleaned for starters (since its 100% covered LOL), so he did his first and found that he needed to have a lot of work done on his teeth. I went two weeks ago and found that my teeth were pretty good and only had 3 small cavities, so in all, it wasnt too bad. I expected the worse considering I had not seen a dentist in over 15-20 years. The cleaning process does not hurt at all so if that is all you are going in for, then you will be fine. Think of it as if you were using a tooth pick to clean between your teeth, but instead someone else is doing it for you :) Good Luck!

I haven't been to one in along time. My best advice to you is just relax. They have great painkillers now and things don't hurt at all. Just close your eyes and DO NOT WATCH what they are doing. If you do then you might imagine pain where there is none. Just sit back and think of being on the neach. It will be much better that way. Good luck.

i always do not like going to the dentist. i dunno... maybe because i have a naturally distructured and weak teeth... LOL.

YOu're certainly not alone my friend :):) I'm the queen of the whimps when it comes to dentists. The funny thing is that when I was back home I had no problem of fear of the dentists, and it gets even more interesting because the way they worked was completely different then here. I remember having a root canal without ever using anything other than a spray anesthetic. Sure we had to go there a few times until it was done but it was done without injections. Even drilling was done without injected anesthetic. It didn't hurt and it didn't scare me - because all who know me , know that my problem is not pain but needles LOL . Then I came here, things are done faster, for sure. But there's a nice needle for every simple procedure, and it scares me and I end up avoiding the dentist. I think all the anesthetics really cover the fact that the dentist can be sloppy.. it doesn't matter, it's all numb and we won't notice. As opposed to back home, where the dentists didn't hide their sloppiness behind xylocaine . THey had to be precise and really know what they were doing. These ones don't scare me, it's the other ones that do :)

I used to be becasue had several really bad dentest and experiences in the chair with them. Had wrong side froze then they drilled the tooth with cavity, realisising the mistake they froze top not the bottom and started to drill again not listening to me till i jumped outta the chair. It was not until my sons were old enought to go adn would nto unless i went first. The dentest i see now is the best ever and i am so relaxed tha have fallen asleep in the chair couple fo times now.

You have my sympathy. I got my first root canal last year and they had to give me Nitrous Oxide just so I could stand the Novacane shot. The Nitrous Oxide is fun. Although, the first time I got it, I thought I was going to die. Everything was fine. Now I know why they call it laughing gas. When the procedure was all over, I felt like I was not acting normal, like people could tell something was wrong with me and that made me laugh uncomfortably. There is no way I ever want to have anything major done to my teeth again, without Nitrous Oxide.

Your not alone! I also hate going to see the dentist. I actually went not too long ago becuase I had a horrible toothache and I couldnt take it anymore. I was actually close to needing a root canal but I got lucky I suppose. The main reason I dont go now is because I dont have health insurance, but honestly when I was there it wasnt even nearly as bad as I had remembered it as a child. But by no means was is pleasant lol.

I am 63years old woman.My main regret in life is that I did not take care of my teeth from young age.In India where i live dental care is very affordable.what was lacking was awareness. I have lost almost half the number of my teeth having to get them out one tooth every two years.But 10 years ago I was treated by a very reknowned dentist surgeon who believes in saving tooth.he made 3 bridges and a denture with 3 teeth for me.I am not having any serious problem after this. I am very sorry to hear the cancer and dental problems you are having.while i wish you speedy recovery, take care to see the grand children of yours are aware of the importance of good teeth.

hey you're not the only one...i admit im kinda scared of dentists especially with the equipments or tools that their using but we're not the only ones who are scared ive got a lot of frnds who are too!!

I share the same feeling as you. My friend told me about her dentist and how good he was so I went. I did explain to the nurse and denist that I was terrified and that why I had not been to one. After he found out he was really good with me. So just let them know that you are scared. You won't be the first person in his/her chair that was not scared. If they are good you will have a good experance.

I completely freak out when it comes to the dentist thing. I went like 4 years without going. I felt like a wimp because my 8 year old doesn't flinch at the thought of the dentist. I have really sensitive teeth. Now when I go in for a cleaning I have them numb me up before they start the cleaning. It helps me relax a little and doesn't hurt me when the start working on me.

I am so sorry to hear of what you are going through. If you cannot have either of those two shots then that is an even better reason to go to the dentist frequently so you do not get decay. You are not alone. I dislike going to the dentist. However, it is better to go for preventive work so you do not have to go for major work. You are not a wimp, my friend.

You are not the only wimp. I havent been to the dentist for about 5 years now and stopped going because my dentist went private and I used that as an excuse. I put my name on the NHS waiting list. Now I have been accepted by an NHS dentist and have my appointment in two weeks time. It is only for a check up but I am terrified it will be more. As soon as I get in the door I get nervous. The smell of the hygene products and the noise of the apparatus just turns my stomach. I am sorry about your cancer and hope you are not in pain now. You are definately not alone in this one

OMG, That's me too! I went last year to have 5 cavities filled, Had to have nitrous oxide to make me 'Feel Good" it worked! but I still don't want to go back... maybe its the sound of the drill or the pain from them scraping my teeth from alll the plaque???? who knows!

I don't mind going to the dentist. I've never had a cavity so that probably helps. I did have my wisdom teeth removed. I actually like getting my teeth cleaned.