My Dental Phobia

Posted by: HSP Woman on: September 13, 2007

• In: agoraphobia | anxiety | anxiety & depression | dental phobia | panic attacks | panic disorder
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Being agoraphobic makes going to the dentist very difficult.

Unfortunately, I’ve had this sensitivity in my teeth for about three months now. I just dread going to the dentist and hearing terrible news like my roots are rotting and major dental surgery is the only option.

This morning, however, I gathered the courage to call and make a same-day appointment. But, first, let me give you a little history.

I have a dental phobia based on a couple of things: the primary problem being that I prefer to avoid places where escape might be difficult or embarrassing in the event of a panic attack.

Second, there is the side of me that has suffered from some traumatic events related to dentistry. Here, I will recall just one of them to make a point.

It was Halloween, 1998. I was in the hospital, in the O.R. specifically, minutes away from a major jaw surgery to correct a malocclusion. Since it was Halloween, there must have been some vampire teeth hanging around.

So there I am, lying unconscious on the operating table, my face painted with that yellowish antiseptic. On both sides of my exposed neck, hunching over me, were two nurses wearing fake vampire teeth. They were pretending to suck my blood.

How do I know this happened?

Two months later, I was at the surgeon’s office for a follow up. My three-inch thick file lay on the counter, bursting at the seams. Then, suddenly, a Polaroid falls to the floor.

I pick it up and nearly faint. It’s a photo of me — unconscious and exposed — with two vampire nurses, mouths open, just inches from biting my vulnerable neck.

All I could do was write a letter to the head nurse. She, in turn, apologized and said she’d offer her staff “sensitivity training.” Big deal, right?

I am still sick over what happened in that operating room.

Needless to say, I have good reason to be phobic of dentists. I read, too, that the mouth is a very sensitive, private area. It does feel violating to have someone forcing his/her way into the private space of one’s mouth.

Yesterday, I searched and searched the Internet for support.

I finally came across this wonderful, compassion, intelligent site called Dental Fear Central.

Wow! Are there some great ideas there!

For example, here are two ideas that halt gagging in its tracks:

Breathe Right snore relief spray. Here’s a quote about this product from the web site:

I had a patient a few months ago who came in with a broken tooth which needed crowning, I cringed at the thought of doing this crown because of his severe gag reflex. He told me not to worry because he had a cure for his gagging problem. Astonished as to the cure, I inquired. He told me he had been using the snore relief spray from Breathe Right. We did the crown prep with no gag problems at all. I was amazed, so we have been using this on all patients with a gag reflex and I would say it works nearly 100% of the time. The worst patient I knew of was this beautiful 11 year old girl who would throw up almost every time she had her teeth cleaned. She is now able to have x-rays, cleanings and such done without incidence.

And, how about regular table salt to stop the gag reflex?

One pretty bomb proof tip for handling gaggers is the use of table salt on the tip of the tongue… Get the patient to dip his/her moist finger into a dampen dish of salt and get them to dab it onto the tip of the tongue. Works 95% of the time.

I’ve had the fear of vomiting in public for years. Sometimes when I am really nervous I start to dry heave and gag. Carrying a bit of salt around could be a useful trick in more places than the dentist’s office!

This web site also expands upon a number of the specific fears people have when visiting the dentist, including:

• embarrassment
• loss of control
• pain
• needle phobia
• sights, sounds, smells
• panicking or crying
• the drill
• choking
• being awake
• extensive treatment

The site also suggests writing a letter to the dentist about one’s needs and concerns. This is exactly what I did:

Dear Dr. Myers,

I have extreme anxiety when in the dentist’s office. This is probably a result of the hundreds of hours I have spent in dentists’ chairs. I have had two orthognathic surgeries and full sets of braces twice.

Also, I have Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia. I was diagnosed with this in 1989. I was taking medication for this, but I have recently stopped. I didn’t feel the benefits of the medication outweighed the number of side effects I was experiencing.

Concerns of Mine:

1. I will panic while in your office, no doubt. So if you see me pale, shaking, sweating, etc, just realize it’s a panic attack and nothing more. Just ignore it.
2. I may have to get up and walk around if the panic gets too unbearable. If this happens I will give you a hand signal (raise my pointer finger), or I will vocally tell you I need to take a small break.
3. Stories and discussions that are dental or medical in nature tend to escalate my panic.
4. The fewer people around while I am getting treatment the better. Maybe in the future I can schedule appointments at the very end of the day?
5. My TMJ pain is still significant if my jaw is open too wide or too long. I need very frequent breaks.
6. I’d rather not see the dental instruments or the x-ray films.
7. I rather not be too reclined in the chair.
8. I need frequent reassurance that you’re almost done or almost at a good stopping point.
9. Definitely, no views of needles!
10. I want to avoid gas or sedation at all costs. I’ve worked hard to taper of the medications and it’s not an option for me to take something to lessen the anxiety.
11. Finally, if you can accommodate a nervous patient like myself, can I add your name and address to the DentalFearCentral.org web site? They collect names of compassionate dentists.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

I handed it to the receptionist as soon as I arrived this afternoon.

As soon as I was seated in the dentist chair, I added yet another need: No chain and bib around my neck! The assistant immediately obliged and unchained me. I just feel claustrophobic when there’s something around my neck. I had forgotten about this one!

Within minutes the dentist entered the room…

Dr. Myers sat down next to me and thanked me for the “Concerns and Needs” letter. I felt like he really had some compassion in him at this point.

He asks me if he can take a look inside my mouth.

He looks.

“No cavities!” he declares.

Don’t get me wrong. Part of me is ecstatic that I have no glaring problems. My confidence is mounting. Full-blown panic is nowhere to be seen…

“But, it really hurts while and after I eat cold things,” I said.

He tells me it’s probably my sinuses (for three months??). Uh, okay…

Then, Dr, Myers starts to say goodbye.

Wait! What about the x-rays? I wasn’t going home only to obsess about the x-rays I need anyway on my previously scheduled September 20th appointment.

The dentist is reluctant to do x-rays, saying he wants this visit to be a “positive visit.”

Okay, I have panic disorder, I am not 5 years old!

Now I am starting to get insistent.

“How do you know I don’t have any cavities if you don’t take x-rays?” I say, feeling like he must be joking with me.

Well, I got him there. He admitted I may have a cavity in between my teeth (duh!).

So, the next 20 minutes are taken up with a very, how do I say, a very “challenged” x-ray technician. She is rough and seems really inexperienced. She also insists that I must “relax my tongue.” My tongue is apparently too wide or something. What a strange thing to tell a patient.

After all the fussing about, the technician can’t find my x-rays on the computer. The dentist comes in and, together, they continue fussing about.

Meanwhile, I am just grateful it’s almost over!

Something interesting happens next. Dr. Myers sits down next to me and tells me my teeth will probably never decay. Great! I’m ready to go, and he keeps chatting about why I am phobic of the dentist.

Then I suddenly remember to ask him if he wants his name on the Dental Fear Central web site. Hey, it’s free advertising.

He says “No.” That’s it. No.

I’m taken back for a moment.

No?

“Why not?” I ask.

He then says, and I quote, “…because people like you are too much work.”

Now, I am speechless. As I recall this moment, I can still feel the effects of shock.

PEOPLE LIKE ME?

He continues, “People like you take too much time. Look how much I did with you today.”

HOW MUCH YOU DID WITH ME TODAY?

I quickly responded with “You looked into my mouth. That’s all you did. Literally.”

He replies, “Well, look how much TIME I spent on you.”

My jaw was on the floor. I was angry, shocked. He must have seen my rage.

“Don’t be offended. It’s just that I can’t charge for TIME, I only charge for fillings, root canal, procedures… Not for time. People like you take too much time.”

I insisted he charge me then. He refused.

I told him I was indeed very, very offended. I hadn’t asked for a minute of his time more than reading the letter I brought into his office.

PEOPLE LIKE ME…

I got up, gathered my purse, and left. Left for good.

Yeah, like now I would feel really comfortable actually requesting a break if I were panicking! Talk about added pressure!

I was proud of myself for vocalizing my disgust with him, but at the same time, I should have really given it to him.

Six hours later, it’d be really easy for me to keep crying the way I did as soon as I left the building. But, no way! Dr. Myers, DDS made a fatal mistake — trying to fake compassion.

Not only has he lost my regular, every 6 months’ appointments, but he also lost my husband’s business.

Shame on you, Dr. Myers.