Dentist fear

[annalea(:]

I have a serious fear of the dentist and i need to get a filling soon!
Ive had a few bad experiences with the dentist such as attempting to get my teeth pulled, i then freaked and ran out, i then had to be knocked out at the hospital for it to be done. Second time, i had to get a filling (the same type I'm suppose to be getting soon) i felt a lot of pain. I had a local anaesthetic injection to numb my gums (was ok with it even though I'm quite scared of needles) but when the dentist was doing my filling, i was crying and wriggling with such pain and he just carried on, he didn't even stop to let me relax for a second. It was so obvious i was in pain but he didn't care.
So now I'm extremely petrified!!
That all happened before my ocd and anxiety, so now i have no idea how to cope...
I also feel quite uncomfortable about germs now, so some guy putting his hands in my mouth and loads of other instruments reaaally un-nerves me.
Also, I'm terrified i will have a panic attack!!

Does anyone have any tips for me?
Should i tell my dentist about my fears and anxiety?
Ask about different types of pain blocker for the procedure, about the hygiene and cleanliness of the dental practice?
Or, should i just change dentist, start a fresh, tell them all of my fears and concerns?

Whenever i ask people does a filling hurt they say never ever, but they have different dentists to me, some with lower pain thresholds too!

[jhunter89]

I have an intense fear of the dentist too. I've never had a pleasant experience I had a few fillings in my time and most of them hurt. I had an appointment the other week and I was shitting myself all day and even cried while I was in the waiting room! But luckily I didn't need anything doing this time round though I have a tooth that may need root canal or extracting when I go back in 6 months :-/ definitely tell your dentist you have bad anxiety and PAs. Also I think if you tell yourself it's going to hurt, then it probaly will hurt! But it's gotta be better than having toothache or and abcess, I've had one of them very very unpleasant!!

[orangeribbons]

I would go to a new dentist and be upfront about your fears. You need to find someone who will be compassionate about it and do whatever it takes to make you comfortable. Maybe the other one was just trying to get it over with so you wouldn't be in pain longer than necessary, but who knows. Just remind yourself that he/she is a professional and you are doing a good thing for yourself by keeping your teeth healthy. Best of luck. <3

[alankay]

I'd ask for 1 mg or so of ativan and try to find another dentist that's a tad more caring. Alankay

[annalea(:]

Thanks guys!

Gonna start hunting for a new dentist! I felt like i might of been over reacting!