I fear I’ll never get over my dentist phobia
Having developed a huge fear of dental treatment in recent years, i’m greatly interested in the suggestion that therapy could help to beat fear of the dentist (Mail). a fear like this can develop from an incident you experienced in the past. in my case it was a horrendous wisdom tooth extraction a few years ago. i opted to have the extraction done under local anaesthetic as i’d had no problem with a similar procedure in my early 20s. This time, however, there were complications. The tooth shattered and i was in the chair for 45 minutes, in absolute agony. My nerves were damaged, pieces of the tooth still remain embedded in my gum, and it took many months on very strong painkillers to recover. Hence my fear of the dentist. i avoided going to the dentist for several years, but finally had to succumb when i broke a tooth. Just going into the dentist’s surgery to make an appointment reduced me to a quivering wreck. Having the treatment was far worse. My body shook so much the dentist wouldn’t continue: she said it was too dangerous. She was afraid she would drill through my cheek. Eventually, with the aid of sedatives, hypnotherapy and the support of my husband, i’ve now had a crown fitted. But i’m still petrified, and the saga continues. i’ve recently completed a course of antibiotics to clear up an infection and have been told i must have the nerves removed and root canal treatment to relieve the sensitivity. i’ve had cognitive behaviour therapy for anxiety and depression, and it has worked, but i haven’t much faith in it for my fear of dentists as my reaction to my fear is very physical. i can’t control the violent shaking, even though my head is telling me i’m being illogical. i was fascinated to read that more women than men suffer from dental phobia. is this because women are more open about their fears while men hide theirs? a colleague told me her husband goes to the dentist only when absolutely necessary and always refuses to discuss it.