My 13 year old daughter frightened to have teeth fillings!

kiwi_fruit

Funny, most unpleasant/uncomfortable things I've ever experienced at the dentist was the cleaning(just unpleasant), getting the biting impression done(maybe just me- but was really painful the thing pressing on the gum) and the bitewing xray(gag urgh). Anaesthetic injection? Mosquito bite is more painful. Those needles are absolutely tiny. Anything after injection- walk in the park. And over in minutes if simple filling.

System

I wish i could offer advice, but my last filling was so traumatic i haven't been back since

But what i will say is do whatever you can to reassure her, don't let her end up like me, 28 and too scared to go to the dentist.

TBagpuss

kiwi_fruit wrote: »

Funny, most unpleasant/uncomfortable things I've ever experienced at the dentist was the cleaning(just unpleasant), getting the biting impression done(maybe just me- but was really painful the thing pressing on the gum) and the bitewing xray(gag urgh). Anaesthetic injection? Mosquito bite is more painful. Those needles are absolutely tiny. Anything after injection- walk in the park. And over in minutes if simple filling.

You've been lucky. I hope OP's daughter has a similar experience to you, but please don't fall into the trap of assuming that your experience is universal.

I've had fillings which have been mildly uncomfortable, and I have had fillings which have been extremely painful, even with injections. Equally, some injections have been a lot more than 'just a scratch'
(by contrast, I have never had the slightest problem with x-rays or impressions - little bit of a stretch getting it into my mouth, but nothing painful)

TBagpuss

xXMessedUpXx wrote: »

I wish i could offer advice, but my last filling was so traumatic i haven't been back since

But what i will say is do whatever you can to reassure her, don't let her end up like me, 28 and too scared to go to the dentist.

It ma be worth you asking about a referral to a specialist dentist, MessedUp. I had a lot of bad experiences as a child, followed by a root canal which was badly mucked up by a bad dentist, and was left even more terrified of dentists.

I changed dentists, and the new dentist then referred me to a specialist as she said she couldn't treat me as I was shaking too much for it to be safe for her to try to drill my tooth!

I ended up with someone who did most of their work with people with disabilities, and with those with phobias about dentists. They worked with me - to start with I would be given gas and air before they did anything (even a check up), and worked up to doing scales and polishes so I got used to having non-invasive, non-painful stuff going on. They were later able to deal with a crown and replacement of fillings for me with much less stress. A lot of it was down to them being really patient, acknowledging my fear and being willing to take things really slowly with lots of pauses.

I am now able to see a 'normal' dentist and have been able to have work done, including replacing fillings, without too much anxiety.

One thing they identified for me was that there is one anaesthetic which I don;t respond well to - it doesn't do anything for the pain and it makes me feel very woozy afterwards. Because I had never had any other experience, I had just assumed that the level of pain I felt after having been given an injection was the 'mild discomfort' everyone talked about, and it was only after discussing it with the specialist, and them trying an alternative, that I learned that actually, some things work better then others! It is still a bit hit and miss for me - apparently my roots go weird places which complicates things, but it is so much better than it was. And because I go every six months, any problems are caught early on so any work needed in much more minor.

I really wish someone had suggested I was referred earlier - it would have saved me years of pain and terror.

Errata

xXMessedUpXx wrote: »

I wish i could offer advice, but my last filling was so traumatic i haven't been back since

But what i will say is do whatever you can to reassure her, don't let her end up like me, 28 and too scared to go to the dentist.

Take the advice of Bagpuss before your smile is no longer white but a mix of amber, ochre and green.

rach_k

I was terrified of the dentist and put off going for many years. I've recently started going again and had to have quite a deep filling but it was so easy that I feel ridiculous now for not going sooner. I am a wuss when it comes to pain but I barely felt the injections (two, I think) to numb everything - the absolute worst thing was the bitter taste as some of it escaped the gum but I was able to rinse that away quickly. I had to fight the urge to laugh when the dentist was getting on with things - the drilling/vibration made my nose tickle like mad. I suppose it was a little uncomfortable sitting with my mouth open for so long but hardly traumatic. If there was any pain at all I was under strict instructions to raise my hand so the dentist could stop the pain before continuing but there was nothing.

I found jamiethedentist.com quite reassuring but maybe have a read first before showing your daughter, in case she's not the type to appreciate all the info!

One thing to consider - is the dentist nice? Mine is lovely and reassuring so I'm not afraid of him or what he might do. He doesn't seem to mind my inane nervous chatter either! If your daughter is afraid, perhaps consider a different dentist as there's really no reason to be afraid, especially if she's never had a bad experience there. It might just be that she doesn't click with her current dentist and somebody else would be better.

System

TBagpuss wrote: »

It ma be worth you asking about a referral to a specialist dentist, MessedUp. I had a lot of bad experiences as a child, followed by a root canal which was badly mucked up by a bad dentist, and was left even more terrified of dentists.

I changed dentists, and the new dentist then referred me to a specialist as she said she couldn't treat me as I was shaking too much for it to be safe for her to try to drill my tooth!

I ended up with someone who did most of their work with people with disabilities, and with those with phobias about dentists. They worked with me - to start with I would be given gas and air before they did anything (even a check up), and worked up to doing scales and polishes so I got used to having non-invasive, non-painful stuff going on. They were later able to deal with a crown and replacement of fillings for me with much less stress. A lot of it was down to them being really patient, acknowledging my fear and being willing to take things really slowly with lots of pauses.

I am now able to see a 'normal' dentist and have been able to have work done, including replacing fillings, without too much anxiety.

One thing they identified for me was that there is one anaesthetic which I don;t respond well to - it doesn't do anything for the pain and it makes me feel very woozy afterwards. Because I had never had any other experience, I had just assumed that the level of pain I felt after having been given an injection was the 'mild discomfort' everyone talked about, and it was only after discussing it with the specialist, and them trying an alternative, that I learned that actually, some things work better then others! It is still a bit hit and miss for me - apparently my roots go weird places which complicates things, but it is so much better than it was. And because I go every six months, any problems are caught early on so any work needed in much more minor.

I really wish someone had suggested I was referred earlier - it would have saved me years of pain and terror.

Thank you

I'm going to have a look and see if there are any recommneded dentists near me and try and take it from there. Last time i made it as far as the waiting room to register then had a panic attack and ran away

I've already lost one of my back teeth I don't want to lose anymore!