Starting to worry about my teeth...

belfastgirl23

I have to say as a mostly reformed dentist phobic, just go...

Dentists (or good ones anyway) are very used to terrified patients. In fact the dental surgery is one of the very few socially acceptable places to be terrified. If you explain that you're nervous they'll be great. I have quite a few big and old fillings and am in the process of getting them replaced and only once have I had any real pain. And even then it was only for a few seconds. In fact I have even had a couple of small fillings without anaesthetic.

I think the key is to find a dentist you feel you can trust. Personally I much prefer a female dentist (illogical I know but I think this is one area where you can indulge yourself in being biased). I know that my dentist knows what she is doing and that I am in safe hands. this helps a huge amount...

Also you do get a real high after you go.

I'm down now from actively dreading the visit from the time I make the appointment to dreading it only the morning before. I even sleep as normal the night before going. In fact once lately I managed to forget it altogether this would never have happened a few years ago cos the date would have been practically burnt into my brain.

And you do only get one set of teeth. The longer you leave going the more will need done so it's best to go regularly...

Go on, make the appointment now!

Toothsmith

queensway_boy wrote: »

I think you might be pushing it a bit there toothy:D

You should see mine!! Especially now I've got nice new comfy leather sofas in the waiting room!!!

ofnus

after reading the forums on sparkys link and looking at some of the pictures on there, i have taken a small amount of comfort from the fact that my teeth dont look anyway near as bad as i thought, and as much as they embarrass me they wont be the worst teeth a dentist will have seen.

im feeling more resigned to my fate that i have to do it this year and it cant be put off any longer. im really worried about how much it is all going to cost and whether i can afford it all.

can someone give me an idea of costs (nhs vs private). how does dental insurance work? how do i know how much cover i would need? are things like xrays included in the cost of appointment or are they extra? do you have to pay to see the hygienst as well as the dentist? are private dentists better with phobics than nhs (oiece of string question i guess).

thanks for the advice and support.

moomin_white

ofnus wrote: »

can someone give me an idea of costs (nhs vs private). how does dental insurance work? how do i know how much cover i would need? are things like xrays included in the cost of appointment or are they extra? do you have to pay to see the hygienst as well as the dentist? are private dentists better with phobics than nhs (oiece of string question i guess).

thanks for the advice and support.

i personally believe a private dentist would be more likely to be better for a dental phobic than an Nhs Dentist. This isn't a knock at NHS dentists, but a private dentist will (generally) spend double the time with a patient than an Nhs dentist will. If you are nervous, you don't want a dentist rushing you in and out of the surgery -it will only make your nerves worse!
regarding hygienist, you always have to pay seperatley for their appointments!(sorry!)
dental insurances all vary, and generally (like many insurances) it gives you peace of mind rather than being cost effective!

specsappeal

I thought i'd throw in my two pence worth. I was absolutely terrified of the dentist after a traumatic experiance as a child. In fact i have been known to walk out of the surgery when my name has been called . I was an NHS patient and my surgery was always packed and i always had to wait at least an hour before i was seen. As you can imagine this did not go down well for me as i would be sitting there physically shaking and close to tears. So i decided to have a look at a 'private' surgery and my god it was like walking into a different world. I signed up there and then. The surgery is bright and very calming and i never ever have to wait more than a couple of minutes to be seen. the dentist is absolutely great, on my first visit i explained that i was a complete wuss and she was fantastic. she always tells me exactly what is going on and what she is going to do. A check up lasts about fifteen minutes which suprised me as at my previous dentist it was less than a couple of minutes!
Ok so its not cheap (£50 for a check up and scale and polish, fillings start at £60 etc) BUT to me it is worth every penny without a doubt. I still get a few butterflys when my checkups come round but i am not filled with dread anymore. I always get a receipt with a breadown of what shes done and how much it is etc. I put money away each month to go towards the cost of my dental appointments and it works great for me.

belfastgirl23

I go through Denplan insurance - we pay almost £40 a month (for myself and DH) but because of no of old fillings I have and the fact that he has a bridge (I think that's the word) we're higher risk than a lot of people - I think we're in the middle of the 5 levels of risk they cover. If you don't have anything really 'wrong' with your teeth you'll probably be lower cost. That covers pretty much everything I've ever had to get done BTW.

I do think private is the way to go if you're scared...

Lots of luck.

ofnus

im back.

well its the end of the month and ive been paid. with a bit of shuffling of the finances, ive managed to free up £200-£300. im hoping this will be enough to get me through the first consultation and so on, but i have no idea what im going to need or how much it should cost. im guessing appointment, set of xrays, session with hygienst at very very mminimum, and thats before any treatment i will need. can anyone give me an idea of costs and how much these will vary from nhs to private dentist?

next step is to find a dentist. the thought terrifies me but i know i have to do it. how do i do this? what should i be looking for, aside from someone non-judgemental who understands phobics?

Id be dead chuffed to think that i could have faced the fear and had an appointment by the end of feb. any advice, support and encouragement you can give will be fab cos god only knows how much im gonna need it.

Toothsmith

As it seems to be the thing I repeat the most often, I have changed my signature to give my top tips for finding a new dentist.

belfastgirl23

Good for you.

I think the best way to start is to ask around your friends and see who has a good dentist, preferably one who is used to working with nervous patients (I think dentists who are good with kids are also probably good with us tremblers ). See if you can get a chance to have a quick chat with them. Your first appointment will normally be a check up where they just have a check around and see what needs done, do xrays etc. At that stage they'll suggest you come back for whatever work needs done. Sometimes mine has also suggested doing a minor filling or whatever at the time, I always jump at the chance cos once I'm in the chair I'm fine. If you only want appointments in 15 min chunks that's fine or if you'd rather have a longer one to get everything done it's worth saying so. Although there is a limit to how much of your mouth they can freeze at one time

Sorry I can't help with costs at all but I do think it's worth exploring dental insurance when you first select your dentist and see what the options are for taking this on. If you're on a budget I think it's worth pointing this out and asking them to figure out what really needs done and what you can maybe live with for another six months or whatever.

And lots of luck. Going to the dentist is something you might dread but you don't ever regret!!

Also just remembered I always take some bach flower Rescue Remedy with me, it does help calm me down. And I make a point of getting an early morning appointment so that I will def be seen on time (the worst bit is the waiting IMHO) and usually walk there since walking calms me down too. Don't be afraid to use whatever you need to except probably whiskey

ofnus

thanks both

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

I think the best way to start is to ask around your friends and see who has a good dentist, preferably one who is used to working with nervous patients (I think dentists who are good with kids are also probably good with us tremblers ).

see the problem with this is admitting that you have the problem/phobia, and then comes the whole social stigma of being gross and never having been to the dentist. although i guess some of them have figured it out :cool: its like a part of the al anon's 12 step programme :eek::D not sure if im ready for that yet. do plan to 'come out' to my other half though and get his help and support

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

See if you can get a chance to have a quick chat with them. Your first appointment will normally be a check up where they just have a check around and see what needs done, do xrays etc. At that stage they'll suggest you come back for whatever work needs done. Sometimes mine has also suggested doing a minor filling or whatever at the time, I always jump at the chance cos once I'm in the chair I'm fine. If you only want appointments in 15 min chunks that's fine or if you'd rather have a longer one to get everything done it's worth saying so. Although there is a limit to how much of your mouth they can freeze at one time

ok well good to know what to expect. thinking longer term, it probably will be best for me to get as much done in one go, if it means less trips. all comes down to what i do actually need doing though, i suppose. at the mo i can only speculate, which normally leads to thinking the worst. i do think the first appointment willl be the worst...its like the not knowing is the hardest. think i'll be able to psyche myself up for what follows (failing that, copious amounts of drugs, to the point where i dont care what they do to me).

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

Sorry I can't help with costs at all but I do think it's worth exploring dental insurance when you first select your dentist and see what the options are for taking this on. If you're on a budget I think it's worth pointing this out and asking them to figure out what really needs done and what you can maybe live with for another six months or whatever.

do think some sort of insurance plan will be the way forward longer term, to motivate me to keep going as much as anything. although any savings will be a great help. whilst i aint skint, i aint flush either.

longer term again, where does dental health insurance sit with cosmetic dentistry? (orthodontics specially, straighten teeth and closing gaps rather than whitening and so forth). would i be able to claim towards that, or would it all have to come out of my pocket? i've read that can easily cost in the region of £2k +. guess i'd best start doing some overtime :rolleyes:

thanks again for the info and encouragement, its much appreciated