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I have an irrational fear of going to the dentist

Hi, I have always had six monthly check ups at the dentist since I have been a child, however I am now in my early 40’s and have developed an irrational fear when going to the dentist. I don’t have particularly nice teeth to look at as they are crooked but my fear of braces as a child (being bullied, not able to eat whilst wearing one, and not able to talk easily) meant I didn’t wear it properly so I still have crooked teeth. Most of my back teeth are also filled with big fillings and I have had one tooth out due to it breaking. I am now scared that I have broken another back tooth. It already feels chipped but the gap in it feels bigger and I keep putting my tongue in it – although I am not sure if this is just due to me being paranoid and neurotic about it. I have an appointment booked with my dentist for 13 April but I am scared to mention this tooth and that it feels like I have a lump on my gum on the opposite side of my mouth in case he says I need my teeth out. It feels like my paranoia is ruling my life for example if I am eating something soft like fruit and I feel something hard in my mouth I will be convinced that it is a tooth breaking away I don’t know what to do any more about this, I am anxious about mentioning it to my dentist in case he thinks I am a total loser, can you please help overcome this fear? Thanks

Hello
if you put your finger on a tooth in your mouth , and then put your tongue to it , you will find that it appears much bigger to your tongue !
If you have been having regular checks then the probability is greater that you have just cracked a bit of the tooth off and need some sort of repair .
Im sure he will spot it .
So your mind is playing tricks on you by thinking of the worst case scenario, thats not paranoia or being neurotic, its called catastrophising in psychological terms .So try and bring this into perspective . is it possible to get a sooner appointment to get this looked at ?
There are lots of options to save teeth even when they have been heavily restored these days
Hope this helps a bit
jenny

Answer provided by: Dr Jennifer Pinder Retired
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