To me it is what I make of it. Personally I don’t think it’s a big deal, I just don’t freak out about it. If you go in there with a good attitude, I’m sure you’ll be fine.

I’m usually petrified, because I can’t stand the pain.
My mother thinks I was traumatized when I was young, and had to have six teeth pulled at once. didn’t have to, but my parents agreed to it Ever since then, I completely panic about it.
I usually take a valium or a painkiller before I go, but I’m usually okay for routine cleanings. I do get jumpy, but the dental hygienist are usually very nice about that.
I’ve had a few procedures, nothing out of the ordinary though. I’ve had braces, two root canals, many teeth pulled. After I gave birth to my son, I had 11 cavities and a root canal and got three wisdom teeth pulled. All within a year. It was painful. But, thank god for dentists!

Yes. I have horrible stories about the dentist.. I don’t know why, but I guess I was not blessed with amazing jaw structure.

@casheroo – two root canals! eek! i’m going in today to have my root canal finished. he told me that this appointment should be painless but he always says that and i always feel something. they’re putting a post up into one of my roots. ew.

I don’t mind at all. Granted I’ve only ever had two cavities and THAT I did not enjoy (he novocaine injections that is). Getting a cleaning isn’t fun I guess, but it bothers me less than going to the doctor. I never go in feeling apprehensive, except when I got my wisdom teeth out, and that didn’t turn out to be a very bad experience for me. Actually I had a cleaning done a week after I got my wisdom teeth out because I was leaving for a semester of college right after and didn’t want to wait that long. The staff actually commented on how I was able to tolerate it so well after oral surgery. I just never learned to fear the dentist. Comes from going every 6 months as a kid and never having cavities as a child I guess. I also like the clean feeling afterwards.

Since it does freak you out, a good way to relax would be to bring an iPod with a playlist of nice, calming music for you. (Or loud, boisterous music if you’re getting something loud done and the noises bother you!)

@deni Second visit? I usually go for one visit…are you gett the permanent filling and then crown? I’ve never made it to that part. My first root canal failed, and the permanent tooth had to be pulled. I ran out of insurance with my second, and I really really need the permanent filling, because the tooth now has a hole in it :( I hate how expensive the dentist is :( I have dental insurance now, but I’m in the first trimester so I’m waiting to go in a couple weeks. Does it hurt when they put the permanent filling in? I was told they do it without novacaine because you have no root left…

Yes! I hate it. I hate the loooooooong wait. I hate the waiting rooms. I hate the other visitors in the waiting room. I hate the music, television channel, and knitting magazines available for people waiting. I hate when they call my name out loud to come up and all these strangers now know my name. I hate taking the x-rays. I hate the needle in my mouth that supposed to numb everything. They sometimes have to give me 2 or 3 of those. I hate root canals and I hate fillings. I hate the sound of the drill. I hate the smell of vaporized teeth. I hate when they tell me to re-schedule for another visit to fix something else. I hate looking forward to the next visit. I hate attempting to drink something after I leave the dentists office and having the liquid dribble through my numb lips all over myself. I hate going to the dentist.

The only thing I hate about the dentist is the drive I have to make over there.

I’ve been going to the same place for about 10 years now, all of the dentists there are friendly.

@Deepness – i understand completely! novacaine for some reason barely affects me, so for the first appointment of this root canal he gave me twelve shots. twelve. 12. and i still felt it. i just kept saying PLEASE GIVE ME ANOTHER SHOT. i dont mind them that much. i’ll take anything over feeling that stupid drill.

@casheroo – when this root canal is done it will have taken FOUR appointments. really inconvenient. they told me i wouldn’t need novacaine today because the tooth is dead, but i’m gonna make them give me it anyhow lol. better safe than sorry. i’m not too worried. but i am worried. i wont have my permanent filling til next time i go. they’re really dragging this thing out. ah.

and yes, isnt it ridiculous how expensive a root canal is? without dental insurance they told me it would be about 600 dollars. and i have dental insurance, and its still 200. yuck.

@deni I have to go for the next part that you are going for. Let me know how it works out for you…novacaine doesn’t work for me, which makes it so painful. I’d see your primary care physician and ask for a prescription for percocet. You can get maybe two or three, if you’ve been seeing the same doc for a while, he’ll know you aren’t drug seeking. My doctor does it for me all the time.

I’m also terrified. I think it’s mainly the position you sit in. You have no control over what’s going on, you can’t see much (except the ceiling) and you’re surrounded by sharp objects that look like they came out of a Holy Inquisitor’s toolbox. The pain itself is usually not that bad (I just ask them to use an anaesthetic), and the armchair is so confortable that I’ve actually fallen asleep a couple of times. But I hate the overall feeling, and the aftertaste of all those chemicals mixed with blood in my mouth. Even the water tastes weird.

Oh! Also. It helps that my dental hygienist is pretty hot. Babs can clean my teeth anytime… :D And my dentist isn’t too hard on the eyes either, actually. Haha.

I’m with @Deepness, I hate needles and novacaine doesn’t work for me either. So I get multiple shots in there.

What @Deepness said. My jaw is small and I have tauri, which means there is even less space in there, and the shots often either don’t work or hurt as much as the procedure.

Also, as @Jack79 points out, the position one is placed in is difficult. Modern dental chairs are flatter than the old ones, and my dentist likes us to be actually tilted head down, which makes it very difficult to breathe.

I HATE going to the dentist.

@Deepness Exactly!! I feel the same way!!! The waiting rooms bug me! I HATE the needle!!!!!!! I absolutly dispise it when people look at me when they call out my name for some reason.I hate it when the dentist says it won’t hurt but then it does!!! :( When the sucky thing comes in my mouth it hurts!!!
I HATE IT!

Of course I do, who doesn’t? It’s not like when you get the postcard in the mail from your dentist saying it’s time for your next appointment you’re all like, “Aww, yes! I’m going to schedule this as soon as possible! Can’t wait to get my teeth all poked at.”

The worst procedures I’ve had done are fillings and wisdom teeth removal. They knocked me out for my wisdom teeth, so I don’t recall any of the operation, but the couple weeks that followed sucked reel bad. There was a lot of swelling and could only eat soft foods.

The only thing that I can recommend is to make sure you take excellent care of your teeth and you won’t have to go through any nasty procedures and your visit will be much quicker with clean, shiny, cavity-free teeth!

@casheroo – i am proud to report that it was completely painless. he gave me 3 shots of novacaine even though i probably didn’t need any, but i insisted, and after that it was just the grinding of the drill that i felt. i am soo happy its over with.

I also agree with @Jack79 because that chair does make you feel…vulnerable? i dont know, but its something. it IS comfortable though, at least.

I’ve had so many procedures done and have had to endure tons as a result of going to the dentist including impressions, braces, HEADGEAR (oh, the horror!), retainers, wisdom tooth removals, filled cavities, and tons more.

It’s not that bad. You just need to walk in with a great attitude and recognize that going to the dentist really isn’t going to kill you or drill into your mouth with a chainsaw.

I wanted to be a dentist for a really long time, too. I actually love going.

Tip: If you really want to avoid certain procedures, uncover your ears and listen to the advice they give: floss daily, brush your teeth at least twice a day, and rinse. Keeps you from having to possibly endure wisdom tooth pain and cavity fillings.

After suffering with braces for 3 years, 2 oral surgeries, 5 wisdom teeth removed, and numerous cavities filled, I have always and will continue to always dislike dental visits.

I was born with brittle teeth. I can even break a tooth eating oatmeal. I hate going to the dentist.