I think I found a periodontist. Or an office, anyway. Funny thing is, it's on the next floor up from the prosthodontist I visited on Monday. Same building. (Okay, okay, it IS called the Medical Dental Building!) It's called Advanced Periodontic, Microsurgery & Implantology, and they offer the services I think I need, especially the advanced techniques to regenerate bone loss using a "minimally invasive" surgical procedure. But even better that that is the paragraph where they explicitly address phobia:

"We cater to our patients' individual needs and desires. Anxiety control is accomplished with oral sedation, nitrous oxide sedation, and a caring, thoughtful staff approach. IV sedation by a certified anesthesiologist is available on request."

I like that.

I dunno, maybe I'm just getting my hopes up falsely. And I think I know why. Over the last five days, I've gone through the stages of grief!I know that sounds a little strange, but when you think about it, it's not so much. Grief isn't the exclusive domain of death. We grieve for lots of things -- our lost youth, our lost dreams, our lost friends, anything we've lost, I guess. And teeth are a very very integral element of our self-image. Dreams about teeth are extremely common, and dream analysts believe the teeth symbolize anxiety about appearance, as well as fear of embarrassment (!) or a sense of powerlessness. (To read more, go here.)

So after my Monday appointment, I'll just run up one floor and make an appointment with the periodontist. In the meantime, why is it called a periodontist? I'll research that and let you know in another post.