another appt

Back from my third appt with JC. Did the lower left quadrant today. I have one molar that has to come out on that side, so she didn't bother with it, which I think made the appt go faster. She said she did a "nerve block" today, which is much better than just shots of novocaine or whatever, and indeed, I was pretty profoundly numb for the whole appointment. That was a relief! I'm hoping the fourth appointment goes as smoothly. And then I start dealing with the other problems -- I want all my old fillings replaced. I think I need to have some kind of braces or whatever because my bite is so out of alignment that when I bite down, almost none of my teeth meet each other. That's a bad thing.

I still have anxiety, and still have Valium before each appointment. Even so, I feel myself tensing up and have to consciously relax my shoulders about every ten minutes, as I can feel they've tensed up. But it's all eminently bearable.

Today I spent a little time on google looking up dental anxiety sites. YOu would not believe how many of them there are! I mean, really! Can it possibly be true that dentists are not aware of how deep and prevalent dental issues are among the populace? I have one comment for them -- if you would gear your advertising AND your actual practice toward addressing dental anxiety, word of mouth (no pun intended) would make you the richest dentist in town.

Here are just a few sites:

Beyond Fear

Dental Fear Central (my personal fav site)

Dental Fear(actually a NY dentist's site but has some good info)

Dental Fear (looks like it's paid for by dentists, but some good info)

Web MD ( a little condescending -- for example, it says "People with dental anxiety...may...have exaggerated worries or fears". This completely negates the fact that many people with dental anxiety have painful or humiliating past experiences that make their worries or fears completely legitimate!!)

And just for fun (or a learning experience), take the Dental Fear Questionnaire here. You may find (as I do) that your level of anxiety isn't all that bad, in fact is normal.