Hi everyone, mystic venus, Gossgal, Soland, brwneyze and everyone who has been communicating with me! Well, this is it, the first appointment! It is 9.30am here in Ireland and my friend calls to pick me up at 9.45 for my appointment at 10:15. Needless to say, after having never been to a dentist in my life, I am petrified! I have windy pains and I am shaking with nerves. I have built up in my mind all the terrible things they are going to say. It is just a consultation but I have horrible, disgusting, crooked, discoloured, plaquefilled teeth so I know what the outcome will be! I am terrifed. Even though my teeth have made my life a misery, I am scared of having them out. Anyway, I best go and rinse myself with mouthwash and get ready now! Will log in later to see how everyone is getting on and fill you in on how it went! Gulp...............
A very terrified Chego. :-(

Chego
I wish the very best for you.. You will be in my thoughts today..

Hey Chego, I just woke up and according to your post it was 9 am there and the post says 4 am here so I guess its been a few hours now you should be home shortly. Hope you had a good visit. Please keep us up to date. It will be really interesting to see how dental care and whatnot in Ireland compares to here in the USA. Good Luck on your quest to a beautiful smile. Keep us updated. :-) Dena

chego, i hope everything went well for you. I am thinking of you.

Good Luck, I know you will be strong. Just a few more days till my first appointment. I am so nervous almost sick. Please let me know how your experience went. ((((((((((hugs))))))))))))

Hi everyone. Soland, I will be thinking of you on the 10th. I think that's when you said you had your appointment. I know all about being sick about it. I was so terrified this morning, my stomach was turning! Well, it's 3.45 pm here now and I am over the first hurdle and I survived the first visit without freaking out! I was terrified when I got there, excuse my rudeness but I was literally farting with nerves!! My friend literally pushed me up the stairs and into the surgery. I was so petrified I couldn't even speak to the receptionist so my friend had to do all the talking. I was given a form to fill out with my dental history on it and I couldn't even remember my own address! When it came to the section about dental history I was mortified because I had to put 'none'. If anything ever happened to me, they couldn't identify me from dental records because there aren't any! At the section where it says is there anything the dentist should know I put 'petrified'. Anyway, I was hoping the dentist would be an older man(it was an older man the last time my friend was there but he passed away at Christmas, God rest him) and not someone in their twenties or thirties because I didn't want to be judged by someone my own age. I thought they would be horrified and when I went in and sat in the chair, I just bawled my eyes out and I was shaking with fear. I told them to prepare to be as horrified as I am about it all. The dentist was a young man, but he didn't make me feel judged at all. The dental nurse was lovely too. I explained everything from beginning to end and then believe it or not, I felt better because they were so nice. They made me feel at ease (Well, as much at ease as you can be at a dentists!). He examined my mouth which to me, was a horrible experience as I have never been through it before. At the same time, I just closed my eyes and pretended I was somewhere else and let him do what he had to do. He told me that if my teeth had been looked at as a child I would have been referred to an orthodonist to straighten everything out but considering that I have never been to a dentist, they could be a lot worse. He said he did not want to say anything to me about the treatment I would need yet as he wants me to get used to coming along first, since I am so scared. The sweat was pouring out of me with nerves and my friend was standing at the door to stop me running out in case I freaked! He said he would clean all the bottom teeth today (badly stained from years of abuse. I don't smoke but you would think that I did by looking at them) and ask me to return to get the tops done which are particulary bad and we would then assess what needed to be done. They spent about 15 minutes doing the bottom and although they are still not white, and as crookedly ugly as ever, there is a very definite improvement! By this time I just wanted to get out of the place, so I made another appointment for Thursday 15th at 10:30 to have the tops cleaned and I think he mentioned x-rays. I paid €40 (euros) for the visit but when I bring my national insurance number in next time, I may be entitled to a certain amount off each time. It wasn't a nice experience but I got through it so much better than I thought and I think I will be able to go alone the next time. I know after they do the clean up they will tell me what is going to happen and I really believe there will be extractions and partial dentures involved. However, I think he is easing me into it because it was obvious that I was so much more terrified than anyone else in the waiting room today! It wasn't nice but at the end of the day, only I can do it and nobody else and I really don't want to spend the rest of my days smiling closemouthedly and seeing people looking at me funny. Did you ever notice anyone, when some people speak to you and they notice you have dodgy teeth how they start putting their own hands to their mouths, or feeling aruond inside their own mouths with their tongues. You can see what they are thinking! It can be very depressing. Anyway, I know there will be lots of work to be done on mine but I am psyching myself up for it now and I think I will be able to cope. I will keep you all informed from this first beginning to my dental story until whatever happens down the line. Best of luck to you with your appointment Soland and I want the blow by blow account!
Lots of love to everyone
A much more relaxed Chego xx

GOOD JOB!!! The first step is over, glad you made it thru and sounds like you will be able to go thru the rest a lot easier now that you have made a start. Good Luck!! Dena

I am glad to hear that things went well..

Your story gives me courage. I am so glad that the experience went as well as it could. I hope mine is half as good as yours sounded. I never have been to this dentist practice but my brother has. In one way I am glad that it is coming (yes the 10th) cause I have 3 abcess teeth and need treatment right away on them. The only bummer is they are broken off at the gums. Please keep your next apppointment it will be okay, we will all be okay.

Chego, I know you can do this! It is all over for you as im writing this letter.Your friend sounds like a great support person . im sure at this point your wondering why we are such chickens...lol i know i am!I have learned a good dentist will never ever tell you how horriable your outh is and if they do get up and leave!...or yu could be right up front like i did and say listen im 25, i look in the mirror everyday and I KNOW how bad i look so i need'nt be reminded! i think i broke the ice!.....lolOk please post us as we all care as soon as you feel up to it!Muahhhh...Lots of hugs..gossgal

Chego, Glad to hear that you made it through the appt. Sounds like you've found a nice dentist. Getting the courage to make the first appt seems to be one of the biggest hurdles. At least it was for me. I hope everything works out good for you! Best wishes.....wolflver

Thanks Dena, Gossgal, Soland,lee and everybody. Yes. You are all right. We WILL and CAN get through it and whatever we have to go through will pass! That's what we have to keep telling ourselves. I know my mouth is horrible though I manage to hide it fairly well in a closemouthed way but when the dentist looks in, there is NO hiding it at all! I thought they would be horrified. Maybe they were, but they didn't show it and I felt okay. I won't say I am looking forward to next appointment next Thursday but in the back of my mind, I can already see myself in there again, getting the help I need! I will keep you all posted. Gossgirl, I hope you are feeling better and Soland, don't back out of that appointment! Things can only get worse and we just have to take ACTION. It's like having a disability but it's something we can all do something about! Okay, that's all for now.
Take care everyone xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Good for you chego, you have a very positive attitude. I agree it makes a huge difference when the staff and dentist are friendly and upbeat. The way I see it is this. They are looking at all the problems you have and how they can correct it all and have a happy patient with a beautiful smile when they are done. I email my dentist occasionaly and when I go in for a visit he will thank me for the wonderful email and tell me that he posted in the staff lunch room on the frig. Makes me smile everytime that they are happy that I am so happy.

Dena
I am glad I sound like I have a positive attitude because I am really working on myself to get it! Reading feel the fear and do it anyway, which is a good book and also Be your own counsellor to get me through it all! I suffer with depression on and off so it's a constant battle to be positive and this teeth thing really has brought me down quite a lot in the past. I like your idea of e-mailing your dentist with positivity and gratitude. We tend to forget that they are human too, though from some things I hear, I have wondered! Anyway, Happy Easter to everyone if indeed you celebrate it. I am off to my husbands family home for the rest of the weekend.
Take care
Bye for now
Claire (Chego)x