SCARED OF THE DENTIST?

I went to the dentist a few days ago and wasn't very happy about it.  Is it the injection?  No, I don't mind that at all.  It is the dreaded drill and trying to "open wide" for such a long time.

I have been scared of the dentist since I was a child.  A dentist visited our school with a caravan fully equipped with their awful equipment and the drilling seemed to go on for hours.

In my teens I started to have regular check ups and looked after my teeth.  Then, around the time of the menopause I became more and more anxious and couldn't face a dental visit at all.  Then I had an abscess under a wisdom tooth and had it removed at a private hospital in Spain.  I was awake during the whole procedure and there was no suggestion of a sedative and started to shake badly from fear.  Since then, I have been unable to face any treatment, until forced into it by a broken tooth, needing a crown.  I got through that with a dentist who understood I have a gagging reflex.  A few days ago the crown fell out whilst eating the Indian sweet, jelabi, and I had to return to have the crown placed back in as I have a broken tooth on the other side and it was only possible to eat mushy food.

I did read the book, Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers which helped a lot but I still have to take Kalms if visiting the dentist.  My next appointment is in May to see what can be done about the broken tooth.  I hope I find the courage to keep the appointment.