Post Traumatic Stress Headache

Oh My God Y'all
I am TERRIFIED of the dentist. So much so that I have not been to the dentist since...well let's just say OVER a decade.

You see I have a small mouth. PAUSE (my friends are all on the floor laughing....hang on they'll be another minute)

Okay Small mouth riiiight>

I also am the genetic recipient of a rare condition where for several of my teeth I grew three (3) sets of teeth (1 baby, 2 adult)

I only have 24 teeth. Right now... in my head....this second. For real!

if you are following along you may have come to the realization that I am missing some teeth. several.... LOTS to be exact.

THEY (my parents and dentist)knew early on that I would have "issues" in a bid to help my teeth grow in properly 4 of my baby teeth were pulled to make "room".

Of course there was no room and couple that with the few extras I was growing and between the ages of 8-18 I had 13 adult teeth removed..YES

FREAKIN 13.... I call BULLSHIT!

Oh and did I mention that my teeth never grew in straight anyway so I had to wear orthodontic braces for 5 years. oh yeah baby it was AWESOME! My eye teeth came in over top of my front teeth. Crazy Ass teeth.

Needless to say by the time I was 23 after a lifetime of one painful detal visit after another, one day I forgot to return the dentist's call for a recall appointment and they never called to re-book my appointment and I certainly did not call them.

I don't really know what snapped in my brain. it's not like I didn't know I SHOULD go to the dentist. I was no longer just afraid of my dentist I was afraid of any dentist. I was afraid to pick up the phone to call a dentist.

This presisted even after I had kids.

My son was 6 years old before the shame of not taking him to the dentist over took my fear of dentists.

It was not a pleasent experience but the hygienist who looked after me took one look in my mouth and said she totally understood why I have not been to the dentist is so long. She empathized with me and said...."Well that could not have been fun"

One look and someone validated my childhood of dental horror.

Silly as it may seem...it kinda made it all better.

It was not as horrible as I thought it would be. I only have one chipped filling and one cavity that has to be fixed.

It will still be a long time before I can handle a dental visit without anxiety,(I have a pounding headache from clenching my jaw and locking it while she was working one me - for only 45 mins) but this new dentist office was certainly a lucky pick for our family.

Oh did I mention I sent my kids first to test out the office and scheduled my appointment after them, once I knew it was okay. Shameful but true.

Whatever gets our family dental care back on track works for me!

Yours in dental health.

Pushing the Buggy.