Dental Phobia Support

please give tips for my first root canal.

Yeah, it's a good idea. Also Use positive language when speaking about the dentist. Explain what will happen during their visit before arriving at their appointment. Avoid bribery, but plan for a reward after their appointment is finished. Teach stress-relieving breathing exercises. You can visit a dentist near you for your kind dental health.

I am writing this here in case it inspires anyone else with any kind of dental phobia.

My parents were great in so many ways but never cared much about taking me to the dentist. They didn't have the best teeth themselves, and there might have been a financial / priorities side too. I remember going the last time at the age of 10 or so (more than 30 years ago) when a local dentist sealed a few of my teeth, and that was that. I also had a family member who had an absolutely horrible dental experience, which probably also put me off.

Over the years, I started developing plaque, cavities, and eventually a few of my teeth starting rotting to the gum line and falling out (probably those that were sealed unfortunately). The gaps and black spots in my mouth were not fully visible (at the start at least), so I got away with ignoring the situation. When my teeth started hurting (and sometimes it got brutally bad), I took a few painkillers and waited for the pain to go away.

I also avoided doctors whenever possible because of the shame about my teeth. My dental phobia became a serious issue of conflict in my relationships but that is another story. Somehow, I still managed to be a functional professional in a rather exposed job, where I am really expected to look and dress my best every day.

I eventually started looking for a dentist specialised in more difficult cases, who I thought wouldn't be shocked by teeth. Even after identifying the dentist, I sat on it for months if not years.

At some point, I realised I was wasting far too much of my life thinking about my teeth, wasting too many days with dental pain and I really had to take a step forward. I started watching youtube videos of dentists working on challenging cases. With that little bit of reassurance that there were other similar cases with positive outcomes, I took the step forward and made my first dental appointment.

Obsessing over my teeth for years, I was sure I would need a few extractions, many root canals and fillings on all my other teeth. In the end, I was correct about the extractions (6, there was nothing to save there), a few fillings (some significant) but no root canals at all. Some of the teeth I was sure would to be extracted (or best case needing a root canal and crown) in the end required "just" a large filling. While obviously not good at all, I expected far worse. I got the extractions done, the fillings completed in three appointments and now preparing the ground for some implants (bridges would also have been an option). I still won't have a hollywood smile at the end of all this (some crooked teeth with space between them) but I hope to have a reasonably healthy mouth.

Good luck to anyone else with any kind of similar phobia. Just find the right dentist and do it. The best time might have been a while ago, but the second best time is today.

Thanks for your advice! that was so helpful.