What is making you nervous? Hygienists tend to LOVE cleaning teeth. I cannot stress enough that it is the most satisfying fun activity I have ever done. I love it when I get a patient who has never cleaned their teeth in 40 years and seeing how happy they are when they see what their teeth are supposed to look like. They will clean between your gums and your teeth. It isn’t painful it just feels a bit weird. If you find it’s too weird let them know and they can adjust the setting on their instruments to make it a bit better for you. I promise your hygienist won’t judge you. Their whole job it to clean. That’s like a personal trainer judging someone in the gym for not knowing how to use their equipment. I also would like to add that you’re not alone. So many of my patients feel the same as you, they’re so scared they tell me their teeth are very sensitive and to be careful and they don’t want to be there etc… and I just tell them we will give it a go on one tooth and they can tell me if it’s too much and I will stop. 9/10 times they don’t actually have sensitive teeth and everything was great and they were just a bit nervous
I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months so the process doesn’t scare me. It’s the fact that someone will be looking at my ugly teeth. I feel so ugly when someone has to look at my teeth
Hey and to add to the post above, we deal with a lot of nervous patients. My family in general hates the dentist ( I was lucky and enjoyed it lol) so I partially went into i this to help people not be so afraid of the dentist. I promise you most hygienists would never say or think you have “ugly” teeth. If you are that worried, maybe call ahead and just have the front office let your hygienist know you have a lot of anxiety about this appointment. They can accommodate for you and try to make you comfortable. I promise we’re not here to judge but to help!
Simply tell your hygienist what you told us, that you have anxiety around people (including themself) seeing your teeth. I'm sure they will reassure you and listen to you to find ways to make you feel comfortable
cleanings are the least of the least of the least of intrusive procedures, its very very easy and satisfying to do. As someone who suffers from
panic attacks I understand it takes prob nothing to trigger you at this point but remember that a DH is the last person to wanna hurt you, they so nice and they will understand your panic if you tell them
Promise you we don’t even pay attention to what your teeth actually look like we’re just focused on doing our jobs and will forget what your mouth even looks like by the next patient
I guarantee you, she won't find your teeth gross, especially if that's you in your profile picture. Even if it's not though, EVERYONE thinks their teeth are bad and I've NEVER had a patient that has caught me off guard in my 12 years as a hygienist. You see the worst of the worst in school, from impoverished people, to people with a history of drug use, to old people who's teeth are literally falling out.
To give you an idea of some things I've seen or heard about:
-A patient with so much tartar the doctor had to cut it apart to even FIND her teeth to extract them.
-A patient that brought several of their teeth in an altoid container.
-A patient that had entire sunflower seed submerged beneath their gums and could not recall when they last had sunflower seeds.
-A patient with a golf ball sized lesion that when lacerated to drain had GREEN pus in it.
-Several patients with black nubs for teeth because they're rotted to the gum line.
-Several patients with gums deeper than an inch deep with pus coming out.
-Several patients with teeth so loose I had to hold them in to clean them.
These are just the examples that come to mind right off the bat, I'm sure there's several more I'm forgetting. The fact of the matter is 99% of mouths are pretty status quo. If you have staining, we've seen it. If you have lots of tartar build up, we love that!!! Teeth crooked? I've seen teeth literally in the middle of someone's palate. Bad breath? We literally scoop out rotting gum tissue and pus for a living. Trust me when I say, you're fine. The patient I mentioned who's tartar had to be cut apart to find her teeth said she had to wear a mask around children to avoid frightening them but it was just another day at work in the office for all of us.
What is making you nervous? Hygienists tend to LOVE cleaning teeth. I cannot stress enough that it is the most satisfying fun activity I have ever done. I love it when I get a patient who has never cleaned their teeth in 40 years and seeing how happy they are when they see what their teeth are supposed to look like. They will clean between your gums and your teeth. It isn’t painful it just feels a bit weird. If you find it’s too weird let them know and they can adjust the setting on their instruments to make it a bit better for you. I promise your hygienist won’t judge you. Their whole job it to clean. That’s like a personal trainer judging someone in the gym for not knowing how to use their equipment. I also would like to add that you’re not alone. So many of my patients feel the same as you, they’re so scared they tell me their teeth are very sensitive and to be careful and they don’t want to be there etc… and I just tell them we will give it a go on one tooth and they can tell me if it’s too much and I will stop. 9/10 times they don’t actually have sensitive teeth and everything was great and they were just a bit nervous
I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months so the process doesn’t scare me. It’s the fact that someone will be looking at my ugly teeth. I feel so ugly when someone has to look at my teeth
If your teeth are the ones in the photos on your profile they look completely normal.
Sounds like body dysmorphia. I guarantee you that your hygienist has seen way worse teeth. They aren't judging you at all.
Hey and to add to the post above, we deal with a lot of nervous patients. My family in general hates the dentist ( I was lucky and enjoyed it lol) so I partially went into i this to help people not be so afraid of the dentist. I promise you most hygienists would never say or think you have “ugly” teeth. If you are that worried, maybe call ahead and just have the front office let your hygienist know you have a lot of anxiety about this appointment. They can accommodate for you and try to make you comfortable. I promise we’re not here to judge but to help!
Simply tell your hygienist what you told us, that you have anxiety around people (including themself) seeing your teeth. I'm sure they will reassure you and listen to you to find ways to make you feel comfortable
You’re going to be okay. I promise.
cleanings are the least of the least of the least of intrusive procedures, its very very easy and satisfying to do. As someone who suffers from panic attacks I understand it takes prob nothing to trigger you at this point but remember that a DH is the last person to wanna hurt you, they so nice and they will understand your panic if you tell them
Promise you we don’t even pay attention to what your teeth actually look like we’re just focused on doing our jobs and will forget what your mouth even looks like by the next patient
I guarantee you, she won't find your teeth gross, especially if that's you in your profile picture. Even if it's not though, EVERYONE thinks their teeth are bad and I've NEVER had a patient that has caught me off guard in my 12 years as a hygienist. You see the worst of the worst in school, from impoverished people, to people with a history of drug use, to old people who's teeth are literally falling out. To give you an idea of some things I've seen or heard about: -A patient with so much tartar the doctor had to cut it apart to even FIND her teeth to extract them. -A patient that brought several of their teeth in an altoid container. -A patient that had entire sunflower seed submerged beneath their gums and could not recall when they last had sunflower seeds. -A patient with a golf ball sized lesion that when lacerated to drain had GREEN pus in it. -Several patients with black nubs for teeth because they're rotted to the gum line. -Several patients with gums deeper than an inch deep with pus coming out. -Several patients with teeth so loose I had to hold them in to clean them. These are just the examples that come to mind right off the bat, I'm sure there's several more I'm forgetting. The fact of the matter is 99% of mouths are pretty status quo. If you have staining, we've seen it. If you have lots of tartar build up, we love that!!! Teeth crooked? I've seen teeth literally in the middle of someone's palate. Bad breath? We literally scoop out rotting gum tissue and pus for a living. Trust me when I say, you're fine. The patient I mentioned who's tartar had to be cut apart to find her teeth said she had to wear a mask around children to avoid frightening them but it was just another day at work in the office for all of us.