I am so embarrassed of my teeth and I'm too anxious to take the steps to fix it

Call a local dentist and speak to them about your anxiety. They are so used to this and they will ease your mind. Go in there with the mindset that they are just looking and they see this every day and it’s their job. they don’t judge . They are there to help you and fix your teeth. You don’t need anything done on the first visit, so relax and think of it as being nothing. it’s ok, the Dentist isn’t really that bad at all. I’d take the dentist over the Drs any day. Good luck

I wasn’t an addict, however I did drink 3-4 litres of coke a day, and suffered hypermesis with 4 pregnancies (all day, every day vomiting the entire pregnancy) due to the coke making them so brittle and the acid in my vomit (I didn’t eat in my pregnancies, had hospital in the home for it fluids and tube feeding) my teeth decayed and lost pretty much all the enamel, I would cover my mouth when I laughed, and never show my teeth when I smiled. It was crippling. I’d work up the courage to go to the dentist and they just weren’t compassionate. It wasn’t until my mum saw an ad for a new one that was local, the whole team at the practice was dancing and singing and just having fun in this ad, and they also said no judgement. I made the call, I didn’t mention my name at first because of how self conscious I was and just explained my situation, told them they are bad and I was probably looking at veneers as they were so far gone. They booked my appointment in for a care plan, I’d been to several dentists for a care plan but never went back because I just felt so embarrassed. But because I explained how I was feeling over the phone, I think it made the biggest difference. I kept going back. And now, after over 10 years of not doing it, I can smile freely and it is THE BEST feeling. And you know what, looking back, it’s their job! Yours won’t be the worst they have seen, and they love fixing peoples smiles, honestly, I ended up with such an incredible relationship with not just my dentist but the dentist assistant as well as the receptionist and they all were SO happy for me from the before and after, and honestly, I felt like I wouldn’t talk about it after, just leave that insecurity in the past, but now, I talk about it like someone would talk about weight loss, I’m proud! Sorry I’ve written so much, but I have because I know how you feel, and I was there, and I can tell you right now, that once it’s done, you will be so proud and so happy that the initial feelings you’re feeling right now will be such a distant memory. So my advice is, call around, get a feel for the receptionist you speak to on the phone, the receptionists attitudes on the phone really do give you a feel for the environment they work in. Tell them your story, don’t tell them your name, call from no caller ID if you need to, they’ll never know it’s you, and go from there and please please please DO IT! You will be amazed at how much it changes your life, on top of the fact, I didn’t realise how much it affected my physical health. Every since my mouth has been healthy, I don’t wake up so tired, I’m not constantly fatigued, and I feel so good. I know it’s confronting and scary, but just remember, there’s people who walk into emergency rooms at the hospital with foreign objects stuck in places they shouldn’t be haha I’d love to hear an update on this once you do it!

Also, just for hindsight of how bad mine were, I have 8 veneers on my top front teeth, and I had to have 3 of my teeth removed because there was just no coming back from the damage that was caused.

You got this, goodluck! Xx

I didn't go to the dentist for over 20yrs. I was in pain daily and had such but anxiety even the mention of the word dentist would give me a panic attack. I finally plucked up the courage to go to a government dentist and I cried before they even looked in my mouth. They were very reassuring and supportive. They just looked the first time and made a plan. I requested the use of laughing gas at all appointments and I also listened to Spotify on my phone with headphones. I'm so glad I went. I had to have multiple fillings and 10 teeth taken out but I'm no longer in pain. You can do it. You will be so proud of yourself once you go. Good luck!!