I went to the dentist after avoiding one for twenty-six years

Dear Delyara, A dentist humiliated me when I was a child while extracting a tooth. I avoided dental care for twenty-six years afterward. Pain finally forced me to seek help. I found a clinic experienced with phobic patients and told them before the appointment that I might leave. The first visit involved no treatment. We talked, looked at instruments, and agreed on a stop signal. Over months, I managed an examination, cleaning, then two fillings. Today, I had the badly damaged tooth treated. My hands shook throughout. I used the stop signal twice. The dentist stopped immediately both times. That mattered more than the procedure itself. Fear had taught me that once I sat in the chair, control belonged to somebody else. Overcoming it meant discovering I could remain frightened and still be the person who decides when treatment continues.