Another hurdle overcome

Well, I had my first filling for a number of years this morning.

I am still struggling with some aspects of my dentist fears - the most uncomfortable things for me now are anything touching the back of my tongue and that horrible water spray thing but my dentist is understanding. She and her nurse will remove all instruments if I raise my hand, giving me a moment to swallow, breathe or calm down. Most of the time, the fact that I know I can stop them gives me enough control of the situation to allow them to continue. Work that one out! hehe

I've come to realise that it's not really a phobia anymore. After all, a phobia suggests a very strong reaction with a desire to avoid or escape from a particular situation or object. I still experience anxiety for several days before an appointment but I wasn't woken up in the small hours of the morning by a panic attack this time so I think I'm making good progress ;o)

I've got a breather now until the new year when I have some more work scheduled. I'm keeping my mind on the ultimate goal to get a smile to be proud of.

Happy Journeys.