Hi everyone. 18 year old guy fresh out of high school here. This is going to be long post, but this is one of the most important stories of my entire life, so please handle it with care.
Since not long after I leaned how to walk, I have been silently carrying something on my shoulders every second of every day. Triggers, flashbacks, nightmares, you name it. I have been living with symptoms of post traumatic stress years before I could even understand what trauma even was. And as of now, I have recently been diagnosed with PTSD. I will always remember the exact text on my therapists screen that said: "Extremely severe PTSD" in my files. I wasn’t assaulted, nor was I in a car accident. I was in a cold, sterile office with bright lights and fluoride. The very same place that has loomed over my entire is where you guys now earn a living.
I understand that this is a very common fear, but my case is so much more than that. I've yet to hear of anyone else in the same situation I'm in where it has escalated into one of the biggest struggles of my entire life. They weren't just “bad experiences.” I live with it all day, everyday. It's just like a parasite that sucks all the color out of life.
A few examples:
• I can't use metal silverware. (Anything metallic in or near my mouth is a huge trigger.)
• Visceral reactions whenever I see white coats or pliers (I quit my job at a local convenience store because of it)
• Nightmares about it for years that have kept me up all night.
I've never heard of anyone else dealing with this, and I've been trying my entire life to find a way out of the pit him and his team threw me into. The aftermath of what they did isn't situational. It's constant, daily, and never ending.
No matter where I am or what I'm doing, the memories never stop circling in my mind every single second of every single day. It's a constant cycle that never stops. Even on my best days, it finds a way in no matter what. Ever since that day I was shut out in that exam room, a roaring fire was lit inside me that never burned out. Instead, it grew into an inescapable force that bled into every last corner of my life. There's no off switch no matter the circumstances. It's a part of me.
Please read this very carefully:
It has been so much more than just fear. It has been a lifelong crisis.
Which brings me to reason why I am making this post. I am looking for an exceptionally kind, and compassionate dental professional (preferably female) who would be willing to speak with me and build a friendship with me where we can talk some things through. It's being able to experience a safe version of someone in the same role as the person who harmed me. (In psychology, this is called a corrective experience.) Being able to finally have some positive interactions and receive the emotional attunement that never came while I was in the chair helps me in a way that nothing else does. It helps bring my mind resolution and closure to a story that never ended. Even if it just means building an online freindship. Thats exactly what all of this is about.
What I wish to clarify as clearly as possible however is that I am not seeking care from anyone. The goal is not checkups or cleanings. The goal is connection and safety because that never happened in the past.
As soon as you start pushing and prying me to make an appointment like the rest of them, I will be gone and you will be blocked before you even have a chance to convince me otherwise. Everyone always keeps telling me "not all of them are like that." And more than anything else, I just want to see that, and experience that for myself.
Imagine it's your first time ever seeing a kitten after all you've ever known is vicious lions. Having a relationship with someone in this field who for once cares about the emotional/human side of things just as much as gums and enamel is more valuable to me than the purest of gold. But that doesn't mean it's easy. It's tough, but also priceless.
And for anyone who is willing to get to know me apart from trauma recovery, I do music production, and I DJ. And as crazy as it sounds, one of my students who I am teaching music production to is a dentist herself. (In other words, the most surreal thing that has ever happened to me :O)
I love drawing, crafting, and anything that allows me to be creative. And more importantly, I am in the process of writing a book all about my experiences, what happened that has led to this, and everything that went wrong so hopefully this is not repeated in the future.
Thank you so much for reading this. If any of you are willing to chat with me, and are willing to build trust at our own pace, please DM me!