Who Do You Fear More…The Doctor Or The Dentist?

I have a dentist appointment this afternoon for routine cleaning which prompted an on-air conversation about fearing the dentist.

So, twice I have had semi-traumatic experiences at the dentist. When I was about twelve, I had to have four teeth removed in order to prepare for braces. Now, I know your lips or face can "feel swollen" due to the lidocaine injection; however, this time I had some sort of an allergic reaction where my lower lip literally blew up! I remember the dentist saying "Wow, his lip is getting really big." They wouldn't even let me look in the mirror, bro.

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The second instance was when I had a panic attack after receiving nitrous oxide during cavity filling. Like I had to rip the mask off my face because the dentist didn't believe me!

Now, with all of that said, I DON'T FEAR THE DENTIST. The Doctor...well, that's a different story.

I was 29 years old and dealing with some acute anxiety issues when I went to see the doctor. Knowing my blood pressure was probably sky high, the nurse put the cuff on me and confirmed my fear...160/110! I was mortified. It eventually came down to slightly above normal range; however, to THIS DAY, I always refuse the blood pressure check at the doctors or any other facility such as Urgent Care etc.

So, I suffer from a pretty common thing called "White Coat Hypertension"

White coat syndrome is the name given to a disorder in which a person develops high blood pressure when they are around doctors, who often wear white coats. Some people who usually have normal blood pressure find that it spikes when they visit the doctor. -medicalnewstoday.com

I know this because I routinely check my blood pressure at home and it's always within normal range.

With all of this said and KNOWING what the issue is, I JUST can't get past the fear of the blood pressure cuff! So, if I had to pick the doctor or the dentist...I'm going with the dentist! What about you?