I am the hugest chicken when it comes to the dentist. I even get the nitrous to have my teeth cleaned! Leave it to an orthodontist who never should have been working with children, and then you get someone like me, terrified, even at 35!

Through the grapevine, when my beloved dentist retired, I had to find another kind and gentle dentist who would be ultrasensitive to my needs. And I found her! The downside, she doesn't offer nitrous at her office. Now I was really in a dilemma. Stay with her and handle my anxiety, or go to someone with less understanding, but more drugs. Well, I have stayed the course with Dr. Mc for a over a year now and I haven't regretted it.

I received a handwritten card signed by her and the staff when my dad died. She calls and checks on me and the kids. She is an amazing dentist as well.

To keep my anxiety in check for this morning's appointment, I found these guidelines from www.docshop.com

1. Take control of your life.
You are in charge of yourself and your future. No one else is in control of your life. You are! Say to yourself ‘I am going to address this problem and find a solution through seeking out a health care provider that I trust and that I am comfortable with.’

2. Choose a dentist who understands your needs and is willing to help you.
You need a dentist who is determined to provide the finest dental care in an understanding and positive environment where you are the primary focus and a highly professional staff that focuses on you — the patient. Your dentist should care about each patient rather than how many patients he or she can see each day. The goal should be your care and comfort. Consider finding a dentist who has the confidence of other professionals around them. Go to a dentist that other doctors and dentists choose as their own dentist. What really matters is that you consider the problem in need of resolution and address it.