Scared

Ann, I'm afraid there's no way round this. You absolutely need to go to the dentist asap. If you have a discharge of pus from the gum this could be putting the underlying bone at risk. Tell the dentist about your fear when you make the appointment. If you can't get a rapid appointment, go to your GP (PCP if you're stateside) as you might need antibiotics. You could also consider asking your doctor whether he/she could prescribe a brief course of anti-anxiety meds to cover the period of your dental treatment.

Please try and pluck up your courage. This isn't going to get better on its own and it will get very much worse if it isn't treated now.

You really need to see a dentist, a bad mouth can not only result in the loss of your teeth but also many health diseases (such as heart disease) if there is pus, it is a sign of infection & you will need an antibiotic to first clear that up... if you do not have a regular dentist sometimes it can take weeks to get in... in that case, my advice go to a "chain" dentist (such as Aspen Dental) if you do not have any "chain" dentists, go to the emergency room of your local hospital, at least they can give you the antibiotics needed to get you started until you can see a dentist, DO NOT WAIT!!! Take care

You need to pluck up courage to go to the dentist, I know how hard that is as I put off going until I really had no alternative, it's horrible having a phobia but it isn't going to get better on it's own. I'm now paying the consequences of not going but I now have a dentist whom I can trust, I've lost lot of teeth through ill health if there's one piece of advice I'd give go anyone that is, look after your teeth