Well THAT was traumatic.

I got a cancellation at the dentist when I phoned them yesterday, so I was able to go in this morning to get the tooth out. On the way in I was quite upbeat - not looking forward to it, obviously, but looking forward to getting the problem solved. Now, two hours later, I am utterly traumatised.

On arrival, I was brought in for an x-ray, then escorted to the surgery upstairs. My first impression of the dentist was that he did not have a very good bedside manner, and boy was I right. The man had no patience whatsoever.

I had been very clear about the fact that I am a very nervous patient and have been badly affected by unpleasant dentistry experiences over the years - the very reason I was in this man's surgery in the first place - but he just didn't seem to care at all. He gave me the gas mask for a couple of minutes to breathe into, then tried to take it away from me before I even felt any effect. I was paying £60 for sedation and he was only going to use it for the first couple of minutes!

I got very upset, and he eventually gave the gas mask back to me for a few minutes more before injecting me with local anaesthetic, and he conceded to letting me hold it to my nose to continue breathing the gas throughout the procedure, but he should never have put me into the position of having to fight for what I was there for. In any case, I was still visibly upset and not relaxed at all as he hauled away at the tooth. The procedure wasn't painful, exactly, but it was extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant, and he just snapped at me to be quiet because there was no way I could possibly be feeling anything.

Needless to say, I have never felt less sedated in my life. It was an absolute waste of money paying for the gas, and his attitude only made me more upset, not less. I went through most of the procedure curled up into as much of a foetal position as I could manage while lying on my back, crying and trying to hold the gas mask to my nose, and trying to ignore his snappish remarks. If he can't deal with a frightened and upset patient, why is he working in a surgery to which people are referred if they need sedation?

He also whisked me straight out of the chair and into the waiting room without even offering to let me rinse my mouth out. I ended up sitting waiting for Skry with a mouthful of blood, and in ever increasing pain (whatever anaesthetic he did give me wore off almost immediately). Our first stop upon leaving the surgery was the chemist, so that I could buy painkillers.

Two Neurofen later and I'm feeling mostly back to normal, but I'm still really shaken by the whole experience. No matter how desperate I get, I won't be going back to that surgery. At least my own dentist is absolutely lovely and she is able to talk me down when I start freaking out. This man hasn't a clue about nervous patients.