Is it the dentistry that makes you nervous or any medical work that involves needles?  inquires knitsteel.

I must confess, it is any medical procedure at all.  Truly, the needles do not bother me.  It is surrendering control.  To a certain degree, it is also a deep fear of pain.  I've had several knee surgeries.  The last three prior to my bilateral knee replacements in 2002 had a variety of anesthetia issues: The first time, the spinal wore off in the middle of surgery and they were unable to adequately sedate me.  We struggled with gas- I kept pushing the mask off my face - and eventually, they knocked me out with a sedative.  I awakened as they were transferring me from OR table to bed and my IV was coming out of my hand.

The second time, the anesthetist was an intern.  He made four attempts to find my spinal canal.  Each attempt resulted in pain radiating down both legs that was too intense for me to tolerate.  The attending took over- at my request- got in fine, and then proceeded to numb me so high as to cause difficulty breathing.  At the end of the surgery, the surgeon left his resident's to sew me up, I went into a supraventricular tachycardia and I had to tell the CNA (certified nurse anesthetist) what to do in order to get my blood pressure up and my heart rate down.  Again, inadequate sedation made my ability to intervene possible.

The third time, I was talked out of general because it was,"just a plate and screw removal" The spinal was done quite nicely.  However, the correct screw driver for my plate and screw REMOVAL was not in the room and we had to wait forty-five minutes while the correct implement was found.

I have had one other dental extraction prior to Thursday's.  I was not given the option of sedation at the time.  In fact, the gentleman( and I use that term loosely) who did the extraction was angry with me for not choosing general anesthetic.  He became more irate when I could still feel him pulling the tooth out of my mouth.  And it hurt like bloody hell.  Hence, the apprehension about the more recent extraction.

I used to be very stoic about the pain I would experience.  I used to keep my mouth shut when it came to expressing the anxiety and fear I had I was experiencing about an unknown procedure.  I thought I was being a "good girl" Instead, my anxiety and fear would come out in much more noxious and toxic behavior.  I had to learn that it was ok to express my need for comfort and support.  I still don't do a great job of it, but I'm improving.  My husband has learned to read me well enough that he can head off my behavior by stating that he sees I'm afraid of something.  A soothing hand on my back and an amazing amount of patience from him, and I am able to ask for what I need.

I grew up in a home where enduring all sorts of onerous happenings was the rule.  If one cried out from fear or illness or pain, one was generally accused of, " Your AGM is showing" AGM would be Attention Getting Mechanism for anyone who didn't attend Rudolf Dreikers child rearing classes in the sixties in Dayton, Ohio.  There was rarely an investigation by my mother to find out what one was activating the AGM for.  Usually it was quickly dismissed, only to be taken more seriously by the weekend when my father was home during the daylight hours, relieved of his shift work for the evening.

This is probably more answer than you needed, knitsteel.  But thank you for helping me clarify something for myself.  I now realize I have had more good experiences than bad, though I shan't recount them here today. 

I'm off to watch the scuba divers fix the dry hydrant.  Blessings abound