<![CDATA[I hate needles. I hate them a lot. I know more people do, but there's a good chance I hate them more. Now that I'm off to the dentist in about an hour and a half... how do I cope with it, mentally? How do you deal with phobias? Sure, maybe I'm a "wuss" or something for feeling this way, but everybody has something they're freaked out about a bit, and every person has a way of dealing with it. Maybe it's something as silly as cotton balls (my dad, seriously, or something justifiable like spiders or snakes. Mine is needles. I simply hate them; every single one. I know that the "little pinch" that I'll experience will be basically nothing, in the grand scheme of things, and that this is done to alleviate any worry about experiencing further pain while they perform the drilling and such that they have to do. Overall, I know that it has to be done, and that it's better this way. That makes me feel somewhat more comfortable about the decision to have it done, but it doesn't help me at all with the notion that it's going to be done. I know I have to do it, but I don't like that I'm doing it. I'm gonna get poked a couple of times in my mouth, and I would be lying if I didn't admit I've been thinking about how to face that like a man for quite a few hours now. [charliead]