I went through something similar a few years back, having not been to a dentist for about ten years. (My father was a dentist. And he died. So there's that.) The only thing that made me go was that the plaque on my bottom front teeth built up and calcified so much that I couldn't distinguish it from my actual teeth, and then a piece of it broke off, and I was terrified that my teeth were going to fall out. Turns out all I really needed was a deep cleaning.

So yeah, it's a nice feeling to finally get past that fear, get checked out, and find out that you're actually okay.