I had my wisdom teeth out last summer. I was very scared as well, but for a different reason. I am terrified of needles. I was hooked up to their heart monitor, heart going a steady 70 beats per minute. The simple mention of an IV caused my heart rate to skyrocket to 110 beats per minute. That is how terrified I am of needles.
Anyway, the doctor was really good at his job and he put the IV in without my knowledge. After he started injecting the anesthetic, everything was good. I didn't give a crap what they did to me! It was lights out for me.
When I woke up, I didn't even feel my mouth and I was extremely giddy. I laughed at nearly everything. My brother, on the other hand, was a total grump. We both had our wisdom teeth out the same day, so you can imagine the fun my parents had with two kids acting the complete opposite of one another...
I did as the doctor ordered, and my mouth was fine within a week or so. The only negative thing I could say about the whole experience was seeing other people eat nice juicy hamburgers while I had to eat jello. Talk about torture! I will offer some advice about the pain medication: don't take it unless you're sure you need it. I took one of the pills and threw up about 15 minutes afterwards. That is not a fun experience when you have four wounds in your mouth.
About losing feeling in your mouth: I read all the same stuff and it scared the crap out of me. This rarely happens, so don't worry yourself over it. About dry sockets: as long as you do as your doctor tells you, you'll be fine.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.