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First, I have a huge fear of dentists and I mean HUGE. Not just I don't like to go, I don't go because I sometimes throw up before I have to go (thinks to a horrible childhood dentist, but it carried over to adult). I get sweaty and nervous and about break out crying thinking of having to go. So....here is it 12 years since my last dentist visit. I broke a tooth so had no choice. The only reason I was able to go my last dentist and tolerate it was because they provided nitrous oxide, even for a cleaning which was a lifesaver for me. You can't even imagine how happy and relieved I was. Well we moved away from that dentist and never found a good one and everytime we would ask someone if they liked their dentist it was always no, so, just never went. So...I go today for x-xays, exam, and consult and what I was hoping was they would fix the tooth (luckily not in pain from it), but the news is bad. Worse than I could ever imagined. Bone loss at the back, a cavity I didn't know I had until he started poking around, peridontal disease needing deep cleaning, a crown that is cracked and needs replaceing and the tooth that was cracked is beyond repair and need to be removed and a something or other inserted which they will build a crown around. Needless to say all I saw was $$$ pain, pain, pain, $$ pain, $$ pain, etc, etc. The dollar part I can handle. The pain I cannot and I can feel myslef starting to get very very nervous. I asked if they have nitrous oxide and they said they don't but they have novocaine. My chest started feeling heavy, my stomach got a sinking feeling and I started feeling dread. The dentist who was extremely nice was concerned about my worries and asked me what it is I'm afraid of. I said "pain". He said well we give novocaine. I said the last time I had novocaine I still felt the drilling and he said you shoudn't feel anything with novocaine. I didn't say anything, just smiled because he was reassuring about it, but I shoudl have said I had another dentist who when I told him I could feel what he was doing told me no I can't because I have novocaine, so I cried through the drilling and passed out at one point. So am going to bite the bullet and do my peridontal cleaning with novocaine. My DH says he gets novocaine and has no problems with it, but that's him and he said if I want nitrous I should see if there is another dentist (he's very caring and sensitive to how I feel about this). But I told him that was about 15 years ago and I'll try just novocaine because maybe things are different. Tomorrow I will call but I can't help but feel like I'm about to cry thinking about this (okay, I am actually tearing up and getting sweaty.
So...I am so sorry for such a long post, it's early morning and had to get that off my chest. My question (yes I did have a point to this post) :-) My question is does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this. Is there something nonprescription I can take to relax me. The manager who was explaining all that I need to have done said the peridontal cleanning is deep, but the hygeinist is very very gentle and if her husband could do it withough any problems then anyone could. I'm still totally nervous and about to break down and cry thinking about having to go. Why oh why did I wait 12 years.
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