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Anyone have any stratgies to handle

Posted: Oct 3, 2012

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.

;

awe, Im sorry - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
My sister is terrified of the dentist, and has not been since she was 18, now 43. She had several teeth break right off, and still will not go in. She only has a few remaining teeth. I cannot get her to go, no matter what.

You can handle this. I would ask your medical doctor for an anxiety medication before you go, or at a minimum, 2 dirti martini's! :)

Let the dentist fix you all up, and then start taking care of those teeth by getting your cleanings and flossing. You can do this! You can get through any pain, you just have to convince yourself. You made it as an MT right? You are tougher than you give yourself credit for. I would also take an Ipod and crank up the music in your ears!

find a different dentist! - anon290

[ In Reply To ..]
First off, even if you have not been to the dentist in decades, I would have second thoughts about everything being wrong that this one says is wrong! Dentists pad their procedures as much as doctors do. They see $$ in their pockets as much as you see $$ flying out the window. Get a second, third, fourth opinion, but definitely find one that offers nitrous! These days using just Novocaine is just plain old fashioned. and Novocaine does not, I repeat, DOES NOT, eliminate all of the pain! I don't care what they say! I think the dentists that continue to use just this method of "sedation" are just plain brutal and love inflicting pain! I am sure that there is someone in the area that offers at least nitrous if not something else to make the procedure easier....and just because a dentist "suggests" that you need all of this work done, does not mean that you have to have it ALL done. You are the consumer. Tell them you just want the broken tooth fixed, and not any of the other stuff, until you are ready and confident that you need it. Don't take any of them at what they say MUST be done. It is just not so! Been there! Good luck to you!

Maybe try a dental school? - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
I have gone to a couple of different dental schools at universities. I think you get excellent, up-to-the-minute care, and that includes avoidance of pain and distress. Don't know if you live anywhere near a dental school, but I highly recommend them.

But they take forever. And these are students working on you. Have - lost teeth to subpar student doing root canal.nm

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x

Well, schools I went to were excellent - wheres_my_job

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They were well supervised, and all the people I have recommended to go to dental schools for all kinds of dental work are satisfied customers - and some of them had some serious teeth problems, from not going to dentist for so long.

I still think this might be a good option for her to explore, because dental schools really try to keep abreast of new techniques, which you can't say for all dentists already with their own practices.

School doesnt matter. It is the luck of the draw of which student - you get. Bottom of the list or top? nm

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x

I've had too many good experiences at university dental schools... - wheres_my_job

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to bash any of them. You can always change to another student if you don't like the one assigned to you, at least the ones I've been too.

I think that the care can be better at dental schools (at least the ones I've gone to), because they are really intent on giving state-of-the-art care, techniques, materials, everything.

Yes, I am that impressed with the dental school I go to. They're excellent. Yes, your mileage may vary.

The dental school I went to as a child was - FANTASTIC.

[ In Reply To ..]
I had a root canal done at age 12 and they said that it should probably have a crown, but my parents couldn't afford it, so the student basically sculpted a tooth for me out of amalgam. I just had a crown put on it about 6 months ago and I am 34. It didn't break, but the dentist said that if it did, I would lose my tooth, so I did it. Now, I wish I hadn't because the filling fit so much better than the crown. Keep in mind that the students working on your mouth are typically testing and they want to get a good grade. The dental schools don't typically let students work on actual patients if they are not convinced that they can do a good job. If they did that, how would they get anyone to come back? Besides, how many so-so students end up in dental school?

Alteranately, I also had a root canal a few - years ago, done by a

[ In Reply To ..]
full-fledged periodontist who missed a root and didn't numb me all the way. I have since had to have another root canal on the same tooth and my crown has come of twice. I sure wish there was a dental school somewhere near my house!

i AGREE WITH SECOND OPINION - Angie

[ In Reply To ..]
I went to a dentist that was "cheaper" and supposed to be awesome. His crew was really nice and I was told I had to have aroot canal on a tooth that NEVER HURT and had 7 cavities. REALLY!?!?! i was stupid, paid almost $2000 for the root canal and then started getting one at a time cavity filled. I got 2 or 3 and then heard about another dentist right around the corner, younger, etc. Found out I had NO cavities...what happened to the other 4 or 5 I never got fixed? The didn't exist. DEFINITELY get a second opinion please!! I have to have nitrous for cleaning too, but because of sensitivity. Good luck to you!

Reply to Anyone have any strategies? - Sandra

[ In Reply To ..]
Hello: I also have the same problem with not numbing with novocain or other traditional anesthetics. Lots of childhood trauma at the dentist because of that. I found a dentist who offered something called Cetinus Forte, and believe me, it works! You dentist will probably also prescribe a sedative to take before your visit. Good luck!

Reply - PS - Sandra

[ In Reply To ..]
PS - Sorry, I looked it up, and the medication is Citanest Forte. It is evidently more expensive than Novocain and not routinely carried by dentists. They have to order it... but it's the first thing I have ever been given that actually works. I have had numerous crowns done with it, and no pain!

What you need is a good doctor who doesn't hold prescriptions - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
I had this same problem with dentists after always being in pain as a child and associating the dentist with pain and uncomfortableness, didn't go for 7 years and ended up as an adult having to go to about 10 appointments to fix all the problems not going to the dentist for 7 years created.

My point is what you need is not a good dentist, but a good doctor who isn't afraid to give a prescription for Xanax. I'm not kidding. Some give prescriptions all the time for people about to have an MRI or something equally terrifying. I got a 10 pill prescription from mine and after going to the dentist 10 times without having those massive anxiety attacks I realized there was nothing to be insane about and I don't even need it anymore. I can go to the dentist like a normal person and not even think about it.

Xanax also helped me a LOT. - Maggie May

[ In Reply To ..]
I had the same fears, for the same reasons. I also avoided the dentist for years and then had tons of work I had to have done. I never would have made it without Xanax. (You could also try Valium if you have someone to drive you.)

I,too, had a terrible experience at the dentist when - I was a child. It actually - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
resulted in full-on, hand-to-hand combat! (LOL) I bit him, he slapped me, and I bit him again. (Drew blood, too! HAH!) He told my mother never to bring me back again.

Fast forward to age 25, and I broke a tooth on a piece of candy. I was terrified to go to a dentist, but I couldn't ignore the tooth.

I found a dentist who was gentle, and who would listen. ALSO, dentistry had changed a lot in 15 years! Part of what I hated as a child were the old drills that took forever, were loud, and vibrated your whole head to death. The new air drills are quieter, fast, and very smooth.

I think Novocain is a good thing. Often, depending on the procedure to be done, I don't even feel it being injected. And if you do feel the injection, that tiny little pinch is worth the peace of mind good numbing can produce!

I always tell the dentist to max out on the Novocain, and that way I never feel a thing. I think you might find, if your dentist gets you good and numb, that there was really nothing to fear.

I'm a big believer in REFERRALS. I've found good dentists when I asked friends, family, acquaintances, coworkers, etc., and the same dentist's name popped up most often. More recently, after I moved, I searched online, and found a good dentist that had nothing but good reviews.

By all means, call your prospective dentist and schedule a get-acquainted session so you can talk. Let him know your past experiences, your fears, etc. It's highly likely that there is something you can take beforehand that will help you relax. A good, caring dentist will surely have treated patients with these fears before, and will have a lot of ideas and tricks up his sleeve.

Some people like to bring their MP3 player and listen to their favorite music. Once I was over my fear of dentistry, I realized that it was a rare opportunity for me to lie back and do nothing for a while, and let my mind wander.

If nothing else, as we get older, 30-60 min. in dentist's chair seems shorter and shorter the older we get, because time seems to fly by a lot faster. As a child, it was an eternity, but as an adult, it's a mere drop in the bucket of time in a day.

Think about something you have to do later that day that you really DON'T WANT to do... like housework, or bills, or picking up dog poop in the backyard, or something of that nature. But for now, think of yourself being free to sit in a chair and avoid doing those things later in the day you're not looking forward to. Try to think of it as a RESPITE from all your other obligations. Maybe that will make a dentist visit less objectionable by comparison.

I used to be terrified of having to have a root canal, because as 5-year-old I saw how distressed my mother was after having to have one. (This was in the 1950's, so things have changed a LOT!) In the past 10 years I've had to have 2 or 3 root canals, and boy was I surprised. It was NO BIG DEAL. Pretty much the same as having a filling, just takes a little longer.

Same goes with a fear of having wisdom teeth pulled. So, I didn't, until now, when I'm in my 60s! Again, much ado about nothing! Because of finances, I'm getting them removed one at a time. It's pretty much the same drill: Get the Novocain, sit for while reading a magazine. The removal was nothing like I'd imagined, or seen on TV in cartoons! (LOL!) No, the oral surgeon just rocked the tooth back and forth a bit. In each case, I asked, "So when are you going to pull it?" An in each case, the dentist said, "I already pulled it. It's out."

I believe that a good way to overcome fears is to desensitize ourselves. It helps people with a fear of flying. In my 40's, I think due to becoming far-sighted, I started getting kind of weird about heights. So, I exposed myself to places that made me feel uncomfortable gradually, and as often as possible, until eventually I got over it. I found the same to be true with dentists, especially if I had to have a procedure done that required multiple visits, like when I fell and knocked my front teeth out, and had to have them replaced. When it seems like you're at their office so often, you need a parking place with your name on it, the "novelty" wears off. And, amazingly, so does the fear.

Although you regret waiting 12 years, think of it this way: Imagine all the advances and improvements that have happened in dentistry during that time.

You can do it! Have a happy visit at dentist!

- Meerkat =^..^=

My daughter freaks out at the dentist been that - sm - Zorro

[ In Reply To ..]
since she was 3, took us years to get to the point where they could properly clean her teeth, etc. Now it is fillings and cavities that freak her out. Time before last cavity had to do nitrous oxide as she was hysterical (13-y/o), but as my insurance doesn't cover it told her next time she would have to bite the bullet and go novocaine only. There was a next time and I gave her an Aleve about 20 minutes before the appt to relax her, it did the trick and she did fine with the appt and only novocaine.

I too can feel with novocaine, dentist think I am nuts. Takes forever for it to really get numb. You might want them to wait at least 30 mins after dosing you up to start drilling. You should do fine then, and try an aleve or a benadryl, something that will relax you and make you drowsy.

I had a root canal in May, doc had to wait at least 30 mins before starting on me, he was shocked it took so long, he would put dry ice on my tooth to see if I could feel it, once I could not feel it is when he started to work. I also got an electric jolt thru both arms to my fingertips and jumped at one point, he was like you did not feel anything...when it was all done I told him, oh yes I did, had an electric jolt, etc. He was truly surprised and amazed I could feel anything as he super doped me up with novocaine. My jaw was sore for days from all the needle jabs (about 6).

Good luck.

Ask your PMD for something to calm you down. sm - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
It does not need to be prescribed by your dentist. My husband had to do that for some dental work that involved drilling. I forget what our PMD prescribed, but it was a pill he took 30-45 minutes before appointment. He did very well. He gets claustrophobic, but was fine with the medication. Now, he can go for routine cleanings without any premedication. If I'm having a deep cleaning (scaling), my dentist gives me a bunch of novocaine injections before my hygenist works on me. Best of luck to you.

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