scared of anesthetic

1st of all Id like to say I'm so glad to have had found this forum.. For I am so petrified of dentist .
ok here is my dilemma.. For ages I have put off going to the dentist b/c I have this massive fear of having an reaction to the local anesthetic ..I'm afraid my throat is going to close up and will die.. How irrational is this fear? I feel like a serious mental case. I do suffer from anxiety and panic disorder , but this fear has completely gotten out of hand.. its unreal i hate it!!
Now tomorrow I'm due for two extractions and I'm freaking out.. I'm not worried about the pain or the needle or even them yanking the two teeth.. Its the medication I'm scared of I've got it in my head that I'm going to die..
Does anyone have any words of comfort?

Well, I have never heard of anyone dying from local so its highly unlikely anything out of the ordinary happening to you.

Hi Shelley396 ,

it might help you to know that allergies to modern local anaesthetics are extremely rare. It used to be a problem in the old days, but not anymore. Some people are allergic to the preservatives used for the epinephrine that's added to local anaesthetics to improve numbing. However, these allergic reactions tend to be very mild (like a rash) and nothing drastic.

If you are still worried despite all reassurances, you can go to an allergist and get tested for the various local anaesthetics used in dentistry today, as well as any preservatives used .

All the best for tomorrow

Thank you so much for the words of comfort.. I pray everything will be okay..
Of all fears to have I have this one.. its insane! : (
But thank you once again so much for replying .. I feel a little bit better after reading the reply posts.. i will let everyone know how it goes tomorrow... I go in at 2:30

Hi Shelley
What the others have said is correct..you have nothing to worry about as allergic reactions are rare and not serious if they do occur. However from the way you described your fear as being afraid of your throat swelling up and your choking..it sounds as if maybe it is 'numbness' you are afraid of....even if not, you may find this page reassuring from our Common Fears section:


Good luck.

Hi Brit I think you are on to something.. What go me started on this whole throat closing up thing was years and I mean many years back.. I was given a shot of novacaine and my right side of my throat /tonsil/tongue was so numb to the point i thought i was swelling so it scared me .. Well so as years went by this fear has grew out of control .. Im going to check out the link you added.. Thank you so much..

Yes check it out...the reassuring point from memory is that nothing actually swells up at all even though it may sometimes feel like it does.

update on extraction

Well I'm a complete failure of a person.. I was suppose to have these two extractions done today .. I suppose to go the 28th couldn't go I was scared so I re-scheduled for today so I went. I had one injection and freaked out and it was even the one WITHOUT epi.. I had to leave!!! I hate this !! Why am I cursed with this anxiety.. I feel like a freak. I'm so embarrassed. Now I have got to wait until the 18th to continue this torture. Thanks for letting me to vent..

Re: update on extraction

Hmmm Sounds exactly like me

Does your dentist offer sedation to help with the freaking out so you dont run out of the office?

Re: update on extraction

Yes he offers sedation, He wants me to try this route.. Take a whole xanax 30 min prior to the appointment to see if the edge can be taken off..
Which Im already on xanax .. I just dont take the original dose I take less.
So Im going to go with a whole .5 and see if it does do the magical trick.
But I honestly I feel that this fear is bigger than a pill..
At least I see that I made it through one shot w/o dying.. So maybe I can settle myself some.. This blows! I was so close , but oh well at least I tried..

Re: update on extraction

Don't be too hard on yourself. I think it's fantastic that you were brave enough to even try! Try again, and eventually you will succeed. Good luck.

Re: update on extraction

I agree with earlier posts, and no way must you consider yourself a failure, more that you just have'nt yet achieved success! Although you are taking medication prior to going to the dentist, this obviously is not enough to keep you sitting in the chair. Perhaps you should ask your dentist if he can give you nitrous which will give you a feeling of well-being and able to carry on with the treatment.

Re: update on extraction

I'm sorry you weren't able to go through with it! I had laughing gas for the first time yesterday and let me tell you...it was the best! I actually found myself falling asleep, that was how relaxed I was. This was my first root canal and first dental treatment for the past ten years!

Im scared everyone

Well I had my extraction done and Im
panicking .. My jaw is swollen and my vision feels blurry..
Im thinking now what if he hit a nerve to mess my vision up or is thiis my anxiety...
also this swelling im thinking what if it was infected and now the abecess is swelling all over my jaw.. im a nervous wreck..

plus when he injected me i felt like a twinge in my lower lip.. oh god i hope i dont have permanent
nerve damage..... I hate being mental.. The oral surgeon even called me a basket case.. thank you for whoever is reading and let me vent.. take care

" Nevermind everyone I have calmed down.. Shew thank goodness.." I am still upset the surgeon called me a basket case.. Thats just down right rude!

Re: Im scared everyone

Also how do I prevent a dry socket? Especially when the extraction was a molar and wisdom tooth lower jaw .. if i talk or drink will the force from my tongue dislodge the socket? thank you everyone once again..

Re: Im scared everyone

I would ask that question in the dentist questions part of this forum. Sadly, I don't know what you can do to pervent a dry socket, but I'm sure there are loads on it if you search the forum.

Why the heck did the surgeon call you a basket case? Was he joking?

Re: Im scared everyone

Deb89 said:

I would ask that question in the dentist questions part of this forum. Sadly, I don't know what you can do to pervent a dry socket, but I'm sure there are loads on it if you search the forum.

Why the heck did the surgeon call you a basket case? Was he joking?

Click to expand...

I dont think he was.. I dont know.. Then again I was acting like one.. : (
I will post in the other section of the forum thank you for your help

Re: Im scared everyone

Doesn't sound like he was very understanding :/

I hope you can get your questions answered

Re: Im scared everyone

Even if you were acting like one, as you put it, unless you are on very good terms with your dentist and have some sort of rapport going where in the past you are able to be a bit cheeky with each other, calling you this is downright rude and, although obviously you were at a disadvantage at the time being at his mercy, so to speak it's a shame that you couldn't have come back with some apt retort at the time.

At least the tooth is over now, though you seem to be having a rough time of it, but did you not have numbing gel before he injected you? Sounds not to be the most caring and gentle of dentists but you can be proud of yourself that you got through it. I would ask your questions about dry socket etc in Dentistry Questions, but much has been written on dry sockets before and if you go to Dentistry for Dummies you'll find a thread on what to do after extractions which might help.

Re: Im scared everyone

scaredstiff said:

Even if you were acting like one, as you put it, unless you are on very good terms with your dentist and have some sort of rapport going where in the past you are able to be a bit cheeky with each other, calling you this is downright rude and, although obviously you were at a disadvantage at the time being at his mercy, so to speak it's a shame that you couldn't have come back with some apt retort at the time.

At least the tooth is over now, though you seem to be having a rough time of it, but did you not have numbing gel before he injected you? Sounds not to be the most caring and gentle of dentists but you can be proud of yourself that you got through it. I would ask your questions about dry socket etc in Dentistry Questions, but much has been written on dry sockets before and if you go to Dentistry for Dummies you'll find a thread on what to do after extractions which might help.

Click to expand...

Yeah thank god I did it.. I was so proud of myself b/c I had put it off and put it off b/c of fear..
But yeah i dont think he is a very caring person.. His really just an oral surgeon.. Pulls the tooth and on to the next person.. I will say this the nurse was very nice.. she held my hand almost throughout the surgery.. Now if I can get through this w/o dry socket I will be a free woman for the time being that is.. lol