I need some advice

Hello, everybody

I'm 14 years old looking for some advice with my problems. I recently moved and have been bummed out about it. Things led to some other things, and I was depressed for a little awhile-- but that isn't what I need help with.

I came here for some advice with overcoming my fears at the dentist. I need about 4 or 5 fillings and POSSIBLY a root canal. I've had two fillings before and they were terrible, the grinding made me feel so bad and I could kind of feel the drill drilling into my tooth. I don't want to go through this again with 5 different fillings. I want to talk to my parents about it because I know its going to keep getting worse if I don't go.

The reason I won't talk to them about it is because I'll feel like im wasting their money getting fillings because of me being lazy. I had braces before and they costed SO much, I feel like I got them for no reason now... I KNOW my grandma can pay for them but I think she will be disappointed in me when she pays for it.

If I go there I wanted to know if I could be put to sleep or have something along the lines of that, that will help me relax or lose consciousness.

PLEASE help me out, it will mean so much to me and I can get my life back together because of this.

Thank you so much.

Best Regards
- Cody

Cody,

You came to the right place. Everyone here is very supportive. I know because I have a lot of dental fears and they are all supporting me. My suggestion to you if find a dentist you are comfortable with that will work with your fears. I am not sure where you live but I am I am in the USA. I have a sedation dentist. I get valium to take the night before, a valium before the appointment (an hour before) and then another pill when I get there (not a valium but it sort of puts you in a sleepy state). You can also ask for a valium or a medication to calm you before the appointment. The dentist I go to also uses laughing gas so that could be an option for you as well. It relaxes you. He also lets you listen to music and covers you up with a blanket if you want to be. I need the laughing gas just to get my teeth cleaned.

Go and speak to a dentist first before having any work done. If you do not feel comfortable with them try someone else. Remember you need to feel at ease. I had traumatic dental experiences as a child and they stick with you into adulthood (I am in my mid thirties). Finding someone that understands that and is willing to work with you is well worth it!

You are not lazy. We all have fears and I do not know one person that does not have an issue with their mouth. I brush and floss all the time and my gums are receeding.

Talk to your parents they can help you. I do not have dental insurance but found a dentist that I am comfortable with so I am sticking with him. I have a health card which is like a credit card that I use and I pay it off little by little.

You took the first step in coming here. Be proud of yourself for doing that. I am proud of you. If you need anything please just message me. You can get through this. I am here should you need me.

Re: queenoffear

Thank you so much for your help.

I have a dentist that I'm pretty close with and he's close with my family, he was actually my dads old soccer coach haha. Anyways, I plan on speaking about it today with either my parents or my grandma.

Do you have to have certain health problems or a prescription to get laughing gas or valium? And will they cost a lot more than the shot? I don't have insurance either so we're probably in the same situation.

Thanks in advance

Hi! From my experience you do not need to have certain medical conditions to get the laughing gas (nitrous oxide and i know I spelled it wrong) or the valium. If you do have health concerns make sure your dentist is aware of them. My dentist knows my fears and I am sedated for work. I had a root canal done that way, three crowns, periodontal gum scraping and some cavities filled. I had more but I do not remember. That is a good thing. At my dentist I do not need a prescription for the valium. He gives me two in a small envelope with instructions on them. The laughing gas is not prescribed either. You just ask your dentist if he offers it. Tell him you are fearful and ask if you can be put on it. It does help relax you. I think the dentist has to have a certain training to be able to administer it but do not quote me. I know the woman that cleans my teeth does. As I said I use it to get my teeth cleaned. Just make sure you breath in through your nose a lot or it does not have as good of an affect. Sometimes when she is cleaning my teeth I tend to breath out and in using my mouth and notice the gas is not working as well as if I breathed in through my nose. It is hard to remember to do that but again that is my personal experience with it. That is wonderful you have a dentist you are comfortable with. It is much easier to them express your fears. At my dentist the laughing gas it is a piece of equipment that goes over your nose and they administer it that way. It stays on the entire time they are cleaning my teeth. You breath it in and it almost makes me feel flighty. Sometimes my legs and arms feel weird but it is not a bad feeling and it is not painful. It takes the edge off the cleaning. I believe your dentist will still give you novicane to numb the area. I am sure other people would be happy to give their thoughts on that as well. Since I use a sedation dentist I am unaware if he does that or not. I am sure he does but I do not even want to know. I hope I was able to explain it well enough for you. The valium and laughing gas do cost a bit more but it is well worth it. The valium is part of the sedation process. I was not sedated this week when I went to get my x-ray but I did ask for valium beforehand and he did not charge me this time. If he did I would have gladly paid it. I doubt it would have been more than $15.00. I have not been to my dentist for a cleaning in years due to fear but recently I went back to get my nightguard fitted and for an x-ray. Two separate apointments and I made it to the fitting without a valium. If I recall correctly the laughing gas was an extra $60. I can look at the papers to be exact but that is I believe what he charges. To me it is worth every penny. I hope I helped you in some way. Please feel free to ask me any questions. Please keep me updated and if you need anything do not hesitate to write.

I'll let you know in a PM about whats happening, oh and thanks again for taking the time out of your life just to help me out. It means a lot!

It is my pleasure. It is nice to forget about my own fears for a while and be able to try and help someone else. I am glad I could help you in some small way. You can do this! You will be in my thoughts.

Beaka
Even with laughing gas (nitrous oxide as a relaxant), you would still be numbed up so you feel no pain. Nitrous would probably be enough to take the edge off and has the benefit over stronger forms of sedation that it is very safe and you feel completely normal afterwards.

You said your last experience was unpleasant....you didn't like the scraping....it shouldn't be painful though...if you are properly numbed up.
If you don't use sedation, then ask for a stop signal so you can feel more in control of what's happening - this helps reduce anxiety. You can also ask the dentist to tell you what's happening and let you know how much longer etc etc to help you cope.
Good luck

On the money issue, I'm speaking as a Mom. We spent a lot of money on her braces, and now two of her teeth have decay. Things happen. It was very hard for her to take proper care of her teeth with the braces on, so I'm not surprised her teeth came away with a little bit of damage. In our case, the cavities are in "baby teeth" - hers are going to fall out one of these days whether we get the fillings or not! I imagine yours are in permanent teeth, making treatment all the more important.

I completely understand how you feel on the drilling. It doesn't hurt, but I can "feel" the drill going in. Whether it's mental or physical, the sensation is extremely disconcerting.

Nitrous is really a wonderful thing if it works for you. My mother uses it, and it's extremely effective - she's almost knocked out. Many people feel "tingly" all over, and that can definitely reduce the pressure you feel from the drilling. If you've never used it, though, I'd suggest a trial run first if your dentist will allow it, like during a routine exam. Like any drug, not everyone reacts the same way (during or afterward), and it could definitely calm more fears if you know it will be pleasant and effective.

I'm not sure where you are in the world, but I know in the States many dentists can't prescribe controlled medications like Valium or Ativan. They either lack the necessary credentials or it's more tightly regulated in their state. In my area, it can only be prescribed by surgeons or licensed doctors. Unfortunately, considering your age (14 if I read correctly) many doctors simply won't prescribe it. There are valid concerns with giving psychiatric medication to teenagers.

I am just writing to see how you are doing. Please let me know how things went for you. You will be in my thoughts.

Hi Cody!

I'm glad to see such nice people have responded

Don't feel bad about your fillings; braces did the same thing to me when I was about your age. It happens, and you're going to get it fixed and then you'll feel great. No one is disappointed with you - parents just have problems, but they love you and your teeth are important to them. They want to give you a good start with healthy teeth, so let them That's what parents are for.

If you're concerned about hearing/feeling the fillings, just talk to your dentist beforehand and see what he/she says. Be honest about it; the dentist wants this to be as easy on you as possible. They want you to come back for check ups and whatnot, so it's not in their best interest to make you uncomfortable.

You're going to be fine