• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

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I need help

J

J

Junior member
Joined
Jul 19, 2011
Messages
6
Hello I am a 24 year old male in the us and I have a huge anxiety problem at the dentist I have tried 3 different dentist that do sedation first was an oral surgeon that gave me 2 halcyon tablets after which I panicked and wouldn't let him touch me second was halcyon but this time 5'tablets and I had a crown performed and I woke up and panicked three times but wasn't able to do anything so I went back to the same dentist for more work and again 5 halcyon but this time I was aware enough to not let him numb my mouth so I didn't have any thing done and now I'm facing oral surgery on my wisdom teeth to remove one broken two impacted and one erupted teeth I showed up for the appointment and sat in the chair and they started nitrous to try to bring me down enough to sedate me with an iv but this too wasn't enough for me to let them stick me with the iv so I rescheduled the appointment and now I've canceled it so now I've made an appointment with a psych doctor, does any one have any advice for someone with super high anxiety and a high drug tolerance ::shame:
 
Hi J and :welcome:

Sometimes people do experience problems with various forms of sedation if they're extremely nervous. There are various reasons for this, one being that if you get into a state of panic, then your body starts producing lots of adrenaline and this can sometimes interfere with any sedative drugs (oral or IV) that you have been given. This has happened to me before, so I can understand your worries :).

The key to overcoming this is to find out what it is that you're worried about and then you can start coming up with ways to work around it. Perhaps you could make an appointment with your dentist to talk about the sedation and see whether there is anything that he can suggest. Many people find that taking a sedative the night before helps.

There's more information about various sedation options on this page:


There are also things that your dentist can do to help you feel more at ease as well as things like relaxation techniques which you can do yourself. For more information, see:


Good luck with the psych appointment and let us know how it goes :).
 
Well I have spoke to several dentist about this and every one thinks they have a for sure solution but the one time they got me sedated enough to get within five feet of me with a needle the pain was horrible during and after he process and what I have a anxiety problem with the pain associated with he dentist such as I know if I let them work on me at this surgeon I will wake up with my face swollen to the size of a basket ball and the initial pain of the iv which they say won't hurt but I know it will and I am not good at calculated pain as every time I have had an injection or blood draw in my life it has hurt to an extent thus I have avoided any medical procedure for at least the last 15 years at all cost
 
Sorry I don't have any words of wisdom. Just wanted to wish you luck with the psych doctor.
 
There are two concerns here.
1 Your panic attacks and need to find care
2. If you dentist gave you Halcion(triazolam) 0.25mgX5 in most all states in USA he must have a sedation permit. Same license as IV sedation. This is a potentially dangerous amount and so the dentist needs to be able to handle airway emergency.
Did you also have an iv?
You might be best working with a dentist who can also work with a therapist to desensitize you.
 
Yah the dentist I was going to was licensed in sedation specially but he didnt practice iv so he referred me to another dentist that was licensed in iv sedation but his time frame was off and I needed my wisdom teeth out worse so I went to a oral surgeon that practiced iv and he was the one that thought nitrous would be sufficient but it wasn't and now in two weeks I am going to a psychiatrist and hopefully the two can work something out or I am looking at what they called hospital dentistry with a licensed anesthesiologist if I can get my medical coverage to cover so it's so stress ful I know that I have to do it but Noone so far has taken my problem seriously I've just been referred from one office to the next and no help anywhere along the way just a lot of wasted money and shattered nerves but thanks for all your help and concern this is so hard to discuss to any one else ... Sorry if I am rambling.o_O
 
Hi!

A psychiatrist should be able to help you, but I also think you need a dentist who relies less on chemicals and more on talking, listening and letting you become comfortable. Dentistry isn't just about fixing one big problem and then you're done, you'll still need checkups, and it's good to be able to them too in a stress free manner.

Best of luck!

:)
 
Hi!

A psychiatrist should be able to help you, but I also think you need a dentist who relies less on chemicals and more on talking, listening and letting you become comfortable. Dentistry isn't just about fixing one big problem and then you're done, you'll still need checkups, and it's good to be able to them too in a stress free manner.

Best of luck!

:)
that's so true:thumbsup:
 
Thx but all I can say is without help I know I will never be comfortable I have tried and every time it backfires and I end up with an oxygen mask on my nose in a panic attack
 
try to see not that you will ever be okay but that I have never been okay with treatment.
Panic attacks are very treatable but first you must be the right dentist for you and that might be the hardest part but they do exist.
 
Whether or not this guy overdid it on the drugs, in principle drugs can get the anxious patient into treatment, increase the comfort level with the dentist and the surroundings, and set the stage for continuing treatment and perhaps less reliance on drugs in the future. Anyone who says that all anxiety can be overcome by blathering psychobabble at the patient, having them hold the scary things in their hands until they are "happy" to hold the horrible needle (the much-valued desensitisation technique, gag me), etc., etc., is not for everyone. Treat me kindly, give me the help I need at first to get treatment done, and THEN see if the chemistry can be eased off. If a DDS said to me "nope, I don't use drugs because you don't need them,,,,,,", I'm gone.
 
Most of the people replying to your thread has had problems like yours, maybe not as bad, but still bad enough to prevent them from receiving regular dental care. I sound all tough here, and in fact I am: just a few weeks ago I went to talk to my endodontist about the treatment plan, and she'd get out the handpiece to replace a couple of temporary fillings without me worrying about it at all. But I used to stay away from the dentist for years, I had all kinds of excuses, but the reason why I didn't go was because I was scared. You'll read about all kinds of people who have overcome their fear in the "share your success story" forum here, even people who used to have panic attacks.

Sedation is useful, but as you yourself have noticed, it doesn't solve all problems.

I really hope it works out for you!

:)
 
Ok... I live near the Capitol of Indiana within fifty miles what is the best way to find a dentist that TRULY deals with patients like me like I've said before I have had a lot of dentist promise me a lot of things and when they fail me they just tell me I need to find someone who has different practices I always walk away feeling like a burden... Does anyone know any way to find a specialist I tried contacting the state dental agency but I get no return calls or emails.. And I also want to thank the dentist on here that devote time to help people like me I'm sure if theres a website devoted to it there are quite a few of us
 
Anyone who says that all anxiety can be overcome by blathering psychobabble at the patient, having them hold the scary things in their hands until they are "happy" to hold the horrible needle (the much-valued desensitisation technique, gag me), etc., etc., is not for everyone.

I totally agree, gradual exposure is not suitable for every dentla phobic patient. However, there are other techniques and approaches. Psychology has made a very long way and there are many ways to deal with the anxiety.
 
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