• 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 want to be out of it

J

john8611

Junior member
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
10
Hey guys, i havent seen a dentist in over 40 years(i know) but just after christmas i had a infection and my left cheek swelled up like a balloon, managed to get a dentist to see me and after a quick injection he pulled the loose tooth out(puss and blood eww). He did mention at the time that my teeth are in a bad way and has booked me in on saturday for a check up. I dot have a problem with the check but after the extraction even tho it was relatively painless and quick i still havent lost my feer if any the crunch of the tooth being removed has heigtened my anxiety a bit. Can i ask for any kind of sedation for future extraction of fillings etc i really dont feel i can cope without any.
 
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Hi john8611.

Of course you can ask for sedation if you think it will help you. However, not all dentists/practices offer sedation, so there's a chance it could mean being referred (or finding) somewhere else. But the only way to find out is to ask.

There's more information here about the different types of sedation available:


You may feel that one is more suited to you than others. Another option is that your GP may be able to prescribe you oral sedation to take before your dental appointments, but your dentist would still have to be ok with it.

Hope your check-up goes well.
 
Are you in the US or UK? Either way there are lots of sedation options in dentistry today from Nitrous Oxide to Oral Seadtion to IV. Sedation is available regradless of the treatment, even cleanings, but you need a dentist that offers it or a GP who will prescribe soemthing for anxiety before.

Congratulations on getting yourself to a dentist! Start with the check up and then a treatment plan to see what work needs done, develop a way to cope working with your dentist - take it one step at a time.

rp
 
good luck with your appointment! the first appointment usually just has the dentist looking around a bit, checking what needs to be done, making a treatment plan. that helps me a lot, when i know there's really not going to be a lot done. and it is such a great sense of accomplishment when it's over...concentrating on that will help the following appointment easier.

it really does help (at least for me anyway!) to express my fears to the dentist and anyone else in the office i choose to talk to. and remember as well that your anxiety is not out of line. i don't know of anyone who likes to go to the dentist. it's ok to feel bad, but it's also ok to talk positively to yourself...it's worth a shot, even if you don't believe what you're telling yourself. i had a therapist tell me that once. telling yourself you will be ok, even if you don't believe it, is one step closer to actually believing it and feeling better.

good luck!!
 
Thanks guys the sedation page is a good read and helps, I really don't know if the dentist im going to does sedation as to be honest he was the first one I found open when i finished work, I am in the UK by the way, after Christmas I saw the dentist and thought he was just going to look and prescribe some antibiotics or something, wasn't expecting the extraction to be done right away or probably never would have gone, but I have to say once in the chair the whole experience wasn't as bad as id dreaded, now I just hope I can get back in the seat with foreknowledge of impending extractions :o
 
Given that you survived your emergency extraction(probably the worst it could get), I really think it would be quicker and easier to let the same guy fix up the rest even if he doesn't do sedation. You can always get the low-dose anti-anxiety pill from your GP but that is not the same as full-blown oral sedation.

If he was nice to you and didn't hurt you and didn't make you feel bad, I would recommend building a relationship of trust and keeping him as your long-term dentist.
You can get an NHS referral for i/v sedation in most areas but you will have no control over who does the work and you may well have to wait a long time.

The other option is to find a private dentist you like who offers sedation/even more TLC than the guy you saw in NHS.

Good luck however you decide to move forward.
 
Thanks brit well see how it goes

Dentists secretary called two days ago to remind me of my appointment, cool.
They then called today to cancel it till next Saturday( and heres me all out of fingernails to bite).
 
Haven't updated for a while so thought it about time, saw my dentist back in January for my first proper check up, Dentist was good chap and realised how nervous i was(think all the fidgeting and clenching was the give away) he looked me over and pretty much said wow there bad, he reckons all the back and a couple of the front will probably need removal now and in 3 to 4 years the rest will probably need extracting too, his clinic doesn't do sedation so hes referred me to the queensway practice in Billingham UK and they v got me booked in for an assessment for the 30th august and then 10 weeks later for treatment. Can i ask to have all the extractions done in one go so I don't have to go through a second visit for extractions, and can i choose what my dentures will look like(I fancy some pointy canines like La Roux), by September i will probably only have £900 - £1000 saved up, will this see the work done. Sorry to ask so many questions but pricing in the UK seems very complex and widely varied, and A thousand pound is a lot of money to me so I want to get it right first time lol.
 
Hi John

Just seen your thread, so thought I would pop in with my 'two penneth'.

Like you, I went initially to an NHS dentist who then referred me to a sedation clinic because I was in such a state. When I was in the reception after he had looked at my teeth, the conversation between the dentist and receptionist mentioned that there was only two sedation dentists that they referred people to. So I went along with the one they sent me to and went and saw him. He was nice enough and explained what he planned to do, but something wasn't sitting quite right with him.

Someone on here recommended having another opinion (YIKES)!! And at first, wouldn't consider it. I had even booked my appointment for treatment which was supposed to be a crown or if this failed an implant, for the 1st of May. Anyway, short of it is that I listened this time to getting a 3rd opinion, and went to a dentist who was referred to me by someone on DFC. How glad I was that I went along this route. I am now with a dentist who takes time, and trouble to explain everything to me, and if you find my previous thread, and have loads of hours to spend :) you can see the whole journey 'til now.

Anyway, basically, if you checkout the pages on here and see if someone can recommend a good sympathetic dentist who offers IV sedation near you I would go get a further opinion. And I wouldn't wait until August, for the initial inspection it would probably cost up to about £50 - £60. Then you could be told exactly what needs to be done, and given the costings too. It would allow you time to ask all the questions that you have, and know the sort of sum of money that you will need to be looking at. You may even be able to get some sort of dental plan on the go to help??

Let us know how you get on, and I hope that you get your treatment as soon as you can for your own peace of mind.

Take care.

Kim
 
he reckons all the back and a couple of the front will probably need removal now and in 3 to 4 years the rest will probably need extracting too,

This doesn't make sense to me...if what is there can last 3 or 4 years then it can be treated and saved surely?
Do you know if your main issue is your gums having problems or decay or both?
An NHS denture probably doesn't cost very much - maybe whatever the max charge is for a course of treatment but you don't really want one if your teeth can be fixed and saved surely?

If gums are the issue to keep your teeth for longer you would have to be onboard with regular hygienist's visits and likely improved homecare but I really would get a 3rd opinion from a private dentist maybe before getting all removed on 'cheap as chips' NHS. Your recount of what the dentist (was he young?) said puts me in mind of a poster who reported back that her NHS dentist said it wasn't worth doing much to her teeth given her age (she was 60 I think lol).
 
Re Brit, and Kim, yes the dentist local to me said the rear ones are all crushed and several of the front are decayed beyond repair, so all those would need extracting, the rest would last 3 to 4 years before needing treatment as some are a little loose so I am assuming he meant extracting, all respect to him this diagnosis was made using just a little mirror on a stick no x-rays or anything, just as a side he is from Poland i think and it was his second day at the practice, the first dentist at the practice to work on Saturdays, this being the reason my previous Saturday appointment was cancelled. Also Brit I have read the NHS dental charge guide, I didn't realise those prices applied to me as i am in work. My being so nervous is the reason he referred me to the dental hospital, also his practice doesn't do sedation anyway so the hospital will give me a more in-depth assessment
 
I would still go for the 3rd opinion - I am really glad that I did - I wish you well.


Kim




Re Brit, and Kim, yes the dentist local to me said the rear ones are all crushed and several of the front are decayed beyond repair, so all those would need extracting, the rest would last 3 to 4 years before needing treatment as some are a little loose so I am assuming he meant extracting, all respect to him this diagnosis was made using just a little mirror on a stick no x-rays or anything, just as a side he is from Poland i think and it was his second day at the practice, the first dentist at the practice to work on Saturdays, this being the reason my previous Saturday appointment was cancelled. Also Brit I have read the NHS dental charge guide, I didn't realise those prices applied to me as i am in work. My being so nervous is the reason he referred me to the dental hospital, also his practice doesn't do sedation anyway so the hospital will give me a more in-depth assessment
 
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