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First Root Canal Panic Attack

M

Mr152

Junior member
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
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2
Things seemed to be going ok. The dentist even gave me the Novocaine with no problem. Then the assistant brings out the dam and bite plug and tells me I may have trouble breathing through my mouth. That was the trigger: "I may have trouble breathing." I felt adrenaline surging in my body and a full-blown panic. I even pulled out the bite plug myself and just could not go on. I was shaking and felt total panic. The dentist had to stop. He rescheduled me for two days later and gave me a prescription for Valium. I was still dreading the whole event.
Here's what I did to get through this: I practiced at home with a wine cork propping my mouth open with a plastic bag over my mouth for 20 minutes at a time. I also learned a word game to distract me from triggering thoughts. The game was to go through each letter of the alphabet and come up with an item in the grocery store starting with that letter. The last thing was the drugs. On the morning of the root canal I took 10 mgs Valium and 10 mgs Inderal an hour and a half ahead of time. When I was in the chair I kept myself distracted with the word game and I also reminded myself that the dentist is doing me a big favor in taking care of my tooth. I also kept my eyes closed the whole time. After about 10 minutes, I knew I had conquered the panic. I was fine. I felt a wave of gratitude and relaxation come over me. It was all easy after that.
 
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Well done Mr152, so glad to hear you conquered your panic!

(Almost) all good advice too, the word game was a good idea and I'm glad to hear it worked for you :)

I have to pick up on this though, didn't feel comfortable about leaving it posted on a public forum without comment:

with a plastic bag over my mouth for 20 minutes at a time.

This is very dangerous! Please, please don't anybody do this! Mr152, please don't ever do it again, you could suffocate youself.

When dentists use a rubber dam they know what they are doing and can ensure that you are never in any danger. Trying anything yourself at home is a whole different matter.
 
Good advice Tink I agree totally :goodpost:

I would like to add that a dentist using a dental dam will not stop you being able to breath or swallow. I know a lot of people don't like the dams but they do not go over your nose and can be removed in a second easily.

They keep the area to be worked on sterile and dry which is important when having a rct done. I like them as they stop bits going on your tongue or down your throat.

I am pleased that you managed to get the treatment done, and managed to overcome your initial panic. Well done :jump::jump::jump::butterfly:
 
Well done for overcoming your panic and getting the root canal done :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:.

Things seemed to be going ok. The dentist even gave me the Novocaine with no problem. Then the assistant brings out the dam and bite plug and tells me I may have trouble breathing through my mouth. That was the trigger: "I may have trouble breathing." I felt adrenaline surging in my body and a full-blown panic.

Sometimes people don't think about what they're saying before they say it. If it had been introduced to you in a different way, then perhaps you would've had a chance to get used to it more gradually instead of only hearing the (very scary) bit about not being able to breathe properly.

As carole said, the rubber dam won't stop you breathing or swallowing; it's just that it feels a bit different and it's more comfortable to breathe through your nose rather than your mouth whilst it's in place. I have a complete terror of the rubber dam and usually have a bit of a panic whilst it's being put on, but I do understand why it has to be used.

Earlier this year, I started the first of several root canals which were done by an endodontist. At my first apppointment, he introduced the rubber dam, told me what it was used for and what it would feel like. I was told that I would still be able to cough, sneeze, swallow and breathe and that everything would be fine. At no point was I told that I may have trouble breathing through my mouth because they were very careful about what they said so that they didn't cause unnecessary panic or worry. I discovered for myself during treatment that I could still breathe through my mouth, although it was more comfortable to breathe through my nose. If either the endodontist or dental nurse had mentioned anything about not being able to breathe, I'd have been out of the chair and off down the road in a second (and I took 10mg Valium for these appointments as well, although I ended up also taking 40mg of Propranolol (Inderal) to calm the adrenaline surge so that the Valium worked :rolleyes::redface:!).
 
Mr152, I just wanted to congratulate you on conquering your anxiety and getting through the root canal. You've done a great thing for yourself, and now will be an inspiration to others. :dance2::dance2:
 
Well done Mr152, so glad to hear you conquered your panic!

(Almost) all good advice too, the word game was a good idea and I'm glad to hear it worked for you :)

I have to pick up on this though, didn't feel comfortable about leaving it posted on a public forum without comment:



This is very dangerous! Please, please don't anybody do this! Mr152, please don't ever do it again, you could suffocate youself.

When dentists use a rubber dam they know what they are doing and can ensure that you are never in any danger. Trying anything yourself at home is a whole different matter.

I don't think Mr152 was doing anything dangerous as long as he was not covering his nose. What he was doing was conditioning himself to "nose breathe" for an extended period of time and trying to duplicate the feeling of what happens when a dental dam is put in place.

I have the same issue... I have allergies and small nasal passages and tend to panic only when the dam is put in place. The fear is that I "might" not be able to breathe, even though my nasal passages are open and fine. It is a feeling of not being in control and safe. I panic only at the dentist!

So... duplicating the feeling at home and quietly proving to yourself that you are not in any danger at all helps to quell those negative psychological thoughts. I personally would not close my eyes throughout the treatment... that invites imagination to take over and possible scary scenarios. I would prefer to keep the eyes open so that I am in the here and now and don't dissociate from what is real.
 
I don't think Mr152 was doing anything dangerous as long as he was not covering his nose. What he was doing was conditioning himself to "nose breathe" for an extended period of time and trying to duplicate the feeling of what happens when a dental dam is put in place.

You are exactly correct. Thanks for your response. I think the standard warning on plastic bags about them not being a toy for infants triggers a reaction in some people.

I just wanted to add to my original post with an update. Although my root canal went well, it turns out that a periodontal cyst developed on one of the roots of the tooth 3 years after the root canal. I had to go back in to the same doctor for a root amputation and cyst removal, with bone graft. This time a dental dam was not necessary. I took 10 mgs of Valium and had absolutely no problems with a panic attack. The tooth seems to be fine now.
 
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