NotADentistFan's Journal

*This might need to be moved to the "support" section, not "journal". Sorry, this is my first post!*

It all started about 2 years ago, when I was 21. I hadnt been to a dentist in years. My girlfriend at the time, decided she would make an appt for me to see a female dentist about an hour from home (because she would do everything under nitrous oxide). about a week before the appt, the dental office called, to confirm my appt. For that week, I couldnt sleep/eat/do anything right because I was so worked up over it. I had never had nitrous before, and didnt know what to expect.

The day of the appt, my g/f calls and says she cant make it, and that i'll hafta drive myself. I had to stop 2 times on the way to throw up, because of my nerves. I thought sat in the parking lot, already 10 mins late for my appt, thinkin of just leaving. But somehow, I managed to walk in. They looked mad that I was late, but I had told them my story, and they were really nice about it. They took me right back to the exam room, and I started to shake and freak out. And this was only the consultation/xray appt! After talking to the dentist and asst for a bit, they calmed me down, and i managed to get the xrays done, and whatever else they do. As i left, she told me that i needed 1 tooth filled and all 4 of my wisdom teeth out. I began to panic again, but they reassured me that they would give nitrous before they started anything at my next visit. I paid and booked my filling appt for a month after that.

I was fine going in on that day, this time my g/f was there. they called me in the room, and started the gas. I was fine for the first little bit, but the had an odd dream, that what was goin on in the room had happened to me before for some reason. and that I had visions of this same thing happening when i was younger. I then began to freak a bit, thinking that maybe it was the way life ends, and honestly thought I was gonna die in the chair. It was not good at all, I managed to go through the entire deal, but when I came around to leave, and started to head home, i tripped right out, thinking I was gonna die. i had done some research on the net about nitrous effects, and couldnt find much info (thats kinda why i'm here now lol)

About 6 months later it was time for my cleaning. when i got there, they had the nitrous waiting for me again. I briefly told the dentist what had happened afetr i left the first appt, and she said that she had never heard of it before. so i thought, well maybe it was a 1 time deal, and i need something to help me get through this, so i decided to use the gas again. this time the gas hit me really quick, and i immediately got caught up in a dream that i had as a child. I even remembered knowing that the asst would have purple scrubs on (which she did). it was crazy... it felt like my life was just catching up to childhood dreams. so once again, i freaked out and ripped the mask off this time. the dentist continued the cleaning, as i sat there stunned not knowing what to think. after she was done, i told her my speel again about the gas. and she said she really has no idea what goes on in my head. and that the next time i come for my cleaning, that i didnt need nitrous because it didnt seem to bother me after i took the mask off. but i know damn well that i cant do it without something to help me!

And now, in 2 weeks, i have to get my wisdom teeth out. they will be giving me iv sedation (which i have never had) and im already starting to freak out about it. If nitrous does that to me, and im still pretty awake and know whats goin on, what am i gonna be like completely out? VERY NERVOUS about this!

In closing, has ANYONE had anything remotely like this happen to them before? I would REALLY like to talk about it more, before i go on Nov 6. Please get back to me, thanks alot for letting me vent!

Hi and

You are already so far down the line so congratulations.
I've highlighted your two main points.....strange effects nitrous has on you and therefore increased fear of i/v sedation.
From what I've read on here, you do not have to worry about having the i/v sedation being similar, it is a totally different thing and I have never heard of anyone 'having nightmare scenarios' whilst under it (there are a lot of accounts in the sedation section you can read up on) ......however for the effects of nitrous...I think your dentist is being a bit disingenuous....people do react differently and certainly my own experiences of it as 'gas and air' during childbirth and as an old-fashioned GA at the dentist in the UK in the 1960s would easily bear out the fact that it can and does cause hallucinations which sounds like is what scared you so much about it.
It could be that the amount of nitrous you were given was a bit high for you and that with a lower level you would have stayed more relaxed..they can titrate it to suit the individual patient but maybe when it is 'on tap' (uncommon in Europe) they don't do this and have a one size fits all approach...nevertheless you could presumably ask fot it to be turned down i.e. amount of oxygen in the mix increased.

I/V sedation does not work in the same way at all and therfore provided you trust the dentist, you should be fine. Many posters who dislike using nitrous have gone on to have work successfully done with i/v sedation. You can read more about the different sedation methods here:

thanks for the reply! i have talked with some friends about the iv deal, and they say that they had some crazy dreams while under too. thats why i'm more scared of the iv than the nitrous. because if nitrous does that to me, then the iv can only be worse! ive heard that some dentists monitor your heart rate/oxygen level/etc while they give you nitrous? mine did not. like you said, it could be that they were giving me a high dose, when a lower one would be addequite (sp?) all i know, is that i am not excited to go back there! lol. and then when she said that i didnt need nitrous for my next appt, that really ticked me off, cuz she thinks that id be fine without anything, meanwhile, i shake and throw up on the way to the office! ive got 2 weeks left before my appt, and i cant stop thinking/worrying! this really sucks!

No i/v sedation poster on this website has mentioned crazy dreams to my knowledge....have a look for yourself in the Success stories: https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/forum/forums/share-your-success-story.22/

I had IV and I was awake the whole time. your just really relaxed and don't care. You are still awake though and can hear everything being said to you and can do as the dentist asks. It just seems to cut out the whole 'im too scared to do this' feeling.

It depends on how deeply sedated you are as to how much you are aware and how much you remember. i was awake enough to even ask for more sedation at one point, just as the dentist was finishing. It also makes time go much faster. My appointment lasted nearly 3 hours but it feels like it took 20 minutes!

So you are not asleep with IV. It also doesnt paralyse you so your trapped in your body (something I was worried about) You can communicate, you can tell them to stop and you can tell them if it hurts, just like at a regular appointment. You still have LA to stop it hurting as IV doesnt kill pain, but again you will be able to tell the dentist if you need more etc.

You arnt asleep with IV so crazy dreams should not be an issue!

Sorry I havnt got back on here in a while... but I just recieved a call from the receptionist reminding me of my appt on Thurs morning. I asked her about the IV deal, and she said that it was like being on nitrous, but about 3 times as effective. Therefore, worrying me even more than before. GA would be too much of a hassle to get, this close to my appt. So that aint an option, nor do I have the $.

LittleStar - I realize that I wont be asleep during the procedure... and with nitrous you are not asleep niether, but I still have these wierd things/dreams happen to me. So that is where I'm confused, as to why these things even happen.

I realize that with nitrous hallucinations can occur, but this is not like that at all. Its more a of a deja vu kinda thing that goes on. So now my fear is that while under the IV (since its alot stronger)... what can I do if i start to freak out like times on the nitrous? I cant just rip the IV out, like i flipped the nitrous mask off. I dunno, just not gonna have a good 2 days I guess. Ill be glad when Friday morning comes , thats for sure!

Tomorrow is in deed my big day. Receptionist called today to confirm my appt. I asked about being put under, and she said that I wasnt going to be, that I would just be in a state of mind that wouldnt care what was going on around me, with the IV. I think I'd much rather be put asleep for the ordeal, but that would cost an extra $900 (which I dont have!). so I guess Ill hafta suck it up, and go through with it. I havnt slept in 2 nights, and havnt felt good since they first called to remind me! I hope all goes well! Thanks for the help on here. If anything, it was nice just to vent.

Good Luck Tomorrow!

the oral sedation... and iv mixed together, wasnt enough for me... they removed the top 2, but now i hafta go back to the bottom 2 out under GA. NOT IMPRESSED! the iv was nothing, i remember pretty much everything about the appt. I think i woulda been more out of it, by using just the nitrous and oral sedation.

Sorry to hear the IV wasn't effecive enough for you: different reactions by different people and of course its all down to how much stuff was actually given. I personally had IV sometime back now and honestly didn't feel or hear a thing and time seemed to pass in seconds, and with absolutely no ill effects. I'm sure though your next appointment will go fine whether you try IV again or go the GA route. Just try and stay positive and believe things will get better.