My story

Hi GrahamDee, I hope everything went well for you today .
Have you looked into IV sedation at all? This technique has largely replaced the use of general anaesthesia and is reasonably widely available in the UK (although it can be very hard to come by on the NHS, so you may need to pay for it privately). The dentists who offer it should not be reluctant to use it where it's indicated.
Anyway I hope it all went well today

I've just this moment got back from having my new crown fitted. On an anxiety scale from 1 to 5, this was a three. The worst bit was the injection which stung something awful and the sensation of having my tooth pulled at as the temporary was removed was not nice. But I endured it. Glad its was done and glad its over. I would describe it as unpleasent, but not unbearable.

The absolute worst thing will be next Wednesday when Mr Molar has to meet Mr Pliers and I have to endure my worst nightmare of the "big one".

I did state my concerns over this and reluctantly, I was given a perscription for Temazepam, to take two the night before and two the next morning - although my appointment isn't until 4:00 in the afternoon, which makes me concerned that it will have worn off before I get there and I will have to endure the extraction fully alert.

I like the idea of IV sedation, but it wasn't offered to me. The annoying thing is having voiced my 'concern' about having extractions and the desire to have sedation of sorts always falls on deaf ears and when I do ask, I get the long "Why do you want that?" look.

I'm glad you managed today's appointment so well - well done !

IV sedation requires special qualifications, so only those dentists who have further education in this field can offer it (unless they work together with an anaesthesiologist (sp?) who offers it and who comes in on a demand basis). So you would have to specifically seek out a dentist who offers it. The British Dental Association has a website where you can search specifically for dentists who offer sedation in your area.

P.S.: It sounds like your dentist could do with brushing up on his injection technique

letsconnect said:

P.S.: It sounds like your dentist could do with brushing up on his injection technique

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I agree but it was a 'her' I think.

Graham is this an NHS dentist, because a private one really should be more sympathetic to your 'entirely understandable' fears?.
Letsconnect's suggestion of i/v sedation is a good one but there are also dentists in UK who offer nitrous as a gas to breathe just to relax you (but more common in USA) and although LA injections can be done comfortably with the right technique - gel and slow delivery, if this is an issue for you, you could look for a dentist with TheWand.

I have come to the conclusion that to maximise the chances of saving teeth which need root canals, it is probably wise (if affordable) to get complex ones treated by an endodontist (specialist) rather than a general dentist, although some general dentists are of course also very experienced in doing them so it does depend in each case.

Sounds like you have made great progress though - hope it goes well.

The only good about my last LA was that she gave me just enough to numb the area and it was almost gone just over an hour later. I still remember when I used to get a whole cartridge slammed into me which used to kill off one side of my head for at least six hours or so and I spend the day dribbling and talking funny. I always have a slight reaction to LA's, they bring me out in cold sweats for some reason, but nothing that’s really unpleasant.

Next to having a GA, my second best option would be Nitrous, but there are no dentists local to me that offer it (at least none that I can find) and the very few that I have seen are far away, private and extremely expensive. However, I would happily accept IV instead, but that is still expensive and there is a question of getting to and from a dentist doped up unable to drive.

I did read somewhere is one of the reasons why Nitrous is rare is because this requires special training (or an additional specialist) and the equipment must undergo constant rigorous testing and so on. Its basically too expensive and too much aggravation for the dentist for it to be a viable option. (someone correct me if I'm wrong here).

To me, this is the other side of dentistry. I would love to have tons of cosmetic work done, a few implants to fill the gaps, veneers and so on - but it all revolves around both money and what I can tolerate in the chair. If I could spend a great deal of money means I won't care about being in the chair thanks to GA, IV, N20, etc which is all well and good. But I think the reality is if I were to have this work, I simply could not afford the extra for the sedation. I am sceptical of 'alternative' anxiety relief such as hypnotherapy and so on.

The mere thought of having my jaw drilled open and screws threaded into my head scares the hell out of me so at the moment, I'm not even going to contemplate implants or whatever.

My little monster of a root canal is a long story. My molar abscessed and was root-filled years ago. But about six months ago, I was getting blinding headaches, stiff necks and all sorts. I thought it was my eyesight, as it was not your average toothache. I had some checkups and was told there was nothing wrong with my eyes and I have no signs of tooth decay. The headaches continued and a dull ache began to appear in the general area. An x-ray revealed the failed root, the abscess and part of the bone which had dissolved as a result. (that really scared me). I was referred to an endodentist who tried to save the tooth, but gave up after an hour (and £350) and now its time to have the thing out. Since my endodenist cleaned out all the gunk inside my tooth, it seems to have healed up - or at least stopped my headaches. But I was told I have a time bomb in my mouth and it has to come out.

Its less than a week to go and the mere thought is starting to interrupt my sleep. Next week, I'm going to be a total wreck.

I'm sure you'll be fine...certainly sounds like the tooth is doomed despite everyone's best efforts. Like most things you can desensitise yourself to an idea over time....if I needed an implant and could afford one, I now wouldn't hesitate, whereas when I first heard about them I thought no way. It helps when someone tells you that bone has no nerves for instance.
If you were having an implant the cost of an i/v sedation on top would be minimal.

On sedation you are probably correct, the cheapest option is oral sedation which you were offered...can work really well but more 'hit and miss' than the other methods. Very safe though.

My personal preference is to use a good dentist with painfree techniques (including administration of anaesthesia) so I can relax using just local anaesthetic. I did have GA for wisdoms though when it was very much the UK fashion.

Re: My story - Update

This is probably not a good read for phobics, but today was the day of my extraction.



I was given Tamerzepam as an oral sedative - and to be honest I just has well taken M&M's for what use this "Class A Prohibited Substance" was. It left me absolutly stone cold sober (if thats the right word), when I was supposed to be feeling woozy and dopey. I won't be taking oral 'sedatives' again. They are a total waste of time and money.

Anyway, being told I have to have this thing out made me nervous, when I had the appointment, I was anxious. By today, I was terrified. By the time I was in the chair, I was a petrified shaking wreck.

I had three cartridges put in me and then she started with the pressure and twisting - and I could still feel it. But the pain wasn't the problem - she thought I was going to pass out with hyperventiliation - which I nearly did. I was absolutly quivering and nearly pulling off the armrests. She tried three times to take it out and got as far as the cruch-and-snapping stage (by this time I coud sense she slowly losing patience with me) and decided to call it off, as I was in a shaking sweating mess. When I got out the chair, I nearly collapsed on the floor as blood started to pour back into my brain and started to feel pains in my chest (not a good sign) and I had to sit down outside for a while at least until my pulse rate reduced from a whine to a purr.

So i still have this tooth and a numb face. I'm being referred to a clinic for IV sedation (has to be better than this so-called oral) and I'm waiting to see what this root-broken tooth is going to be like when I get my face back. Co-codamols on standby.

So this has been a failure for me. I'm not dental phobic -but I am extraction -phobic (make sense?) as I will tolerate any other dental procedure. If I was of stronger resolve, I would now have a hole in my head and thinking about how my headaches will now be over and how much money I can expect from the Tooth Fairy tomorrow morning.

Seriously, I feel this experiance has only intensified my fear of extractions and right now, if I have to have another one, I not even going to entertain the idea until i'm on the floor in the worst pain I can tolerate and I'm forced to go.