fear and wisdom (papoose boards)

When getting my wisdom teeth taken out I was given I was given laughing gas and put on iv sedation. Another thing was called a papoose board. That made me feel very safe. Would it be unusual to ask for that to be used for a regular appointment?

Hi Brandon, it may well be unusual to ask for a papoose board (most people hate the idea of a restraining device ), but that doesn't mean you can't ask for it if your ordinary dentist has one and you like it! Papoose boards (for those of you who've never heard of them) look something like this:



If I'm not mistaken, the General Dental Council in the UK has guidelines in place which prohibit their use. But they are still used in the US by some dentists, most commonly for children.

I can understand how a papoose board could make some people feel very safe. Maybe a heavy blanket wrapped around your body could fulfil a similar function (or maybe even a tight-fitting sleeping bag? as long as the cape thingy for your head isn't in the way).

HTH

Papoose boards are not allowed here. For Special Needs patients the BSDH (specialist dental society for those working in Special Needs) guidelines are that minimal restraint is allowed, a papoose board goes way beyond that. They actually mention swaddling in a blanket as being the most "aggressive" allowable form of restraint, although how all this equates with a patient who actually asks for restraint as in this case is a different kettle of fish...

You can get the guidelines from here: https://www.bsdh.org/index.php/bsdh-guidelines

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Gordon

Wisdom teeth were taken out by a oral surgeon. I nervous to ask my dentist for that, should I be? I'm not sure if my dentist has one or not. Wonder what they will say if they dont?

It is quite probable that your general dentist doesn't have a papoose board, at least in an adult size. Papoose boards are kind of rare these days, because they are, in essence, restraining devices, and those techniques have gone out of fashion.

I can see how a papoose board would make you feel safe and secure. On the other hand, it puts certain restrictions on you. For example, you can't give stop signals to your dentist whenever you want to take a break.
Do you reckon a heavy blanket could fulfill the same purpose? Some people just like the feeling of security they feel when "protected" by a blanket-like device. If so, you could bring your own. Of course, you could still ask if your dentist has a papoose board for adults, but probably they don't.