M
Magicianscotty
Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2017
- Messages
- 29
- Location
- Ohio
Hey everyone! It’s been a while, but I am here to help! Are used to have an extreme fear of the dentist. I have had it my entire life. Back in 2017, my dental fear has basically all but gone away completely. Of course I still get nervous right before a visit but I think it’s literally from being so nervous before, I’m just used to that. Now I am completely fine and no longer fearful because I have cemented into my brain how it feels for me when I’m in the chair.
Now this may be different for everyone but once I’m in the chair, my stomach and nervous pains are completely gone. I’m not sure why this is, perhaps it’s because I now know that it’s out of my control, I’m that much closer to being done and I’m looking forward to after the appointment rather than focusing on what is happening in the moment. But now I am here to help all of you to understand exactly what I did when I was fearful and what I do now. Perhaps you, too, will be able to use this post as a way to combat your own fears and anxieties when it comes to going to the dentist.
First, don’t think about it…I hear everyone at this point saying “
oh Scott that’s easy for you to say”. I literally had to force myself to do this. So what I mean is do not focus on the day of the dentist. If you do, you will forget to live your life and enjoy the moment all the way up until the day, then you’ve just wasted your life. Try not to do that because you will just psyche yourself out and it won’t be pleasant. And on top of everything else, all of that worrying and shaking will make the inevitable time while in the dentist chair SO much worse. I know, I’ve done it. While I know this is a hard concept to grasp, do try your best to think about living in the moment and don’t worry until you are in the car in the way there!
Second, find a dentist that has good reviews. How? Www.healthgrades.com is a great start! It allows you to search a dentist (or any medical provider) and find out their reviews! If you can’t find a provider on there, just Google them. Find a dentist with good bedside manner and patience. A good dentist will listen to your concerns and be patient with you.
Third, ask for Valium before the appointment. Valium is an Anxiolytic and Sedative. It can treat anxiety, muscle spasms, and seizures. Valium works by diminishing hyperactive brain function to relieve severe stress and anxiety. It is ingested orally in pill form. You will take one pill the night before the appointment (to help you sleep) and 1-2 pills one hour before the appointment. (YOU WILL NEED SOMEONE TO DRIVE YOU TO THE APPOINTMENT IF YOU TAKE THIS OPTION) Do not attempt to drive while there is Valium in your system, at least not for the rest of the day.
Fourth, ask for laughing gas. YES, YOU CAN TAKE LAUGHING GAS WHILE ON VALIUM. But be sure to consult your dentist before the appointment on any other medications you take to make sure laughing gas will not affect you negatively. But it shouldnt. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or happy gas, is a colorless, non-flammable gas. This gas is used in medical and dental procedures as a sedative. It helps to relieve anxiety before the procedure and allow the patient to relax. If you go with this option, the dentist will simply place a small silicone nose shaped cup over your nose with a hose on either side. It just rests on your nose and you just breathe normally in through your nose. It doesn’t hurt at all. You will quickly feel light headed, dizzy maybe, giggly and overall very peaceful. This will GREATLY help you in the chair.
Fifth, go with Novocain. If you need more than just Valium and laughing gas and want to make sure you experience NO pain at all, ask for Novocain. If you do this option, make sure you close your eyes while the doctor administers it. It is injected into the puffy soft tissue on the inside of your mouth. Not the gums. Just in the upper and lower lips and cheeks. The doctor will use a Qtip to put some numbing solution on your gums and cheeks to help dull the pain of the injection. The doctor will push the needle in a few MM and inject the Novocain. Depending on where it is, you will feel some slight pain. This is the medicine working its way into the very dense tissue of your cheek. A good dentist will massage your gums as they inject this stuff to help diminish the pain. If you are already under laughing gas, this pain should be very minuscule. After the administration is done, your gums, lips and teeth will literally be completely numb within a matter of minutes.
Sixth: ask for oraquix. Not every dentist has this option. This is a non injectible and less potent form of numbing solution for the gums. It is still slightly invasive. So basically it is a long tube, kind of like a cigar tube. And it has a needle tip applicator at the end but it’s slightly thicker than a needle. The dentist will slide the applicator under the gums slightly and inject the solution. This will numb your gums up. It won’t last as long - about as long as it takes for the procedure to be performed. Depending on the pocket depth of your gums, you may still experience some discomfort during oraquix application but it won’t be anywhere near as painful as Novocain injection.
So, that is the things I use. At this point, My gums have healed and have reattached to my teeth and at this point all I use is oraquix. I don’t need laughing gas, Novocain or even Valium before my appointments anymore. I hope this information helps! If anyone has any questions, please reply or reach out!!
Now this may be different for everyone but once I’m in the chair, my stomach and nervous pains are completely gone. I’m not sure why this is, perhaps it’s because I now know that it’s out of my control, I’m that much closer to being done and I’m looking forward to after the appointment rather than focusing on what is happening in the moment. But now I am here to help all of you to understand exactly what I did when I was fearful and what I do now. Perhaps you, too, will be able to use this post as a way to combat your own fears and anxieties when it comes to going to the dentist.
First, don’t think about it…I hear everyone at this point saying “
oh Scott that’s easy for you to say”. I literally had to force myself to do this. So what I mean is do not focus on the day of the dentist. If you do, you will forget to live your life and enjoy the moment all the way up until the day, then you’ve just wasted your life. Try not to do that because you will just psyche yourself out and it won’t be pleasant. And on top of everything else, all of that worrying and shaking will make the inevitable time while in the dentist chair SO much worse. I know, I’ve done it. While I know this is a hard concept to grasp, do try your best to think about living in the moment and don’t worry until you are in the car in the way there!Second, find a dentist that has good reviews. How? Www.healthgrades.com is a great start! It allows you to search a dentist (or any medical provider) and find out their reviews! If you can’t find a provider on there, just Google them. Find a dentist with good bedside manner and patience. A good dentist will listen to your concerns and be patient with you.
Third, ask for Valium before the appointment. Valium is an Anxiolytic and Sedative. It can treat anxiety, muscle spasms, and seizures. Valium works by diminishing hyperactive brain function to relieve severe stress and anxiety. It is ingested orally in pill form. You will take one pill the night before the appointment (to help you sleep) and 1-2 pills one hour before the appointment. (YOU WILL NEED SOMEONE TO DRIVE YOU TO THE APPOINTMENT IF YOU TAKE THIS OPTION) Do not attempt to drive while there is Valium in your system, at least not for the rest of the day.
Fourth, ask for laughing gas. YES, YOU CAN TAKE LAUGHING GAS WHILE ON VALIUM. But be sure to consult your dentist before the appointment on any other medications you take to make sure laughing gas will not affect you negatively. But it shouldnt. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or happy gas, is a colorless, non-flammable gas. This gas is used in medical and dental procedures as a sedative. It helps to relieve anxiety before the procedure and allow the patient to relax. If you go with this option, the dentist will simply place a small silicone nose shaped cup over your nose with a hose on either side. It just rests on your nose and you just breathe normally in through your nose. It doesn’t hurt at all. You will quickly feel light headed, dizzy maybe, giggly and overall very peaceful. This will GREATLY help you in the chair.
Fifth, go with Novocain. If you need more than just Valium and laughing gas and want to make sure you experience NO pain at all, ask for Novocain. If you do this option, make sure you close your eyes while the doctor administers it. It is injected into the puffy soft tissue on the inside of your mouth. Not the gums. Just in the upper and lower lips and cheeks. The doctor will use a Qtip to put some numbing solution on your gums and cheeks to help dull the pain of the injection. The doctor will push the needle in a few MM and inject the Novocain. Depending on where it is, you will feel some slight pain. This is the medicine working its way into the very dense tissue of your cheek. A good dentist will massage your gums as they inject this stuff to help diminish the pain. If you are already under laughing gas, this pain should be very minuscule. After the administration is done, your gums, lips and teeth will literally be completely numb within a matter of minutes.
Sixth: ask for oraquix. Not every dentist has this option. This is a non injectible and less potent form of numbing solution for the gums. It is still slightly invasive. So basically it is a long tube, kind of like a cigar tube. And it has a needle tip applicator at the end but it’s slightly thicker than a needle. The dentist will slide the applicator under the gums slightly and inject the solution. This will numb your gums up. It won’t last as long - about as long as it takes for the procedure to be performed. Depending on the pocket depth of your gums, you may still experience some discomfort during oraquix application but it won’t be anywhere near as painful as Novocain injection.
So, that is the things I use. At this point, My gums have healed and have reattached to my teeth and at this point all I use is oraquix. I don’t need laughing gas, Novocain or even Valium before my appointments anymore. I hope this information helps! If anyone has any questions, please reply or reach out!!
I have no idea how to tell the dentist about my financial issues without crying 
oh and by the way, your financial struggles aren’t as alien as you think they are. The dentist has most likely heard it all before so don’t worry. Just tell them and take what they say.
