Any tips?coping with needle?

[Jbshell]

One of the biggest fears........... I have is the dang needle they numb you with Any tips to help cope??

 

[GrahamDee]

Ask for numbing gel before the needle. You won't feel anything.

 

[Dreadnought]

Close your eyes, breathe steadily through your nose and try to make sure your shoulders are relaxed and not all hunched up. Play your favourite music to yourself or sing to yourself inside your head, too.

These work for me. Might be worth a try to see if they help you, too.

 

[comfortdentist]

First find a dentist who handles the local anesthesia administration well. It is sort of like cooking same ingredients different results with different people.
I try to get patients to see it as their friend not their enemy. It protects you from pain and gives you comfort. Any pain or discomfort is like having to pay for something nice which can hurt in a different way.

 

[RP]

Painful Injections and Needle Phobia

Are you terrified of dental injections? Find out why shots may be painful, how to make them comfortable, and what to do if you have needle phobia.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

painless local is brit's favorite subject that she speaks to so eloquently, so I'll post a link with lots of tips until she comes by to answer.....

rp

 

[biffo1963]

I used to have this fear too, especially when I was younger. I eventually managed to rationalise it by convincing myself that the benefits of the injection (and the treatment that followed) far outweighed any pain it caused. I know that can't work for everyone of course, but for some reason it did it for me.

Nowadays I just let him/her shove it in and get on with it - this seems to faze some dentists just as much as shrinking back and trying to slide out of the chair used to !

 

[vicki]

Make sure your dentist does the injection as slowly as possible. I know, it sounds nuts when you want it over and done with quickly, but slower is far more comfortable.

Ask your dentist to talk to you during the injection. I find silence really unnerving and my mind tends to go into panic, so even if they're talking nonsense, it's better than nothing at all. I find the constant stream of talk more calming than anything else.

If all else fails, you can always slide out of the chair, make a run for the door and hope they don't notice, like I did once .

 

[Polly]

I remember the first time I had a cavity as a kid, the dentist wanted to inject me without numbing the part with this spray first. I almost started to cry, until my mom pleaded that he uses the spray. I actually didn´t feel a thing. I wish it would be that easy now, the needle is the least of my problems