A
AbbysHippo
Junior member
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2010
- Messages
- 2
Being a bonafide detaphobe, I realize I am a difficult patient. I jump at every sound, every movement, and have to force myself to breathe and be still. I thought my dentist was understanding, or at least tolerant of this, but I'm beginning to wonder if his approach to dentistry is making a bad situation even worse.
I am absolutley petrified of that "electrical" nerve jolt feeling, even just the thought will send me in to a panic attack. Fortunately, I have no fear of needles and truly welcome the sanctity of knowing I will not feel a thing during a procedure. Dr. "M" knows this, but seems very stingy with the gloriously numbing shots. It has happened before where I'll get one or two shots, Dr. M begins after a few minutes, and I CAN FEEL EVERYTHING. I swear I have supersonic nerves in my teeth that are unusually resistant to "normal" dosages of anesthetic. Each time I feel that jolt after I'm already supposed to be numb I feel betrayed and it gets even harder for me to deal with my phobia.
This past week I had to go in for a root canal and I nearly flew out of the chair when Dr. M began. He ended up injecting me with a "new double strength" anesthetic all the while expressing concern that he doesn't like to use it because patients have reported still being numb 24 hours later. The shots worked, he finished the job, and the numbness was gone within 4 hours, so I'm not sure what all the hoopla was about.
I am so TIRED of hearing "Oh, you can feel that? How strange". Seriously, is this normal or is he some kind of dental sadist? I actually have a fairly high pain tolerance and do not cry easily. He made me cry and it finally occured to me after seeing him for 5+ years that maybe HE is the problem.
Is it normal for dentists to always approach a procedure with using the smallest amount of anesthetic possible with a "lets see if she jumps" attitude? Is it possible I have a legitimate condition where I am unusually resistant to anesthetic that I can tell a dentist "I have blablabla and need extra anesthetic"?
I would just like someone else's perspective. If it's just me, fine, I'll continue to force myself in to the chair, but if it's not, please tell me I'm not (completely) crazy and need to find a new dentist. And if so, how does a dentaphobe go about finding a new dentist?
Thank you in advance,
Abby
I am absolutley petrified of that "electrical" nerve jolt feeling, even just the thought will send me in to a panic attack. Fortunately, I have no fear of needles and truly welcome the sanctity of knowing I will not feel a thing during a procedure. Dr. "M" knows this, but seems very stingy with the gloriously numbing shots. It has happened before where I'll get one or two shots, Dr. M begins after a few minutes, and I CAN FEEL EVERYTHING. I swear I have supersonic nerves in my teeth that are unusually resistant to "normal" dosages of anesthetic. Each time I feel that jolt after I'm already supposed to be numb I feel betrayed and it gets even harder for me to deal with my phobia.
This past week I had to go in for a root canal and I nearly flew out of the chair when Dr. M began. He ended up injecting me with a "new double strength" anesthetic all the while expressing concern that he doesn't like to use it because patients have reported still being numb 24 hours later. The shots worked, he finished the job, and the numbness was gone within 4 hours, so I'm not sure what all the hoopla was about.
I am so TIRED of hearing "Oh, you can feel that? How strange". Seriously, is this normal or is he some kind of dental sadist? I actually have a fairly high pain tolerance and do not cry easily. He made me cry and it finally occured to me after seeing him for 5+ years that maybe HE is the problem.
Is it normal for dentists to always approach a procedure with using the smallest amount of anesthetic possible with a "lets see if she jumps" attitude? Is it possible I have a legitimate condition where I am unusually resistant to anesthetic that I can tell a dentist "I have blablabla and need extra anesthetic"?
I would just like someone else's perspective. If it's just me, fine, I'll continue to force myself in to the chair, but if it's not, please tell me I'm not (completely) crazy and need to find a new dentist. And if so, how does a dentaphobe go about finding a new dentist?
Thank you in advance,
Abby