Z
zeke
Junior member
- Joined
- May 29, 2012
- Messages
- 6
Desperately need wisdom tooth extraction, but too afraid of the anaesthetic (med phobia)
Hi everyone
Have read here a few times but finally got up the nerve to post. This contains a dentist visit horror story, so those that may be triggered might want to look away now...
Basically, I have an infected lower wisdom tooth. It has to come out. I've been putting it off for years because I have a crippling phobia of medications. I was too afraid to have the local anaesthetic because I was so convinced it would kill me.
A few weeks ago I attempted to go in to have it extracted and it turned into an utter horror story. Once I'd finally got the nerve to have the injection (which took at least half an hour) the pain was unbearable. The first one into the sort of hinge bit of the jaw was OK, but then she injected under the tooth (where it's exposed because the gum is going) and I screamed and yanked the needle out. That wore off a bit, and then she sent me out into the waiting room to wait but I couldn't get numb enough. So she did it again. And again. This time the pain from the injection was travelling up the nerve into the side of my head and I was just screaming and crying in the chair, it was utterly unbearable.
I had 8 canisters of local and it still wasn't enough to numb me properly. She tested it by poking it with the end of something and again the pain made me scream and cry, it was just unbelievable, even after 8 canisters. (To further complicate things, I have atrial fibrillation, so i can't have the one with the adrenaline which I know is more effective, but there's no way I'm risking it. I also have hypermobility syndrome, which makes local anaesthetics less effective to begin with, which is probably what caused the not numb enough problem)
I tried a different dentist, thinking she might be able to do something differently. I was scheduled for the extraction last week but when I got there I couldn't go through with it. It's not fear of having the tooth out, I don't care about that, it's fear of the pain I had to go through the last time, and the fear of what the anaesthetic will do to me (even though I've had it once and didn't die). I couldn't do it, so she's referred me to the hospital.
There is NO WAY i am having a general anaesthetic/IV sedation. No way on this earth. Just no. My fear of the local is bad enough, but if I have the general I am convinced I will die. End of. I can't do it.
I have got to get this tooth out. I'm terrified the infection will spread not to mention the fact that it hurts like hell every day even on 4-hourly codeine. I know once it's done I'll never have to worry about the pain, or the fear, ever again. But I don't know what to do.
I thought perhaps nitrous oxide followed by the locals without epi, but I'm even scared of having nitrous oxide because I'm convinced it'll do something bad to me. I know it's instantly reversible and I know there are no bad effects but that doesn't help - the fear is just so immense, and what if something bad happens with the local while i'm on the nitrous and I can't tell them? I can't overstate how bad my phobia of drugs is, it is utterly crippling, I am utterly convinced they will kill me, and that's what's left me in this mess.
What can I do?
Hi everyone
Have read here a few times but finally got up the nerve to post. This contains a dentist visit horror story, so those that may be triggered might want to look away now...
Basically, I have an infected lower wisdom tooth. It has to come out. I've been putting it off for years because I have a crippling phobia of medications. I was too afraid to have the local anaesthetic because I was so convinced it would kill me.
A few weeks ago I attempted to go in to have it extracted and it turned into an utter horror story. Once I'd finally got the nerve to have the injection (which took at least half an hour) the pain was unbearable. The first one into the sort of hinge bit of the jaw was OK, but then she injected under the tooth (where it's exposed because the gum is going) and I screamed and yanked the needle out. That wore off a bit, and then she sent me out into the waiting room to wait but I couldn't get numb enough. So she did it again. And again. This time the pain from the injection was travelling up the nerve into the side of my head and I was just screaming and crying in the chair, it was utterly unbearable.
I had 8 canisters of local and it still wasn't enough to numb me properly. She tested it by poking it with the end of something and again the pain made me scream and cry, it was just unbelievable, even after 8 canisters. (To further complicate things, I have atrial fibrillation, so i can't have the one with the adrenaline which I know is more effective, but there's no way I'm risking it. I also have hypermobility syndrome, which makes local anaesthetics less effective to begin with, which is probably what caused the not numb enough problem)
I tried a different dentist, thinking she might be able to do something differently. I was scheduled for the extraction last week but when I got there I couldn't go through with it. It's not fear of having the tooth out, I don't care about that, it's fear of the pain I had to go through the last time, and the fear of what the anaesthetic will do to me (even though I've had it once and didn't die). I couldn't do it, so she's referred me to the hospital.
There is NO WAY i am having a general anaesthetic/IV sedation. No way on this earth. Just no. My fear of the local is bad enough, but if I have the general I am convinced I will die. End of. I can't do it.
I have got to get this tooth out. I'm terrified the infection will spread not to mention the fact that it hurts like hell every day even on 4-hourly codeine. I know once it's done I'll never have to worry about the pain, or the fear, ever again. But I don't know what to do.
I thought perhaps nitrous oxide followed by the locals without epi, but I'm even scared of having nitrous oxide because I'm convinced it'll do something bad to me. I know it's instantly reversible and I know there are no bad effects but that doesn't help - the fear is just so immense, and what if something bad happens with the local while i'm on the nitrous and I can't tell them? I can't overstate how bad my phobia of drugs is, it is utterly crippling, I am utterly convinced they will kill me, and that's what's left me in this mess.
What can I do?