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Fear of local anaesthetics

Carys

Carys

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Messages
834
Location
England, UK
Waaaaaghhhh, I am absolutely terrified, beyond terrified !

I have had sporadic visits to the dentist in the last 10 years, and some hygenist visits have taken place (the last one about 1 1/2 years ago). My teeth are generally in good shape, two white fillings and two crowns on the front from being broken in an accident. I am not phobic about dentists or dental work particularly, but I am entirely phobic about the local anaesthetic...or rather that I will have a reaction to it and will die !

I went last week for an assessement about the replacement of a crown, and that I managed ok.

However, I have an appointment this Thursday to have a wisdom tooth looked at. I first saw a dentist about it 1 1/2 years ago and was told then that the pain in my gum area was from a gum infection and the fact that it has receeded, he cleaned any plaque off under the 'pocket' formed by the receeding bit and said it was nothing to worry about. I was concerned then as it looked like a hole to me.

Since then I get gum pain on and off in that area, some days fine, others awful and looking today it looks as if there is a deep notch along the gum line and up under it. I am terrified that I will go on Thursday and be told either that it needs removing or that a deep filling needs to take place with an anaesthetic injection. I suffer from panic attack already ! :o

I have had work done in the past, notably small fillings with no local anaesthetic, but don't think it will be possible this time.

I'm not sure what my question is really..I guess there isn't one...I am just scared.

Is it likely to be decay and need pulling ? I get no pain in the tooth at all. I have read through archived threads about fears or local anaesthetics and can rationalise it sometimes, but not for long :scared:

Thanks
 
Thanks, I had read that, infact have it bookmarked now you have given me the link.

Does any professional here know - can any local anaesthetic be used if I take Venlafaxine hydrochloride ? I once heard somewhere that there could be interactions between the two, but I don't want to start googling as that will send me into a worse spiral of worry. :o
 
Hi,
I believe all commonly used local anaesthetics can be safely used with it.

regards

Lincoln
 
Thanks Lincoln

Is there an issue with the ephidrine in many of the standard injections though, I thought that with SNRI medications there was advice to avoid ephidrine ? OR is it in larger doses than for a dental injection tha it causes issues ?
 
Local anesthetics are fine and based on what you said I would not hesitate to give you an effective dose.
 
Thanks very much
 
7 hours to go till appointment, and I am swinging from calm resignation to panic attacks. :shame:
 
Hi Carys, I can identify with a lot of what you have said. I too have worries about the local anesthetic, but if it will work and what happens if it doesn't. I question every thing suggested to me getting second opinions which causes delays and further discomfort while my abscessed tooth becomes chronic. It generally causes frustration and chaos for the dentist, not intentionally, but I just have to make sure that they are trying to make things right rather than cause more problems for me. Trust I suppose is the issue here, but to me it does not seem unreasonable to question everything they do.

Even when I do feel I may have found a dentist that I can trust, something will trigger the alarm bells. I would not even consider I have a phobia. To me my behavior is reasonable.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is your not alone and I feel there are many on here that can identify with you.

Good luck
De
 
Thanks for your kind reply. Just knowing someone else feels similar things is something of a relief. I sit in the waiting room and tend to look at the other people closely and wonder if their calm exteriors hide desperate fear ? I often think if I saw that someone did feel as you did, it would be great to share strength in that situation. You never know though do you, so it is 'nice' to hear on this forum that people are feeling the same.
 
I Did it, I did it, I did it !

Had a local anaesthetic. :)
 
Good for you YEAH :jump: :jump: :jump:

So do tell then.

CONCRATULATIONS :) :) :) :) :) :) :jump: :) :) :) :) :)
 
Wellllll.....

Today I needed to have done....

Impressions made
Some x rays
Front crown drilled off
A bit of a clean up of remaining cement on the tooth core
Assessment of the remaining tooth core, to see what crown to go for based on the strength of it
A new temporary crown made and fitted

It was a long appointment, 1 hour 20 mins as there was a fair bit of messing around and looking/discussion in between. As I said on my journal thread, I had decided that even though I needed no pain relief today at all I would try some in the front tooth to get me used to it. There is a wisdom tooth extraction and root canal and crown to do on a molar and so I really needed to blat my fear on the head today.

The dentist and dental nurse were amazing, they could not have tried harder to cater for my fears. They were well prepared, as I had explained all of my fear in advance. I asked my husband to take me to the dentist, but he stayed downstairs when i went up, my own choice as they said he was so welcome to come up. They even offered to get out the emergency kit if it would make me feel better (I declined), asked if I'd like to walk around, and were so strong and reassuring. the topical anaesthetic freaked me somewhat as a few drops fell on my tongue, and that was unpleasant....but it won't scare me next time. Then he did a small amount of the local, really slowly and I felt nothing. It wore off within 20 mins, but I had had all the sensations of the process and achieved it with NO REACTION of any kind ;0)))

This site really does make a huge difference !!!!!!
 
I feel like we're playing tag I have just left your other thread, and you just chased over to the other one, we will be getting all giddy and dizzy in a minute.

Anyway onto your appointment, my sister had a crown drilled off about 3 weeks ago and took great pleasure in telling me all about the sounds and smells made me feel dizzy. I am petrified that I will ever need my two front teeth doing.

I'm very impressed with you, I have a crown, recently I have had a different tooth that has had to have a root canal and I know it is dead, but it is in my mouth and I am very much alive, I need all the numbing I can get.

I am glad you can have the numbing now because I know you are not worried about having your front tooth done without, but with other teeth that are not dead it means comfortable and pain free dental visits. I will be having a crown in June if everything stays well with the rct tooth.

Once again YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEE :jump: :jump: :jump:
 
Yeah, for sure, it is an odd smell that is produced....I swear I could smell burning lol ! I guess it is a lot of drilling in one go. I have had a few front teeth crown replacements, over the last 30 odd years.... and all done without anaesthetic, even when the inside core needed shaving down further ( one is root dead, one is alive) that fortunately that part of it does not phase me. What upsets me more is that It is a very vulnerable feeling, with nothing on the front teeth. You can't talk properly and you feel so suddenly naked. I am so delighted to have succeeded today, you are right, I need the pain relief for certain things...and avoidance won't be so much of an issue now. Where are you having your crown done ?

Carole, thanks so much for your supportive responses....you are a superstar!
 
I'm having my crown on a top back tooth in June. That is as long as it stays infection free and settled I had an abscess for 20 months that the dentist I was seeing said was nothing, he never x rayed my mouth to see and he made me feel like a pest.

In Sept my tooth broke I could not face seeing my then dentist, so I found another that I am still with, and he is wonderful. He said I had a long standing abscess and the broken tooth had to be taken out, the tooth next to it has had the root canal and all being well, will be crowned. It took 8 courses of antibiotics and 2 washes of the stuff they use to clean the tooth out and it seems okay now, so I'm crossing everything.

There is a thread somewhere named Feeling Neglected where I told the story.

I think you are so brave to have what you had done, I trust my dentist but I still shake, I cannot stand the vibration of the drill. There are probably other things like everything but I hate the drill most.
 
I'll search out your thread Carole and read it through. Abcess for 20 months, that's terrible ! The way he treated you makes him sound like he wasn't even a dentist :mad:
 
I know he used to do a check up (well I say check up he took 3 minutes from me entering to leaving) and hurt me with the probe he knew I was nervous I used to shake and feel sick and my stomach used to be churning. He used to really stick the probe in my gums and teeth around the back I don't know what for it really hurt. Other people are leaving the practice as well it is not very good, it looks wonderful and posh but it's all show and bluster, although to be fair I am told there are other good dentists there but most of them only work part time NHS so appointments are only available in two or three weeks even when someone is in pain. When I first went I had not been in five years and I had a wonderful dentist but he started to only do private and I couldn't afford it. I am with a fantastic dentist now so all's well that ends well.

I don't want to steal your thread so I'll go now, and wish you well with your treatment. I think you will be fine having the x rays, I don't think they would do them if not.
 
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