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Fear of local anaesthetics

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suzieQ

Junior member
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
13
I usually have no problem whatsoever with visiting a dentist....my dentist is particularly patient and caring, so I do not have injections for fillings, root canals or crowns. It is 15 years since I had a dental injection and today I had to have a tooth which I damaged beyond repair removed. Was I a nervous wreck, to say the least?

I visited this site, and other dental sites looking for information on local anaesthetics, the potency of them, and I became a specialist in all the adverse effects which can happen, the various anaesthetics used today etc etc. I found this board very useful for looking at what everyone has been through because of dental phobias and I sympathised with everyone who has this fear. I know some people would rather put up with bad teeth, smelly breath etc rather than seek attention, and it does take a stoical stance to overcome such fears.

Well the reason I have just joined this board and the point of my posting is to say to everyone with fear of a dentist.....PLEASE, PLEASE find a sympathetic dentist who will take the time and trouble to talk his way through all the treatment options, the way anaesthetics work etc etc, before he even comes near with any instruments.

My dentist was surprised when I saw him today to find that I was literally shaking when I arrived at the surgery, he couldn't understand when I have had such treatment without injections that I was so uptight and anxious about having one today. But, of course, I had to have one because it was an extraction and he wouldn't even consider doing that without first numbing me up.

Because I was so anxious he suggested I have an injection without epi (adrenaline) in it, as he thought I had enough of my own circulating already! So, I had an anaesthetic called Mevipicaine plain, it numbed me up within seconds (took me by surprise that), I had the tooth extracted and my mouth was un-numbed and back to normal before I left the surgery. I had the whole procedure done in 45 minutes!! He explained that it was the epi that made most people twitchy but the benefits of epi made the anaesthetic numb for longer if more extensive surgery was required. Well from now on, I shall request this Mepivicaine as I had no side effects whatsoever........it really was a walk in the park!

Just wanted to share that with you. I am not bragging by any stretch of the imagination, I was totally freaked out before I got to the surgery and I even thought of cancelling the appointment. But when I thought of the alternative of living on pain killers for the toothache I suffered, I bit the bullet and went. As I type this, I don't even have any post dental pain, just a slight thin blood loss mixed with saliva which I can tolerate.

Good luck to anyone who is scared by treatment to come, or who is putting it off because of fear. If my posting makes just one person go for treatment, I shall be happy!
 
:welcome:Well done for having the injection and etting your extraction done. I thankfully do not have aproblem with having injections and they do not bother me. You obviously have a very good relationship with your dentist, being able to have fillings, crowns and root canals done without an injectin. I could never manage that. Keep in touch.
 
Hi SuzyQ
Was this stuff painful without LA? I'm assuming not, as I can't begin to imagine how you could begin to have a good relationship with a dentist who was prepared to do painful stuff without LA just because you were scared of LA.
If it was painful, given this recent good experience, I hope you will now feel able to have LA in future when indicated.
Thanks for sharing - glad it worked out for you.
:grouphug:
 
Hi again, :rolleyes:

No, all the other work i have carried out on my teeth, i.e. root canal, crown, fillings was not painful at all. I would say it may not be for everyone as i do have a high pain threshold which i discovered when giving birth. Having said that, i do have other friends who say, like me, that its uncomfortable rather than painful.

Yes, my dentist is brilliant and since now he has gone private, i find he has a lot more time to explain matters to me and i dont feel like i am on a conveyor belt which i did when an NHS patient.

Its not a question of being brave having dental treatment without injection, i hate my mouth feeling numb, but i wont be having injections now for fillings etc, only for extractions which, hopefully, wont come about for some time.
 
Thanks for clarifying so quickly....whatever works for you.....most posters on here (including me) do fear pain (usually based on bad past experiences) among other things...for most people overcoming their fear, involves minimising/eliminating the pain...
 
:(

Yes, of course, i understand totally that most people on this site do fear pain, i'm not so keen on it myself. People have to decide how they tackle their fears, i thought my posting may make people feel more confident in accessing a dentist in the first place in order to be calmed and see that dental treatment can be pain free.

I also have had bad experiences in the past with dentists, and i agree that it takes courage to get over such experiences, but life goes on and i live to fight another day.

I hope you did not think i was trying to make out everyone should 'take a leaf out of my book', i was merely hoping people would have confidence in their dentist and help them :censored: overcome of their fears!
 
suzieQ said:
:(

I hope you did not think i was trying to make out everyone should 'take a leaf out of my book', i was merely hoping people would have confidence in their dentist and help them :censored: overcome of their fears!

Don't worry I wasn't ......but as a moderator if something is left a little unclear, I have to think about the impact it could have on the majority of maybe shy new posters/lurkers; and then secondly...I just thought if it wasn't so bad after all...maybe you'd revise your position....for the future......like I said whatever works for you is fine. Thanks for the 'pm' also. Its great that you care.
:grouphug:
 
This really interests me because I have so much issue with the needles and anaesthetic. although my original dental fear came about because I was drilled as a child and it hurt a lot part of what puts me off is the fact I have to have the injections before anything is done.

I'm also aware that part of my problem when I get into the chair is that I am already coping with a huge adrenalin rush.

This really is great information, because I'd never thought of having treatment without anaesthetic, but maybe for some procedures it would be viable or at least worth a try.

Looking into the option of adrenalin free locals is also something I think I should do.

I want to thank you for posting your experience and I think it's so much of the value of a board like this, finding things that hit a note with us and hearing of other peoples expriences :)

Ps your dentist sounds pretty lovely!
 
Well.........

It was another dentist i used to go to until he retired and this new man came along who first suggested i try treatment without an LA, so i did, but i must admit the first time i was prepared to jump out of the chair and run! When it went off successfully, i was really pleased and just continued to be LA free.

If i can enliken the feeling to if you have amalgam fillings and you accidentally chew a piece of tin foil and get a little tingle, thats how it is. The nerve in your tooth is actually quite far down and i should imagine if a dentist hits that, the tooth isnt in the best of health anyway.

While i was waiting to recover from the extraction yesterday, i was lay in the chair chatting to my dentist (and yes he is a lovely man) and he was telling me that for people who are nervous of dental treatment, there is always a choice of an adreniline free anaesthetic, mine was Mevipicaine and worked like a dream. I just could not believe that my mouth was completely numb within seconds and yet it came back to normal again before i left the surgery. As i said earlier all within 45 minutes of arriving from start to finish! So i would deinitely go for that type of LA as apparently they can top it up if the treatment is going to be longer.

Should you try and be anaesthetic free and it does not suit you, the dentist can then inject if you tell him to stop!

Good luck. I am glad i have helped at least one person by my posting.
 
SuzyQ--
Thanks for your post. I've had a LOT of Novocaine over the years but never for dental work.
The occasional failures of the past HAD to be the result of epi...at least I'm hoping because I'm to get epi-free LA next week.
 
Well that's great. Personally, I would like general anesthesia when I go to the dentist versus local because I don't want to feel anything, see anything, hear anything, smell anything, etc. Just put me out and wake me up when it's done. Dare to dream.
 
Hi,

I had horrible panic attacks for year when I had to go to the dentist. Recently I decided to get dentures so 2 1/2 weeks ago I had 22 teeth extracted and bone augmentation done in the same day under IV sedation. The IV sedation was WONDERFUL I now am over my fears. With IV sedation you are in a twilight state not totally asleep but cant recall what happen. Its just like taking a short nap. I woke up everything was completed and 15 mins later I walked out the door. I am on a denture journey my next step is having 8 implants placed to secure a overdenture. My dentist and os did everything possible to calm all my fears. It is important to express your fears so they can accommodate you. So... in three months I go under IV sedation again to get the implants placed and I have no fear at all.
Just wanted to share... :)

Profetisa~
 
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