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feeling scared

S

squareclaire

Junior member
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
3
I have the biggest phobia of the numbing feeling of the antistatic! Not the needle or pain just the numb feeling ..
my problem now is when I have fillings done even on the bottom, I only have an injection on the outside of my mouth (single tooth injection) I don't have the block. This works well for me :) although my problem now is, I may need to have a root canal done next and I'm scared they will have to give me a block to do this :,( has anyone had a root canal without a block and just the tooth itself being numbed? So so scared
 
Hopefully someone here can help you. Could you ask your dentist, I am not sure what you mean by block, anyways good luck
 
what scares you about a nerve block?
 
I'm scared of the feeling that my tongue and throat will be numb
..what if it makes me have a panic attack and there is nothing I can do once it's numb :(
 
Your throat should not be numb. Some people have had success with using topical anesthetic (like oragel) at home to simulate what if will feel like and practicing whatever strategies they have for calming themselves (like deep breathing). You can get topical anesthetic at a pharmacy if you want to try to test out what if will feel like. I've had blocks many, many time and, while it does feel weird, I never have any trouble swallowing or breathing (not sure if those are your fears). I often remind myself that feeling numb is a good thing because it means that I won't feel the dental work. I would imagine that a block is always necessary for a RCT on a bottom back tooth, but there may be other techniques dentists can use.
 
Don't know if it will help but what about coming up with some signals to say you are panicking
 
It may be possible, there are lots of ways they can do anaesthetic but some of them require quite advanced skills that not all dentists have, so it depends on your dentist. I don't know whether some of these ways are suitable for an RCT but a dentist with the appropriate anaesthetic ninja skills should be able to tell you!

If it has to be a nerve block though, something you could try: could you ask your dentist if they are willing to give you a block sometime before you go in for the RCT? That would allow you to get used to the sensation in a controlled way when you're not having to deal with the treatment at the same time. Gives you time and headspace to see that you can breathe and it will be ok. Then when it comes to the treatment you will know what you are dealing with. One new thing at a time.

i don't know if your dentist would go for it, but it may be worth asking.
 

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