T
TizzyLizzy
Junior member
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2014
- Messages
- 1
Had a minor filling done- I highly recommend topical numbing foam and laser dentistry!
I have had intense dental fears since I was a child. I have had fillings and one root canal on a tooth I knocked loose years ago in a sledding accident (long story!) My mom was a dental assistant and says my procedure went fine but I am traumatized by ANY dental work other than a cleaning! I have had wisdom teeth removed and one crown done under IV sedation. It was fine but expensive- I have been trying to find a way to manage getting a filling without IV sedation. While I am far from "cured" I will say what helped me the most was having a patient, understanding dentist that took the time to answer all my neurotic questions like what percentage of tooth will be filled, what is size of filling millimeters, how long will drilling take? The other items that helped was the numbing foam the dentist used before the injection- I serious barely felt the shot! Laser dentistry is also a big help to people like me who can't stand the drill. He still has to use a high speed hand piece to get through the enamel but then switched to a laser to clean out the cavity- no slow speed vibrating rumbling drill! You do not feel any vibration from the laser- and you only hear a clicking sound. I also used heavy duty headphones, Valium and some zzquil to ease anxiety before taking Valium.
The only thing I would change is to ask for more Valium next time because Although I was not anxious, I was still coherent and I rather be semi unconscious! Good luck to everyone on this forum, remember you are not alone and you are not crazy- do your research and hopefully you can make your dental experiences manageable!
I have had intense dental fears since I was a child. I have had fillings and one root canal on a tooth I knocked loose years ago in a sledding accident (long story!) My mom was a dental assistant and says my procedure went fine but I am traumatized by ANY dental work other than a cleaning! I have had wisdom teeth removed and one crown done under IV sedation. It was fine but expensive- I have been trying to find a way to manage getting a filling without IV sedation. While I am far from "cured" I will say what helped me the most was having a patient, understanding dentist that took the time to answer all my neurotic questions like what percentage of tooth will be filled, what is size of filling millimeters, how long will drilling take? The other items that helped was the numbing foam the dentist used before the injection- I serious barely felt the shot! Laser dentistry is also a big help to people like me who can't stand the drill. He still has to use a high speed hand piece to get through the enamel but then switched to a laser to clean out the cavity- no slow speed vibrating rumbling drill! You do not feel any vibration from the laser- and you only hear a clicking sound. I also used heavy duty headphones, Valium and some zzquil to ease anxiety before taking Valium.
The only thing I would change is to ask for more Valium next time because Although I was not anxious, I was still coherent and I rather be semi unconscious! Good luck to everyone on this forum, remember you are not alone and you are not crazy- do your research and hopefully you can make your dental experiences manageable!
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to the forum.
