Help with anxiety and LA not working

[PrincessJJ]

Hey guys,
I'm 37 years old and still terrified by the dentist. I've had a slightly traumatic history. Local anesthetics don't seem to work well for me. I had one dentist tell me 2 rounds was enough for a woman (yes, he actually said that). I had a 2nd dentist tell me my anxiety and racing heart "washes the anesthetic away quickly." My current dentist hasn't used any LA for repairs including replacing an entire filling. I have another tooth problem, I'm not sure what it is but I am getting excruciating pain from the gum line when I brush my teeth. It's been getting worse and now I get pain while brushing, eating, and for about an hour after doing both. My dentist can't get me in until the end of July so I made an appointment with a local dentist to hopefully fix this issue tomorrow
I'm in tears right now. I know this is going to be a painful appointment and to make it worse, I have to go by myself. Dentist #2 told me getting my anxiety under control would help. I can't exactly control it (I wish I could). I have had dentists and doctors prescribe valium/ativan/xanax through the years and I havent found any that work. Once I'm worked up, nothing will control it.

Is there anything I can do ahead of time to help the LA work better? Does eating effect it at all? I can't take any pills because I'm driving myself and I really don't like taking pills that don't work anyway. I've also tried herbal remedies for anxiety and havent had any success.

Nitrous does help but none of the dentists who take my insurance use nitrous (I know it's an extra cost which I don't mind paying but I would also have to pay full price for the appointment).

I would love it if somebody could give me some suggestions on things I can do tomorrow to not be in excruciating pin.

Thank you
JJ

 

[MountainMama]

Oh boy, as a fellow "LA doesn't work/last long" person, I understand your troubles. I have always had terrible experiences with fillings as well. The anesthetic always wears off before they are done.

This may sound silly, but I do some meditation/mind clearing before my appointments. I play really relaxing music and try to think about the music only. It may not take away my anxiety when I get to the dentist, but it helps me not be ramped up already before I arrive.

I have been very lucky with my recent dentists, in that they understand my issues. My dentist doesn't offer nitrous either, so I try to schedule through the oral surgeon or endodontist if possible. Fillings obviously have to be done at the dentist.

Here is the system my dentist and I have worked out. He gives me the LA. He comes back in and tests my gums by poking them with an instrument and if I feel anything, he gives me more injections. Once I am numb, we have a system where if I start to feel anything, I make a noise or raise my hand and he stops and gives me another injection. Honestly, just knowing that he will give more anesthetic helps keep my anxiety at a lower level and feel more in control. Could you ask the dentist to have that in place up front?

 

[Dr. Daniel]

hi PrincessJJ,

First allow me to introduce to you my video about fear of pain.

As MointainMama wrote, your dentist can check whether the tooth is well numbed. I would suggest that if you come to the dentist because of a tooth that is sensitive to something (pressure, cold, touch) the dentist can check the tooth’s numbness by repeating the painful stimuli: touching it with a cold cotton role, pressing or tapping on it. Then it will be clear to you and your dentist whether you can proceed with the dental treatment.

 

[comfortdentist]

Some people are much harder to get numb. Generally top teeth are easier than lower teeth. If you are in a bigger city there will be a dentist who focuses more on people like you but most likely they won't take your insurance plan.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Princessjj

Welcome to DFC! Thanks for sharing your story about the LA.. Sorry you have had problems in the past, it is very anxiety producing to wonder if it will work and how long and if the tx will be painful if it doesn't.. years ago I had a dentist who gave a root canal and gave me his "one shot limit" saying that should be good enough for anyone.. Well it definately wasn't.. I moved on from him immediately . Know that there are alot of dentists out there with patience and ways of giving anesthetics that are more experienced or just different technique. I know there are testimonies on here of people where its been so difficult but they find the right dentist and they get local much better . I know My dentist one of his main goals is to make sure none of his patients feel any pain. There are times he needs to give me several injections but he will not proceed to treatment if I feel any bit of pain. Do you feel your current dentist listens well and is very patient? Also my previous dentist told me if it doesn't seem to work at first he will sit someone up more and that helps to work somehow . I sure hope they can be patient and make sure you get enough to be a painfree treatment! Let us know how it goes.

 

[PrincessJJ]

My appointment didn't go well today. He said I have a cracked tooth and gum absess. Apparently there is no way to save the cracked tooth because of the location of the crack. He did have to cut my gum open. The first round of local wore off after 3 minutes. He tried again and it again started to wear off. I told him to just do it since I was still partially numb at this point. It was extremely unpleasant but manageable. I know have to either call back to schedule an appointment for the extraction. I'm really upset at this point. I was hoping everything could be fixed today so I don't have to deal with this all over again.