Injections/Numbness

[scrambledeggs]

Hi!
New here and finding going to the dentist is scarier than ever. Used to be a soldier when I was younger. Not anymore. I had to go last weekend and this weekend and now have to see a specialist about a root canal that couldn't be completed.
I find this to be super challenging during the pandemic - not a place I want to go to a lot right now.

Anyway, I'm really finding I'm afraid (a new fear) of injections - not so much needles...they don't bother me, but just being numb really, really bothers me and makes me severely anxious. I try to tell the dentists beforehand and it seems to help but sometimes I think that they really don't want to hear it (like you're a crybaby or something, lol). Although, most are used to it.

I feel that my throat is going to close up too...that is a HUGE fear...

Any tips or support for getting rid of numbness? I always fear that my face will be paralyzed or I'll have some dental malpractice on my hands...it is terrible...

 

[Enarete]

Hi scrambledeggs ,

sorry to read that your root canal couldn't be completed and now you have to go to a specialist. You didn't mention what exactly makes dental visits more challenging for you, but I find seing a dentist during this time almost impossible. Give yourself a pat on the back for going this weekend.

Now to your fear. It may surprise you, but being afraid of the numbness is very common and thinking of the fact that we need to breathe and like our thoroat to feel normal, there is nothing "crybaby" like about it. It is more the way evolution made us. My dentist explained it to me once: many many years back in the stoneage, there was no numbing and no dental procedures. The only possible reason why your face would start to feel numb would be if you have eaten the wrong plant and got poisoned. Being numb and being swollen feels the same and back then in stone age that may be the end. Now we are not in the stone age anymore and we use numbing to make you feel comfortable during your procedure, but your old brain may still panic.

I was wondering how did you cope with the numbing during your past visit, or in the past in general?

You can read some details about the fear of numbness and how to deal with it here.

All the best wishes

 

[scrambledeggs]

Hi scrambledeggs ,

sorry to read that your root canal couldn't be completed and now you have to go to a specialist. You didn't mention what exactly makes dental visits more challenging for you, but I find seing a dentist during this time almost impossible. Give yourself a pat on the back for going this weekend.

Now to your fear. It may surprise you, but being afraid of the numbness is very common and thinking of the fact that we need to breathe and like our thoroat to feel normal, there is nothing "crybaby" like about it. It is more the way evolution made us. My dentist explained it to me once: many many years back in the stoneage, there was no numbing and no dental procedures. The only possible reason why your face would start to feel numb would be if you have eaten the wrong plant and got poisoned. Being numb and being swollen feels the same and back then in stone age that may be the end. Now we are not in the stone age anymore and we use numbing to make you feel comfortable during your procedure, but your old brain may still panic.

I was wondering how did you cope with the numbing during your past visit, or in the past in general?

You can read some details about the fear of numbness and how to deal with it here.

All the best wishes

Thanks. I see that there is a host of info. on fear of throat closing, etc. Very informative. When I was younger, I didn't think about it as much. I think I'd mostly sleep it off. The fear came much later...

Recent visits...I tried walking, yoga, breathing exercises, and lightly tapping and massaging my face...it helps but nothing is super quick!

Thanks again.

SE

 

[Enarete]

Recent visits...I tried walking, yoga, breathing exercises, and lightly tapping and massaging my face...it helps but nothing is super quick!

Wow, you're really dedicated to looking for solutions! one thing that helps me is to get a break after the numbing is set. I usually ask for a mirror to see that my face looks normal and then I like to get up from the chair for a moment (gives me a sense of control) and calmly check how the things feel. Swallowing few times, talking a bit and doing some faces calms me down pretty quickly. Once I see all is well, I usually can move on with the procedure. It is a fact that nothing can happen to your throat so this really is "just" dealing with the stress.

As mentioned on the page I linked earlier, f you wish the numbness to go away after treatment, you can ask for Oraverse which is a medication that stops the in around 20 minutes after used. The only reason not to use it would be with certain procedures that can cause after-pain or bleeding in which case it is good to stay numb for few hours afterwards. You can discuss with your dentist whether reversing the numbing would be possible in your case.