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IV Sedation Fear

L

Lea2020

Junior member
Joined
Feb 23, 2020
Messages
5
Location
UK
Hi

My dentist doesn't do implants but has said my options are full dentures or possibly (based on a scan) all on 4 implants with a referral.

I am so down at the thought of having to have dentures (it is really affecting my life). And my families, it's all I can talk/think about.

I would love to have the implant bridge but am terrified of the IV sedation, which I know I would need as I am terrified of anything to do with the dentist. I got through a couple of extractions and cleanings with just local but was a wreck, so know I would need to be sedated for implants.

Please can you help me.

Thanks
Lea
 
Hi Lea:welcome:,

sounds like the fear of sedation is keeping you from getting the treatment you would like to.
May I ask you what is it about IV sedation that bothers you?
 
Thank you for your reply :)

Yes, it really is and it is really affecting my marriage as teeth are all I can talk about. My husband has the patience of a saint but this is really taking its toll.

I am terrified that I will die from it, that I will have a heart attack or stroke or they will overdose me. This has been made worse by looking online.

This is ruining my life.
 
Lea,

I so get the fear of sedation too. A previous dentist recommended all on 4 to me a while back , but I too couldn't grasp the thought of sedation.. would much rather have local , well, I asked them and he did say they would do it without sedation if I really preferred it that way. So maybe there may be some options if there were a way to work with the other fears? I hope you find a way to do what you really want and a kind dental team to help you whatever you decide..
 
Hi krlovesherkids777

Thank you, I feel in a no-win situation, I suffer from anxiety/panic disorder so doing it will just local would have me shaking like a leaf, I had 2 teeth out with just local and my heart was racing so fast (that too gave me the fear I was going to have a heart attack). I am also hard to numb.

I read on here that the death rate from dental sedation was zero, is that true? it's just it contradicts what I have read when googling.

My husband says I am acting like my life is over and he's right, as extreme as it sounds that's how I feel. I don't think I could handle dentures and am too scared of IV sedation. I may not even be able to have implants (need scan first) then that would mean I would be forced into dentures.

I have spent all week doing nothing but crying, and then feeling guilty as I know there are plenty people worse off.

I came on here because I feel I have no one to talk to my husband tries his best and is very supportive but he has got to the point of - if you can't force yourself to get the sedation then get dentures and move on with your life.
 
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Hi Lea,
As someone who has had IV sedation and now has dentures, I can understand your concerns. I had no issues with the sedation. In order to go through with the sedation, you would need medical clearance and you would be monitored while sedated. Also, if the procedure is done at the dentist’s office, it is not sedation as would be done for surgery at a hospital. It’s called conscious sedation, which means you would be somewhat awake and able to breath on your own, but mostly unaware of what’s happening. I have on vague fuzzy memories of what happened and those really only consist of things they said like “open your mouth” etc. My husband was allowed to stay for the procedure.
As for the dentures, are they ideal? No. Are they manageable? Yes. Are they better than what I was dealing with before? Huge yes. I read many posts from people here that say they just can’t handle the thought of dentures - that they’re gross, or that they look awful, or I can’t eat with them. Yes you can get a bad set of dentures, or they’re not fitted correctly, but in most cases this isn’t true. As for the other issues, there is a learning curve which greatly depends on your willingness to learn and adjust.
I too would like to have implants, but the cost is prohibitive at this point. And if an all-on-four is what you’re looking at, well those are still technically dentures, they’re just attached.
 
Hi Boxermom :)

Thank you for your reply. How did you get over your fear enough to have the IV sedation?

Ye the cost of all on 4 is a concern but I honestly don't feel I would get on with the denture plate, as I have a gag reflex. I understand all on 4 are still dentures but it's the fact they don't cover the palate and you don't have to take them out.

My husband has tried to ease my worries by phoning a couple of dentists to ask about IV sedation but all they said was it's safe and they haven't had any issues. That's good to hear but like many people I want to know figures.

Do you feel that dentures have aged you? I was reading through here and one guy said he felt they had aged him 20 years, that scares me.
 
I already have a prescription for low-dose Xanax, so after discussing it with the dentist, I took two before coming in for the appointment. He was able to prescribe them if I needed it but since I already had them I just went with that. I really wasn’t that bad the day of my appointment as I knew I’d be out of it for the worst parts. But my phobia was mainly because of past dentists causing extreme pain and trauma and knowing that I wouldn’t feel any pain made it easier to go in. I’ll mention that I had this done last September and in July I had my appendix removed, so I knew what to expect in terms of sedation. I’ve also had dental sedation years and years ago, so I may have been more prepared than some. As for feeling if they’ve aged me, no. The worst of that is getting used to seeing yourself without teeth, and that’s a shock for a little while, but the only people that have seen me like that are the dental team and my husband. (He has dentures as well but not a full set - tops and only partials on the bottom.) He’s never teased me or joked about how I look and that’s helped immensely. I was so ashamed of the state of my teeth before I got the dentures that I love being able to talk to people without worrying what they can see of my teeth.
A lot of the feelings and emotions tied to dentures are directly related to what your expectations are. If you go into it thinking everything will be great immediately you will be highly disappointed. Disappointment can lead to unwillingness to make the effort to adapt to the dentures. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew I was not going to be able to eat perfectly for a while. I knew my speech was going to be affected. But I made a point to remind myself (still do) that I feel so so much better than I did before. I’ve worked hard to adapt to them. I can eat almost anything, and there was a lot of things I couldn’t eat before because of the state of my teeth. There’s no difference in my speech anymore, but I practiced a lot. I work in an office and needed to be comfortable talking, so I’d sing along with the radio on my drive in. I’d read out loud. My dentist remarked just a week after the extractions on how good I sounded when I talked. Yes I’d prefer not to have dentures, but I do and I’ll be damned if I won’t make to best of the situation.
 
Hi Lea,

IV sedation performed by dentists is massively safe, I’m fairly sure there’s never been a fatality in the UK. There are a few reasons for this the main ones being:

1) Patients are carefully assessed and we would only treat those that are healthy enough with sedation in the clinic.
2) The drug most commonly used (Midazolam) has a really large margin of safety.
3) We give the drug a little bit at a time until the patient is nicely sedated, this makes over sedation extremely unlikely.
4) We have a reversal drug ready if we need it (touch wood I’ve never needed to give it in an emergency).

Severely anxious patients are less likely to have issues like you mentioned when sedated than not as they’ll be much calmer with lower blood pressure etc.
 
Hi BoxerMom

Thank you for your detailed reply, much appreciated.

My main concerns were that I would end up looking old. To be honest, I haven't looked at my self up close in the mirror in a long time (due to my teeth), so I doubt I would look at myself without my teeth in.

The other issue is the length of the plate, I have a bad gag reflex and if it went near far back I know I wouldn't be able to wear it and that really scares me. My mam has dentures and never wears them unless she's going out.

I have heard that you can get a cobalt plate that is lighter and less bulky is this true for a full denture?

My husband would also be like yours, he would never mock me. We have been married for a long time and have been through a lot and he is always there to support me, he just wants this sorted so we can move on with our lives, it's very frustrating to him.
 
Most people can cope quite well with a denture, I’ve had a few patients over the years with gag reflexes so severe they need to be sedated for impressions that can cope fine after a bit of practice.

A chrome plate would be an option which is a lot thinner, the issue is that an upper denture without the full palatal coverage doesn’t get as good suction so would likely not be as stable, also we wouldn’t usually do them until a few months after extractions as they’re harder to adjust as the guns shrink.

That being said, if you can afford it an all on four type solution will give you a much better result as they’ll be fixed and will cover a lot less so will be much less intrusive!
 
My very first dental visit after avoiding it for 20 years was IV sedation. I was terrified. I tried to fight the sedation but could not. Before I knew it he was all done. I did not even remember being knocked out. I only remember him sticking the IV in and telling me time to go home. I was loopy for the next few hours but it was not bad at all. You literally remember nothing. In all honesty now that my fears lessened I prefer to be awake for the whole process
 
Is the all in 4 type available to everyone as I now know I definitely need all my teeth out but as already said on here the thought of dentures fill me with dread , I am lucky I can afford to pay for all in 4 but have been told lots of people can not have them ?
 
Lea2020
I can understand that fear. Ive been going thru several oral surgeries for the last 8 months. Ive had surgeries (tooth extractions/ bone grafts) under both sedation and just gas sedation. They both work well. If you choose sedation it seems like you blink your eyes and its over.you dont feel or hear anything. Mind you w gas sedation you feel very relaxed almost drunk but can hear everything thats going on but really dont care. However you choose to do it im sure the dr has your best interests in mind and will not steer you wrong. You will wake up. You will be ok. Thats why we are all here is to share our expierances
I am reaching the end of my implant bridge i guess you wld call it installation. It really has been an expierance for sure..3 months ill have 4 teeth / implant bridge. So important to have such a strong support system..if it was for my gf i think id still be a stubborn ass refusing to go seek care and it just getting worse. Im typing this now w stitches in my mouth and im ok..
 
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Is the all in 4 type available to everyone as I now know I definitely need all my teeth out but as already said on here the thought of dentures fill me with dread , I am lucky I can afford to pay for all in 4 but have been told lots of people can not have them ?

Hi George1234, :welcome: to the forum! All-on-4 is a bit of a marketing hype phenomenon as far as I can see. There are many different implant solutions available for different situations and "All-on-4" (or all-on-6 or whatever) is just one way, and often not the best one (depending on your age and bone levels etc. etc.). The best way to find out what is available to you would be to have a chat with some reputable dentists in your area who are well qualified when it comes to dental implants. Please don't hesitate to ask in the "Ask a Dentist" section if you need help with finding someone who has got a good reputation amongst other dentists.
 

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