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Last dental visit made my dentist concerned

N

No Numbness

Junior member
Joined
Sep 6, 2013
Messages
3
Location
Northeast USA
Since childhood I have had trouble with fainting from a number of medical and dental procedures:
- getting blood drawn while sitting up
- having an ingrown toenail numbed with freezing spray before removal
- having warts frozen off with liquid nitrogen
- getting an IV before wisdom tooth removal
- having a doctor manipulate a recently broken arm

As an adult I've been able to face my fears and have successfully had most of the above done without passing out (except for the broken arm, which I hope never to repeat!). I ask to lie down for blood draws, though I could probably have them done sitting up. I had several nitrogen treatments on a wart on the bottom of my foot, and it wasn't fun but I did ok.

The last problem is dental work. I have never done well with novocaine shots. It's not the pain of the injection; it's the numbness. In fact, I have even had a couple of shallow cavities drilled without anesthetic and preferred a little bit of pain to the numbness.

Unfortunately that wasn't possible when I recently had a filling redone on a lower tooth. Sitting in the waiting room, I wasn't that nervous. I thought of the progress I had made with other procedures. My dentist is very kind. I explained to her that I needed to lie fully down and that I didn't want to watch the needle going in. She did it perfectly, and I didn't feel a thing. But then the numbing sensation spread across my face, and immediately I felt my blood pressure crashing. I told myself that I was lying down and that I wouldn't faint. But actually I came very close to losing consciousness: stars in my vision, roaring sound in my ears, and covered in sweat. My dentist was concerned enough that she got a blood pressure cuff out. I forget what the number was, but she told me that I needed to see my doctor right away. At first she did not want to proceed with the filling, but after 5-10 minutes I recovered enough that she checked the pressure again and decided that it was OK to do it. She wants me to consult with a doctor before having any other dental treatments.

Probably I am facing a periodontic procedure before long to repair worn enamel on some of my teeth, and I am already becoming anxious about this. My dentist has suggested a prescription for a drug such as Xanax. Is this going to make a difference?

I have learned a lot from this website already, but I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.
 
Wow - I'm very impressed with how you have managed to overcome all these things. Well done :)

A vasovagal reaction (which is what you had) feels really horrible. It's happened to me a few times as well. Once when I gave blood, after childbirth and once during nightshift for no apparent reason! Your heart rate slows down and your blood pressure crashes, your vision gets blotchy and you think you are going to throw up. It's a bit worrying to witness as well! It's probably worthwhile seeing your GP about it and to get his or her opinion on taking a xanax or something.

Things you can do yourself is make sure that you are not dehydrated and have eaten before appointments. Have a look at this link too


Let us know how you get on :)

Coolin
 
i have had a patient sent to me with the same history so I premedicated him with glycopyrolate and he didn't faint.
 
I had a similar reaction, a few times infact.. The first time, I wasn't expecting it (it'd been a while since a dental visit, so I kinda forgot exactly how I reacted!)..So out in the waiting room whilst waiting for the LA to take effect I began to feel faint without warning or reason, cue panic! The dentist was far from sympathetic when I asked if people normally felt faint, he reply was "no, never. Why, do you feel faint? (To which I answered 'Yes') well just sit down." and that was that, the end.. he just got straight to work! Ace. :/

The next time I felt faint again, also shaking quite a bit.. The fact my face swelled up after the injections caused me a huge amount of stress and panic! The very last time I felt a bit faint too, but as I pre-warned him about it he gave me a glucose drink beforehand, had me pretty much laid flat the whole time and he also kept an eye on my legs as they should be straight and I have a tendency to cross them! I did feel very lightheaded, I have low blood pressure anyway which doesn't help(!) but I also noted that my arms were weak.. A new one on me! However, during something totally unrelated I felt my arms go really weak, so I figure that it was likely to be a panic symptom (I do suffer with anxiety).. I was probably making the fainting type feelings worse with anxiety too.

I'd have a proper talk with your dentist, I suspect if he/she could put your mind at ease, talk through any possible options etc, just that alone would make you feel 10x better :) have a chat with both your GP and dentist.
 
I have only felt faint with dental work and nothing else but I think it may be more common than expected because my dentist actually includes a question about it on her new patient surveys. The only time I have experienced this was during long appointments with lots of drilling after an injection. I didn't actually faint I just came very close and had treatment on an empty stomach. I just remember feeling very foggy in the mind and then sweating and my vision started to get very dim and then I snapped back to reality. It was a very scary experience. I already fear a loss of control. Fainting is the last thing I need!
 
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