Meniere's Anyone?

[DaisyDawn]

Hello Everyone. Any chance anybody on here has Meniere's Disease? I am TERRIFIED since diagnosis of going to the dentist and haven't been in a decade which is embarrassing in itself. I've got a tooth that broke right down to the gumline a few years ago that I need to have looked at as I'm feeling slight pain there now, but I'm soooooooo afraid that the drilling, pulling, anything noisy will trigger an attack right there in the dentist chair. Anyone have experience with this? Even if you don't have Meniere's but maybe severe anxiety, can you share what your experience was after a long time of not going to dentist? Thank you!

 

[Phoby P]

Daisy Dawn - I don't have Meniere's. But I do have severe anxiety. I haven't been to the dentist in over 15 years. Back then I had 5 teeth pulled and 12 cavities. I just went back on March 1st because I had several decayed teeth of which 4 were on the upper front. Instead of going into details I'll answer your question by telling you that for severe anxiety of dentist visits I looked for a dentist that also offers IV sedation. This general anesthesia knocks you out where you are totally unconscious. I did it cause my procedure was 4 hours. The IV sedation is usually a done by an anesthesiologist. If this is too costly and you have just one tooth issue, ask your doctor for halcion. You take it one hour before the appointment. It puts you in a relaxed state, well it did for me on my follow up visits. However, with Halcion, you must not drive, you have to have someone take you to and from the dentist office that day. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about more info on Halcion. Hope this helps. I'm in my own dilemma currently where my temporary crowns are bothering me like crazy. I had 19 temps put in. I'm going Thursday for try ins for my permenant crowns and I hope that the perms are a lot better.

 

[sharon]

Daisy - I'm not sure if I have Meniere's or not but I have had several severe vertigo attacks (and if you have Meniere's you know what I mean by severe - hours long, can't move an inch without it getting 100 worse, etc. it's the absolute worse feeling). Every doctor I've seen has given me a different diagnosis - Menieres, vestibular migraine, BPPV, labyrinthitis, etc.

Between this and my extreme sensitivity to motion I'm a wreck in the dental chair, as 1) I'm afraid I'll have an attack while there and 2) I'm afraid the movement of the chair will trigger feelings of motion sickness, that's how sensitive I am to movement. Add to this my new problem of dysphagia and I'm even more of a basket case in the chair.

I take preventative meds before my appointment to help ward off any problems. The night before I'll take some promethazine and meclizine and the morning of the appt I'll take some valium and possibly more meclizine. Valium is known for calming the vestibular system. All of these have the added bonus of making me rather sleepy and relaxed. I do not at all like the position dentists seem to prefer, flat out or even with the head lower than the feet. While this may or may not trigger a vertigo attack it does tend to make me feel somewhat "dizzy" no matter what. The meds help with this. At one point I did have a dentist who was able to work with me in a more upright position which was great but then he moved out of the area.

I know you are very afraid to go but it sounds like you have a problem that needs attention. Your first visit will just be a consult and you can discuss your issues with the dentist at this time. If you don't already have a prescription for valium and your don't have any restrictions that would prevent you from taking this you can ask him for one; ditto for promethazine or something similar. Once you make that call you will be one step closer to having the procedure over with and behind you.

Sharon

 

[Dave48]

Something similiar i feel dizzy when i lie flat in dentist chair Mines Mastoids