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Need to Vent: Well it said so in the description :P

S

Stace180

Junior member
Joined
Aug 12, 2008
Messages
4
Hey all, I'm Stacey and I'm 16 :). This post may come across as one big rant/vent, so I do aoplogise in advance. I just want to talk to someone who understands my problem and where I won't be judged for it :).


Now I have a toothache in my lower right canine, the toothache comes and goes, one day I'll be fine, the next day I'll have an ache in it. My mum suggested that I go to the dentist to get it looked at, now this is where the problem kicks in:

- I haven't been to the dentist in about 3-4 years, I'm afraid that if I go, the dentist will tell me that I've got more dental problems that need sorting out.
- I'm not scared of needles, but the thought of someone injecting my gum just makes me terribly afraid :(. It is that bad that I actually didn't have an injection when I had my filling :/
- The thought of being awake/aware of what they are doing sends shivers down my spine.
- I would prefer it if I went on my own within the room, I don't want to appear all vulnerable with my mum there.

Are there any alternatives if I do go the dentist? Could they put me on a course of antibiotics? Could I go under Anaesthetic?

I'm not really sure out to phrase this but; What is the least pain free way of getting your tooth removed and/or, and what course of treatment makes you the 'least' aware?

Thanks for reading, and I do apologise if this was in anyway confusing.

Stacey
 
:welcome:

i/v sedation would most likely be the method for being the least aware, when I had it, I was completely 'asleep' and had no memory of anything during the procedure.

IV sedation
 
Thanks for that (and the welcome :) ). I'll give it until the end of the week, if no luck, I'll see if I can get booked in :hidesbehindsofa:
 
Hi :XXLhug:

Your best bet, of course, is to make sure you see a dentist who is sensitive to the anxieties of his/her patients! Some are just better at this than others, it seems. I'd say you can generally tell on the very first visit if this is someone you trust to be both competent and caring.

Though I've never had it myself, IV sedation sounds like the perfect solution for you. It would ensure that you felt no anxiety throughout the procedure(s), and you might not even remember much afterward. I personally had great success with oral sedation and nitrous oxide. I was sedated enough to feel no worry or concern about anything, but just aware enough to respond to simple questions or commands if needed.

The last couple of times I've gone, I've had no sedation at all-- just a caring dentist who makes me feel comfortable and uses local anesthetic if necessary.

There are so many ways to go about this! Ask around a little... Maybe on your first visit, the one that's just for taking a look and talking it over, you can ask them what options they offer for anxious or phobic patients. Just see if you feel comfortable there, period! I knew immediately that I wouldn'thave a problem letting my current dentist treat me-- just as I knew immediately that I did NOT like my previous dentist!!:scared:

You're the customer, see? You're hiring someone to do a service for you, and if you don't think they're up to it, you can "fire" them and find someone else! Remember that anything dental can be done without pain these days, thank God! Best of luck to you! :grouphug:
 
-1. I haven't been to the dentist in about 3-4 years, I'm afraid that if I go, the dentist will tell me that I've got more dental problems that need sorting out.

-2. I'm not scared of needles, but the thought of someone injecting my gum just makes me terribly afraid :(. It is that bad that I actually didn't have an injection when I had my filling :/

-3. The thought of being awake/aware of what they are doing sends shivers down my spine.

-4. I would prefer it if I went on my own within the room, I don't want to appear all vulnerable with my mum there.

5. What is the least pain free way of getting your tooth removed and/or, and what course of treatment makes you the 'least' aware?
Stacey

:welcome: 1. I think the fear and avoidance probably stems from the pain of the previous filling because you chose to do it without anaesthetic....this is not a good idea unless you like pain during treatment and few sane people do.....provided you find a caring competent dentist you trust with good painless techniques, it doesn't matter if more treatment is required..better do it sooner rather than later dental problems only get worse.

2. I have some good news for you...if you are not scared of needles...there is no reason to say no to a dental injection....they can be done 100% painfree (the mucosa are different from your arm say) and the key to this is applying numbing cream and delivering the LA slowly (see this link: Painful injections and needle phobia ... if you happen to have a dentist with poor injection technique it is still only likely to be a little pinch and sting nothing horrendous and definitely way better than treatment without anaesthetic. I too used to think that an injection in the gum would be awful but in truth it is not..it is a different kettle of fish from any other part of your body.

3. You probably only need very basic treatment, so i/v sedation would be expensive or OTT maybe...many US dentists have nitrous on tap - that would be a choice for you if you want to be relaxed and unaware for anything...worth trying. Inhalation sedation (laughing gas)

4. Entirely your choice

5. I think you are jumping the gun a bit, your tooth is probably saveable...I would say find a dentist you like with nitrous available if you want it and just go with local anaesthetic.

Painless dentistry with just local anaesthetic is entirely possible, if you pick the right dentist.
Remember you are in control...retrning to the same one who hurt you before is probably not a very good idea, as I don't approve of dentists who work on people without LA...they really should be trying to persuade patients who fear dental injections that it is in their best interest to have one and that it can be done comfortably.

So choose a different dentist would be my main piece of advice. If you have no option but to return to the same dentist, then agree a stop signal...if you raise your hand, he must stop....it's a common technique routinely offered by many a caring dentist.
:grouphug:
 
Thanks for the advice everyone :)

It has certainly managed to calm me down somewhat for the moment, but only God knows what can become of that dreaded day :(
 
I wish you all the very best, please let us know how you get om. I'm you you'll be fine :)
 

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