• Dental Phobia Support

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Nise's (Hotrod) Journal

I take on epill an hour before arriving at the dentist's office, and then they gave me a second pill just before we began. Like he said, "We discovered one works well, but two work better."

They would hook me up to a blood pressure machine and something else (I forget what it was for) to monitor my vitals throughout the procedure. Apparently, they would also wake me periodically, but I don't recall that happening much. I know there were brief periods of time I'd be "aware" that they were doing work, but it never lasted long.

My co-pay for the pills themselves was only $10, I think. But there was a charge for the extra person in the room to monitor my vitals at all times. So, yes, that's what made it expensive... but it was well worth it to be blissfully unaware of everything going on around me.
 
you are just who I need to talk to. This is definitely what I am considering. My
dentist charges 295.00 for this. I just looked at your journal. So all you have ever
had has been 2 for a whole session? One prior and one after you got there?
 
Yup! That's it! And we usually went from 8 am - 12:30 pm. I'd take my first pill between 7:00 - 7:15 am, then when the dentist came in the room, usually about 8:10 am, I'd take a second pill. Then we'd get me all hooked up to the machine, they'd put the gas on me, and away we went! Once or twice I felt them put the shots of novacane in to deaden the gums, but the pain from that was minimal as I drifted off to sleep. Then I'd go home and be knocked out until around 5 or 6 pm.

The best thing is being so unaware of everything going on until they start to bring you around themselves. (As in, they start putting more oxygen in the mix and less "happy gas" which aids the sedative in working better and faster.) Also, you'll not remember most of the day. Which, that can be very strange. For me, those days of appointments are like snapshots. I'll remember two or three seconds here and there, but otherwise the day is pretty much erased.

A tip is to take the medicine on an empty stomach.

Primarily because it seems to work faster and better when that occurs. The first few trips, I'd eat breakfast before I took it -- since I knew I'd sleep through the day and felt I needed some sustenance. However, It definitely took until after the second pill and their starting the "happy gas" for things to really kick in. Later, once I stopped eating breakfast and took the pill on an empty stomach (I'd set midnight as my stop-eating-time), I was already getting loopy before we turned the corner to drive up to the office. It just worked far quicker and more efficiently.

Secondly, I have a VERY sensative gag reflex, and when you are out like that... you've got no control whatsoever. On one occassion, they went a little too far and I threw up my Cheerios mid-procedure. That's when they ordered I stop eating in the morning. LOL But it had multiple positives, so that was good.

Definitely make sure you have someone you trust to take you and bring you home. You are completely powerless when you're sedated. I couldn't walk straight! And I have heard stories of people "sleep walking" while sedated as well.

I highly recommend it though. It depends on the individual as to how many of the pills they need, but we discovered two did the trick for me. I can't imagine doing it any other way now.
 
i want to make sure I'm out enough before I get even one shot. Does your
dentist use the Wand?
 
elaine said:
i want to make sure I'm out enough before I get even one shot. Does your
dentist use the Wand?
Click to expand...

That I don't know.

I'd suggest you talk to your dentist and explain you want to be completely out before he starts. That would simply require he give you time to fall asleep before the procedure begins, versus beginning while you are still in the process of falling asleep.
 
good idea. I know my dentist (female) keeps some kind of reversal agent in her
pocket at all times in case someone goes too far under and can't be awakened
by normal means. But she definitely will let you go further under than alot
of sedation dentists will. But she has been doing this for 20 years. She says
she has never had to use it!
 
While it may be desirable for people to be "out of it", what is described here (falling asleep) does NOT meet the criteria of conscious sedation as outlined both in the UK and the US and the dentists in question are breaking the rules if this is done using oral sedation.

Understandably, people will put their trust in health "professionals" and assume they will do the right thing, but this really is an unsafe practice which may put people's lives at risk. As forum administrator, I would prefer it if no further mention/promotion of unsafe practices could be made - cheers :).
 
My apologies! I had no idea.

I use the term asleep because its the best way for me to describe the level of relaxation -- and then the fact that triazolam provides the amnesia effect its so much like sleep that I had no idea I was incorrectly describing its reaction on me. Again, i apologize.
 
letsconnect said:
While it may be desirable for people to be "out of it", what is described here (falling asleep) does NOT meet the criteria of conscious sedation as outlined both in the UK and the US and the dentists in question are breaking the rules if this is done using oral sedation.
.
Click to expand...

"Conscious sedation - moderate sedation. Nitrous oxide or IV sedation can induce this type of dental sedation. The patient will be awake and able to respond to commands" This was copied & pasted as I found it. I had to disagree, but I think hotrod did have conscious sedation by using the laughing gas. The blue pills I believe were just anxiety pills. After taking 2 of them I fell asleep in the chair waiting for my dentist to finish with the last patient so they do pack a punch. So, I don't think hotrods description, in laymens terms, were that far off.

Please forgive me for disagreeing with you, but I saw 2 good people leave the site after being told their feelings were described "wrong". I'd hate to see more people leave who can be so valuable to this site.
 
Hi,

I most certainly didn't mean to imply that the posters were "wrong" - rather that using oral sedation to a point where the patient "dozes off" can be dangerous as the airway/independent breathing may be suppressed and, unlike with IV sedation, it is not true that a reversal agent can readily be given. I know that some dentists in the US are tempted to give what is essentially an overdose in that context, because they have to jump through so many hoops in order to be allowed to administer IV sedation.

Of course, there's the problem that people might *think* they were asleep after both oral and IV sedation due to the amnesic properties of the drugs used. I was kind of worried about the implications of some of the posts (other people might be encouraged to seek out dentists who deliberately ignore safe limits of oral sedative drugs). So my concern would be first and foremost for the safety and welfare of phobic patients.

The copied and pasted excerpt makes no mention of oral sedation for the use of moderate conscious sedation precisely because a reversal agent cannot be readily given.

I'm simply concerned about the potential consequences/implications of administering drugs in ways that were not intended by the manufacturers and that are not sanctioned by regulatory authorities. Certainly this doesn't mean that people's feelings are "wrong" in any way, shape or form.

Apologies if it came across as a "telling off".
 
just to chime in. My dentist does indeed have the reversal agent that she keeps
in her pocket. Don't know about other dentists. But she has never had to use it.
I would trust her completely. I think she just gives enough to make you unaware
of treatment. I don't think anyone would actually be asleep like you would be
at night. Thus the reason why she has never had to use the reversal stuff.

Hope I didn't offend anyone. Not my intentions.
 
I don't think my point is being understood as I intended it to. My point was that this was hotrods description of his visit. His description may or may not be accurate to someone in the room who was not sedated who sees things from a regular point of view. Sedation of any kind can mess up our minds to give different interpertations of the same proceedures.

No, I don't feel you are telling anyone off, you are giving your opinions as we all are. Some people are intimidated more than others I guess. I still tend to agree with hotrod. He's the one who felt "out of it" and he had a pleasant visit without pain which is what matters. He was given laughing gas & anxiety pills which is nothing out of the ordinary & more than likely, no mispractice was happening.

Peace. :thumbsup:
 
Peace :thumbsup:
 
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