Root Canal and IV Sedation

[Julie]

Hello everybody,
I am a 30 ish lady who lives in Kent
I would like to ask some questions if I may. Firstly I must say I have an excellent dentist but I am a little embarressed at asking him so many questions even though he knows I have problems when it comes to 'deep treatment'
I am having root canal treatment this coming Saturday - 7th Jan'06. I have asked for IV sedation and he has said it'l be there for me if I need it.
I would like to know what it really feels like as I have never been sedated before and am fearful of having it and then panicking inside and not being able to do anything about it; will it be like when you are nearly asleep, feeling drunk - not a feeling I like - sorry to all those who like a tipple lol
My main fear of dental treatment is not being numb enough and the dentist doing what has to be done and suddenly feeling something. I tend to put my hand up to stop him because I think I can feel what he's doing. Dont I sound hopeless  
On a seperate note, the antibiotics he gave me run out on the Wednesday, leaving two clear days before the root canal is done. Will the infection return in that time or shall I play safe and continue with them as I have enough in the pot?
The pain I have in the tooth has died down considerably but is still there. Is this to do with the nerve being over sensitive or a sign the infection is still there?
I would like to get through without the IV as it would help bury some demons for me as my fear relates to root canal treatment I had about ten years ago in a local hospital dental unit. Now I face it again and I know I must have it done. I do trust my dentist honest, I just feel too embarressed to ask him what I have on here.
Maybe a dentist could answer the antibiotic questions but I would love to hear from anyone who can tell me what to expect with the IV.

Yours hopefully
Julie
xxxx

 

[Guest]

dont know if this would help, cause i have the same treatment to try and get through myself, but if you are ok with the dentist to a reasonable level and caan usually cope with the work done without to many problems, then as you say you want to face your demons and get through this without iv, why not let him do the prep i.e. put the canular in and then start the work, if and when it becomes required it would be far easier to get the iv into you then than having to try to calm you down to get set up.

just a thought! wish i could learn to talk to myself in a far more sensible manner enogh to get through my treatment though!lol

 

[freakout]

Hi Julie I can relate to your fear of not being numb enough for treatment as that is one of my biggest fears. I had a root canal a few weeks ago with local only. My dentist numbed me and when he returned to the room, I felt somewhat numb, except for my bottom lip (the tooth being treated was on the bottom) so I told him, and he numbed me some more. When he started the root canal he kept asking if I was ok. Once he made an opening in the tooth he put some more local in there, he said I might feel a pinch, but I felt nothing as I was completely numb. As for the root canal, I really did not feel any pain at all during the procedure. If you are really nervous, rather than get the IV sedation (which will pretty much make you groggy for the whole day) why not ask for nitrous (gas) to relax you. Really the root canal was not bad and my dentist got me numbed up good. He really made sure I didn't feel a thing. Best of Luck.

PS I will have to have another root canal done in a few weeks and I will make sure he numbs me up just as good then too. I don't usually say much at appointments, because I get so nervous, but if there is any question about being numbed up enough, I will make sure he uses more local

 

[Julie]

Thankyou both for your lovely replies
I agree to you Dawn that to have the IV set up and ready is an excellent idea and I will ask if that can be done. I admit I had'nt thought of that!
Thankyou Freakout for what you put and very well done at your recent RC It must help you so much to face the next one so soon. Please post on how you get on!
I collected a prescription from the doctor today for some Diazepam so I can take the edge off the panic the night before and ensure I get some sleep and for the morning. No one can say I have not prepared lol
I have also read more on the forums here and what a wealth of information they are! I have been careful not to read too many unpleasant experiences and lord knows we've all had those in the past or we would not be here, but right now confidence is what I need and I have certainly got some more.
Many thanks to you both

Julie
xxxx

 

[gumgirl]

Hi Julie - I had IV sedation for the first time a few weeks ago, and will be having again in a few weeks time.
As you're in the UK, like me, I guess (and hope) your experience will be like mine. It's nothing like being drunk or nearly asleep...let me explain!
Your dentist will almost certainly need to take your blood pressure before he sedates you (just to make sure your ticker is in good shape).
He or the nurse will fit a clip to your finger, so that he can measure how you're doing during the sedation. It's just a thing like a giant clothes peg.
He'll then put a line into a vein in your right arm: just a very tiny prick and almost no pain. Then he will inject the sedative...and in about 10 seconds it will feel like you've gone to sleep. I say you will feel like it because to those around you, you will remain conscious. He will wait a few moments to check that you are 'under', and probably ask you some questions that are easy for you to answer. BUT you will not remember any of this once you've come round. The extraordinary thing about the drug they use is that you don't remember the treatment, and there is no pain or anything else horrid.
You will need a friend/partner to take you home, and you'll start 'coming round' soon after. Take a look at my thread 'Taking the Plunge' in the Success section for more details! All the best for your treatment, and let us know how you're doing.

 

[Guest]

As far as walking out of the office and into the car, do you appear to be coherent, or are you a drooling zombie that needs to be dragged around? For some reason, I can't stand the thought of the latter.

 

[Luba1]

I've had IV sedation for a complex tooth extraction, (the had to cut my gum open) and it was fine. All I remember about the proceedure is people talking, and a feeling of "something" going on in my mouth. After the proceedure I was pretty out of it, and just wanted to sleep. I don't know if that was partially due to my jaw being all cut open.

I'd do it again without hesitation, but for root canals I've gone with "laughing gas". It totally takes the edge off, but you are still wide awake, and can signal to the dentist if need be. It's great because 5 minutes after they take you off the gas you are totally back to normal.

Good luck.

 

[gumgirl]

Skittish - to everyone else, you will appear quite normal (if a wee bit slow on the uptake). My best mate, who drove me home after my sedation, was amazed to discover that I had no memory of a perfectly rational conversation we'd had during the car journey. Needless to say, so was I