setback

[winterishrain]

hi,
I am 23 and 34 weeks pregnant. I have two teeth that need to be extracted, and was planning on doing just with novacaine before the baby is born. But, after a really bad experience at a foreign dentist while living abroad, I can't seem to make it through an intire appointment without crying. I managed to go in for a preliminary and a cleaning the other day without too much trouble, but today I went in for the extraction and just couldn't handle it. Part of it is because I've had a really hard time getting numb in the past. The dentist I went to was insensitive to say the least, throwing his syringe down and telling me to go see an oral surgeon when I couldn't stop shaking. I was mostly numb at this point, and upest for getting given up on when I thought I had overcome a major hurdle. I understand that I'm a difficult patient, and I'm afraid I'll never find a dentist who is willing to work with my sensitivities, which I thought weren't bad until he assured me that they were. To make it worse, a nurse, who wasn't even mine, decided to come lecture me about the harm it could cause the baby should one of them get infected, after they decided they couldn't get me numb and I wasn't worth their time. This just made me feel like more of a failure. I have had an abcess in the past and knew I had one coming, and asked if they could write me a prescription for an antibiotic, and they simply told me it was my oral surgeon's responsibility now. I want to do whats right for me and the baby, but the fear takes hold. any advice?
Thanks!

 

[FinnishGirl]

Hi and here. You have found the right place!

Your dentist was awful. Why did he have to stop and send you to an oral surgeon? And no matter what they said there, your fear really isn't that bad compared to what I can often read here. You are braver than me, and I wasn't in the worst end either in my dentalphobic days...

I'm thinking... Would some nitrous or one single Valium harm your baby? You should ask your doctor, I don't know. You could also try again with another dentist who is understanding and good at LA techniques, but I understand it may be hard to extract teeth from somebody who is shaking a lot, so maybe you need a bit of chemical help. Or maybe not. Only you know. But you should definitely find out if that's a possibility during your pregnancy.

 

[freakout]

Hi...so sorry you are having a rough time. The way the dentist and the nurse treated you are absolutely horrible. Perhaps you should ask under the dentistry section, our dentists there may be able to help with questions Re: dentistry and pregnancy. Dr. Mike, one of the dentists, specializes in hypnosis and other forms of relaxation techniques that may help and won't cause any problems for the baby.

 

[scaredstiff]

The dentist you went to was a complete jerk and should have known better but then when you say you even got a lecture from one of the nurses seems to indicate the whole practice leaves something to be desired. Just wondering if the dentist may have been a little scared that you might give birth there and then. Try and put this nasty experience behind you. I'm sure Dr Mike, as freakout has said, will be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[winterishrain]

hi everyone, thanks alot. After asking around, I've come to know that the dentist I was seeing was on everones list of bad dentists, unless your a super stoic patient. I'm new to the town and had no idea, I just thought I was lucky to find someone who takes my insurance so close by. When I called and went in for my evaluation, he reassured me that he was patient and would do everything on my terms at my speed, but putting that into practice was a whole nother story. I was towards the end of the day though, and maybe he was afraid he wouldn't be done by 5. While trying to get a prescription for antibiotics to keep things from getting worse, the dentist said since I'm the oral surgeons patient now that he couldn't do it,(while I was still sitting in his office) and then the oral surgeon said that he wanted to see me first, and then my OBGYN admitted that he didn't know much about teeth and would also want to see me, and said since it's a time sensitive thing and i shouldn't wait a week or two for an appointment just to go to the ER and have them do it. So i did, and they said that they have alot of my dentists patients in there becuase he doesn't write prescriptions as a form of punishment for difficult patients. All I was looking for was some pennicillin, not hardcore painkillers or anything. Sorry, I was venting. Thanks for all your help!

 

[brit]

Hi Winterisrain
Having seen the answer from ZZZ and Gordon on the Dentistry Questions section I was wondering....are you ok with this now? It's always good to hear that the dentist who has just treated you badly has a bad reputation..makes you realise it's not your fault.....which of course it isn't BUT speaking from experience allowances do have to be made for PREGNANCY HORMONES and their affect on a lady's emotional state.....so I think you can safely assume that an oral surgeon or a different dentist is going to have a much more sympathetic approach and that you will be able to cope with treatment with local...you got so far after all and it was his appalling response to your shaking which prevented a successful outcome on that occasion. It is not supposed to be painful while the tooth is being worked on and the after soreness (if any) if you don't want to take painkillers because of the baby is likely to be easier than a toothache as it is part of a healing process.
Very best of luck with it and with the pregnancy

 

[winterishrain]

Hi, I've talked to the oral surgeon, and he said that he often deals with fearful patients whom have been referred to him, and, his wife is pregnant so he understands the hormones all too well, lol. They have the wand in his office, and I'm still waiting to hear from my doctor about what sedation techniques are safe, if any. He said He'll schedule me early in the day and give me as much time as I need. We're planning on taking out one, the most crutial first, and then if I'm up to it moving on with the second. He told me that if I feel overwhelmed by the thought of two at once, we can split it up, or if, since I'm already numb we can get them both over with, he's leaving it up to me, which helps me feel more in control over the situation. since I'm very pregnant he said the he understands it may be uncomfortable to lay on my back for too long and that he encourages me to get up and walk around a bit whenever possible, like waiting for the numbing to take effect and between teeth if I decide to do both, and that this can also help calm nerves, to help realize that the world hasn't ended and that everyone else in the office is relaxed and not worried and that it is just business as usual. My dr has approved most acetomeniphin based pain killers, like hydrocodone, for afterwards as long as it's not taken for more than a week. He reassured me that shaking is an involuntary response to severe fear and is perfectly acceptable, but that hopefully my anxiety won't ever get that bad, and understood that pushing me or putting me on a guilt trip wasn't going to help. I think I'll be able to deal with the after pains a little better knowing that I will never have pain from the teeth again after the sites are healed, which means no more super painful abcesses or infections. I go in for a consultation and planning, question/answer appoitment soon, and I think just sitting in his office asking anything and everything I want to know before the actual proceedure will help alot, since it will leave a lot less to my hyperactive imagination. Thanks for all your help!

 

[brit]

He sounds wonderful - I don't think you need sedation with a caring approach like that and TheWand too....excellent. You are going to be fine. you can't have alcohol either!

 

[aholt23]

I had the same problem. Two teeth which need extraction and I just had a baby. I waited until after my baby was born, and am in the process of having them fixed.

Needless to say, shame on them for making a pregnant, already emotional woman freak out and feel bad. I didn't seek treatment while pregnant and my daughter is perfectly healthy. Also, they say poor teeth can cause pre-term labor. SO not true in my case! Besides, should you develop an abscess, you CAN have an antibiotic. Caught in time, you REALLY don't have to worry about it affecting the baby. I had two sinus infections while pregnant and took antibiotics both times.

I am so sorry you had such a terrible experience in your condition. Had I been treated like that at 34 weeks, I would have probably threatened their lives. Don't people know you don't mess with a pregnant woman?

My advice, do what makes you comfortable. My fear of having dental procedures while pregnant stemmed from the fear of having my panic attack cause pre-term labor and/or stress to the baby.

Good luck!

 

[winterishrain]

hey everyone, I went in yesterday to get a tooth pulled and all went well. one of the teeth that needed out was from a botched root canal, and so he decided to leave that one beucause since there is no root, it can't cause a lot of pain, and his personal philosoply is that when pregnant, you should do as little as possible. He took out the one that was constantly painful and abcesssed, and it went better than I thought. He was very funny and laid back, which really helped me stay calm. there were some tears the first few shots, but I was able to get numb pretty quickly and not completely freak out. the tooth was easy to remove, even though it was cracked and broken, and I have very little pain now. The most painful area is in the back corner of my jaw at the injection site. they also called this morning to follow up and see how i was doing, which was just a nice touch. I am in way less pain than I was in when I went in yesterday, and at least I know waht little pain i'm in now will heal and I'll never have it again. they also told me that becuase they removed this one my wisdom tooth can stay becuase they it has plenty of room, which was good news. Like most of us, I made it out to be so much worse in my head than it was in real life. It really is all about finding a good dentist willing to work with you. I'm still nervous about getting future work done, but i think it helped with the fear. well see. Thanks for all your help.

 

[freakout]

That is wonderful news It makes all the difference when you find "the right dentist" for you. I too, am a shaker. My dentist has always respected my fears and never made fun of them. In fact, I have found that by shaking, he is fully aware of just how nervous I am and takes things at my pace.

While you may still have fear for your next visit, having this positive experience will help, and you'll probably find your fear level is much lower.