• Dental Phobia Support

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Two different opinions?

K

katsoup

Junior member
Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Messages
4
Hi everyone,

I am a huge needle phobic, I don't mind dental treatment but I avoid it at all costs because I panic that a needle will come out!! I'm sure this makes sense to some.

I recently got a gum infection around my wisdom tooth and went to see a local dentist. He told me I needed 4 shallow fillings and sent me on my way (in a blind panic!!). He was a private dentist so when an NHS dentist became available I made an appt to see one, after this appt (which was yesterday) the dentist told me the only work I need is a small cavity filling behind my front teeth. This is much better news that 4 cavities but still to be honest I fear I won't be able to go through with it due to the needle part. I asked if it was possible to do it without the needle and the dentist said he would rather I had it, I don't think he realises how bad my fear of needles is, I have been known to completely fly off the handle at dentists before which is why I stopped going, this has been my first dental experience in 10 years and I am 24 years old.

Anyway, does anyone know what this filling involves? Where do they inject me? If the cavity is small why do they need to numb me? I have heard this filling is meant to hurt more than any other due to the location of it. Also, is it usual for NHS and private dentists to give such a different diagnosis? I feel very pathetic discussing it like this but the fear needles give me is like nothing else, would valium help in this situation? I don't want my tooth to end up rotting out of my mouth but it sometimes takes this for me to have treatment, the only treatment I've ever had is root canal and I don't remember it, I just blocked it out.


Thanks guys
 
It is indeed common for different dentists to come up with different treatment recommendations because some dentists like to fill immediately, others like to monitor and some are con artists, while others are incentivised by a neglectful NHS dental contract to carry as little work out as possible per treatment cycle.

If I were you I would find a dentist with comfortable injection technique or TheWand so that you can have care you need without having to agonise over the needle issue. I don't recommend having treatmnent which could be painful with no anaesthetic since that can put you off even more.

Palatal injections (dont know if would be needed here) are considered impossible to do painlessly by many dentists but there again with TheWand they can be done comfortably. Needle phobics need dentists with atraumatic technique to go forward usually. It is not necessary to accept pain, you can avoid it by finding the dentist who cares enough to learn the comfy techniques. These will also tend to be the ones who care about your comfort and anxiety and dental foibles in general as well for obvious reasons.

The NHS is not the best place to get the extra time you may need to overcome this and they generally do not have The Wand. However there are lots of bad private dentists out there too and it doesn't sound like the one you saw made a good impression. So maybe it's time to find your 'Mr Right Dentist' and stick with them.
 
I am struggling to find a decent dentist to be honest, the one I saw this week just kept reminding me that I am a "fully grown adult" and shouldn't be scared. I literally couldn't explain to him how terrified I am of needles, I feel like I'm not going to find a dentist who cares enough and i'm a student so I have no money whatsoever.

My little sister has severe learning difficulties and they gave her a drink that made her really woozy and sedated, this looked amazing to me. I can't find out what it is or how to get it though?? I would take valium but I have a high tolerance to it.
 
Hi Katsoup,
It sounds to me like the problem you need to deal with here is your phobia of needles/injections, rather than the visit to the dentist.
I understand how silly it is for a person to say to you "you're a grown adult, so don't be scared". When you have a real phobia of something, it is irrational, and merely telling you to 'snap out of it' is of no real help.
The first step in conquering fear is to understand what fear actually is. It is basically your mind going into overdrive and conjuring up images of something really terrible happening, whereas the objective reality is that it probably won't be as bad as you imagine. This fear is actually a good and normal instinct, because it tells you to avoid potential danger and pain. It's not something to be ashamed about. But when this fear stops you from taking positive action to keep you in good health, then it needs to be dealt with.
The second step in overcoming your fear, is to realise that no matter how much anyone reassures you about it, you will not TOTALLY lose your fear. It's irrational, remember? At some point, you are going to go to the dentists, and you are going to let them inject you, and you are still going to feel moderately afraid of that needle. The only way for you to totally lose the fear is for you to go through the experience (still feeling afraid) and see for yourself that it really was not nearly as bad as your mind had exaggerated it to be.

To summarise so far: Fear is irrational (I'm sure you know this already), and nothing I, or anyone else can say, will completely erase it.
However, fear can be controlled, and the way to do that is to confront it in advance, and in detail.

So let's do that. What exactly is your fear, about injection needles? Is it the momentary dull pain of the injection, or the actual look of the needle, or the syringe full of anaesthetic? Or is it a fear about something going wrong with the injection? Explain precisely what aspect of the needle you don't like, and I'm sure there's a dentist on here (or someone who has recently undergone dentistry, such as myself - I've had two extractions recently, both very different) who can put your worst worries to rest. Basically, confront your fear by arming yourself with knowledge, and that will help to reduce your fear.
 
Hi,

My fear when it comes to needles is the sensation, I've been known to vomit before because it sends me over the edge. The sensation of it being in my skin is enough to make me feel like the world is ending no joke. I could inject myself I think as well but a stranger doing it makes it much worse. I don't remember having a difficult experience with a needle, I think it comes from my brothers fear of them. He used to scream the surgery down and say stuff like "they are killing me" and we were very close, so when I saw this happening as a young kid I began to emulate it. Sadly my brother died last year and ever since I have got a lot worse, my anxiety about any medical procedures as gone through the roof.

I do not trust the dentist at all, I have not met a nice one yet and this is starting to upset me. I am also not trusting of the numbing gel they keep telling me will work, I don't see how I can be numbed to a needle. The needle also has to go in the front of my gum, which I find very distressing as I think I'll be able to feel it more there than in the back of my mouth where I have more tissue. My fear really is irrational this I know and I feel very silly at times, the anxiety is worse for me I haven't slept properly now since Thurs and haven't even booked an appointment. I think I may have to bite the bullet and go private
 
If you do go private, make it easy and effective by finding someone who says they work with phobics and has good injection technique or uses the wand etc....and proves to you that nice dentists do exist (they do honestly). Look on the Dentistfinder for your area.
The numbing gel can work if left on for the right amount of time, it numbs a couple of mm so that you feel no prick sensation whatsover and then whether you feel any further discomfort/stinging depends on the speed at which the dentist injects the fluid.
I know from personal experience with a fantastic dentist that if it is injected slowly enough and I mean really really slowly you feel nothing whatsoever even without the numbing gel. It is the injection of the fluid which potentially causes the most discomfort since the modern needles are very sharp and used only once whereas in the past they were reused.

In the most sensitive areas of the mouth TheWand or similar is the best bet but some dentists can work magic even here with gels, acupressure etc etc
More info here:

 
Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I've read the needle phobia page about 700 times lol nothing makes me feel better, I am quite a serious case I think..

My dentist rang me today to apologise to me about making me feel that I was running out of options. He has referred me to a sedation clinic for future treatment, he said they have numerous ways to sedate me that wont involve a needle straight away, by the time they numb me I should be too out of it to care basically. But I don't know much about it so waiting for my letter and info..

Will keep you all updated :) x
 
Hi Katsoup, thank you for explaining that it is the sensation of the needle which really upsets you.
Yes, I would agree that you should 'go private', because there is a noticeable difference in the quality of treatment. It can be a bit expensive, but it can be worth it for nervous patients such as you and I! The private practise I went to recently, they let my friend (who came with me) sit beside me in the surgery the whole time, and talk to me! I never expected them to do that. Just having someone I know and trust in there with me made a big difference.
Many surgeries can give you laughing gas (nitrous oxide) before the injection. I've never had this myself, but I understand that it can be very effective, and can induce a tranquil, calm state of mind before the dreaded needle goes in.
I don't enjoy being injected myself, but remember, it is NOT agony. What I always do, is hang on tight to the chair, and I usually let out an unhappy sounding "Aaaaaahh" when I feel the slight discomfort of the liquid going in!

As a last resort, if you find your (perfectly natural) fear impossible to manage, then you can ask for a general sedation, but you must bring someone with you who can drive you home and tuck you into your bed, as the general anaesthetic will leave you feeling very woozy/hungover, and quite incapable of looking after yourself, for several hours. (Indeed, they will not administer the G.A. if you arrive at the surgery all by yourself).

So, take heart, I'm sure that one way or another, you can get your bad teeth sorted out with less pain and anxiety than you think!

[edit] - I have another idea. Most of us don't like medical syringes because we are not used to them except in medical situations, which we associate with pain and anxiety.
I'm not sure how to go about this, but is it possible to obtain a clean syringe from a pharmacy or somewhere? (Somewhere safe, I mean - not from a drug addict, obviously!) Perhaps if you could hold a syringe in your hands, and gradually get used to it, and come to see it for what it really is - a normal, everyday piece of medical equipment like a doctor's sthetoscope, just to hold it, feel it, maybe put it close to your mouth without piercing your flesh, do you know what I'm saying? And to look at it and remind yourself, "this is a normal, and useful, piece of equipment, it is not something scary".
Like I say, I don't know if this is a very useful idea, because somehow I'm not sure if you can just walk into a pharmacists and buy a syringe - well I've never tried it anyway! It was just an idea that might help you.
 
Last edited:
I think Tommy is suggesting a do it yourself version of desensitisation:


 
Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I've read the needle phobia page about 700 times lol nothing makes me feel better, I am quite a serious case I think..

My dentist rang me today to apologise to me about making me feel that I was running out of options. He has referred me to a sedation clinic for future treatment, he said they have numerous ways to sedate me that wont involve a needle straight away, by the time they numb me I should be too out of it to care basically. But I don't know much about it so waiting for my letter and info..

Will keep you all updated :) x

Sounds promising. If this is NHS you better make sure they are willing to do restorative (fillings etc) under sedation and not just extractions.
GA (hospital only in UK) and i/v sedation are not the same.
 
I know one thing that helps me is by using a sleep mask, you still know when it's coming but for some reason not seeing it helps me a lot. That way you don't know the size or anything.
 
Not sure if anyone has advised this, but I always ask for topical gel... it's tastes oddly of orange and medical stuff :) but it numbs the gum... I never feel the needle at all, maybe a little pressure but no sting and once the anaesthetic is in it starts to numb :)
 
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