Dental sedation

Narnia - think of the visit to the dentist in a different way - instead of the fear/pain you expect to experience, consider this from the dentist's viewpoint. S/he will have allocated something like an hour for the extraction (it will only take five minutes but there'll be the cleaning of the room before and after and of course that's all in the price you pay). So if you can quantify the time you believe you'll be terrified for, you can then begin to compare that with other events in your life when you've been very apprehensive - childbirth maybe if you've had children. As your lead up before visiting the dentist, try to do some breathwork, focus on your breathing, count the breaths in through your nose (4), hold the breath for another count of 2, breathe out through your mouth for a count of 6 or more and concentrate on that out breath so that you really feel the movement inside. If you can master this technique your extraction will be done before you know it and as others have said, the dentist will be aware of your anxiety and be sympathetic - you really are the customer if you're paying and by the way, £600 is cheap for a private extraction so use that as the basis for a glass half full approach. Wishing you courage.

I’ve had sedation several times and latterly for dental implants. It’s fantastic. You feel nothing and remember nothing.
It’s a very short lived sedation. Once you’ve had it you’ll wonder what you were afraid of. If you’ve had blood taken at the doctor or a cannula inserted this is much less of an intrusion. You just drift off effortlessly and waken up once it’s all over. Good luck

Sedation is the best way forward if you are phobic; my husband, a big roughie, toughie Firefighter, can't even accompany me on appointments. I used to be the same but now I insist upon sedation or a lot of local anaesthetic along with someone I trust to stop when I say stop!

My son- in - law has a dentist phobia and we managed after some time of terrible pain to get him to see a dentist with sedation. They agreed that I could stay with him, could you ask if someone could stay with you?

I have a fear of poverty- which is why I still use a NHS dentist who hits me on the head with a hammer- I don't remember a thing and my head hurts afterwards more than the tooth...I just take paracetamol for that and I'm ok in a few days.

Narnia

Not great news at the dentist.
I've been turned down for sedation at one practice as they think my bmi is to high for them
They haven't seen me. I am overweight but no health issues! The dentist guessed a weight as i don't weigh myself.
I just don't know what to do next.. dentist says it's too difficult for him to remove

It might be worth looking on the site I posted previously? You can search for Dentists who are supportive and understanding so maybe a 02nd opinion?

www.dentalphobia.co.uk/

Have a look at You Tube. Lots of pages on hypnotism or relaxation. Find one where you can relax to the voice and tone. You should be somewhere quiet with no phones or distractions, Some are very short and others for an hour or so, Good luck!

I think fear of dentists is common in our age group. We were subjected to the administrations of "the school dentist". I remember in detail having the gas mask forced over my face when I was about 7, whilst struggling with a fat, piggy looking dentist I was convinced worked for Hitlar and was going to kill me. I'm still terrified aged 70!
My best advice is to use an understanding dentist, who talks you through the procedure and treats you as though you have more than one brain cell!
Mine uses lasers, which cause less bleeding than normal procedures so that helps.
We'll all be "rooting" for you (if you'll pardon the pun!)

I had a tooth removed with sedation, Well actually it is a memory blocker. You simply don't remember anything. I was so comfortable I did not want to wake up! Best way ever to have a troublesome tooth removed!

You could ask for a nurse at the GP surgery to weigh you and write it down, you don’t need to look at the note if you don’t want to know ( but knowledge is power - it might be better if you DO know your weight and exact height)!

Maybe you could have Valium orally?

Not great news at the dentist.
I've been turned down for sedation at one practice as they think my bmi is to high for them
They haven't seen me. I am overweight but no health issues! The dentist guessed a weight as i don't weigh myself.
I just don't know what to do next.. dentist says it's too difficult for him to remove

Hi Narnia I used to be so scared of going to the dentist, and I used to have gum pockets (yeuk) and all sorts. In 1990 though, I learned about oil pulling, an ancient Ayurvedic technique that predates toothbrushes and dentists. You put a teaspoon of coconut oil in your mouth and swish around for 5- 10 minutes - though the first time you'll probably gag in 0.5 seconds, so stand near a bin. The oil gathers all the bacteria in the mouth and you spit it out - so it's actually more thorough and more gentle than brushing. My dentist noticed a difference straight away, and I lost my fear.
The other thing is that I do Reiki. A client once booked an emergency appointment because she had toothache. She came and the pain disappeared; she decided to keep her dental appointment, which was straight after; until then she'd been so nervous about any dental work that she used to ask for an injection before cleaning. But that day she felt totally relaxed and calm and didn't even want an injection before the filling. So there are options. There's also the Bach Flower Remedies Mimilus for apprehension and Rock Rose for terror. GOOD LUCK

My daughter who was needle phobic had it, it was fab and she said some hilarious things on the way home! In later years she saw a psychotherapist for CBT to tackle this lifelong phobia and the results are miraculous.

Of course that should have read Helps not gulps!!! 😂

My husband was a dentist and I ran the practice and we specifically treated dental phobics, don't be embarrassed or ashamed of being afraid it's very common.
I've seen 6 foot tall rugby players become snivelling wrecks and literally run out of the surgery so we are used to people being afraid.
I'd suggest you ask the dentist treating you to maybe prescribe you a small sedative for the morning of the procedure, diazepam is what we gave if needed, you take it in the morning and it really gulps with the anxiety.
And then as others have said it's a quick lovely nap and before you know it you'll be woken up and it'll all be done.
Best wishes to you.

It gets worse
Apparently i have been turned down by one dental practice that do sedation as they deem my bmi to be higher than they accept.
My own dentist made up the weight as i have no clue.
I am overweight but not on medication, no sleep apnoea etc
I'm flabbergasted that they just refused and have never met me.
So now i have no idea what to do!

The dental treatment of yesteryear was often so horrendous that it is not surprising that so many people suffer from a phobia of dentists. However, this is one thing that that has changed out of all recognition in recent years and treatment, while not something we look forward to, is much gentler these days. I have been on the waiting list for dental sedation for over a year. I had a molar that was damaged by an antibiotic and never formed properly. After a lifetime of repeated fillings in that tooth and eventually a crown, which lasted for many years, it gave up the ghost last year and was extracted. Unfortunately, the roots had other ideas and wanted to stay put, especially as they had attached themselves to the roots of the teeth either side. In addition to this, I apparently have strong bones, which makes removing the roots even more tricky. I am looking forward to them being out of my gum for good and that it will be a painless procedure under sedation. I think that this may help you. You cannot keep the tooth in its present state and it will be painless under sedation. Once it is no longer in your mouth, it can never hurt you again. The sooner, the better, too.

OMG those gas extractions were terrifying, weren't they ?
I can absolutely promise you it'll be NOTHING like that !
Follow Steelygran's excellent advice & pop in and have a chat with them first. You're far from their first terrified patient
I look forward to your post after when you write "Oh I did get myself so agitated needlessly".
You can do it !!!

I too have a severe dental phobia, the reason which I won’t scare you with. But was fortunate to find an excellent dentist who totally understood my fears, I actually got to the stage where I could walk straight into the surgery without having to walk by the door umpteen times, so the best advice I can give is find a dentist that gets your fears and is able to work with you to find a plan of action. My original dentist retired, but I found an amazing dentist, a young Greek man, who was fantastic, but due to brexit he went to Belgium, his replacement is a lovely young lady who also knows how to deal with me. Don’t despair there are brilliant dentists out there.

Go to your GP and ask for Diazepam as you are terrified. They may only give you 2 tablets to take just before your visit but that in itself is a reassurance. You may have to ask for minimal anxiety medication taken over 1 or 2 months.

I'm terrified of dentists too! I had a valium injection for an extraction. I didn't remember a thing. So much so that when my husband said he was taking me home I said I couldn't go until they'd taken my tooth out! I didn't remember a thing. One point to remember is to rinse your mouth out with salt water regularly after you've had the extraction. Good luck!

Hi Narnia, talk to whoever’s doing your procedure ahead of the appointment.

They will be happy to help, as a relaxed patient means they can concentrate on getting the procedure done quickly and accurately.

I had a couple of wisdom teeth removed when I was younger and I was a wreck before, but the team were lovely- they honestly are used to people being nervous.

In the end, it was as though I closed my eyes and time-travelled over the whole event!
I don’t have any memories of the extractions and the pain of healing was short-lived ✅ Hth 💜

Please ignore your husband. People who do not have phobias cannot even contemplate what you’re going through. You’re not alone I too have it. Since a bad experience as a child, I have also purchased stressed balls. I take one with me in my pocket and bring it out just when I’m having treatment… it’s like a very soft silk covered ball which is perfect to squeeze takes away stress. cured mine to a degree with hypnosis I am still apprehensive going but I go in without having to be pushed now. My dentist is fantastic and I feel assured when there. It is a specialist dentist who deals with phobias etc. have you thought about Hypnosis it costs per session but if you have a terrible trauma then it’s worth paying

I can empathise with you. Recently I decided that I needed to rethink my fear and have a more positive slant. Now I try to focus on how grateful I am that all those dentists and dental nurses have studied/trained so that they can do the work that I need doing on my teeth. I’m grateful that the techniques they use are miles better than those from my childhood experiences. It still isn’t pleasant having it done but it’s great that they can do it with modern equipment. It is a good thing done by caring, experienced people. Good luck with your treatment.