Advise for a real dental phobic

Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive October 2004: Advise for a real dental phobic

Ok, I hate the dentist, not just your normal hate the dentist thing but REALLY HATE THE DENTIST. I would rather have a pelvic exam every day for the rest of my life, hate the dentist. I havent been to the dentist for over 4 years. My teeth are in sad shape . I have a chipped cap, a broken off molar, need cavities filled, the whole bit. I finally got the nerve together to make an appt. Now I am having a total meltdown fretting about it. I usually get the guts together to go about every 5 years, go to as many appts as I can stand, then stop going cause I have gone totally nuts. I never get enough of the work done, there is always still something that needs to get done and then it waits 5 years til I get back to the dentist. And it's getting worse, I took my kids to the dentist last week and I was literally shaking in the lobby. Has anyone been prescribed valium to get them through a course of dental work? If so did you get it from your doc or your dentist? I know that you can get gas while they are working on you but I think I have gotten to the point that I need to be sedated prior to the visit. I am within walking distance of the dentist so driving isnt a problem. I am a big baby, please advise

By Cat on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 04:56 pm:

Have you talked to the dentist? Maybe he/she will have some advise or words of wisdom to put you at ease. I don't know if taking something would be a good idea if you have to get work done. You don't know if there'd be a reaction with the meds and what the dentist will be using. Good luck and {{{{{Anon}}}}}.

By Unschoolmom on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 05:02 pm:

I'm a reformed dental phobic. No sleep for nights before the big day, my stomach turning in the waiting room, not moving a muscle the whole appointment. That description doesn't do how I felt justice. My DH doesn't understand how bad it was but I'm know you do. My BIL was the same way and we traded ideas on what worked to get us over it a few weeks ago.
- Shop around for a really good dentist. Find one you like personally who will offer more pain killer (I think one part of my problem was that the pain killer wasn't as effective on me as most. I just needed more of it but was too scared to ask) if you need it, who will talk to you not over you, who will talk you through the drilling part (if this is a big problem for you as it was for us) and let you know how far along you are, how long until its over. For us, not knowing when it would end is the killer.

- Make sure your dentist knows you're terrified. They know there are TONS of people out there with the same problem and will treat you with kids gloves. Mine would adjust how she went at a filling in order to help me.

- Lots of talk. Have her outline what she'll be doing, how long everything takes, give you choices in what happens where she can.

- get the valium if you need it for sure!

I finally began to get over it by having a root canal. I figured that was about the worst thing I could get done and if I could get that done I could handle anything. I can't believe now that I look forward to the dentist (time to read while the numbing happens, time to relax (!!!!!) while she's working on my teeth. The key to it all though was finding the right dentist and letting her know how I felt. Valium would have worked temporarily but the permanent solution was my dentist.

I hope this helps...I really feel for you, it's an awful phobia and one that has horrible effects on your health. Good luck.

By Boxzgrl on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 05:09 pm:

I'm in the same boat, I need my wisdom teeth removed and now its starting to come through my gums and is painful. My friend recently made an appt. with the dentist to get her wisdom teeth out and he realized how scared she was so he *did* prescribe her Valium to take before coming in. Just ask your dentist, if they say No, find another dentist, IMO. Good luck to you and dont be ashamed, there are a bunch of us that are horrified about dentists!

By Colette on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 05:13 pm:

I have heard about sedation therapy for people afraid to go to the dentist.

here is a link.

http://www.dental--health.com/faq_sedation.html

By Mommyathome on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 05:50 pm:

They *do* have sedation dentistry. You go in, they put you out, you wake up....and your done. You can get a LOT of dental work done in one visit this way rather than having to make several appointments.

By Tink on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 06:19 pm:

We have several sedation dentists in this area and it is wonderful! My ds had all his dental work (2 fillings and a cleaning) done under sedation and doesn't have any memories of it. He woke up all the way about 2 hours later and was groggy the rest of the afternoon.
Me...I'm too scared to even go to a sedation dentist. As Anon said, just calling to make an appointment sends me into a panic attack. I have made and canceled at least 4 appointments. I finally asked my dh to make the appointment after checking my calendar and then NOT tell me when it is. He'll take the day off work, for moral support and a ride home, and I won't have the stress of waiting for the appt day. Maybe you can try that with your dh, a friend or other family member. Most dentists will prescribe a single Valium for you to pick up before your appointment. It is worth asking about.

By Tklinreston on Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 01:34 am:

I, too, had dental phobia like you but am reformed like Dawn. I didn't see a dentist between age 12 - 32 because I was too afraid. When I became pregnant with my ds, I started having pain in one of my molars when I noticed a tiny dark spot. That spot turned out to be a tiny hole (tooth decay) which literally grew into a pretty big spot in a week. Every day the pain grew worse but I just kept popping tylenol trying to put off the inevitable. While at work one day, it was just too unbearable and it just so happened my client, who is a dentist, was present. He took one look and dragged me off to his office, which was closed. With no dental assistant, he started doing a root canal with practically no anesthesia - I could feel everything. Due to the severe decay, I was bleeding uncontrollably and with no assistant to suction out the blood, I was choking on my own blood, swallowing mouthfuls at a time. I was so slumped in my chair that my head was practically on the seat rest. It had been so long since I had been to the dentist the canals were very calcified and abnormally narrow to begin with, and so he couldn't get the instruments to fit. He was jamming them into my canals with all his might and still having trouble. He ended up breaking a piece of the instrument in my canal. It's still there actually. The whole scene was like a horror movie - my worst nightmare but everything happened so fast I didn't have time to think. The toothache was so bad that by that point I would have done anything to make it stop. Anyhow to make a long story short, I was able to save the tooth. I ended up getting 3 root canals and gum surgery, while I was 6 months pregnant, spread over a couple of months. They could not wait; otherwise, I could have lost some of my teeth. They took all the necessary precautions for x-rays and very minimal anesthesia, low enough so the baby wouldn't be affected, which meant that I could feel some of the pain and discomfort. The bottom line is this: If you know you have problems that need to be addressed, you have got to take care of them immediately; otherwise, it will only grow worse. If you don't fill that cavity that needs to be filled, you could end up getting a root canal or even worse, lose the tooth. I learned the hard way and the costly way. My out of pocket dental cost was over $10,000.00. How did I get through this ordeal with the kind of phobia that I had? Simple. I had no choice. It was either I face it or I could lose my teeth early. The cost of 1 implant is thousands of dollars.... I think the anticipation, the fear... is the worst part of it. Once we can get pass that, we can endure and survive just about any situation. I, you, we all have the inner strength to draw upon. Don't wait and make matters worse. You can do it!! Dawn also had excellent ideas...and the sedation dentist (wish I had known about them) sounds like a great idea and should be explored. Good luck.

By Karen~moderator on Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 10:01 am:

I've always been terrified of the dentist and have a story a bit similar to Joyce's. I've spent almost all of this year in the dental chair. My oral surgery procedures were done under sedation - I couldn't have done it any other way. The root canal nightmare wasn't, but you can request light sedation in advance for those too. I've spent thousands this year too, all over a cavity that went untreated.

The longer you let it go, the worse and more expensive it will be to have everything treated/corrected/pulled - whatever you need done. Check into using a sedation dentist - I promise you, you won't remember anything other than sitting down in the chair.

By Eight_Kids on Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 10:39 am:

My mother is a real dental phobic also and YES, she has a prescription for valium that she takes before she goes. I'm pretty sure she gets this from her dentist. I don't think they'd have a problem prescribing it, as it is medically necessary to get you into the dentist!!! I too am a dental phobic, and my teeth were needing CONSTANT work (I had a lot of kids, and soft teeth to begin with...dentist told me your saliva is more acidic when you are pregnant and if you have soft teeth you are sort of screwed) so I simply had them all pulled out and got plates! NEVER have to see the dentist again! Loving that part!!!
Anyway, talk to your dentist about the valium, it seems to work great for my mother!

By Anonymous on Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 06:20 pm:

This is anon, I love you guys and everything and the support is great but Tk OMG!! I sooooo dont need to hear horror stories. EIEEEEE!!!!!...... LMAO nervously...

By Feona on Sunday, October 24, 2004 - 09:43 am:

I think would go to a dentist that specializes in phobics or one that you know is good. So you won't feel bad and he or she knows what to expect.