realling scared

splicecom

So even when they are taking out a tooth they dont use anything to relieve the pain????

Katie-Kat-Kins

Google Fear Of Dentists (FOD) there are some great support groups and networks for dental phobics out there.

I'm not phobic, I had sooooooooo much treatment when I was younger that I couldn't have been! Plus my dentist when I was a kid was LOVELY, kind, friendly and quite good looking ;/) So I was always happy to go along. But my mum was afraid of the dentist, even to the extent that (she told us years later) she'd be on the loo all morning before taking us to the dentist and would try to avoid having to go into the treatment room if at all possible.

She has since found a great support group and a dentist who specialises in treating phobic patients and it has enabled her to start going regularly. They have lots of techniques for helping you, including hypnosis and relaxation.

Look for a group in your area, even if you don't have a specialist dentist to deal with phobics your group will recommend sympathetic dentists who often visit the groups and so on.

Well done for getting yourself through the door, keep up the good work!

scotsgirl_3

No no, the numbing gel is used before the anaesthetic injection - to numb your gums a bit before the jab. Not all dentists use the gel, but I doubt you'll find one mean enough to mis the injection part.

You have my absolute sympathy - I was the same as you, didn't go a dentist from age 12 to 21 due to a massive phobia of dentists and needles. I eventually found a fabulous dentist who worked with nervous patients and it made alll the difference -I think the important thing is finding a dentist who you can trust.

richardw

Had root canal treatment today in a tooth that had been filled about 30 years ago, when the chair starts to recline it is best to the close the eyes and let them do their job.

coldstreamalways

I would do fillings first, reasoning that if a tooth needs extracting, I can't save it but a fairly large cavity may need extracting in six months-it's up to the individual.
Why don't you ask your dentist what will be done, what pain relief will be given etc. You have found a good egg who will do all that work on the NHS (practically throwing away money to do it), but the relationship moves two ways. Ask him or her what will be done in this appointment, whether they use the topical anaesthetic gel, how things will progress etc etc.

Strangers on an internet forum are more likely to scare you than asking the horse's mouth so to speak.

Hope it all goes ok.

Toothsmith

miamoo wrote: »

And I asked if they would use the numbing cream, and he said we dont use that anymore. Is that true?

Topical anaesthetic (numbing cream) before a dental injection would have only a psycological benefit.

Nowadays, dental needles are so fine and so sharp that you really shouldn't feel them going in - and all a topical numbs is the very surface. Some injections can be a bit 'uncomfortable' sometimes - but they tend to be the deeper ones, and 'numbing cream' can't penetrate that far anyway.

What you would feel would be all the fluid wooshing in if the dentist did the injection too fast (and that isn't helped by the cream) - so having a dentist that takes their time is much more important than 'numbing cream' for a relaxing pain free experience.

I have about 4 patients that I can't wean off the stuff! Sometimes I'm tempted to just use Vasaline on a cotton wool roll instead!!

There are many techniques for doing pain free injections. Having the patient as relaxed as possible is always 'rule 1' though, so if a bit of cream does that, then there's certainly no harm in using it.

belfastgirl23

I would say the injection is unpleasant but not painful and I should know having had it done loads of times and quite deep. It's more the thought of it than the actual doing of it.

Glad to see you over on H&B

WifeofDJFLP

Hi

like you, I avoided the dentist for a very long time due to a bad experience with a school dentist as a child. My teeth were a mess, I'd lost loads, spent a lot of time in pain and couldn't smile.

At the end of last year, suffering with toothache yet again I plucked up the courage to find a dentist. I decided to go private, believing if I felt more like a "consumer" than a "patient" I'd feel more in control.

My check-up was horrendous, terrifying and embarrasing I needed several things doing and the predicted cost was thousands.

I'm now some months down the line, get my bridge fitted in a fortnight, have had numerous fillings, root fillings and even an extraction. I'm a couple of thousand pounds worse off but I'd pay it all again.

I haven't had toothache for ages, I can smile again (even my temporary denture and temp. crowns look better than my old teeth did ).

As one previous poster said, explain how you feel then shut your eyes and let them get on with it. I still fret before every appointment and usually end up wet with sweat by the time my treatment's finished but my teeth are almost fixed and my oral health is good.

I hate to say it, being a socialist and all, but if you can afford it at all then go private. There's nothing wrong with NHS dentists but my dentist takes her time and is free to chooses the best materials for the job (I pay accordingly obviously) and it's not actually that expensive (in fact my temporary denture was cheaper than an NHS one I think). NHS dentists just can't spare they time I'm sure they'd like to with patients now and if you're nervous, you need time.

You've done the hardest bit, don't give up now.

WifeofDJFLP
xxx

Toothsmith

I would agree with all that, but splicecom does seem to have found a dentist that, although she's only had one visit, she does seem to have developed a trust of.

As I said in an earlier post, he does also seem to be one playing properly by the NHS rules as well.

I would advise her to stick with this dentist at least for the time being whilst she gets the disaster-management phase of her treatment done.

It's a big step to get that far - I wouldn't go chopping and changing around just yet.

And anyway - if this is a decent dentist who plays by the rules - chances are he'll be leaving the NHS pretty soon anyway!!

MrsE_2

miamoo wrote: »

My daughter went to the dentist around 12months ago, and we had the most awful experience. She was having a tooth out and was scared and upset. The dentist was horrible, he told her to stop crying because it would take longer and hurt more (she was 11) which just made her more upset. I managed to calm her down enough for him to finish the treatment, but she hasn't been to the dentist since, and is terrified.
I need to find a nice patient dentist, but its hard enough to find one at all in my area.

Thats "helpful" on this thread:rolleyes: