is there any dentist that can put you to sleep for check ups?

fly_dragon_fly

hello

i am currently sobing and crying my eyes out from coming back from the dentist.

i waited 20 minutes to go in her room to be told she would need to remove the plac from the right side of my mouth.

now i new this but i expected her to offer to inject it or something but she said she would just do it straight away.

i haven't been to the dentist in 5 years because last time this happened i was in so much pain it was silly.

so i have just wasted her time and my own crying and having a panic attack over the fact of having my teeth clean.

i am so pathetic! :'(

is there any way a dentist can put you to sleep to do all the dental work required.

which will be having one tooth out and removing all the plac.

i really cant deal with this. but at the same time i cant continue these panic attacks

hethmar

Oh dear, Im so sorry you are so terrified. If you are actually having the tooth out, you can ask for it to be done under anaesthetic and get the cleaning done too. I dont know why just cleaning caused you so much pain last time. Its not fun, but it shouldnt be painful. Are you seeing a GP for your anxiety/panic attacks?

fly_dragon_fly

no because i only get them when i'm terrifed eg the dentist and when i see one person but thats a different story.

she said she has to see what work needs doing before she cant send me to the other dentist to sedate me.

which then again petrifised me that i will be awake but not able to do anything, i switch of my breathing if that can make sense , god i cant stop crying.

Amanita_2

I totally sympathise as I was exactly the same.

I was in such a state that the dentist gave me gas and air. Felt like I'd had several stiff drinks on an empty stomach and I frankly didn't care what he was doing! As soon as he had finished he took me off the stuff and a few minutes later it had worn off.

I then went for a course of hynotherapy to get over my dental phobia which helped immensely. I still hate going but it doesn't cause me any real anxiety now.

jenniewb

Have either of you spoken to your doctor about having CBT for this? if its preventing you from going to appointments and putting you at risk of ill health if not already, I'd say that something needs to be done.

I doubt any dentist would put people to sleep as there are risks with anesthetic due to reactions both when you are under and for some time afterwards. They'd have to keep an eye on you for this period and I don't know if they'd have the room or the facilities. I don't think any hospital would have the dental staff to carry this out and in addition it is very expensive, your bill would be massive- and thats without any added treatments!

Have a word with your doctor and explain your fears, there is a type of therapy which seems to work well with panic phobias and fears of specific things. Cognative Behavioral Therapy (or CBT) is about re-working the way you think and rationalisation. As it goes there is nothing to fear from seeing a dentist and I am sure you know this, but something else (emotional) prevents you from believing this. CBT is about working out why its so difficult to believe this and trying to rearrange the thought process which brings you to that point.

Its not an overnight change but it can be quite quick, they sort of give you the tools to work out whats going on and to change yourself. Its an ongoing thing, it starts of hard but gets easier as time goes by and you repeat the process.

Hope you manage your appointments OK.

fly_dragon_fly

i walk up to the surgery and i say to myself, you need your teeth cleaned and one filled or removed. its not as painful as the 5 tattoos you will be fine but the second i lay back and open my mouth i panic that i won't be able to breathe and shut off.

she was so understanding but it was hard to understand what she was saying but there isn't a clear english dentist there.

i've had teeth out before at the dentist but its the fear of the pain i experienced before and the fear of not breathing and choking.

its taken me 5 years to get in that chair i am so ashamed of myself.

Gloomendoom

Speaking as someone who has dozed off during a dental examination, I really can't see what the problem is.

However, I do sympathise. Can your GP prescribe any calming drugs?

welshdent

You can be referred to somewhere like the community service who can sedate you for treatment and also spend much longer with you to acclimatise you. However you will still need to have a check up done. No dentist worth their salt will force you to have any treatment done against your will ... but there has to be some give and take. On your part just try and get in there and accept even just a cursory exam so they know what ... if anything needs to be done

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Why not just talk to the dentist? They can prescribe most if not all drugs a GP can. I see no reason why they or your GP couldn't prescribe a valium to be taken before you go. No dangers of general anaesthetic, you'll be much calmer and all the gunk and tartar that will lead to your teeth loosening and falling out can be removed. It hurts even more if you let the tartar keep building up as it will push your teeth wonky, smell like something has died, bleed constantly and your teeth will start feeling wobbly. If it is uncomfortable, that is because it needs to be done urgently and it stops being sore after about 24 hours when the teeth have moved back into place.

If you are capable of eating or drinking a glass of water without drowning, you aren't going to suffocate on the dentist's chair.

You may be panicking because you have to breathe through your nose instead of your mouth. If you are a habitual mouth breather, this could be a clue, though.

Do you have a permanently blocked nose or hayfever? If so, that could be sorted by taking a decongestant/antihistamines beforehand.

By the way, panic attacks usually interfere with the ability to understand speech, irrespective of the nationality of the person speaking to you.

spugzbunny

HI,

There is one in Reading called the 'Reading Dental Sedation Clinic' but I agree with people who say you should speak to your GP or dentist and they should be able to prescribe you Valium - it's great stuff! It will be cheaper as well as I imagine all 'sedation clinics' are private.

http://www.readingdental.co.uk/

coldstreamalways

You can't have treatment done under sedation unless you have consented for it beforehand, so if you went for a check up under sedation, you would have to go back in to have the treatment risks and benefits etc explained to you before you could have the sedation to get the treatment done. No dentists in general practice do general anaesthetics unless they have an anaesthetist present. You *can* have treatment under GA at a hospital but in my experience, this is limited to children, adults with learning disabilities and surgial extractions of teeth. You won't get a clean or fillings done under GA in this country unless you go private.

In any case, the best people to ask aren't the ones surfing this website, they are the health care professionals, your dentist and your doctor.