Cost of sedation at dentists?

ripplyuk

I've been having pain in one of my teeth since Friday so I've got a dentist's appointment first thing tomorrow morning. Problem is I'm really terrified.

I've been seeing this dentist for about a year now. He was recommended as one that is good for nervous people, and he has been really nice. But so far, he hasn't needed to do any treatment and now I'm so nervous about tomorrow that I feel physically sick.

I was thinking of asking him to wait until another day and sedate me for the treatment, but I'm not sure if I can afford it. I've checked the website but it doesn't list the price. Does anyone know how much it's likely to cost?

melanzana

I think you should ring the practice and ask about costs already.

I've had it done for wisdom tooth extraction (in ROI though where everything healthwise is V. Expensive) and it was €250 per session. Worth every penny honestly. That was a few years ago now.

No doubt it is much cheaper in UK. But I throw it out as a guide price anyway.

brook2jack

You can be referred by your dentist for sedation in the local community dental clinic. The treatment would be free but there is likely to be a long wait for treatment. It's a year waiting list locally.

Not all dentists have the training or equipment to offer sedation , and very few NHS dentists have contracts to offer sedation. Mostly it's a few practices that will offer IV (injection ) sedation and a very very few practices that offer RA (gas like that used in child birth) sedation.

Costs are typically £150 to £200 per hour session of treatment privately. If you need work that requires laboratory work eg crowns, bridges etc then the cost will be higher.

ripplyuk

Mine's a private dentist. They do offer I.V. sedation but I'm not sure I could afford it on top of whatever treatment is necessary. My mum thinks I'm daft to want to spend money fixing a tooth and suggests just getting it extracted, which would probably be cheaper and then I could afford the sedation. I just hate the thought of losing another tooth. I've already lost a first molar.

I'll see what he says tomorrow. I feel so sick with worry. I can't even hold down a cup of tea. I'm also scared I'll start crying and look like an idiot.

brook2jack

You won't look like an idiot. Dealing with stressed,worried,frightened people is an everyday part of a dentists working life.

suki1964

Hey, I'm the biggest wuss under the sun when it comes to the dentist. Last week I had a melt down in the chair just having a mould made

Dentist's are good at working with patients who are scared. Treatments rarely hurt, it's usually the noise and vibrations ( I'm a different kettle of fish as my teeth are hypersensitive so anything cold or metal in my mouth is pure agony, plus a serious gag reflex) that's the problem

Don't be afraid to go. Tell your dentist clearly how upset you are before you sit in the chair. Your dentist will work with you to get you through the treatment as stress free as possible

ripplyuk

It's good to hear I'm not the only one. I always wonder because when I'm sitting in the waiting room, everyone else always looks relaxed and 'composed'. I'm a wreck!

I'll tell him I'm terrified. I know I need to go because it'll only get worse. My mind keeps playing tricks on me, like if I just leave it a few more days, it might get better on its own. I need to stop googling stuff too because I keep finding descriptions of awful experiences at the dentist's.

Contessa

You may have already tried this but it can really help if you can manage to visualise/remember/meditatr on some event/experience that was wonderful for you.

If you can, just focus on the special remembered experience and remember the sights, sounds, feelings smells etc.

For myself, when at the dentists, I immerse myself in remembering and visualising a day on a wonderful beach-seeing the clear blue sky, feeling the warmth of the sun on my back, the feel and heat of the sand on my feet and the cool of the water. Etc., etc.

Doesn't have to be a beach, just any special remembered experience for you.

I hope it helps.

paddyrg

I'm in a similar position, and can only get any proper work done under sedation (the local anaesthetics don't seem to work?!) - so at least when under IV sedation, I just don't care that it still hurts.

The cost means I cannot afford anything more than a full visit to dentist every few years, for emergencies

brook2jack

If you need sedation you can be referred to a NHS sedation clinic , normally at a community dental centre. The waiting lists are long but waiting until you have an emergency is always going to result in problems getting anaesthetics to work. When you are stressed and in pain it is not the ideal way to get comfortable dental treatment.

You would at least get dentally fit and able to make the changes necessary to make sure you don't need further treatment as often.

DigForVictory

+1 for immediate honesty with dentist

Work on visualisation (me, I sat down & sorted a 30 item long Costco shopping list but I wasn't fighting the heebie-jeebies)

Consider hypnotherapy? (Paul McKenna on tape or disk from the library?)