Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dentist and anxiety

Should my seven-year-old son's dentist knock him out?

waxpancake — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:08:08 -0800

Just got home from a dentist appointment with my seven-year-old son. Five of his baby teeth are crowding the rest of his teeth and need to be extracted very soon. But he's extremely anxious at the dentist, and after today's ordeal, they're recommending putting him completely under using IV sedation with an on-site MD. I had IV sedation for my wisdom teeth, and it was amazing, but I'm flat-out terrified to knock out my little boy. He's never had anesthesia of any kind. Is it worth doing? Are there any risks or caveats I should know? Would it be better to stick with oral anasthetic? Help!

What are dental implants like?

quadrilaterals — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:07:52 -0800

I'm getting dental implants. Walk me through this. I still have two baby teeth (bottom front) that don't have adult teeth under them. After a few years without seeing the dentist (I am 22 now), I pulled all my courage together and saw one last week. He said the same thing my pediatric dentist said years ago: I need two implants, and they need to happen soon. The teeth are no good, and could fall out.

Okay, it's a necessary medical procedure. Regardless, I am panicking and terrified.

What I know:
-He'll do a local anesthetic
-This will put me in debt for the next two years
-There will be drilling, into my bone
-I'll get some temporary crowns before the permanent ones in a few months
-I won't be able to bite into much until I get the permanent ones - he mentioned not being able to bite into a piece of bread(?)
-I am already considering canceling the surgery because hey, if my teeth fall out, then at least I don't have to pay for the extraction! And I can continue putting off the surgery.

One thing that helps my anxiety is knowing what will happen, and how I might feel. Any experiences with dental surgery, specifically implants, and especially if you have dental anxiety, appreciated.

(Also - is that last bullet point really a horrible idea?)

These mythical awesome dentist -- where do I find one?

mostlymartha — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:18:16 -0800

How do you find a dentist who is good with very anxious patients? Is it appropriate to ask, when making the appointment, if he’s willing to prescribe a sedative and/or use gas? I hear (often on askme) that people have marvelous, caring dentists who are willing to do whatever is necessary to make them comfortable, but where do you find one? I’ve got this list of dentists covered by my insurance, I need one that can fill my cavities without leaving me in hysterics, and I don’t know how to go about discovering who that will be. I have dreadful dental anxiety; the cleanings alone push me just to the edge of a panic attack. I also have my first cavities ever. My current dentist’s idea of dealing with my anxiety was to say “If you feel like you need a break, raise your right hand and I’ll stop for a minute.” This won’t work. I don’t think either of us need to go through that. However, I don’t think full-on IV sedation is necessary for me either. Just pills to get me through the door and nitrous to keep me still.

I have generalized anxiety problems and occasional panic attacks. They’re sufficient that for really stressful situations, the standard lowest dose of valium doesn’t even take the edge off. Without some kind of help, there’s no way I’ll be able to make myself go to the office, let alone lie there while I get drilled and shot up with novocaine, so obviously I need a dentist who understands that.

I feel like I’m missing the point somehow. Do I just as the person making the appointment “Hey, does Dr. Such and Such do sedatives? I’ve got major anxiety and I need help.” I’m in San Francisco, if that makes a difference.

How to encourage my BF to go to the dentist?

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:42:38 -0800

How can I encourage my BF to go to the dentist without pissing him off? Anonymous because he's a lurker/aspiring MeFite. My boyfriend is afraid to go to the dentist. He hasn't gone for years. I want him to go for his health and because his breath is kind of, well, rank even after he brushes. I've read other AskMe's with advice for how to make the dentist less anxiety provoking, but no specific info about coping when someone you care about just plain won't go.

He is employed and has insurance. He's freaked out even by "sedation dentistry" and he says the more I ask him to go the less he wants to. Do I just deal with this? It's not a deal breaker by any means... I'm just a go-to-the-dentist-every-6 mos type and I am worried the longer he waits to go the worse his dental work will be.

Recommend a dentist in Denver

Anonymous — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:16:26 -0800

I'm scared to death of going to the dentist. I have a lot of problems with my teeth and gums, mostly as a result of avoiding appointments for the last few years. I am ready to face the music and make an appointment now to get my teeth fixed, but I'd like recommendations for a gentle, non-judgmental (and not too expensive?) dentist in the Denver metro area. I've read many of the other Ask Metafilter questions about dental anxiety, and I've heard that most dentists nowadays are much less brusque and judgmental than the Torquemadas of yesteryear. But it would help me a lot to get specific recommendations of Denver-area dentists that you've had good experiences with.

Also, if anyone has gone through this dreadful experience yourself and can share your story about how it all came around OK in the end, I'd love to hear from you as well.

Thank you for your help.

Help. I'm a pansy.

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:04:31 -0800

This is so shameful. I haven't seen a dentist since 2005. I've always been terrified of the dentist, but now it's been more than four years. When I finally go again, it will be so much worse. My teeth hurt sometimes, so I probably have cavities. What if I need a root canal? And the scraping! I know this sounds stupid, but for me, the scraping is the worst part. It's the way it sounds and the way it feels. It's not just the stabbing my gums with metal hooks, which novocaine helps... nothing helps the scraping.

So I can't go on like this, things will just get worse and worse. I have to go. I tried googling to find a sedation dentist... I feel so paralyzed by anxiety. I got nowhere.

Here are my conisderations. MetaFilter, please help me get this done. You are far more rational than I am and I need someone's objective, unemotional guidance.

Nutshell:

I need to see a dentist. I need a cleaning and to figure out if I have cavities, and if I do, I need to have them treated. I don't know what else I might need.

I do not have dental insurance. I do not have any money. I'm living without a cushion right now. My parents said they would pay for a visit to the dentist as a birthday present, but there is a limit to what I can ask them to pay.

Because of the financial constraints, I feel like I have to get it right the first time. If I go to a dentist who does a bad job, I will be stuck with it. This contributes to my anxiety and paralysis.

Sedation dentistry seems perfect but incredibly expensive. Do I need to accept that this is not an option for me right now, or are there reasonably-priced sedation dentists who are also reliable and good?

I'm in NYC.

One pill makes you smaller, and one pill makes you normal...

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:18:24 -0800

Is off label use of Beta Blockers for me? Will a doctor I've seen once be willing to prescribe a short supply? I'm a healthy male in my mid twenties. I'm getting back into dating seriously for the first time in a couple years, and I find myself getting more nervous than I've ever been for anything. I realize it's silly, and I think it'll go away. In the meantime though, I've got a second date with a woman I'm really interested in and I'd like to control the heart pounding (in a bad way), sweating, shaking, and nausea which ultimately will lead to slightly too much drinking and a touch of *verbal* diarrhea.
I have insurance, but not a regular PCP. There's a small family run clinic/doc in the box I went to a couple months ago for completely unrelated issues. If I go to the same doc and explain my situation, will they be likely to help with some sort of temporary pharmacological stopgap?
Nothing like this has ever happened before, and I really do think it'll go away, so therapy feel unnecessary and time consuming.
Will pills help, can I get them, or am I barking up the wrong tree entirely?

6 year old needs to have his tooth extracted. Any advice?

jeremias — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:59:38 -0800

My 6 year old needs to have a tooth extracted for medical reasons tommorrow. Any tips/advice that my wife and I can use to ease the anxiety pre-pull? We have already told him as gently as possible, and he understandably was not thrilled, in fact his initial response was "I'm not going." Neither my wife nor I ever had to go through this procedure at such an early age, any thoughts appreciated . . .

Dental sedation anxiety.

ITheCosmos — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 14:34:08 -0800

Help me allay my specific dental fear: sedation. I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow, and I'm scared. Not of the part where it hurts, though that will not be so rad either, but the sedation part. They're giving me a prescription sedative, the kind where I'll be awake but not remember after, and I'm taking a cab home.

I have some problems in general with anxiety, which partly stem from some bad experiences with psychedelic drugs back in the ol' misspent youth (that is, a couple years ago). As a result, the idea of being awake but not really aware of what I'm saying or doing, and not remembering, really scares me.

I've read the previous AskMe threads on dentist fears, but those mostly seem to propose sedation as the answer, whereas for me it's the problem. Does anyone have any advice on:

1) How to calm down before the appointment so I'm not a complete stressball, which I know would make everything worse.
2) What's it feel like when this stuff kicks in?
2) What should I tell my dentist?
3) How do I deal with worries about the loss of memory after I "come to", and how is it going to feel?

Thanks!