Category: Health and Wellness
Hi, I just had a wisdom tooth pulled earlier in the week. I now have dental insurance, and plan to use it often. I had not been to the dentist in about 12 years. I've found that I'm more afraid of the dentist than I used to be. The thought of a novocaine shot freaks me out bigtime now. The worst part was the sound when the dentist was doing the extraction. It wasn't painful, but it really freaked me out. Everyone that I've talked to at work says that they all had nitrous oxide while having their wisdome teeth worked on. I'm surprised that I've turned into sucha wimp, but at least for the next three wisdom teeth, I'm definitely going with the nitrous. I'm a little surprised at my reaction, but the thought of having another tooth pulled makes me want to puke. Has anyone experienced a worsening dental anxiety as they've gotten older? Also, do you think being blind had anything to do with being freaked out? I can see some, and believe me, I closed my eyes for the novocaine part. Any insight would be great.
I had nitrus oxide before the doctor came in to take out my wisdom teeth, but he went a step further at my request, and used a sedative/amnesia drug to put me out for the operation. All i remember is waking up with my lower lip twice its normal size, and a nurse putting wet gauze in the back of my mouth. Man, was I groggy all that day. lol
I wouldn't mind being totally knocked out, but I'm not sure my dentist can do that, so I'll just try the nitrous for now.
I love nitrous oxide! It's fun stuff. Even though you hear the dentist drill, you still wanna laugh your ass off. You should totally get it.
Dentist drills never really scare me. As long as the dentist is explaining to me what they're doing, I'm totally fine. I've never been afraid of the dentist. Believe it or not, I actually love going to the dentist, whether it be for a regular cleaning or otherwise. Besides getting my teeth superultramega-clean, I look forward to the dentist probably because of the nitrous oxide. That stuff is really great.
I don't know about making me laugh, but that stuff makes me feel tingly and drowsy. I just want to sleep when I'm under its influence. And that weird sensation like you're floating out of the seat when in actuality you're not? That's so cool. lol
sounds good!
pwhen they ask what is our number one fear, most people say cancer or public speaking. mine is without a doubt the dentist. when i was 14 i got a cavity filled without novocaine because "you are a lazy adolescent and this will teach you a lesson." It sure did. I will not go to any tooth doctor unless under extreme deress. Thank god for nitrous oxide. I don't feel like I'm floating or anything. I just don't care which is a very good thing.
Whoa! That is a horrible way to teach a lesson. I would not have gone through with that. Was that your mother's idea?
If it was, then good lord, what a horrible thing to do to one's child. Gees, how do parents put up with the guilt and self-loathing after doing something like that?
I am a31year old man, and I am afrade of going to the dentist big time!
So there!
Ha!
I was fine with going to the dentest until I went to have a chiped toooth fixt. The dentist didn't put the tooth to sleep. I have been leary every since then.
Now I don't have to worry about going to the dentist because as my husband says, my teeth are like the stars, they come out at night.
I absolutely hate going to the dentist! While I was in school, this was for 11 years, we had dentists come to the blind school where I went and do our dental work, and they would never wait until the novicane would numb the tooth before they began. So when I would complain because of the pain, they threatened to put me in a straight jacket. I guess they thought all blind people were mentally retarded so not worth paying attention to. Now, as you can imagine, it takes a lot for me to trust a dentist. But the dentist I have now, because he believes me about my past, puts a whole crap load of novicane in my mouth and makes sure it's quite numb before starting. My father still comments on the large amount he'll inject in my mouth. I'm nervous though, because in a week and a half I have to go to an endodontist to get a root canal in my molar. So besides the general anxiety of having that done, I'm worried if they'll use enough pain killer and wait for it to get numb. But my dentist told me that they are very good, and he goes to them when he's needed root canals. So I'm somewhat reassured.
I do remember getting my wisdom teeth pulled. He did them all at once, and used both novicane and the nitrisoxide. It feels like a very very strong pain killer. I mean the feeling you get when you take something like percosett, but way stronger.
Is it a feeling similar to taking a vicodin pill? darn JAWS for not saying it right ... My cousin stephanie took one of those after having her wisdom teeth out and it knocked her out within five minutes.
well in my experience, it's the same sort of feeling like you just feel so good you don't care. It's much stronger than vicodin, but they should increase it in increments so that you don't get overwhelmed. But everyone's reaction to medicine is different. In regards to your question about vicodin, I've heard of people sleeping when they take it, but for myself and my mother and best friend, when we've taken it, we get very talkative and energetic. I guess it's from having the pain so long, and finally getting the relief from it. But the nitrisoxide should really relax you. I was aware of them removing the tooth, but didn't care one bit. lol
I have never feared going to the dentist anymore than I have any other medical procedure. Well, let me rephrase that. I'm not at all afraid of having just a regular teeth cleaning. But I do hate and fear novacaine shots, though that's to be expected, as I fear and hate needles of any kind.
Thank God I have always had a good dentist since I was a child. He explains the things he's going to do either before he does them, or as he is doing them. He also waits for the novacaine to really set in to make sure things are painless.
Yes, I do think that our blindness has a lot to do with our fear of this kind of thing. We can't see what a doctor, in this case, a dentist, is about to do, only hear the sounds, and feel the sensations. I am very adamant that my doctors tell me what is going to happen either before it does, or as it does. I do understand that sometimes, a doctor or dentist is so focused on their work that they can't explain it as they go, and in those cases, usually the dental assistant can be of help, since they don't have to be so focused.
i think, it might not be as scarry if we're blind. at least, you just listent to the noise, not seeing the action. and usually the dantist will tell you what is coming up anyway, to warn you a bit at least.
i'm having 4 wisdom teeth, one in each corner. not gonna bother about them untill they really anoying me. if i ever get them out, i think i'll request a general anastatic instead of the local anastatic. don't mind if the knock me out for a while though.
I'm kind of used to the dentist, because it took 5 braces, yes, I did say 5 braces, to straighten out and fix my top teeth, which, when I started this truly grooling 10-year course of braces, 3 retainers, 1 tramline and 1 fixed throughout those 10 years, were kind of arranged in a triangle, rather than your normal horse shoe shape, so they needed both pulling back and also twisting to align them with my top jaw. This was all due to the nature of my facial medical condition as a whole, which also buggered my eyes to quite some extent. You just get used to it after a surprisingly short time of impressions, moulds, poking, prodding, tweezers, cotton wool plugs, pollishers, those tiny mirror things and so on and so forth, but you never exactly love it I fear, so I've just been to my last dental checkup before I move to a new area, hopefully in time for my Birthday in November, and I'm not planning to register with another practice once I'm settled. I've had more years than I care to remember of work done on my crazy teeth, so I've no wish to inflict more shit on them, although, I am glad they are the way they are now and not still in that crazy triangle shape I saw when the authodentist let me see the very first impressions of my teeth from when I had the first retainer, my very first brace fitted when I was 9. Yikes!
Jen.
I can't understand most people's fear of the dentist. I've had fillings put in with and without novocaine (that one was tiny) and never had a problem with it. Of course, I don't like pain or anything but this phenomenon seems odd to me. To be fair, I'm totally blind and have been since I was two-months-old. My one fear is not being able to afford to go, even though I have to in the very near future. I have Medicaid but no holistic dentist will accept it and I'm not willing to go to a "regular" one. I honestly don't get it cause the holistic ones graduated from mainstream universities and most practise normal dentistry. It's just that they use natural materials or at least, environmentally and humanly-conscious ones. For instance, instead of the metal fillings which contain mercury, they use the white porsoline kind which don't. I know NJ doesn't license natural doctors but these dentists hold licenses... In any case, I really need to figure out what to do. I want some teeth, the ones way way in the back, removed and the others filled should I have any cavities I don't know about now. Btw, even if I went to a practitioner that's supported by my insurance, they don't support white fillings, so I'd still have to pay for that.
No, insurance doesn't pay for holistic anything, I'm afraid. We could get into a whole other vboard topic about that, cuz it's very true.
nope the dentist filling my very deep three cavities without novocain thought that up all on his own. I should have punched him and walked out but at the age of 14 I was in awe of authority. When I mentioned this whole thing to my dad a couple years ago, he said "that didn't happen." Oh really? Was I tripping or something?
Yeah, there's a huge difference between choosing to have something like that done with no anaesthetic and having it forced on you. Someone should've removed all that man's teeth with a rope and a door.
I've heard of that kind of thing happening in Braille schools before, though. Unfortunately, it's not all that uncommon. A lot of times, treatment of studetnts in those types of places is really lousy.
I am scared of the dentest to. what makes it werse is when I went to one about two or three months ago, they were clening my teeth, and made my gums bleed. they didn't even worn me that my gums may bleed, and that scared me. I never had that happen before that time, my gums never did bleed before that time, so that scared me alot. I usually make sure they tell me before they do anything, or during, what's happening. if the dentest doesn't, the nurse does usually.
Bleeding gums won't kill you. It's just a sign that you haven't really been giving them too much attention with a toothbrush or one of those tiny brushes that cleans in the gaps between your teeth where a conventional brush won't reach.
Jen.
actually, the sooner yo uget the wisdom teeth extracted, the better. You'll have to put up with less pain before they even break through your gums this way.
Sorry to hear about how expensive dental treatments can be in the US. Actually, if you are able to make it to Mexico, Eastern Europe or some parts of Asia or South America, you may be able to get the same treatment for a far lower price in whatever clinic you choose, even in the best ones. I know people have done it before and for the same price, they can enjoy dental work and a holiday, so I hope you find something that is more affordable for you.
Yeah, but not holistic stuff I'm sure. There are dentists that Medicaid will pay for but no one that I really wanna see and I still have to pay for the fillings anyway.
I don't really have problems with dentists. I apparently did when I was really small, and they had to keep giving me these fake teeth things because as a toddler my hobby was running away from my parrents, running in to something face level and knocking out a tooth or 2. I haven't knocked out any teeth since my perminant teeth grew in though. It was quite boring having a space for my top two front teeth for like 5 years though.
I'm not fond of novacayne shots but it's quick to get adjusted to. my family and I didn't have enough money for me to get knocked out for my wisdonm teeth to be polled I just had novacayne and I was on the phone three hours later. No I'm not normally good with pain either so I don't understand that one.
The only thing that kind of eeks me out is the sounds some of the tools make but bring an mp3 player and explain it to the dentest and they're fine. I had crappy headphones when I had my wisdom teeth done and the higenest could hear the music and started singing along which sort of cracked me up.