Dentistry

Dar

I need to get a serious amount of dental work done, but am deathly afraid of drilling. I got 2 teeth drilled a few years ago. It was supposed to be 4, but I just couldnt go back for the other 2. Does anyone know a good dentist that will do drilling under a general anesthetic?

Dr. Dre

I feel your pain Dar, but you wont get a dentisit to do any work under GA I'm affraid, believe me - I've looked hard

There really is no probs with getting a local for a filling, you honestly don't feel a thing - and I can't belive I'm writing this :eek:

However, extractions are still a bit too much for me, don't know what I'm going to do when I need my next one

The closest thing I can advise you is to look for a dentist that uses twilight gas, little cup goes over your nose and gives you a dose of some gas that puts your head silly, it's really quite good. Don't know if it's too common in the republic, but it's quite common up north.
Note: you can also claim under PRSI for dental work done up north.
Hope that helps a little, good luck.

PS: Oh and get to a dentist sooner rather than later.

Sleepy

Don't be daft, it's not that painful to go to a dentist. Last time I went I thought I'd been given one filling. It was only when I got the bill that I had to get out the mirror - I'd gotten 4!

RicardoSmith

Sleepy wrote:

Don't be daft, it's not that painful to go to a dentist. Last time I went I thought I'd been given one filling. It was only when I got the bill that I had to get out the mirror - I'd gotten 4!

I hope all your experiences are like that...

eth0_

Dr. Dre wrote:

Note: you can also claim under PRSI for dental work done up north.
.

You *can*? That's fantastic..i'm gonna be out £1000 over the next 2 months and I go to a dentist in Newry. woo!

Yeah no dentist will do something like a filling under GA, for a start they're not qualified to administer a GA, an anaesthetist has to administer it and monitor the patient throughout.
I go to Ballybot dentist surgery in Newry, they're BRILLIANT. I had 2 mercury fillings replaced there last week and felt NOTHING.

Dr. Dre

Sleepy wrote:

Don't be daft, it's not that painful to go to a dentist. Last time I went I thought I'd been given one filling. It was only when I got the bill that I had to get out the mirror - I'd gotten 4!

To be fair Sleepy, that's not really helpful, - you obviously have no problems with Dentists, but let me tell you, for those of us that do it's a terrifying experience. To highlight, I once paid £200 for two extractions under GA. Went in to hospital prep'd just like an operation, no food night before, checked in, put into a ward, down to operating theatre, back to ward to recover - the whole shebang.
Have only ever had one extraction under local (my last one), wasn't painful but was a terrible experience, and all because I couldn't find a dentist willing to do it under GA.

I suppose it just depends on your outlook on peoples phobias, we may laugh at a fear of water or a fear of heights etc.. but it's no laughing matter for the sufferer.

Etho_, I used to go to Farrell and Staunton in Newry, just as a matter of interest could you find out if Ballybot do that twilight gas?
Cheers

Hello Kitty

Dar wrote:

Does anyone know a good dentist that will do drilling under a general anesthetic?

Their supposed to give you anesthetics for that sort of thing,
you could of asked for one?

I remember having one of my fillings fixed without an anesthetic and it hurt like mad.:eek:
Theres a very good dentist in Blanchardstown.

eth0_

Dr. Dre wrote:

Etho_, I used to go to Farrell and Staunton in Newry, just as a matter of interest could you find out if Ballybot do that twilight gas?
Cheers

I shall, i'm pretty sure they do though.

eth0_

Hello Kitty wrote:

Their supposed to give you anesthetics for that sort of thing,
you could of asked for one? .

They always give you a LOCAL anaesthetic. This guy is looking for a general anaesthetic, the same thing you have when you have a proper operation in hospital, i.e knocks you out completely.

Hello Kitty

eth0_ wrote:

They always give you a LOCAL anaesthetic. This guy is looking for a general anaesthetic, the same thing you have when you have a proper operation in hospital, i.e knocks you out completely.

Well ive never heard of getting a general anaesthetic for drilling.

The_Conductor

eth0_ wrote:

You *can*? That's fantastic..i'm gonna be out £1000 over the next 2 months and I go to a dentist in Newry. woo!

Note:PRSI will make a certain limited contribution towards a list a specific dental stuff like fillings/extractions etc and cover on a twice a year basis things like: dental examination, diagnosis, scaling, polishing (including mild gum treatment).

It does NOT cover cosmetic dentistry, root anal/bridges/crowns/capping etc. etc. etc.

You have to fulfill certain PRSI conditions (as below) before you qualify for treatment:

http://www.welfare.ie/publications/sw24.html

If you ring the treatment benefits section in Dublin on- 01-8748444 they will let you know of what you can expect.

Also- you will need a valid Dental benefits form filled out and stamped by the dentist, if you are trying to claim tax relief on your dental work (which is what your Newry trip sounds like......)

dudara

I had two wisdom teeth and one crowded tooth out in one sitting once. My dentist uses this scalpel-like thing called a luxator. Once you're all numb, he slips the luxator down between the tooth and gum and uses it to cut the connective tissue that holds the tooth in place. The tooth can literally just slide out then with a little tug.

I had been dreading the extractions as I had teeth pulled as a kid where the dentist just used brute force. However, this luxator completely took me by surprise as I had been steeling myself for a repeat performance. The extractions didn't hurt at all, but I was still a bit bruised for a day or two as it was wisdom teeth.

Make sure the dentist uses a luxator. They're the business.

RicardoSmith

I have had 3 root canals. 2 were painfree and 1 hurt like hell, despite any local. Some wisdoms can be removed by local and a dentist and some just can't. I just had one removed under GA. Was told to expect it to be very painful, but in fairness it wasn't too bad.

Basically Peoples experiences vary enormously.

Dar's problem is just a phobia. Thats not to dismiss it as trivial, it isn't. Personally I have kinda phobia about dentists myself. Probably because I've got so much done over the years. But normally I can grit my teeth and get through it usually. But its not easy.

You can go to some dentists that specificially treat people wth dentist phobias. Someone mentioned one in the north before.

Dar

Thanks for the replies all.

"Don't be daft, it's not that painful to go to a dentist. Last time I went I thought I'd been given one filling. It was only when I got the bill that I had to get out the mirror - I'd gotten 4!"

Last time i was in the dentist gave me 2 shots of local anesthetic. I could still feel pain, the vibrations and that sickening smell of burning tooth. I know that if I could really feel the pain I would have been screaming like a little girl, but knowing that the pain is only phsycosematic (sp?) doesn't really help .

Nala

I've had baby teeth extracted (I was 17 and still had 4 baby teeth!) and all the dentist gave me was a needle in my gum to numb it.

I'm not at all afraid of the dentist but must admit the drill is horrible.

eth0_

Hello Kitty wrote:

Well ive never heard of getting a general anaesthetic for drilling.

You can't get a GA for something as simple as a filling. That would be VERY irresponsible. Every time you are under GA you are at a risk of dying from having a reaction to the drugs, so you're not going to get one for something as simple as a filling.

eth0_

neev wrote:

I've had baby teeth extracted (I was 17 and still had 4 baby teeth!) and all the dentist gave me was a needle in my gum to numb it.

I'm not at all afraid of the dentist but must admit the drill is horrible.

You know you can ask for another injection of anaesthetic if you feel the first one wasn't enough. I think a lot of it is psychological, the sound and vibration of the drill etc.

drusilla

I don't reccommend the twilight gas, i didn't like it much, makes you feel well stoned and very groggy. But it's better than a ga! Have you thought of getting hypnotised to overcome your fear? there are qualified gps in dublin that do it, and I'm sure elsewhere in the country too...

dudara

My dentist doesn't spare the needle at all. The slightest twinge from me over anything, and he immediately stops and gives you another shot. And that's the way it should be.

Unfortunately you can't do anything about the drill vibrations, especially if he has to use a big bit. I had an old filling knocked out recently as it had cracked and needed to be replaced, and he used a big bit to knock it out. My eyes were rattling along with it. Not pleasant, but not sore either.

In fairness, it's a phobia you have to deal with if you don't want false teeth in years to come. Just demand enough injections and try not to focus on it while in there.

RicardoSmith

eth0_ wrote:

...I think a lot of it is psychological, the sound and vibration of the drill etc.

Depends what hes drilling...

RicardoSmith

eth0_ wrote:

...I think a lot of it is psychological, the sound and vibration of the drill etc.

Get a root canal, or wisdom tooth done that hurts. Then tell me its psychological.

isolde

Speaking of dentistry, does anyone know if it is possible to get ordinary fillings replaced with ceramic ones and any idea how much that costs? How much do fillings cost in general anyway?

RicardoSmith

isolde wrote:

Speaking of dentistry, does anyone know if it is possible to get ordinary fillings replaced with ceramic ones and any idea how much that costs? How much do fillings cost in general anyway?

They will replace a big filling with a crown and you can get those in ceramic. Dunno about replacing a filling with a filling though.

The_Conductor

You can sometimes make a case to have some of the older fillings replaced (especially those mercury ones) but for the most part removing a filling risks introducing foreign agents into the pulp, and consequently absesses from which you may loose the tooth- so for good reasons most dentists would be loathe to remove a filling without good cause.

Re: cost of a filling- it depends among other things on the size of the filling. The material used for fillings is really very expensive, for a single filling mix, the material cost can be about 25 Euro- and a big filling could have 2 or 3 mixes. Then again some dentists charge a flat rate for fillings- my own dentist being 45 Euro (the consultation, examination and any x-rays etc are on top of this).

Hope this helps,

Shane

tk123

Dar whats your dentist like - does he/she put try to put you at ease at all?? I've been to a few of them and some aren't the best - especially the old ones who are really patronising etc. My dentist is funny and plays cds and stuff and chats to you it stops you being nervous. Just for the record I've had all my wisdom teeth out under GA - two were stuck under the jaw bone and it was fine - the only major incidient after the op was that I got a minty smint stuck in one if the holes that was left when the tooth was gone(they're all filled back in now)...anyhoo the mint was kind of burning me and i was on the bus and the only thing i could think of was to try to get it out by swishing coke around in my mouth I looked like a mentalist!! ahahahahha

dudara

My guy doesn't talk much at all. He greets you, gets you into the chair and then gets to work. In my opinion he's very quick and efficient. The day I had my wisdom teeth extracted I was in the chair about 15mins in total, and most of that was waiting for the injection to take efffect.

The big gaps left after the wisdom teeth were fierce annoying though. Every thing I ate got lodged in them

RicardoSmith

I'm getting over having a Wisdom tooth extraction under GA at the moment. Mine need stitching up and I don't have a socket as such. Wasn't as bad as I was expecting to be honest. I guess because it never came up and was sitting at 90 degrees. I might have nerve damage from mine though as it was practically sitting on the nerve. I won't know for a few weeks.

Sarky

I've found the effects of anaesthetic to be quite variable at the dentist's. I had a few fillings done at the same place, by exactly the same person, and I've gone from feeling nothing at all to wondering if the injection actually numbed anything at all. I'm led to imagine that the injection is an imprecise thing, they can't get it right all the time. As Dudara said, a good (or at least humane!) dentist will give you another dose at the first sign of pain. But you generally DO have to tell him/her you're in pain first. At the very least, if you can't speak, you can yelp...

littleninja

Just reading this post has made me have horrible visions of drills and the nasty grinding noise that is associated with drilling teeth.

This is one thing I have a real problem with, I just can't go to the dentist without having a minor heartattack...

Every time I come out from having dental work done, I feel myself getting really weak and the blood drains from my face and I pretty much pass out, I don't know if it's something about pain or just the trauma of all the crunchy and grindy noises made by the drill in the mouth. The actual work whilst it's being done (generally) hurt, although there was one time I was left waiting too long to get a filling done that the injection had worn off by the time I got into the chair :eek:

I have avoided going near dentists whenever possible since I was a youngster and so now the thoughts of going anywhere NEAR a dentist scares the life out of me. Literally something as trivial as a simple extraction (where I was supposed to go back to college afterwards ended up with me having to go home because I was almost passing out after I left the dentist's surgery.

All that said I have a massive toothache at the moment from a big hole in my back tooth, must get it filled or something but terrified of going near dentist at all. Think if I could get it done either under local OR general anaesthetic would be a great help. At least that way you're not really focusing on what the hell is going on so panic would set in so easily

atgate

I/V Sedation is the way to go if you are really scared sh**less of the dentist. I hadn't been to a dentist for five years after a nightmare of a root canal (4 weeks of hand-drilling into infected pulp). Even thinking about going made me sweat and get stressed. Though I knew I'd have a load of work to get done. Finally I got the nerve to go to a dentist in Newry who did sedation. I had to get 1 root canal, 6 regular fillings and 4 crowns.

The sedation amounts to getting a drip put into your hand (no pain) and about 10 seconds later you couldn't care less what happens. You are still awake and can communicate but there is simply no stress. The other upside is because your brain isn't sure how to handle the situation you can have amnesia about the whole thing (or part of it). This makes a 90 minute session seem like 5 minutes.

You walk out of the surgery (though you couldn't drive yourself) and go home.

Over the course of treatment I found that I stopped being nervous about even going to the dentist. I think I could probibly get a filling done without I/V now (though I might get them to gve me a oral sedation beforehand).

I wouldn't be too much of a fan of gas as it is possible to be in discomfort but not able to tell anyone about it (not poss with I/V).

The downside is the price - it adds EUR160 per hour on to the bill but for me it was *so* worth it. The up side is I can now smile for a photo and not try to hide my teeth

Good luck!