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Dental Phobia Support

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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,087 ✭✭✭Static M.e.


    Thanks, thats a great link.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,452 ✭✭✭gogo


    Here is an interesting link to a dedicated dental phobia website, it also has a discussion forum.:)

    http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/


    I am not alone.

    /gogo sobs quietly in the corner.


    Thanks for the great link.


  • Registered Users Posts: 65 ✭✭CJay


    Cool! At least I know now I'm not alone!!


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 125 ✭✭wishwashwoo


    i went to the dentist i was so scared as i had a really bad experence in the dental hospital a few years back i was knocked the hell out from the pain the student pulled the tooth while i has an absess on the inner gum i was pumped up with novacaine or the likes and i still hit the roof anyways back to the here and now i have found a really really good dentist in dorset street her name is fionna its the dorset dental praticle the first time i went to her she pulled 2 teeth out as they were really beyound any sort of help and i knew it she put a small peice of cotton wool in my mouth on the gum so i would not even feel the needle going into the gum amazing no pain at all so i knew i was going to be in for a bad shock over my teeth as i have never really looked after them so wait for it 13 or 14 fillings needed and a 3 peice denture i have started my treatment and so far everything is great she is doing the worste teeth first so if anyone here feels nervous this is the dentist for you <snip>


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 613 ✭✭✭4Sheets


    Why isnt more use made of the nitrous oxide gas in the republic..the dentist was always something I feared and avoided much to my cost..but while having treatment in the North I was offered the gas..it made it so easier and totally relaxed me..and I Could still drive home 10 mins after..why make things more uncomfortable than they need be?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 102 ✭✭RolfHarris


    I posted this elsewhere in this forum, but I think it's relevent here.

    I avoided going to the dentist for ages, and plucked up the courage last year. My teeth were in OK condition, but I knew I couldn't put it off forever. I absolutely hated going to the dentist when I was a kid. It was scary, noisy and had a weird smell. It always involved being in pain, being told off and generally proded.

    When I made my appointment as an adult, I was amazed how different things are to the dentists surgery when I was a kid, and how nice the dentist was. I asked him to explain what he was doing, why he was doing it and how long he'd take, and he did exactly that.

    He was extremely good at putting me at my ease, and it turned out that the most painful part was getting my chequebook out at the end of the session.

    He did a fair amount of work and got my teeth up to a very good standard. I went to see him today as I do every six months, and had totally forgotten about the appointment until I saw my diary - in the past I'd have had sleepless nights for weeks in advance of the appointment.

    On the way out, I noticed his notes about me on his PC monitor. The first entry began "patient very nervous." I'm delighted he took note of this and did something about it.

    If anyone is putting off going to do the dentist because of awful childhood memories, forget it. It's a totally different experience these days.

    I'm not sure if it's because dentists find it easier to talk to adults, or if it's because adults can understand and rationalise pain better than kids, but it's not painful and it gets much easier.


  • Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭pauline fayne


    many thanks for putting that link up .It gives me a glimmer of hope .


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 125 ✭✭wishwashwoo


    14 fillings please lord help me everytime i get the needle in my gum i always get sick


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7 fruitbat66


    I like so many others have the same fear of Dentists,Mine stemmed from many years ago whilst waiting for my Dad outside a dentist on a saturday (one he got for emergency work) From the phone book...Four hours later Sitting in the back of an ambulance with him being taken to the Dental Hospital.....That Fear never abated...But it has started to :).. Thanks to the links on this Thread...Keep up the Good work


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,538 ✭✭✭ Sienna Vast Peasant


    Glad to hear it fruitbat66, and welcome to Boards.ie


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,029 ✭✭✭tbaymusicman


    Thats a great link!!Don't think i am afraid,Its more just dont want to go:P


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 734 ✭✭✭abceire


    ok so i m very nervous of the dentist, i went today for the 1st time in about 4 years,i need a few filling and teeth cleaned and maybe one tooth removed, i m 32 and had to bring my mom with me , i ve fainted before at the dentist, when i m very nervous i can faint, not happened in maybe over two years,i hate having to sit there with my mouth open not able to escape, i even had some valium that my mom got for me today, which did help,but the dentist who was understanding and friendly,cshe checked out me teeth,noted what had to be done and then put this kinda flat plastic thing in the side of my mouth so she could do an x ray, i couldnt keep it in my mouth because i felt i would throw up,so i had to leave it at that, she said go see a doctor and ask for something to help me relax,not sure doctors will do this, will they?i dont have a regular doctor,just one i ve been to 2 or 3 times
    i do remember goin as a kid needed fillings and 2 teeth removed, the dentist told me what relaxing pills to get, i got them and was hi as a kite,he did all the work in one go, i was grand with it as i was so hi on valium, but i woke up later at home with stuff flowing from my mouth and i fainted,
    i so want to get my teeth sorted and then i hope go twice a year to get them checked and cleaned,i d like to get over my fear of dentists but not sure how, the valium might be the only answer
    do any dentist around dublin use gas and knock you out?
    i like the idea in one way but then in another i know that if your put to sleep that ll make me worry the week before too
    so any advice??????
    sorry for the big rant
    nice to hear from others who feel the same


  • Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭pauline fayne


    did manage to go to the dentist once , about 15 years ago only because i was in such pain
    from an abcess on a wisdom tooth i couldnt go on. He was very kind and i was given valium
    and remembered very little afterwards . The problem was that for weeks afterwards i suffered nightmares about my early experiences and in one instance had what felt like a nightmare while i was awake . I was recently given the phone number of a dentist who is
    supposed to be great with anxious patients and although i was only considering whether to ring him or not ,again the nightmares returned ...




    I couldnt make the phone call ...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 734 ✭✭✭abceire


    i went to see my doctor, he gave me something to relax me and a pain killer so i wouldnt really feel the injection, it made my trip to dentist much easier, i ve one filling a bit of a cleaning left only now, will be my 5th visit in last 2 months, kinda putting it off but i must go, i d recommend going to your doc 1st


  • Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭pauline fayne


    thanks abceire, I think my only option is to go to my doctor , i met someone recently who
    was referred to a psychotherapist by the doctor and was able to get treated by the dentist after a few sessions .


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭georgieporgy


    wouldn't it be more convenient to ask your dentist to prescribe a sedative for you? That way you will get the proper sedative for the procedure.


  • Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭pauline fayne


    hi georgieporgy , haven't checked these boards for a while , thanks for the reply .
    Havent been able to consult a dentist , cant get past the door ... spent a long time over the past few days searching the internet for dentaphobia treatment . I am interested in one which appears to be in Germany with offices in other countries , all work done under general anaesthetic . Just trying to find out more about them now as they don't indicate any pricesand their nearest office seems to be in England . It is something to consider at least..


  • Registered Users Posts: 887 ✭✭✭wheresthebeef


    my dentist was able to prescribe me a valium to take before my extraction. should be no problem. I can recommend Gary Leonard, Oral Surgeon in Naas. Very good, quick, painless, and very understanding of the nervous patient. He's doing my other three wisdom teeth in the new year under general anaesthetic. He's expensive, but good.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭georgieporgy


    I am curious. What do you consider expensive? Just wondering what good oral surgeons charge for extracting wisdom teeth. I may need to adjust my own fees up or down. Presently I charge 350 for difficult cases.

    I prefer to use triasolam instead of valium for nervous patients. It's short acting (3 hours) so it doesn't ruin your whole day.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,080 ✭✭✭McChubbin


    Thank you for posting the link up: there's so little places we nervous pateints can go for support. I simultaniously hate and fear dentists, largely due to being traumasized by sadistic dental practicioners in my youth.

    The majority of the ones I've met seem to care only about the money and rarely offer much in the way of follow up. On a few occasions, I was practically bounced out the door following treatments. <snip> (please read forum charter)

    On the plus side, the HSE Dental Clinic in Finglas is like a haven for nervous patients.

    When I'm in the chair, I have a tendency to be paralysed by the very sound of dental drills and I end up hyperventilating to the point of hysteria. The girls in Finglas were so lovely and understanding throughout the entire produre of removing a rotten upper back molor and they kindly talked me through the whole experience, distracting me from the sound of the drill by playing the radio loud and chatting idly.

    It helped defuse the tension and calm my nerves, though I still had trouble walking out of the clinic due to 'the shakes'.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,134 ✭✭✭Lux23


    What scares me about the dentist is being lectured or being told if I did this X amount of time ago they could have saved a tooth etc. It drives me nuts! What good is telling me now what I could have done a year ago. The treatment is never pleasant but I can handle that; its the lecture that upsets me the most.


  • Registered Users Posts: 29,089 ✭✭✭✭LizT


    Lux23 I know how you feel. Trying to work up the courage to go to the dentist as I need a few fillings done. Just want to go in and get them done without hearing a lecture!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3 diamondsue


    Oh my god I am in a state even posting here. My fear is sooooo bad cant pin point it to anything though. I am in dire need of a dentist i fainted with the pain yesterday. I have been taking pain killers for the last 6 weeks or so my teeth are in awful condition most are very rotten. Is there any dentist that will put u asleep before they do any work?:(


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,134 ✭✭✭Lux23


    Oh the nerves are getting me now. Puke!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 798 ✭✭✭Bicycle


    Could anyone recommend an hypnosis CD or a download please either here or via PM?

    There is a site with a Barry St. Clair or some similar name that do dental phobia downloads and have good on-site reviews but if someone here has one they used successfully, that would be great.

    Thanks in advance.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 omcswiggan


    diamondsue wrote: »
    Oh my god I am in a state even posting here. My fear is sooooo bad cant pin point it to anything though. I am in dire need of a dentist i fainted with the pain yesterday. I have been taking pain killers for the last 6 weeks or so my teeth are in awful condition most are very rotten. Is there any dentist that will put u asleep before they do any work?:(
    hey seen your post, i have a fear of dentists 2, but i plucked up the courage to go last week, went to ***mod edit no names**Kildare, saw a dentist called ***mod edit no names**, she gave me some sedatives (Diazepam-5mg--yout take 1 the night before and 1 about an hour befor your appointment) for some wisdom tooth extractions and a top back molar extraction, i felt no pain at all and the sedatives helped calm me down, she didn't give me any lectures bout the state my teeth were in and she really put my mnd at ease, i am going for a root canal in September and i don't feel as anxious about it. Beleive me you will feel so much better if you get your teeth fixed, you will be able to smile with confidence again :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 393 ✭✭hayser


    my dentist was able to prescribe me a valium to take before my extraction. should be no problem. I can recommend Gary Leonard, Oral Surgeon in Naas. Very good, quick, painless, and very understanding of the nervous patient. He's doing my other three wisdom teeth in the new year under general anaesthetic. He's expensive, but good.

    By general anaesthetic do you mean would he put you to sleep? I honestly think this is the only way I'll be able to face going to a dentist. Would anyone know if I made an appointment with a dental hospital would they put me to sleep for the procedures? I'm just so terrified of them :(


  • Registered Users Posts: 180 ✭✭Esmeralda34


    Hi - have any of you heard of Twilight Sleep?! It's something I only recently found out about and it will (I hope!) change my relationship with dentists.

    I haven't been to a dentist in donkey's years. I'm extremely phobic, but my teeth are crooked and in an overall bad shape which is something at my age (mid 30s!) that I just have to address. My friend told me that you can get this conscious sedation, called Twilight Sleep for loads of procedures these days. Gynacologists and dentists use it frequently, if necessary.

    Well for the first time since I was in my very early teens I went for a consultation in Northern Ireland (soooo much cheaper, it's criminal how much we are charged here in comparison). The consultation cost me £25, compared to 130euro for the dentists where I live in Dublin. They also put me completely at ease almost immediately. I say almost because even on walking into the clinic, the dental smell made me want to turn on my heel and run! Yep, very, very phobic.

    Anyway, I thought I'd have to fight my corner for them to agree to give me this conscious sedation - not so. He said he would not be able to carry out the work on me without it.

    Basically it's an IV sedation. You're not under a general anaesthetic but you are heavily sedated. My friend describes it as being kinda aware of what's going on, but you feel nothing and don't give two hoots! Afterwards you forget most if not all of the procedure.

    I don't know about the rest of you, but that is a dream to me!

    Hope this helps...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,560 ✭✭✭Molberts


    Just wanted to say thanks :)

    the link in the first post got me from eyeballing the phone (while munching painkillers for my sore tooth!) to actually picking it up and making an appointment for the morning. They *seem* nice so hopefully all will go well!

    Molby x


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,538 ✭✭✭ Sienna Vast Peasant


    Basically it's an IV sedation. You're not under a general anaesthetic but you are heavily sedated. My friend describes it as being kinda aware of what's going on, but you feel nothing and don't give two hoots! Afterwards you forget most if not all of the procedure.

    Very good for a lot of dental procedures, I work with a surgeon who uses it all the time, its excellent.

    Intravenous Sedation
    This is a safe and affordable technique allowing patients to tolerate procedures that they may otherwise find unpleasant. It is especially useful for very nervous patients or where a treatment is expected to be prolonged.
    .
    What is involved?

    • A consultation and assessment of your medical history will confirm that you are a suitable candidate for IV sedation.

    • On the day of the procedure, you may have a light breakfast or lunch prior to sedation.

    • You must have a responsible adult to escort you home. You will not be sedated if you have no escort.

    • Your vitals will be checked (blood pressure, pulse and blood oxygen saturation). A small cannula will be placed into a vein in your arm. The sedative will then be given and the treatment completed.

    • You will be allowed to recover in our surgery until you are ready to go home with your escort.

    • A written copy of your post-operative instructions and prescriptions will give given and explained.

    • Most patients remember little or nothing of the procedure and find it to be a very comfortable way to have treatment.

    • The sedative may take a few hours to fully leave the body and for this reason, patients should not do anything of importance for the rest of that day.

    IV sedation is provided predominately for surgical procedures but may be used for prosthodontic treatments in some cases.

    These days, private hospitals may charge additional costs for general anaesthesia that may be prohibitive. IV sedation is an easily accessible alternative to general anaesthesia. It is cheaper to the patient and involves a quicker recovery period than general anaesthesia.


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