I have always had a hard time getting numb at the dentist. My last appointment was no different. In fact, I would call it torture. I’m about to give up and just extract all my teeth and get dentures. Before I do that, though, I just wanted to check and see if you have ever encountered this with other patients. If so, did you find a solution for them?

Jason

Dear Jason,

Please don’t extract all of your teeth. Dentures cause more problems than they solve. I do have a solution for you. Many dentists are not aware of the connection between dental anxiety and numbing medication. The higher the anxiety, the less effective the medication. There is something that happens to your metabolism with fear that kicks in and tends to burn off the numbing medication before it has a chance to really work for you.

The key is to make certain the patient is completely relaxed before administering the Novocaine so that it has a chance to really kick in. What you need is a sedation dentist. These dentists are used to working with anxious patients and have medication that can help you relax.

In your case, I am going to suggest you use oral conscious sedation. This is administered by a pill. However, it will relax you so much that you could sleep through your entire procedure.

Patients who’ve used oral conscious sedation have their lives changed and their ability to get their dental care done in a pain-free manner restored. Additionally, because you can sleep, your dentist can get more work done at each sitting.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.