Tag Archives: Sleep Dentistry

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Dentist Is Growing Frustrated with Me

I have problems in the dental chair. I don’t know what it is but every time the dentist or hygienist comes at me with something sharp looking, I can’t help but wiggle and sometimes even have trouble breathing. I thought my dentist was understanding. We’d had a couple of appointments where he waited for me to calm down. However, at my third appointment, he said, “You’re an adult and should be able to handle this by now.” I was so embarrassed. I know I’m an adult. I know I should be able to handle this by now. But, I don’t know any solutions. Have you had patients who’ve struggled as I do?

MaryAnne

Dear MaryAnne,

Woman resting from dental sedation

I am going to tell you right off the bat that your current dentist is not going to be the best dentist for you. To be frank, he was rude and insensitive to your very real anxiety in the dental chair. Adult or not, many patients are uncomfortable in the dental chair, some so much that they can’t even go and end up only going in for dental emergencies.

I don’t know where you live, but what I would like you to look for someone who considers themself a sedation dentist. Not only will they be compassionate, instead of rude and judgmental, but they also have the tools to give you an anxiety-free/pain-free dental appointment.

What Type of Sedation is Best?

My recommendation is to start with the lowest level of sedation that is useful to you. The lowest level is nitrous oxide, which people used to call laughing gas for the floaty, happy feeling it can give you. This will relax you in the dental chair. A benefit to nitrous is that you can get right back on with your day once your appointment is completed.

For invasive procedures, I recommend oral conscious sedation. This is administered by pill. However, it is so strong that you will need someone to drive you to and from your dental appointment as well as stay with you for a few hours after your procedure until you are lucid and steady on your feet. Most people find they completely sleep through their procedure, leading some to dub it sleep dentistry.

Look for a dentist who offers these options and I think you will find your life changed.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Drs. Foreman and Thimessch.

Sedation Dentist

Twelve Shots to Get Numb?

I recently had a lower second molar extracted. The appointment was a nightmare. First, it took twelve shots for him to get me numb. How he could miss the area that many times is beyond me. Then, I had a bone spur in the area that took the dentist over thirty minutes to get. Now, I seem to have a sharp edge on the extraction site. I’ve sort of lost confidence in this dentist. Can you tell me if this is normal or if I need to have another procedure done to deal with this?

Cassidy

Dear Cassidy,

Woman holding her jaw in pain

I would find it hard to think any dentist would actually miss the spot that many times. The more likely scenario is that you had some dental anxiety going in and, as a result, your body was fighting the local anesthetic.

Unfortunately, not enough dentists currently understand the connection between dental anxiety and the inability to get numb. I am going to recommend for your next appointment where you need any work done you see a sedation dentist. Even just some nitrous oxide will help relax you, which in turn enables the anesthetic to do its work.

For those with a more severe level of anxiety, I recommend oral conscious sedation. While it is administered by a pill, it is so strong that you will need someone to drive you to and from your dental appointment as well as stay with you for a few hours afterward until you are lucid and steady on your feet again. Most people who use oral conscious sedation sleep through their appointment.

As for the bony ridge. sharp edges do show up during the healing process. You don’t notice them at first because your gums are swollen. As the swelling goes down the ridges appear. If it stays a problem, your dentist can clip it.

One thing I want to make sure your dentist addressed is the need to replace that second molar. If you leave the space open, your other teeth can drift or tip into the space, which will throw off your bite. That can lead to painful TMJ Disorder.

If you want the best tooth replacement, I’d look into a dental implant. However, you do have other options.

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

Uncategorized

What if Novocain doesn’t work for me?

I have a problem. The numbing medications used by dentists simply do not work on me like they do on other people. Added to that, I have put off some pretty extensive dental work that needs to be done, and now the thought of having to go through that without adequate pain medication is literally keeping me up at night. Between my aching teeth and the idea of what I am going to have to go through to get them fixed, I am missing a lot of sleep.

I really think the only way I am going to be able to get this done is if I am out cold. Are there dentists out there that will knock you out to get extensive treatments done? I know oral surgeons can put you out for wisdom teeth removal and things like that, but I have never looked into what can be done if pain meds simply don’t work.

Lula in San Francisco

Dear Lula,

Yes, there definitely dentists out there that can help you. They are called sedation dentists, although you will sometimes hear them referred to as “sleep dentists” or their practices called “sleep dentistry”. This is not a technically correct term, as their patients are not actually sleeping.

Most of these dentists use what is called “conscious sedation”. This means that you are not fully unconscious for the procedure, though most people don’t remember anything about the treatment. Conscious sedation medication is usually administered through an oral pill, taken before the appointment. For this reason, if you are undergoing a procedure that involved oral sedation, you must have someone available to drive you to and from your appointment, and you probably will not be able to return to work that day.

We should mention, too, that sometimes the Novocain or other numbing medication is not as effective in patients who have a high level of anxiety. Many dentists have great success using nitrous oxide (also called NO or “laughing gas”) to help their patients relax, and then administering the numbing medication. The really great thing about that is that you don’t have to have someone drive you to and from the appointment. The effects of nitrous oxide wear off very quickly, and have no lingering effects that preclude driving or returning to work.

If you and your dentist talk through all the options and you are still not comfortable, then some dentists are trained to administer general anesthetic. Only you and your dentist can decide what level of intervention is necessary for you to get the treatment you need.

Good luck to you.

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