Sedation Dentist Archives

Why Does Novocain Not Work For Me?

July 19, 2024 by writeradmin

I don’t know if you have encountered someone with my situation before but I need some help. I realized I’ve been avoiding the dentist for the last year. The last few times I’ve been to the dentist I have had trouble getting numb. It started after an emergency appointment when I was in an accident and I need the dentist to move my tooth into place and splint it. Ever since then, Novocain just has not kept me numb for very long. Did the damage to my tooth do something that caused this? My dentist is at a loss.

Greta

Dear Greta,

I’m sorry this has happened to you. The good news is that there is a solution. Based on your description, it sounds like the accident led to you having a very traumatic dental appointment. When there is trauma at the dentist, it is very easy to be afraid at the next appointment.

Many dentists do not realize that there is a connection between dental anxiety and the ability to get numb. As your anxiety goes up, so does your metabolism. This has the effect of burning off your numbing medication so it loses its effectiveness. In your case, that is making it wear off more quickly than it used to.

The solution to this is to have a relaxant before your appointment. I would see a sedation dentist that offers this service. My suggestion is always to use the lowest form of sedation necessary. This is to interfere with your day as little as possible. We offer nitrous oxide. This is administered by a nose piece and you simply lay back and breathe. This relaxes you and give you a floaty feeling, which allows your numbing medication to be effective.

One of the biggest benefits of this method is that once your procedure is over, your dentist will switch the gas from nitrous to oxygen. Within just a few minutes you will be back to normal and able to get on with your day.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Yount and Murphree.
Click here to learn how we cater to patients with dental anxiety.

Dental Treatment During Addiction Recovery

May 28, 2024 by writeradmin

I am on methadone treatment while dealing with a drug addiction. While I have been working hard to get my life back on track, my mouth has suffered. I need a LOT of dental work. That being said, I have dental anxiety and am having a hard time finding a dentist who is willing to give me any pain medication for procedures because of my addiction recovery. I have told them that I am willing to give them the contact information for my doctor and counselor, but I haven’t had much success and I’ve seen three dentists already. Do you have any advice for me?

Peter

Dear Peter,

I am sorry that you are having a hard time, especially given that you are working so hard to get everything in your life back together. One of the things you are up against is fear on the part of the dentists. Their fear is of the Drug Enforcement Agency (D.E.A.), who sometimes comes down hard on medical practitioners when it comes to pain medication dispersal. Some dentists have gotten in trouble just for being compassionate. Once one dentist in an area gets in trouble, that news tends to spread around and the other dentist get nervous and are less likely to prescribe something if they think the decision could be questioned.

All that being said, I still think you will be able to find a dentist who will have the compassion to work with you. I’d start by looking for a sedation dentist. Explain your situation and see what they would recommend for your post-operative pain control. I do believe you will find someone.

You will also find another benefit that goes along with dental sedation is the ability to get more dental work done at each appointment. This will allow you to get caught up on all the needed work more quickly. They can triage and stage the treatments too if you need a combination of dental crowns as well as fillings.

Just don’t wait until you have a dental emergency to be seen because then you will have very little control of the treatment and post-operative care.

By the way, congratulations on working so hard with your addiction recovery. You’re doing something hard and appear to be rocking it!

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.

I Have Doubts About What Her Dentist Is Telling Her?

March 28, 2024 by writeradmin

I need some advice. I had a tooth that is hurting on and off for a couple of weeks. I finally got up the courage to go see a dentist. He took an x-ray and told me that there was a cavity under a tooth I already had a dental filling for. He told me he thought there would not be enough healthy tooth left to save the tooth and will probably end up extracting it. He wants me to start thinking about whether I would want a dental implant or a dental bridge. Does this sound accurate to you or would I do better to get a second opinion. I will admit that I am terrified of pretty much any dental procedure so the idea of what he’s suggesting has me shaking. I’d appreciate any advice that you can give me.

Tatiana

Dear Tatiana,

First, let me say that I am glad you were courageous enough to see the dentist despite your fear. Many people with dental anxiety wait until there is a dental emergency and end up in an even worse situation. Before you do anything, I think you would be wise to seek a second opinion. There are some reasons I have some doubt about what your dentist is saying.

First, you mentioned this tooth had just started hurting. If your tooth were as far gone as your dentist mentioned, then your tooth would have started hurting months ago. Second, if there was so much decay that the tooth could not be saved, not only would he not have needed to take an x-ray to diagnose that, but your filling would have fallen out. There should be a gaping hole in the tooth. Get that second opinion before you do anything else.

Dealing with Your Dental Anxiety

You are not alone in being terrified of the dentist. About half of all Americans have some form of dental anxiety. The good news is that there is a solution. Whenever you have a distressing dental appointment, you will find that going to a sedation dentist will change your life. Even something as simple as nitrous oxide will relax you. If you have a severe anxiety, I would look for someone who offers oral conscious sedation. However, that is so strong that you will need someone to drive you to and from your appointment, as well as stay with you for a few hours at home until you are lucid and steady on your feet.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.

My Dentist Couldn’t Get Me Numb

May 30, 2023 by writeradmin

I need some help and advice. I went to my dentist for a root canal treatment. I have heard nightmarish stories about this procedure, so I will admit I was nervous going in. The experience itself made it much worse. Though my dentist tried his best, he could not get me numb. He gave up after eleven shots because we both felt that was torture enough. He refunded my money and said he would get back to me because he’s never encountered this. He did provide me with an antibiotic to keep things at bay until he figured it out. Have you encountered this before? I’d love to get this procedure over with.

Dennie

Dear Dennie,

I am glad you wrote. Believe it or not, I have seen this before and I think I know the perfect solution for you. There are quite a few dentists who are still not aware of the connection between dental anxiety and the ability to get numb. When you are anxious, your metabolism responds by amping up. This burns off the numbing medication before it can take affect. You are left stuck and in pain.

My recommendation is that you see a sedation dentist to have your work done. They all vary in the levels of sedation they offer but you will find that all of them offer nitrous oxide. This is probably just what you need. It is administered by a nose piece. You simplty lay back, relax and breath. It will provide you with nitrous oxide. This is sometimes called “Laughing gas”.

Its purpose is to relaax you enough to where your numbing medication will work. The great news is that it is easy to reverse as well. This means that as soon as your porcedure is over, your dentist can switch the gas from nitrous to oxygen. This will enable you to get straight back to your day as soon as the procedure is over.

I hope this helps you. Inform your current dentist so he will learn about the connection, but I suggest you go to an experienced sedation dentist for your procedure. This will ensure you are in the best hands possible and should put you more at ease.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Drs. Murphree and Yount.