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Post by vishous on Sept 19, 2005 4:42:30 GMT -5
ok first off i think ill introduce myself my name is Dylan i am 16 years of age and from fargo ND and i am terrified of the dentist i havent been to one in 11 years my dentist was very mean and screwed up and hurt me alot (cant remember everythig) but ever since then ive been scared to death of them but i have this huge cavity in one of my front teeth and it hurts alot almost the worst pain ive ever felt but i have no dental insurence my familly isnt exactly well off and well we cant a dentist so i dont know what to do so i guess my first question is what should i do? i have pain killers and antibiotic from my doctor but im running out of pain killers and my antibiotics havent made it stop hurting at all and i cant just keep asking for pain killers my doctor said i had to get to a dentist asap and said id probly need a root canal...and well thats when i almost fainted i was like a root canal (and from what i hear they are quite unpleasent) ive been looking at some faqs but they dont answer alot of my questions due to the fact that i havent been to the dentist in 11 years i have no idea what they do so heres where my questions come into play
1: do i have to get checked by a dentist before he can make an appointment for a root canal
2:if a root canal is in order what do they do do i get put to sleep and if so how
3:what can be done at a dentist to kinda relax me and make me not so unaware of whats going on cuz i also cant stand fingers in my mouth
4:after a root canal will there be alot of pain if so how long and will i get painkillers...what kind?
5:can i get someone to walk me through a visit at a dentist and a root canal from a first person point of view
6:before i go to the dentist should i have my mom inform the receptionist of my fear of the dentist if so how will this change the way the dentist treats me?
but thats it for questions i just feel like im in such a delima cuz im scared of the dentist but i kinda have to go and if i go id probly have to get a root canal (from whant i can hear its pretty serious) and well i also cant really pay for/afford a dental trip and well i have one last question if i go to lets say the emergency room "trust me it hurts that much" would they be able to do a root canal there if so would it be covered by my medical insurence? or would they just give me more painkillers or opt to pull the tooth which i really dont want i kinda would like to keep my front tooth but any answers would be much apreciated and please please help me i feel kinda alone here and sorry for no punctuation and poor spelling its 4:24am central time here i cant get to sleep because of the pain and i just took some of my painkillers and im getin a little drowsy but feel free to message me just check my profile for my aim and yim scrren names if i dont answer im not there but ill add you and i will get back to you (i live by my computer) -good night everyone
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 19, 2005 7:31:52 GMT -5
Hi Dylan  , I'm so sorry to hear you're in pain  . I don't have much time right now, but I was wondering if you've seen this thread (which was started by someone your own age): dentalphobia.proboards27.com/index.cgi?board=dentistry&action=display&thread=1107521547It might put your mind at rest a little bit. Most root canal treatment is completely painless, especially if you have taken antibiotics beforehand to get rid of the acute infection. Your dentist may offer nitrous oxide (I'm not sure about what dental services you are entitled to, because it varies from state to state, but for under-18s, there's usually some sort of access, even if you don't have insurance and your parents can't afford it). Nitrous oxide induces a "happy drunk" feeling - you're still aware of your surroundings, but don't care that much. The tooth can be a bit tender for a few days afterwards, but over-the-counter painkillers such as Advil or Motrin will take care of that. Just make sure you start taking them before the local anesthetic wears off, and you should be fine! The maximum dose is 800 mg four times a day (one dose every 4 hours, interrupted by 8 hours sleep) - don't exceed the daily max of 3200 mg. Your mum should definitely inform the receptionist or dentist of your fears beforehand. The first visit is usually just for a chat and a look and x-rays, not for actual treatment. I don't think they do things like root canal treatments in emergency rooms (and even if they did, e. g. if they've got a dental section, I wouldn't recommend it - they might be a bit rough, from what I've heard). Because I do not really know what your family's financial situation is, it's really hard to comment. Also, I don't know what services are available in North Dakota (some states have non-profit clinics). Anyway - please continue to hang around here, and apologies for not being able to respond earlier  . |
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Post by vishous on Sept 19, 2005 8:02:46 GMT -5
thank you i apreciate it but i have just a few more questions what exactly is well local anesthetic im a realatively healthy kid and dont go to the doc that often so i dont know alot is it the nitrous or.... and if i am unable to get nitrous what else is there cuz novacaine is a little out of the question i hate needles to in fact dentists is my #1 fear and needles is my #2 so what other options if any are there i mean ever since my tooth has begun hurting my heart hasnt stoped racing because im so scared of the dentist so im sorry if i kind of ramble on a bit im just really really nervouse and its strange to me im well not to sound concided but im kinda a tough guy i can take quite a bit of paine and not really scared of anything except needles and dentists and ive never had to worry much about the dentist because i have succesfully avoided going for 11 years and needles well i dont really see alot of those so its just really kind of a new feeling to be just horably frightened by somthing and i just cant seem to calm my nerves and to think it might be some time yet before i can get into a dentist due to the fact that we cant afford it and it may take some time to look into programs to help out so im just well in huge ammounts of pain which im not acustomed to and im scared and i have to remaine this way for a while i just dont know what to do its driving me crazy i think ill die of a heart attack before my huge toothache is ever gone
but why apologize ive been on alot of forums in my lifetime (im what you call a computer guy) and thats the fastest response ive ever had didnt even take 3 hours which btw when i said i had to go to sleep well that turned out to not be so my toothache kinda prevented that so ive been online checking the board and checking faqs all night on this and id have to say this has helped alot i didnt think there was a site like this i just googled it and it was like my 3 result and i guess what im trying to say is a thousand thanks for having this site its extremely helpful also thanks for pointing out that thread it helped a little i still have a thousand little specific questions about going to the dentist and geting a root canal i just dont want to over load you guys with questions and annoy you all so ill keep them to myself but thanks.....
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Post by vishous on Sept 19, 2005 8:04:28 GMT -5
o yeh but one quick question thats kinda been buging me ive been reading about i.v sedation and it sounds like a sweet deal (asde from the fact that theres a needle involved) is that by any chance used in a root canal?
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 19, 2005 8:20:37 GMT -5
Not usually. IV sedation is not so much used for procedures (unless you're talking some potentially traumatic procedure such as removal of bony, impacted wisdom teeth), but rather to reduce anxiety. Root canal treatment is an everyday, run-of-the-mill treatment. If the idea of IV sedation appeals to you, of course it could be used if a dentist in your area offers it. But be aware that it would cost quite a bit extra... that's why I mentioned nitrous oxide (it's a lot cheaper and a lot more widely available). In the US, oral sedation using halcion (i. e. you take a pill) is a lot more common than IV sedation. But again, I don't know what the situation is like in Fargo (from what you've been saying, it doesn't sound like a big place?). So, a lot of your decision would depend on what's available and how much it would cost (and again, costs vary from region to region). BTW, it's not possible to do a root filling without using novacaine, but there is a numbing gel that can be used to numb your gums first so that you don't feel it going in (also, there are quite a few "tricks" dentists can use to make injections painless). Numbwithfear was also scared of needles and found out that they aren't particularly bothersome (it's hard for me to comment because I've never had a *huge* fear of injections, except when I was little, and they don't bother me). The thread is in the "Share your success story" section, if you want to have a look ! Oh - and thanks for the thumbs-up  ! |
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Post by vishous on Sept 19, 2005 8:25:24 GMT -5
ahh i c hmm well okay so nitrous is about one of the only solutions what exactly does that pill that you were talking about do? im kind of interested and yes fargo is well its not samll but its not big its the bigest city in North dakota but thats really not saying a whole lot
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 19, 2005 8:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by vishous on Sept 19, 2005 8:59:56 GMT -5
thatnks alot that helps me alot the nitrous is looking good right now but so is the pill but at this point it depends on what dentist i get and what he offers so i thank you for that much but i think im going to attempt another sleep the throbing went down a bit so i might be able to but ill be sure to tell you guys what happens with me heck i might know as early as today if i can get medical asistance for this so keep your fingers crossed for me
btw you should really consider becoming a dentist you sure know alot at least more than anyone i know
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 19, 2005 18:23:23 GMT -5
Hope you managed to get some sleep, and let us know what happened re. the medical assistance!! btw you should really consider becoming a dentist you sure know alot at least more than anyone i know Err, I've got two left hands, so you really wouldn't want me to become a dentist, LOL ;D!! |
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Post by vishous on Sept 19, 2005 19:20:18 GMT -5
lol okay well my mom called and thye said that she should get the forums she needs to fill out tommorow but... they also said the only program they could offer her was more directed twords imagrints (which is sick our country can help people from another country rather than ones from its own country) but the lady my mom talked to said sometimes theyll make exceptions so i hope it works out for me and i was actually able to fall asleep for....... 3 hours "sigh" with waking up every 25 mins because it would start hurting really bad again and it really depressing i really really hope they make an exception for me
(added): hey i also just remembered somthing last night (or rather this morning/this afternoon) i was laying there restless and in pain thinking to myself whyam i exactly scared of the dentist why do i fear this mysterious person in my mind so much then i began to think what is it that exctly happend to me when i was 5 and boom it all came back to me in one horrifying flashback
well when i was little i was scared of the dentist the way it was i rmember not even being able to watch that old childrens show timmy the tooth but my mom finally talked me into going the first two times were alright beacause i didnt have to seemuch of the dentist it was more of the assistant but then i had to get a filling ..."i think" and well me being scared (even more so) of needles then i wouldnt let the dentist get near me twith that needle and well instead of beeing humble about it he closed the door and began yelling at me at the top of his lungs about how i have to do this and how he was so sick of stuborn little brats like me (so far thats the only part of what he yelled i can remember) then practically in tears i reluctantley let him do it all was well but he was angry and his hand unsteady and he screwed up his driling (thus causing alot of pain) and filled it then he wanted me to put this mouth gaurd filled with what i recall as being colored blue in my mouth so now just imagine 5 year old scared as he** of this person and in pain because of him both emotional and physical being told to do somthing i had never done before at that point i was terrified and didnt want to get hurt by this horrible man anymore and yelled for my mom she came and got me and wel elft and ive never returned to a dentist again i know the odds of this hapeining are small and i really have nothing to fear anymore but i still do and well is that normal or am i being a big baby sorry if this is so long it just came to me
also how can i calm my nerves because i cant seem to calm down unless i take my tylenol with codine and fall asleep is there anything i can do for myself to calm down especially because i just found out today that my girlfriend who well lets just say our relationship is out of the ordinary we may as well be married but i found out that she has to have dental surgery to get a tooth removed because her dentis filled a tooth that was infected (and i guess your not supposed to do that) and it was hurting her alot and i was taking care of her for a while (this whole thig happend like 2 weeks before my tooth started in except for the news that she will need oral surgery that just happend yesterday) she was on the same painkillers my doctor put me on and the same antibiotics but i fear for her i dont know i think its just the fact that shell be asleep and helpless or the fact that to me surgery sounds like such a horrible word (the last thing id ever want) or is it that my fear for myself have been complicated by her bad experince with her dentist and now i am also fearing for her and myself i just really wish i could make it stop because its annoying her and well im sire all this drama is annoying you as well im just so sick of it! and do i have reason to fear for her and is it normal that her complications havfe me more frightened? or am i just strange
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 20, 2005 10:02:54 GMT -5
I hope they'll be able to work something out and find a good program (with a good dentist) you qualify for . On rare occasion, it's difficult for the dentist to see something like that in advance, even with x-rays, so her dentist didn't necessarily do anything wrong. Sometimes, it's just plain old bad luck, regardless how good and eager to help the dentist in question is. "Oral surgery" is sometimes used as a fancy term for things like removing a tooth, if it's not possible or too expensive to save it. The word "surgery" sounds scary, but it really isn't anything to get upset or unduly worried about. It would be normal for you to be more frightened after hearing about someone else having complications, but you're probably creating all sorts of images in your mind which are far worse than the reality . |
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Post by vishous on Sept 20, 2005 10:41:24 GMT -5
i c your right i probly am blowing it out of proportion just that the dentist is a completely foreign thing to me and its just me to be scarred of things I'm not really aware of but yeah lets all keep our fingers crossed for me here and thanks for all the support its really helping me alot also i had my girlfriend read this last night because shes been having troubles understanding my phobia she understands a little bit more now she didn't realize that this was such a big thing for me and that it was actually a phobia but how can i make her understand more she said she feels helpless because there is nothing she can do for me so is there anything i can tell her to help her understand what I'm going through and is there anything she can do to help me and once again i appreciate your help so much i have felt alone my whole life with this up until now and i think its just amazing that there are people like you out there and the other people on this forum that are willing to donate there time and knowledge to help people like me and i cant really offer more than a great big thank you! |
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 20, 2005 15:33:00 GMT -5
It's very difficult to make people fully understand what you're going through - I don't think it's possible to fully understand it unless you've been there yourself. The main thing is that your girlfriend is there for you and willing to listen, and maybe give you a cuddle  . You're asking if there's anything she can do to help you - some people bring their partners or friends with them to their first dental appointment because it gives them a lot of comfort, knowing that someone they trust is with them. Oh - and many thanks for the thumbs up . |
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Post by vishous on Sept 20, 2005 19:31:31 GMT -5
okay that helps out but when you say have someone come with you on your first visit do you mean have them actually come into the room where the dentist does his thing or have them wait out in the waiting room im sure not many dentists would like someone in there office when they are trying to work so i think i know the answer to this but ill ask your professional opinion and do you think that they may at all make some sort of an exception in my case if it helps to relax me? and also what other thigs might a dentist do to relax me or calm me down for lets say just a cleaning because i just know ill be on edge and my heart will be pounding just sitting in that scarry chair
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 21, 2005 13:18:10 GMT -5
Yes, I meant coming with you into the room. I'm not too sure if *all* dentists would be happy with this, I might enquire and see what the general mood is . But certainly, some dentists are happy with this. Sometimes it helps to just have a chat, and get to know them a little first. Also, your dentist can explain to you what s/he is doing, why s/he's doing it, and what it will feel like. There are a lot of other things a dentist can do to make you feel calmer and more confident. What do you feel might help you? |
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Post by vishous on Sept 21, 2005 20:32:39 GMT -5
 ;)well i think the best way to calm me down would be to just not go but thats not really an option so im not sure i just know for the past week my hearts been racing everytime time i even think of this matter which is almost all the time so i really dont know what would relax me maybe i could like take enough tylenol pms before i go to just knock me out so i forget the whole ordeal but f course that would probly not be the safest or smartest thing to do so i dont know what do people from your expirience have a dentist do to help calm them down
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 22, 2005 9:31:12 GMT -5
It's really hard to give an answer to that one, because everyone is different. But there are some great factsheet about dental anxiety, which might give you a starting point: hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/dental_anxiety.htmland www.dentalhealth.org.uk/faqs/leafletdetail.php?LeafletID=26You might want to have a look at them and see which suggestions sound good to you . There are also lots of little things you can do, for example some people find it really helpful to bring a walkman/discman/iPod and listen to their favourite music during treatment, if you're into that sort of thing. |
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Post by vishous on Sept 22, 2005 15:14:27 GMT -5
ok i read both of those through they helped a bit but is there any way you could help me look for a dentist in my area that specializes in helping nervous patients? i figure since you are kind of on the inside you might have some sort of connection |
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 23, 2005 9:50:23 GMT -5
Wish I did - but I don't think there's ever been anyone from Fargo on this board, so unfortunately, I can't make any suggestions ! |
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Post by vishous on Sept 24, 2005 0:46:27 GMT -5
alright no problem just makes my/my moms job a little harder is all
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Post by vishous on Sept 24, 2005 10:50:50 GMT -5
well today is not a good day for me....why you ask?
well today i went to the walk in clinic to get some more painkillers and a better antibiotic to hold me off till i get to the dentist well first of all when the nurse brought me into the exaimination room she took my blood pressure and asked how my pain was so i told her then she asked the name of my dentist and she found it so hard to belive that i didnt have a dentist then she asked why and i told her because im just affraid and she was really not understanding at all i just really didnt like being told to grow up about somthing like that is all so i had her on my a$$ about that till the doctor came in and took over and i was relived because i was hoping hed understand a little bit more (he didnt) he told me to show him which one it was so i did and well his imidiate reaction was to go get some dental wax (which i have come to know as the devils modeling clay) so having no clue what dental wax is used for i was a little nervous and then he comes back into the room and has me open my mouth so i do and he sticks his fingers in my mouth and i cant stand having fingers in my mouth but he didnt stop there he procided to jam this dental wax up into my very very very snesitive and very very very painful cavity and this cavity is huge so alot of it gets in the hole and i literally have tears in my eyes at this point and im squinting as he pushes up into my tooth with his thumb and then he sees mew and says o...sorry and proceeds to do what hes doing so im in a shit load of pain what was once on a scale of one to ten a pain of 7-8 is now a 9! and im i alot of pain but i reassured myself with the fact tha hell give me somthing for the pain so hes talking to me and says that since my anti biotic i have now hasnt worked yet well try a new one so he writes me a prescription for some more crap and then he pauses for a while and i say and about the pain.....? and he says you can try ibuprofen or tylenol because the antibioticx should make the pain stop which gets me wondering because thats what the other anit biotic was supposed to do and it didnt so i told him i can take as many as 5 ibuprofen or 4 tylenol and they dont work "in fact" i said "thats kinda why im on tylenol 3's in the first place and they are even begining to lose their efectiveness" but he reassured me that ibuprofen would work so im leaving in a whole lot of pain oh my god was that painful (and still is it was not even an hour ago) and he just sends me on my way home in all this pain with nothing to help and i will have nothing to help till i get into a dentist and god know when thatll be that could be more than a month from now and i have to sit in pain for that long i dont think so ill just pull it out myself.....but anywayi get home pull the wax out ...AND THERE IS A PIECE STUCK IN THERE he got a piece of this wax stuck in my sensitive cavity and it hurts like all hell and the only way to stop it is to get it out and then i managed to get it out with a toothpick just 5 minutes ago and i still got tears in my eyes from that OH MY GOD IT JUST MAKES ME SO ANGRY!! i dont know what to do am i just supposed to suffer or what i just as soon jump off a building why does everything have to be so hard for people i mean im in pain now my confidence about the dentist is even more shatered now than it was before and i havent even gone to a dentist yet what am i supposed to do i am so confused what am i supposed to think and how can i make the pain stop???
how am i ever supposed to make it to the "share your success story" when crap like keeps hapening to me
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Post by letsconnect on Sept 24, 2005 12:08:02 GMT -5
Sorry to hear you had such a horrid day  ! It's a really difficult one to call, because I don't know if you're entitled to Medicaid, if your parents would be able to afford to get you to a dentist privately for emergency treatment, what the provisions for emergency dental treatment in North Dakota are, etc. etc. You could try contacting your state dental board (http://www.nddentalboard.org/ ) for advice, but they're only open Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm. My knowledge of what the story is with regards to emergency dental treatment, esp. if it's someone under age 18 is very limited (usually, there's better access for under-18s in the US, or at least so I've been told) . You could try asking on the following message boards (they're not particularly phobic-friendly, but at least you might get a quick response there - they are US-based, so people might know more about this): members5.boardhost.com/CosmeticDental/www.dentistry.com/cgi-bin/ubb/Ultimate.cgiIf you can find out anything, let us know! Unless someone from the US is reading this thread and can give us some pointers... |
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Post by vishous on Sept 24, 2005 15:07:51 GMT -5
alright thanks ill check them out later but im going back to sleep so i cant feel anything just woke up to check what you had to say but i appreciate it and ill definatley post somthing on one of those sites so many thanks but it does suck spending my weekend in bed in pain  |
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Post by msmandy on Sept 24, 2005 20:34:26 GMT -5
Vishous, I know how you feel. I am a dental phobic too. However, when I am in this kind of pain you're describing - I go. Because trust me, its worth it. There is nothing worse than a toothache! When people say "No one is more scared than I am"... I laugh.... because, I just cant imagine anyone being more scared than me. I am not one to voluntarily go to the dentist if nothing is wrong. I dont go for cleanings and all that. I flat out refuse. But, if I have pain - you bet your butt Ill be in there the first chance I can get. Now of course Ill be here on this board talking about how horrible it is, but I do it. I cant stand tooth ache pain. Its one thing I cant tolerate. I think the reason I can do this is because, I take an anti-anxiety medicine beforehand.. that really works! Trust me, I take them.... and I wouldnt be going without them! Plus, you could ask for nitrous oxide (laughing gas) .... that helps a great deal too, plus they say it has a bit of a pain reliever side to it. Most dentists now a days, inject the novacaine in such a way that you dont even feel it. Now, Ill admit, Im not afraid of needles... I dont like them, but Ill take one without much complaint on my side. But, you barely feel it. They rub something on, and my dentist sort of massages your gums the whole time he injects. You honestly dont feel it. My husband who IS afraid of the novacaine needle (but not dentists!) can even tolerate it. If you're afraid that the dentist you will go to doesnt offer the numbing agent used before the novacaine. TAKE IT WITH YOU. You can buy this stuff over the counter. Its called Ambesol. Ask the dentist before you put it on, but I doubt they would care. Ive never tried it,but I cant imagine they would mind. My main gripe with dentistry is the "Sound" of everything. That freaks me more than anything else. So, I use headphones.... they block the noise! Make a tape of some of your favorite songs and just hit "Repeat" and keep on listening and grooving!  My dentist had me go get this 1 tooth pulled because it was basically unsavable. He told me when that heals up, to go back to him and have these 2 fillings and a Cleaning. So - I am sure you'll see me here a day or 2 before my appointment! Cuz, yes I am fearful! Especially when I go with no pain. Im in no pain - so I feel its a waste of time/energy! BUT - I dont want these 2 teeth getting bad, and needed much more work. Id rather fix them now before they go too big - you know? I think you mentioned something about IV Sedation. I just had this to have this tooth out on Thursday. It was great stuff. I dont know if I was asleep or awake, but whatever I was - I had no idea what happened as it happened. I was just sitting there chatting with the nurses and then all of a sudden the next thing I remember I was walking out to my car to go home. HONESTLY! I wouldnt lie. As far as the IV Needle - No biggie! Now of course, Im not afraid of needles really... but, I do not like pain. The medicine they inject into you to cause this sedation at a dental office is very liquid thin.. so I think they can get away with using a smaller IV. I remember they told me that this was the kind of IV's they used at childrens hospital in little newborn babies. So - that helped to hear. Now when you go into the whole General Anesthesia. Ive seen the medicine they give and it looks like Milk of Magnesia! Sorta thick.... So Im guessing they use a larger IV for this. But, Ive had numerous surgeries and dont recall disliking those IV's either. Take care - and Go have this taken care of. Oh yeah, you also mentioned you didnt like having hands in your mouth. I think the laughing gas helps with the whole gag reflex. Which is probably why you dont like them in your mouth! Takecare, PS--When I came here a couple weeks ago, I was honestly afraid due to some terrible experiences I had with a previous dentist. Well I went to this dentist and loved him. So I think my fear is disappearing, BUT - I will give me credit. He hasnt done any work yet ---- maybe when he does Ill dislike. LOL  |
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Post by vishous on Sept 25, 2005 0:42:11 GMT -5
hey someone else posted ..this makes me happy lol thank msmandy for helping me out i love all the help on this form just right now my biggest problem is paying for everything but by this Monday i should know if i got medical assistance so i guess ill just keep taking Tylenol PM's till them id much rather sleep than feel any pain oh did i mention i lost 6 pounds since all this (but trust me a toothache isn't the miracle diet everyone is looking for) because i haven't really been able to eat much due to pain so any suggestions on tooth friendly foods?
and once again thanks for all the help i really like hearing first hand experiences helps me understand exactly what its like
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. I don't have much time right now, but I was wondering if you've seen this thread (which was started by someone your own age):
. 
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!