Expert answers
We know how daunting dental treatment can be. Our Dental Phobia certified experts are here to help ease your mind before treatment by answering your questions.
How can I get treatment when I am too scared to return to the dentist?
I visited a dentist a year ago and was diagnosed with 3 teeth suffering infection, extraction was offered. My fear was oppressive after 4 wisdom teeth extractions failed in the chair years earlier resulting in one cracking in half, successive failings to numb my teeth during many visits for fillings, having 4 teeth extracted as a child due to having too many teeth allegedly?
For my wisdom teeth I was eventually offered GA and found it peaceful, but this dentist tried to numb the first of 3 extractions and failed, the pain was intense and thankfully she stopped and decided to drill and temporarily fill them instead and refer me to a specialist…. the treatment was hell, the infected roots prevented full numbing but somehow I endured.
Then 8 months ago the “specialist” contacted me and I asked how they were to numb me where she had failed…their response was that they were 5 times faster than other dentists, I freaked out, I didn’t want faster I needed painless.
Needless to say I didn’t go, I now have an abscess in one of the teeth, but shame and utter fear prevent me seeing a dentist again. Can I see a GP and ask for referral for GA? Otherwise I am resigned to accepting the pain,praying they fall out on their own and risking my life I guess with the abscess infection spreading.
Im so sorry you have been suffering so much .
It sounds as if your teeth take longer than average to numb up , or need a higher than average dose of local anaesthetic.
You can definitely ask to have a GA to have teeth out . This could be at a local hospital or dental hospital. You need to be assertive about what you want though , and stress that you can only accept that , otherwise they may try to persuade you out of it .
There are also facilities where sedation can be done on the NHS for extractions .
You need to ask the dentist to refer you . Its possible that a GP might be able to do that as well. Hope you get the teeth out painlessly.
