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.
I suffer from an irregular heart beat, have you encountered any patients with the same problem?
Hi Dr, I have a bit of a problem, I suffer from regular SVT (supra-ventricular tachycardia) which means my heart beats too fast especially when I’m nervous or stressed out. There’s been a few occasions when I’ve had to have injections in my chest to slow my heart down, so because of this problem I have avoided the dentist for many, many years. I pass out because of my heart speed occasionally and it’s VERY embarrassing, it’s usually when I’m panicking. Please can you give me some advice? My teeth are in a bad way but I don’t know how to keep calm, I get nervous about everything and because I panic about my heart beating faster it just gets worse! Have you come across any patients with the same problem? Thank you for your time.
Yes
i have encountered this .
The first thing you have to do is to decide that your teeth have to be fixed .
When you have made an appointment with a suitable dentist ,possibly one who treats nervous patients .
1. Decide on a strategy to get through this first step , and only get through that first .
Could your dr prescribe a mild sedative for you to take before you go .
practice some breathing and relaxation exercises , a vist to the website of Anxiety uk has useful stuff for managing anxiety .
get an appointment at the beginning of the dentists schedule so you wont be kept waiting , and then tell the dentist about your problem before you sit in the dentists chair . If possible have a chat before that happens , and your anxiety should reduce as you talk .
Anxiety does always settle down with time , and if you can try to keep the anxiety from developing into panic
hope this helps
