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 suffered a bad experience with a root treatment years ago and now I need one again. Can I be sedated?
I am extremely nervous of dentists and have been told by my NHS dentist that I need root canal, I have a painful tooth which I have had a course of anti biotics, at the moment it is buying time. I want it done by sedation, as in years past I had this on NHS but paid private for the sedation. Now my Dentist has changed his contract and I can either pay privately which amounts to around £500 or have one of the junior dentists in the practice and have the normal numbed gum etc. I am on Warfarin at the moment for DVT due to breaking my foot. I would have to go to hospital if I decided to have it extracted. It is a bottom big double tooth which has a lot of old filling and my problem is I am scared if it breaks during the root treatment as this has happened with an upper tooth years ago and that had to be extracted. I have had many problems since a child and although I do go for regular check ups, I am always very nervious. My dentist is in Bedfordshire which is where I used to live and he has left the decision with me. I am retired and my partner is on an Income based support benefit, so I am able to get free NHS dentistry. I am really asking if there is someome who will look at this tooth and if it needs this root canal that I can have it done with sedation. Thank you.
I think what you are hoping for may be very difficult to find .
However perhaps you could ask for some sedative medication to have a root canal done in the way that you could afford .I might suggest 10 MGM in this situation .
There is no reason why you should need to go to hospital for an extraction , even if you are on warfarin,unless you have other medical problems .having it out might be the right choice as the tooth may be very heavily filled already and at risk of more extensive treatment
Unfortunately the contractual system in place in NHS dentistry can disadvantage the phobic patient .
