Stress Center Peer Support

I wanted to ask a question well hear your expiriences about going to the dentist and getting rid of the fear so i could try that or anyone else on this forum who is afraid of it can read others experiences on coping on dentist fear.

One question i'm afraid to ask but i got alot of guts to ask it.

What does it feel like to be put under anesthesia? When they do your widsom teeth removal?

I've never had it done, but in my mind its like i think it could be like numbing your whole body while your awake so you cant feel anything but are there and hear the drills and you are out of body and your mind is just there and it scary becaue you lose all sensation and cant feel... tahts what im afraid of most i dont even care about the pain im more scared of the being put to sleep or numbness ...


I know im posting alot in this forum.. im sorry.

I have had my wisdom teeth removed and general anaesthesia for other things. You don't feel anything, nothing strange at all. When you wake up, sometimes you feel a little sedated. Sometimes I feel wide awake right away, like I just woke up in the morning. If you are properly sedated, you don't hear anything. To me it is not scary, except I don't like the idea of having no control. Of course, we are all pretty much control freaks when we have anxiety, so that is nothing unusual:)

Don't apologize for asking questions--that is what the forum is for. So we can support each other.

LostGirl -

I had all four of my wisdom teeth pulled about a year and half ago. For my situation, they just used a mild sedative intravenously and some nitric oxide (laughing gas). I was conscious the whole time and never felt like I was out of control. That's a big deal for me as I take as little medication as possible and never drink because I always want to "be in control". My teeth came out without complication and the entire procedure was finished in about twenty minutes. Even after the procedure I never felt like I was ever "under" or needed to wake up.

I've also had some minor surgery where I was put under general anesthetic. In that case, the doctor started the I.V., asked me to start counting backwards from 100, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. It was like no time passed at all. I was tired afterward, but that's about it.

Hope this helps,
Jamie

I am afraid of the dentist as well! Positive, I am not afraid of the dentist,he is there to help me keep my teeth & smile healthy! Do your program, it will help you. I just went today for a cleaning and I drove myself,( my husband rode with me, just in case.) tons of traffic, and sat for cleaning with my new skills. No Xanax, all on my own!
Its that what if thinking, Anticipatory anxiety. I have had wisdom teeth out,only so long ago, I can't remember, crowns, root cannels, crown lenghtening, reroot cannels, gum surgery, bone grafts, and let me tell you what we mentally go through weeks before is worse than the actual procedure. You will feel nervous, but the meds they use, you won't remember anything. Good luck, don't worry!
I could have not said that even 2 months ago!

Originally posted by THH:
I am afraid of the dentist as well! Positive, I am not afraid of the dentist,he is there to help me keep my teeth & smile healthy! Do your program, it will help you. I just went today for a cleaning and I drove myself,( my husband rode with me, just in case.) tons of traffic, and sat for cleaning with my new skills. No Xanax, all on my own!
Its that what if thinking, Anticipatory anxiety. I have had wisdom teeth out,only so long ago, I can't remember, crowns, root cannels, crown lenghtening, reroot cannels, gum surgery, bone grafts, and let me tell you what we mentally go through weeks before is worse than the actual procedure. You will feel nervous, but the meds they use, you won't remember anything. Good luck, don't worry!
I could have not said that even 2 months ago!

Not remembering anything? you mean like memory loss confusion like you don't know where you are? that is kind of scary to me..

No, you won't lose your memory or be confused and when you wake up, you will know where you are. I think the person who posted that meant that you won't have a scary experience with anaesthesia. You are worrying about it too much. Think about how many people have dental procedures and that should set your mind at ease.

Originally posted by samcat:
No, you won't lose your memory or be confused and when you wake up, you will know where you are. I think the person who posted that meant that you won't have a scary experience with anaesthesia. You are worrying about it too much. Think about how many people have dental procedures and that should set your mind at ease.

Thats good.. i almost got pushed out of my calm state i'm trying to stay in by reading the last comment about not remembering anything. Even though it wasn't a negative comment and was positive my mind went straight to thinking the "what ifs" again.

Going to "what if's" happens a lot until we work the program enough so we can start countering those negative thoughts. You will get there--you have just started. It will take time and effort, but you can do it!! When you have a negative, what if thought, write it down and counter it with a positive, realistic thought, because your "what if" thoughts are almost always not reality based. I have kept track of my negative thoughts for a while and not one of them has come true. Shows you what a liar anxiety is and how we conjure these catastophies up in our minds because of our negative thinking. It might help you to carry card 3 around with you--I have the front of it memorized and when I get it anxious, I repeat the sentences to myself. It helps.

Oh My! I am so sorry,I ment to help you not be afraid as we make these things so scary in our minds, And I was not very clear! Thank you samcat for clarifying my statment! And I hope you feel better about the experience, you can do it!!! Just work the prrogram! It gets better... I love those cards, they really are helpful, keep them with you.

Actually, THH has a good point. Read card 3 a lot this weekend, so you help keep anticipatory anxiety at bay and then take card 3 with you to the dentist's office and keep reading over it, until those affirmations really sink in. I think it will help you get through the visit.

Good luck--you will be fine. Write back and let us know how it went. Bet you'll do better than you think right now!