I’m a bit discouraged. At my last filling, my dentist had the hardest time keeping me numb during the procedure. It was excruciating. That was about a year ago. Now I have another cavity. I’m not sure I can go back. Have you seen this happen before? Is there a solution?
Misty
Dear Misty,
I have seen this and I think I know what could be going on. When someone has dental anxiety, there is a metabolic reaction which causes your metabolism to jump up. This in turn burns off the numbing medication faster than expected. In fact, some patients with extreme anxiety aren’t able to get numb at all.
One solution to this is to use nitrous oxide. It is a gas which relaxes you. This is often enough to keep the anxiety at bay and allow the numbing medicine to do its job. Many patients find this changes their relationship with their dentist going from something they avoid to making it easy to keep up with their appointments.
Saving Money with Dental Sedation
When you are able to get regular dental care, you’ll find you end up with less need for fillings and other more invasive procedures. You’ll save money in the long run because of that too.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.