Dental Phobic

[mollymoo43]

Yesterday I had to go to a dental access centre for an extraction. I am dental phobic, due to past experiences.
The dentist knew this & promised that It would be ok & I believed her.
I have never felt pain like it ! She was digging around in my face. I kept saying that it was excruciating but she got very shirty with me & told me that it could not be hurting...OH YES IT COULD !
I have never had a dental experience like it ever... I was wishing for something dredful to happen so I could be out of it ( and that is not me at all). In the end my husband made her stop. She refused to give any more injections & said that I would have to be referred to the hospital, which would take 4 weeks or so to be seen. How could I wait 4 weeks with bits of tooth and a hole in my gum/bone ?
She was bullying me into letting her continue but I walked out. My husband took me home & spent an hour phoning every private dentist in the area to find one who would sedate me to finish the job. At 6pm last night I had the rest of the tooth extracted under sedation & paid �255 for the privelege.
My question is twofold really -
1. I have always felt dental procedures (hence the phobia) & was told once that some people have a problem where the anaesthetic does not work properly. I would like to read some research about this to understand why I have this problem.
2. in the 21st century why do some dentists brutalise us & what can I do about it?
mollymoo

[jno]

change dentists. I did so a few years ago for the same reason as you: root canal and the anesthetic didn't work. It's not just the pain, which was excruciating, it's that the dentist disrespected you by not believing you, as if they're better judges of pain than the person experiencing it.

There are plenty of gentle, considerate dentists around. I found my new one by asking around the office. Write it off to experience of professional arrogance but don't get phobic about it; there are good dentists, honest. Good luck.

[Cockney_si]

Yeah change dentists and to keep your current dentist in the money refer all your friends that you don't really like that much to the psycho mad butcher.

[Loosehead]

Yeah I think some of them do their training by watching marathon man!

I changed for similar reasons, I had this woman dentist, I think she just like inflicting pain on men, or maybe it was because I've got this gag reflex that can bite!

There are some good ones out there, mine's ok at the moment but he will insist on trying to have a conversion when he's got half a dozen implements in my gob!

[jake-the-peg]

There was a dentist like that in our town who left after narrowly avoiding charges of assault!

Her replacement is from Eastern Europe and is great.

The GDC regulates dentists if you feel strongly enough make a complaint.

If nobody complains she'll continue to hurt people

http://www.gdc-uk.org/

[Hamish]

I was a dental -phobic for a long time after a bad experiance. Used to feel sick before hand. Much better now after changing the dentist and explaining my phobia, though it has taken about 10 yrs to get over it! I even had a filling replaced without anasthetic - no problem. I think I feel pain due to local heating as he drills thourough the enamal......

[happy_face]

And dentist wonder why we don't go very often. Mollymoo, you poor thing I feel so sorry for you. You ought to make a complaint to the BDA -British Dental Association.
I worked as a dental nurse for 4 years and saw many different things going on. There are such a variety of dental techniques even between the dentist in the same practice. You should never have to feel out of control and in pain when in the chair and you have every right to ask for more local anaesthetic. I'm glad you stood up for yourself and walked out.It's right that some people need more anaesthetic than others in the same way that some people can drink more than others. But it does also have less of an effect if you're nervous because your adrenalin is pumping. If you need to go again at any time try and take a couple of painkillers 45 mins before as they help with inital pain. I would suggest you change your dentist and when ringing up to register ask lots of questions about the surgery and if they deal with extremely nervous patients etc. They want you money so you can ask all you want. If you don't feel comfortable with what you hear move on to the next one - always trust your instinct.

There are also surgeries on the NHS you can go to (maybe only under referral from your own dentist) where they will give you general anaethestic for every visit. So you can sleep through the whole process.

Good luck and I hope you won't ever have to experience a butcher like that again.

[littleoldme]

I had trouble with an anaesthetic injection not working when I had to have a tooth out a few years back. My dentist gave me four injections before conceding defeat - the injected area was tingling like a good 'un but still wasn't numb. In exasperation, she referred me to a specialist at a hospital so I could have a general anaesthetic. Just as well she did, because the specialist also found the little matter of an impacted wisdom tooth, which my dentist had completely missed!

So I ended up having both done. Cost? Plenty, thanks. Let's just say I didn't have a holiday that year, but at least the job got done properly and painlessly (apart from the hole in my bank balance).

[patriciather]

hi mollymoo43 - god what a bad time you suffered -read my posts on the same subject.im so glad ive got a brilliant dentist cos im soooooo scared of the dentist.ive been again today {canal root treatment} and it went as good as last weeks treatment -hope you can find a dood dentist for next time on the nhs as even then its expensive!hey CATWOMAN have i deserved my smiley badge yet? lol   xx good luck mollymoo

[Eastender]

Hi mollymoo, I like you have had many a rough time at the dentist. Once a dentist trying to remove a tooth, after 4-5 injections could still feel the pain, then going straight to the hospital and being told I had an abcess under the tooth, and any anaesthetic would not numb the tooth, can still remember the pain from that one.  Dentist are making mega money, and it looks like the patient comes last.  My daughter has just had 2 wisdom teeth removed in the hospital, the warning was you will feel some discomfort after, was'nt warned you will be in complete agony for days !!!  And they wonder why people are affraid of dentist. Hope you feel better soon.

[FP]

Not at all acceptable mollymoo. Look up the NHS website (presuming she was an NHS dentist) and check on the procedures for registering a formal complaint.  As your husband was with you you have a witness to what happened.   Noone should have to suffer like this at the hands of a dentist.

It happened to me once.  Fortunately, I am not a dental phobic and had always had good treatment from past dentists.  It nearly ended up in a fist fight because he hurt so much!

As jno rightly says most dentists are very good and very gentle and will be especially caring to those who are scared.

[Octavius]

Whilst I sympathise with you Mollymoo, can anyone who has posted anti-dentist setniment honestly say they have ever tried to extract a tooth?  It is not easy and there will always be some elementy of force/brutish ness in order to get the tooth out.

It is unfortunate that you felt your dentist was, lets say stroppy, but, lets face it we all get stroppy with people who don't let us do our jobs, especially when it is like, well... pulling teeth.

Perhaps you should change dentist, but in doing so maybe find a dentist who is able to give you consultation and advice on your phobia and discuss alternatives to anaesthesia.  Good luck.

[FP]

Octavious, I see what you are saying and dental work will always be uncomfortable and very often stressful for the patient, but there is no need to inflict pain these days.  I have had loads of root canal treatment which is not pleasant, but my dentist has always told me to indicate if I feel any actual pain so that he can adjust the level of anaestetics (spelling!!).

[jdsees]

I can't help wondering if this isn't a form of battery?  I may be way off base but I can so sympathize with you.  I feel just like you do about dentists and I'm afraid we would have gone to blows over this.  There is NO excuse for this kind of mistreatment and I am so sorry you experienced this,  it is horrible!  God Bless.

[woofgang]

poor you mollymoo. I had dreadful trouble with dentists as a child and it took a while to find one to trust. Honestly they are out there. I work in the NHS, not dentistry and I deal with (among others) people who have had a joint replaced. There is a HUGE variation in the amount of pain people feel and rule one is that if someone says that it hurts, then IT DOES. It is definitely worth complaining about your dentist if she takes nhs patients, not sure otherwise. Sorry octavius but I do not agree with you. I had an abcessed tooth pulled out in Singapore many years ago(long story). The dentist (whose english was not good) took great care to give me plenty on anaesthetic and didn't proceed until he was SURE that I wouldn't feel anything.

[Mistopheles]

I'm dental phobic too mollymoo, so I know what you're going through! Last time I got into a dentist surgery (doped up on valium), I threw up on the dentist and then blacked out. Poor dentist.

There are some medical conditions that make you 'immune' to local anasthetic - I've got one of them, which is part of the reason for my phobia. Anyone who says 'it's impossible to feel pain after the injection' is talking through their... well, not out of their mouth! Don't really have much advice - if I knew how to overcome a phobia I would have done so by now, but just wanted to sympathise.

[Lindy Loo]

mollymoo43 - Many sympathies... that dentist sounds a right pig putting it politely! As some of the other replies have suggested, make a complaint about your treatment as it is totally unacceptable in this day and age. Nobody should be subjected to the kind of treatment you have received.

There are many good dentists sympathetic to phobias about. I know xos I go to one who is brilliant!!

All the very best Molly.

[mydogsandme]

I really feel for you mollymoo. I'm dental phobic due to past experiences too.We don't have fixed dentists here, they come to train and stay two years and then leave. My last dentist was very young and I think I scared her to death! She was trying to extract a tooth and discovered it was really deep-set. I've only got a small mouth too and ten minutes in the chair is too long! She was pulling and struggling for almost an hour, I always try to hide my fear but I was moaning and gasping half way through. Apparently I was biting her hand but I was too out of it. I was shaking uncontrollably and dizzy and she still couldn't get it all out. I had to be driven home as I was n't able to walk and burst into tears when I got home. I was in pain for over a week. You would think in this day and age this wouldn't be necessary wouldnt you? I had to go into hospital to get the rest out (she wouldn't touch it again!) and had to fight to be put under  - the doctor's opinion was- oh it won't take long you don't need that but I did! Is it any wonder we're scared?

[jno]

I see this thread has attracted a google ad in the right hand column for 'dental lawyers' - wouldn't really recommend making lawyers any richer than they are, but if you're angry enough mollymoo...

[cat woman]

HI mollymoo, I was so shocked when I read your thread infact I read it  " TWICE " I couldn't believe my eyes!, it must have been an absolute nightmare for you, and we pay good hard earned money for the privlage of being subjected to this torture. Like the other Abers have said, change dentists fast and report her in the process, dentists like her shouldn't be allowed to get away with way she practices, this isn't the middle ages! :-)

Hi patriciather, well done! have given you more than just a smilely.   :-)