How to survive your dentist visit Part 2

After my last visit to the dentist three or so days ago, I thought I'd need more time to process the news of two cavities and the overall condition of my teeth not being so great.. and having to resort to the inhalation of nitrous oxide to get through a simple dental cleaning.
I got over it, no major traumas and self-preservation kicked in: I do still like to keep my teeth and look after them. Email the dentist, try to recall the email, which failed and then I was still hoping that he would not be at the clinic today. Next thing I know: he replies and says c'mon in. Seriously? The whole cycle of anger, bargaining, sadness, acceptance and finally "ok, I'll go then", but not before researching every possible website of inhalation sedation, dental phobia, pain etc. Then I came across this website:
http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/help/sedation-dentistry/laughing-gas/
Some of the stories about nitrous oxide were not just informative, but entertaining too, that I was encouraged to just go ahead and try it once more.

My blood pressure was 150/90 so I was undeniably anxious. As I was sitting in the lobby, I thought I could still walk out, but as I was thinking about it, the dental nurse  was suddenly standing next to me (oh I bet you never thought you'd see me here again) and I no choice.. Sure, I could have made my excuses and left, but it would have been way too embarrassing.
I'll spare you from the details of what happened in the restroom. I already mentioned what the anxiety did to my BP. The same as it always does (madam, do you suffer from hypertension?)...

...and then, because it is easier to explain everything in order as it happened, here goes:

1. A chat with the dentist, whilst plotting the best escape route. He explains what he is planning to do.
2. Before I know it, I am sitting on the chair and can't escape. I look at the tray of the dental instruments, but can't figure out what each of them are used for.
3. They start administering the gas/oxygen mix via nasal mask. It feels weird at first, but then I get the "taste" of the gas and feel a lot more relaxed. I don't necessarily need to escape.
4. More gas.
5. And more. My legs feel heavy, I stop clenching my jaws and relax my grip of the dental chair armrests.
6. Anesthetic gel goes on and what else, I feel nothing.
7. Next moment the dentist says we will start drilling- but no wait, I'm still conscious and he has yet to give me the dreaded injection. He shows me the empty syringe and proves me wrong: he already gave it.
8. More gas please. Drilling goes ok, it just sounds funny. The drill is not a power tool, not the one they use in drilling oil or that Black&Decker you use in some DIY stuff at home.
9. At any time, I didn't feel like choking or drowning or being unable to swallow. I didn't taste blood or any other weird stuff. The local anesthetic gel  tasted something nice though: strawberry, raspberry, cherry... I'm not sure, but the effect of the taste made me see "red" shapes, which I think resembled Valentine's Day gifts and hearts.
10. Once the drilling was over, then they filled the cavity with a filling and some medication, because the cavity was quite large. Not the largest the dentist had seen, I asked him about it afterward.
11. At some stage- after drilling I think, they discontinued the gas and just let me breathe oxygen for a while. I was actually ok,  felt myself tensing up at times, but I was still feeling okay.
12. The dentist always asked me from time to time if I'm okay and let me clean my mouth with Kleenex. The dental nurse gave me a towel to hold, kind of for comfort you know, and it worked.
13. I'm not quite sure of what happened next- I kept hearing the dentist telling me multiple times "nearly done". At that time I started feeling I could leave.. soon.
14. Then it was all over: I got to rinse my mouth. I felt a bit dizzy, but the chair was elevated quite slowly so I managed to adjust. My mouth felt like rubber as if I was wearing a clown mask or something. It was almost impossible to speak at first.
15. I recalled some fun bits and pieces I had said inbetween the local anesthetic, drilling and all: "are you worried I'm going to bite your fingers off?" (to the dentist).
"I gave the local" to which I replied "show me the syringe". When he did, I said something along the lines "oh s**t, really, lol".
After he had indeed given the local,  he had said "you are doing very well, you won't need a general anesthetic" and me not realizing that he had had the Lidocaine syringe+needle in my mouth all this time.
16. Now almost 3.5 hours later I'm at home, eating ice cream, thankful I survived without pain and further embarrassment. The numbness and rubbery feeling have almost gone. I don't know what the new improved tooth feels like- I'm afraid to look or even touch it. I don't think there's any need to look at it at this stage.
17. Lesson learned: never underestimate the power of N2O. One of my favorite gases for sure.
18. The next step is to find a dentist, who can remove the remaining wisdom teeth under heavy IV sedation or general anesthesia.
In all honesty, I didn't expect anything to be wrong with my teeth and I got a shock of my life when I learned about the cavities. Almost at 40 I've never had cavities! No fillings, nothing. Anyway now I know better- there are always dentists and other healthcare professionals who treat their patients with respect and listen to you, help you to overcome your fears so you can get this done.
I came across this dentist in Facebook, where someone had posted an introductory video of him. I thought it might be a good idea to see a dentist, especially because I had missed my previous appointment in 2016 and because I knew I would have to get a thorough cleaning done. Now I'm glad I went.

Apparently after the radioactive iodine treatment, something changed and my mouth became dry, exposing my teeth to dental caries, higher risk of cavities etc so yes, I should have been more careful.

It's never ever going to be a walk in the park, visiting your dentist, but at least the "event" can be broken down into a manageable pieces and it can be done and we all survive somehow. If I can do it, anyone can.

If you are ever in Dubai needing dental treatment, see Dr David: http://valiantclinic.com/ourphysicians/dr-david-donelson/

 

How to survive your dentist visit

I went to a dentist yesterday and I have to say I am glad I did. On the previous day I was very close cancelling the appointment, because I thought there is nothing wrong anyway. I might need a check-up and cleaning, true, but there are no other issues for sure. I was so certain of that.
My appointment was in one of the private hospitals/clinics in Dubai (Valiant Clinic) and I was super anxious hoping the taxi driver couldn't locate the place. Well, he did...

I have never had "real" dental treatment for anything really; no cavities, no fillings, no root canals, nothing but regular check-ups and cleaning. This time it seems they found two cavities, one in a wisdom tooth and one in another permanent tooth. I was NOT expecting that. The dentist and the dental nurse were so great, polite, kind and fun too that I forgot to be scared. I was a bit though... I had x-rays done, which was fine. That's how they discovered the cavities. I declined to have the filling done and the tooth extracted without an IV sedation or general anesthesia, but agreed to have the cleaning done. Someone mentioned nitrous oxide..? Yes, they do provide it for anxious patients and yes, maybe I could have done it without the gas, but why not make things more comfortable? Application of local anesthetic gel into gums made it even better and I think I fell asleep. It certainly did not feel like 45 minutes of cleaning, I did not feel like I was choking on blood and saliva at any stage, I didn't panic and I didn't feel I needed to escape.

So glad I went. It may cost a lot (!), be uncomfortable, inconvenient etc but your teeth are precious and I will never neglect my dental visits again. If I had to choose between going for mammogram, gyn visit or dentist, I'd go for the dentist any time.

1. Do your research, compare prices, get recommendations, even if it's an emergency.
2. Ask for sedation if you need it. If they say "no, you don't need it, we are awesome, we are professionals etc" don't take no for an answer. If you can get the cleaning done without sedation, ok fine, but anything more than that, tell them what you need and want.
3. Don't go to dentist every three years. Go at least once a year, maybe even more. After I had the radioactive iodine treatment, my mouth sometimes feels dry, and I think that may have contributed to the dental caries and stuff that's going on in my mouth right now.
4. Clean, really and truly clean teeth feel great. It's not something you can do yourself.
5. Don't expect the worst kind of news about your teeth. It may not be as bad as you think it is and you may get a clean bill of health.

As for me, I guess the next step is locating a dentist, who agrees to remove the two remaining wisdom teeth under general anesthesia and fill the cavity at the same time.
Maybe during the same surgery they could fix my ankle, which I sprained yesterday morning.. but that's another story.

Fear of known unknown

Those dreaded check-up's are approaching fast. Speed of light.
Dentist, ob-gyn, oncologist, endocrinologist, yeah let's just line them up all and why not invite all of them into the same room too. Why not add mammogram too? The title of "scariest/most unpleasant/embarrassing/humiliating experience" must go to ob-gyn. No matter what I do, no matter how many times I go to see my ob-gyn Peter, who is one of the gentlest souls in the world, I just can't get used to the idea of what happens at his office.
My latest (and the very last, I swore, but then find myself booking another appointment again..) appointment was while ago, and I went in after few sips from cognac bottle. Yes, cheers, straight from the bottle. No wonder my handbag was so heavy. Not the best cognac in the market. Needless to say, I was drunk and don't remember much what I said to the doctor. All I need to remember was that I managed to stay on my feet, did not embarrass myself totally and even managed to pay the bill, walk out of the medical center, appear somewhat coherent and hmmmm relaxed. It was quite an ordeal; when I arrived I promptly found restroom, took a sip or two in there, walked out, sat in the waiting room. Restless feeling. Thoughts racing around in my head. Kind of unreal- I am effing drunk!
As usual, I had arrived early and now sat there sporting waxy kind of smile on my face. People were coming and going, talking, reading books and magazines. All of a sudden good old doc opened the exam room door and calls for.... not me, but the previous client! Oh-oh. With fairly respectable effort, I get up off the chair and head back to the restroom. The floor has weird angle, like I was climbing a wall. I must be traveling on stormy seas. In front of me, in the mirror was rather peculiar sight; a drunk person. Appearance pretty decent, but drunken eyes! Where am I?
By the time it was my turn, I vaguely remember shooting up from the waiting room chair, straight into the exam room, past the doctor, who probably thought his patient has no manners. I suspect he knew all along, but after the exam and paperwork etc I confessed that I had taken few sips of something stronger than water. He must have seen it all, but I could detect some sort of weird vibe in the air, unspoken words that may or may not have ended up as written words in my file: "Patient conquered her fear of me, one of the most polite, kindest and gentlest ob-gyn in the world, by ingesting fair amount of unknown alcoholic drink prior to entering my office."
Patient, that would be me, stands up and confesses that she was shit scared, and can't tolerate an existence, albeit brief, of fear.
It is very well known and accepted fact that annual or less than annual check-up's are necessary. It makes sense to me, yes, even though it is another well known fact that I am stubborn and hardheaded at times.
The year before I turned up under influence of Valium, but it didn't completely numb me and my phobia, so that is the reason why I turned into drinking.
This year... well, nothing is set in stone, but I do not see how I would suddenly find the courage to go for all these appointments without some extra encouragement. By threatening to take my restroom and meal privileges away won't do a thing- I may end up canceling the appointments, every single one of them.
Visit to dental nurse was not any better. She cleaned my teeth with some sort of ultrasound cleaner, it kind of hurt and felt unpleasant, but did not take long. Then she spotted "something" that looked like cavity. Awww nooooo. No way. I've never ever ever had cavities in my life, nor am I going to have one now. Follow up at dentist's office next week proved that it was not cavity, but it was already too late. I had developed several scenarios in my mind, all of them cavity-related and I knew I would definitely need decent dose of sedatives before I let anyone anywhere near my mouth. Mind you, or any other part of my body. I had wisdom teeth removed under general anesthesia, because I threatened to bite off the dentist's fingers.
Preparation for this year's check-up's probably will stay pretty much the same.

Does a mammogram hurt?