Sedation Dentistry

[MyDizneyBoyz]

I cracked a wisdom tooth last year and am utterly petrified of the dentist. I won't publicly admit how long it had been since I went but it was a good long while... I'm also the worst needlephobe on the planet so I didn't want IV sedation. And valium doesn't work on me - I had it when I had laser eye surgery and it didn't work so that was a nightmare and a half. Apparently some people metabolize certain medications poorly so me and valium just don't mix.

I found a local dentist who offers the Halcion pill and it was quite possibly the BEST dental experience I have ever had. I was a nervous wreck during the initial consultation but they were so nice and were very careful to "just look, not touch" as I was squirming all over the place from anxiety. At the initial consult they took digital X-Rays and pictures and we talked about everything that needed to be done. We made an appt for the following week and he sent me home with this tiny pill which I was convinced would be completely useless, ala my valium experience.

The appt was for 1pm, I took the pill at noon as instructed, DH drove me to my appt, they set me in a chair, tucked a blanket around me, checked my blood pressure (normal part of the procedure), and gave me a dose of Tylenol and another Halcion. I have some vague memories of them asking me a question every so often but that's it until they tapped my shoulder and said I was done. Gave me a bit of juice, gave DH my post-care instructions (I had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled, including the cracked one, a few old metal fillings replaced and 1 new cavity filled).

It was simply spectacular. I think only people that have such a strong dentist phobia would understand the overwhelmingly intense relief of having such a pleasant experience. Take a pill, check out mentally, wake up with a healthy mouth. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than that.

Insurance did not cover the sedation part of the visit and that ran about $400. Everything else was covered at the standard levels for my particular policy.

 

[cattrix]

I cracked a wisdom tooth last year and am utterly petrified of the dentist. I won't publicly admit how long it had been since I went but it was a good long while... I'm also the worst needlephobe on the planet so I didn't want IV sedation. And valium doesn't work on me - I had it when I had laser eye surgery and it didn't work so that was a nightmare and a half. Apparently some people metabolize certain medications poorly so me and valium just don't mix.

I found a local dentist who offers the Halcion pill and it was quite possibly the BEST dental experience I have ever had. I was a nervous wreck during the initial consultation but they were so nice and were very careful to "just look, not touch" as I was squirming all over the place from anxiety. At the initial consult they took digital X-Rays and pictures and we talked about everything that needed to be done. We made an appt for the following week and he sent me home with this tiny pill which I was convinced would be completely useless, ala my valium experience.

The appt was for 1pm, I took the pill at noon as instructed, DH drove me to my appt, they set me in a chair, tucked a blanket around me, checked my blood pressure (normal part of the procedure), and gave me a dose of Tylenol and another Halcion. I have some vague memories of them asking me a question every so often but that's it until they tapped my shoulder and said I was done. Gave me a bit of juice, gave DH my post-care instructions (I had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled, including the cracked one, a few old metal fillings replaced and 1 new cavity filled).

It was simply spectacular. I think only people that have such a strong dentist phobia would understand the overwhelmingly intense relief of having such a pleasant experience. Take a pill, check out mentally, wake up with a healthy mouth. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than that.

Insurance did not cover the sedation part of the visit and that ran about $400. Everything else was covered at the standard levels for my particular policy.

This is awesome! I would love to have an experience like that. I'm so glad it all worked out for you and the outcome was wonderful. Hoping that my experience will be as good as yours.