Scared of Cleaning

[stellacaster]

I'm 32 years old and haven't been to the dentist in quite some time.  I know I have bruxism...I grind my teeth so bad at night that it sometimes wakes me up.  I think that it's started to loosen some of my teeth.  I can't even chew potato chips because it hurts so bad.  And...it hurts to brush my teeth, so I don't have the best dental hygiene practices either.  I also drink coffee, iced tea, and smoke, so my teeth are stained and filthy.

I HAVE to do something about this.  I've tried the over-the-counter night-time mouth piece thing and hated it.  I know that if I just go to the dentist I can get everything fixed.

BUT I'M TERRIFIED OF THE CLEANING!!!!!

My question is....will a dentist numb my mouth prior to the cleaning for the exam?  I think to get my teeth cleaned professionally would be excruciatingly painful since just brushing them makes me want to pass out from the pain.

I need serious dental attention, but I don't want to go in unless they will numb me up before they check me and poke and prod around.

Will a dentist, in your opinion, be open to numb me up before the cleaning and/or exam?

Please advise!!!!!

Thank you!

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

I think the dentist should do anything that is necessary to make your visit comfortable so that you will be able to tolerate the treatment and become a better and more accepting patient. In this day and age this is what the patients should be anticapting and deserve.

[snowtree]

You could ask the hyginist if you could take something prior to the cleaning, like something that relaxes you, or maybe they can numb it, I am sure they could, I am afraid too, but for a different reason, I am a mouth breather and I hyperventilate when I have my mouth open for too long, but to tell you the truth, the experience is a piece of cake, dentists don't hurt anymore, they fix a cavity that I had last year, (listen to this) withoug anesthesia, because I didn't have the money to pay it, the dentist asked me if I was strong enough for that, or if I wanted to save just a little money and that he was going to give me a break in the price, I said to him, knowing my situation, that no that please to go right ahead without anesthesis, I even had a couple of employees from the dentist office watching me from afar, and truly it just hurt a little, I mean only a little, he did a great job, he fixed the cavity with the white thingy, instead of those bad silver ones, one year later I feel great, no more cavities, and I can eat ice cream, drink cold sodas, drink hot coffee, I mean I feel great.  God Bless.

[ddctvm]

Modern day dental technology is very advanced. Its very different from the olden days. The treatment is not only very efficient, but also to some degree pain controlled, be it dental implants, or oral surgery. Most of the younger patients are lucky to fall into this category rather than their older counterparts. Because of globalization, people move around the world for medical and dental treatment, and places like India, Kerala are betting high ono this concept.

Roy
www.ddctvm.com