Afraid of the dentists' drill

[kanti]

My teeth are a mess ,never been to dentist for the fear of pain. the thought of dentists' drill in my mouth puts me off going to dentist. can i be treated without drilling.
Nervous
Kanti

[Popadoopus]

Hi Kanti,

Now is the right time to go to the dentist, you would be surprised with how painless dental treatment can be today, if you are properly anaesthetised you shouldn't feel a thing, some dentists offer drilless dentistry, which uses an air abrasion system. If you are still very nervous you can opt for treatment under sedation where sedative drugs can be used to put you into a relaxed dream-like state of mind.

[Dr Pav Khaira]

Dear Kanti,

There are lots of options in modern dentistry to help alleviate anxieties. Sedation is certainly an option but I often find a littl TLC and understanding goes a long way.

Your only concern seems to be the drill, I would need for you to expand further before I can tell you any more. If it is the sound, we use headphones to drown out the sound. Again, a ful consultation would be advised, I would suggest you tell your dentist the fears and anxieties you have and they will tell you how they can help.

Many of my clients opt to watch a film on our DVD glasses whilst undertaking treatment, it gives them something else to concentrate on!

[Popadoopus]

Hello Pav,

Good to see a dentist on board contributing to the community, thanks for your words of wisdom.

[Dr Pav Khaira]

Not a problem, I'm here to make sure that people understand what they should be looking for so that they can prevent costly mistakes and ensure work is carried out as comfortably as possible.

Should anyone need to contact me please feel free to do so either on this forum or through my website

Happy smiling all!

[kanti]

First of all let me thank Popadoopus and Dr.Pav for their valuable time to answer our queries.
My fear is of dentist full stop. the drill noise,injections etc.but I would have to to take courage and go.could you please tell me more about the air abrasion system and the dvd glasses, will they not be in the way when performing the treatment in the mouth or can i just have them for certail procedures

thanking you both again
Kanti

[Dr Pav Khaira]

Air abrasion is not appropriate for very many procedures and it is very likely that you will need drilling of some form. The DVD glasses can be used for longer appointments and will not be in the way of you mouth.

Many of my clients build up confidence very quickly once thay start treatment. If you are truly phobic it may be that the best solution for you will be sedation. This will introduce drugs into your body to help you feel relaxed and is recommended for truly phobic patients and very long treatments. Before it is possible to assess whether you are suitable you would need a full consultation

[Mikey]

There are many types of sedation like laughing gas or I/v that could help you get around the sight sounds and smells of the drill. I'd also like to reccomend you take a-look at www.dentalfearcentral.org/forum to see other people with fears similar (like me) and help you figure out a way to solve it.

[Baj]

Originally Posted by kanti

First of all let me thank Popadoopus and Dr.Pav for their valuable time to answer our queries.
My fear is of dentist full stop. the drill noise,injections etc.but I would have to to take courage and go.could you please tell me more about the air abrasion system and the dvd glasses, will they not be in the way when performing the treatment in the mouth or can i just have them for certail procedures

thanking you both again
Kanti

Hi Kanti,

Im completely scared too, or was (i guess) you can see my thread above.

So how did I overcome each step? Well, I met with the dentists first, christ i was a wreck, honestly. But when I left I at least felt a bit more like I knew what would happen (had to have a root canal).

Firstly, I kept telling myself that people suffer from cancer and grin and bear chemotherapy, and "christ sake man, put things in perspective!".

On the chair itself, well, they were so good with the injection that i really didnt feel it much at all, certainly not pain, but I had to close my eyes.

During treatement, I found taking a large set of overear headphones a selection of nice loud music helps. I have a very understanding dentist who was quite happy for me to gargle/hum along to the music which really REALLY helps you to concentrate on the tune and not the work, and honestly, before you know it the treatment is over. She also found it better not to explain to me what was going on and just to get on with it.

Hope some of this helps you,

[Dr Pav Khaira]

Headphones and DVD glasses are superb. My clients love them!