I am 30 years old and very behind in my dental care. The big reason for that is I have a resistance to Novocain. It just doesn’t work for me. As you can imagine, this has made most procedures at the dentist absolutely excruciating. I have three teeth in bad condition and I don’t feel like I can put off getting them taken care of any more. I’m pretty sure they’ll need to come out. Have you had patients in my position before? Have you found anything helpful?
Meredith
Dear Meredith,
Sleep dentistry changes lives.
Yes, I have seen this before AND I have a solution for you. I’m sorry you’ve had to go this many years without getting the help you needed. The reason for that, unfortunately, is that many dentists do not know the connection between dental anxiety and Novocain resistance.
There is a metabolic phenomenon that the higher your anxiety, the less effective the Novocain will be. Given your history of painful dental appointments, my guess is your anxiety is through the roof. It is no wonder you avoid the dentist! What I’d like you to do is find a dentist who offers dental sedation options. I think you, in particular, will need someone who offers Oral Conscious Sedation (OCS). This is sometimes called sleep dentistry because you are able to sleep through your appointment if you want to. Then, once you have all the major work done, you can relax a bit more and maybe use something less strong, such as nitrous oxide.
There is an additional benefit that with Oral Conscious Sedation, you will be able to get more work done in each sitting. The only real downside to it is its strength. You will need someone to drive you to and from your dental appointment because you will be too woozy to drive.
What if Your Teeth Can’t Be Saved?
I haven’t examined the particular teeth you need to have treated. Hopefully, they can be saved. If not, I want you to have the best replacement possible, especially at your young age. If the teeth have to be extracted, the best possible tooth replacements are dental implants. These place prosthetic tooth roots into your jawbone that will help your body to recognize you still have teeth there.
Without those root forms, your body will begin to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in the area of the missing teeth, shrinking the jawbone in that area.
This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Warren Krutchick.