I’ve been great since my 3 ablations in 2016-17. I’ve also had 3 previous crowns fitted, so I wasn’t too worried about the one hour dental appointment I had this morning in prep for my fourth crown.
My lovely dentist knew about not using an anaesthetic containing adrenaline but 30 minutes into the proceedings I came up to rinse and wham, I fainted. They lowered me down and let me come around gently and then we continued. Doubly whammy, I fainted again.
I took my pulse and it was irregular for a minute or so.
After the temporary crown was fitted the dentist did my pulse oxygen, low at 95 and my pulse rate, 66. However, my BP had shot up to 166/99, which is an absolute first as far as I am aware.
I am inclined to think it was postural hypotension: sudden drop in BP when getting up suddenly, plus laying flat with my neck bent hard back so the dentist could access the very back molar.
It was a bit scary and I still feel a bit rough. The poor dentist was so worried he drove me home.
Has anyone else experienced this?
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Maggimunro
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Sorry to hear that you've had this worry. I would say that your oxygen level at 95 was ok. I wonder if you were doing very shallow breathing because of your dentist working in your mouth? That was kind of him to drop you home.
Exactly that, thankfully my dentist of the time recognised it immediately and wrote to my doctor. I now ensure all the dentists I see have a note to raise the chair very slowly, no further problems.
You might want to go ask your GP for referral and in the meantime you may find STARS at the AA information useful heartrhythmalliance.org/sta...
I spend all my professional life as a physician poking people,drawing blood,cleaning all kind of wounds without ever having problem at all.After getting a fib and starting Sotalol,losartan and cardizem I am getting woozy anytime I have the blood drawn in the lab or having little longer dental procedure.BP is actually little higher,go figure.
~Not sure if you have had a reaction to adrenaline previously but my dentist knows not to use any local anesthesia containing adrenaline as I faint .
In fact any local anesthetic for any other areas other than dentist is requested without any adrenaline. My heart just does not like it......one day I just might need it though but until then I remain without it as there are other alternatives.
Also being a back tooth would not have helped your breathing as mentioned by JeanJ50 & CD/D & would have added to the "unfortunate event".
I am beginning to wonder if he used an anaesthetic with adrenaline, in error, since I am still feeling the effects the day after. He did seem extremely worried about me, to the point of driving me home.
I’m wondering that too unfortunately. There is a reaction to anaesthetics called a ‘vasovagal response’ and it occurs sometimes with anaesthetic containing lidocaine or epinephrine ( which is the adrenaline) . I experienced something similar after lidocaine during an outpatients gynae procedure, though my BP dropped initially, but it might have with you too, which is why you feinted….as they wouldn’t have taken your BP at that point. Its all hypothetical as you might never know, but it really sounds like it to me. Many times I’ve had to remind a dentist that I need adrenaline free, despite it being in my notes, as they do forget and have the adrenaline about to go in 😳 I’m afraid you can’t trust them to remember sadly and you will need to remember it and stress it to them every time.
How long did the numbness take to wear off? It’s much longer with an adrenaline one ( I used to go for 6 hours or more) adrenaline free is usually 2 hours, sometimes less.
i double checked with the dentist and it was adrenaline free. However, he did did cauterise my gum because of excessive bleeding. I’m on apixiban.One of the contra indications for cauterisation is if you have a pacemaker. Which I don’t.
I feel fine now but I am waiting for an appointment with cardiology.
What an unpleasant experience for you and a source of worry too.
Dental chairs, particularly for work on back teeth seem to tip the head lower than the heart so that sitting up will cause a sudden change in blood pressure. I agree with shallow breathing being a factor too - and keeping your mouth wide open in an awkward position won't have helped.
What a nasty experience. Somehow being driven home by a dentist doesn’t have the same glamour to it as my daughter’s experience when she collapsed in the street with an attack of MS and was carried back to her flat by a fireman!
Your postural hypotension theory sounds on point. I've had quite a few dental procedures (including dental implant) where the chair was bent fully back, and swinging back upwards again made me dizzy. In my case, extreme fear may have also played a role, and maybe it did for you too. My goodness, I hope you finally got that crown fitted!
the temporary crown will be replaced with the permanent one in 2 weeks time.
However, my dentist has just rung me for the third time and suggested quite strongly that I get checked out. So I’m off to see the Gp this afternoon toget referred back to cardiology. Surprisingly they don’t have an ECG at the surgery.
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Dentist
Adrenaline free or not at dentist
Anyone know of a dentist willing to do tooth extraction on someone with permanent long-standing AF and occasional tachycardia? 
