HF and the dentist

[Scoopdogg]

Maybe a silly post - but ptsd after an accident years ago has left me terrified of dentist. Last night a tooth cracked now I’m worried about dentist visit. Not only regarding injections etc along with all my drugs but more the stress in my heart with anxiety - am I being foolish here ? Are there any concerned regarding heart issues and the dentist ?

[Smarticus]

Hi, yes, scared stiff of the dentist! as someone once said, "someone jamming their fist in your mouth is not natural!" Tell the dentist you are "concerned and aprehensive", finding the right dentist can help. Try and stay calm and concentrate on something else, focus on your breathing and try and relax... if its a long procedure ask if you can listen to your music on your headphones or put on their radio... HTH

[Scoopdogg in reply to Smarticus]

Hi smarticus - that’s exactly what I did previously- earphones etc just worried about putting more pressure on my heart - I’ll just need to try !

[Sunnie2day]

Not silly at all! I too have 'fear of dentist' - I absolutely hate seeing that shockingly long needle out of the corner of my eye as it approaches my defenceless gums, the pain of that wretched needle is frankly horrific, and that's on top of my deeper fear of the dental work causing me to become seriously unwell.

I have a lovely newly qualified young dentist who does his best but I really try to avoid seeing him after an invasive dental procedure without prophylactic antibiotics left me with an infection that of course went straight to my pericardium, caused an acute flare of my recurrent pericarditis that incapacitated me for over ten months.

We've had a nice long chat (he really is a lovely young man) - he now understands I hate needles and have the added bonus of a qualifying heart condition and must have prophylactic antibiotics. At the time he did the invasive procedure, my valve scarring wasn't noted on my record for some reason - it is now - so in accordance with NICE guidelines he couldn't order the antibiotics and I spent over ten very long months recovering.

Make sure your condition(s) are noted and your dentist can see those notes, and make sure he/she knows you don't like the needle - once a dentist knows you're sensitive to it, he/she has ways of inserting it (include a wee dab of 'pre-numb') that lessens the pain.

Other than that and keeping close attention to dental hygiene to avoid needing the dentist, there isn't much you can do beyond steeling yourself to the unpleasantry. No matter how well we keep to a good dental hygiene regime, things happen - like your cracked tooth. It's going to need to be seen to as soon as possible so telephone the surgery and ask for a pre-appointment phone consult so you can talk to the dentist before any work is scheduled.

[Scoopdogg in reply to Sunnie2day]

Thanks !! Nice to know (although not nice for you ) that I’m not alone - I’ll give them a call - must be a sign of age - I’ve never had a cracked tooth before!

[Sprinterknot]

Hate going to the Dentist. I needed to go recently with all the goings on. The technology that has advanced in this business really impressed me. CD imaging not the plate with stuff on it for a mould. a DVD of your whole mouth, gosh. I looked on the internet, it will be money (private) The staff could not have been more helpful. Find a Dentist and go on a non appointment day may help. They what to help.

[Scoopdogg in reply to Sprinterknot]

Thanks Appreciate the advice

[Sunnie2day]

It won't - my scarred aortic valve is now visible to the dentist on my notes. The next time I saw him for a procedure was after I'd had the antibiotics. LOL, I think he was nearly as scared as I was, especially after he'd got a look at my corrected notes with all my heart conditions

The scarred valve is what makes me eligible for prophylactic antibiotics. He said the recurrent pericarditis should as well but so far the guidelines only list valves.

I think it is in a heart patient's best interest to know what the guidelines are regarding prophylactic antibiotics, I wish I'd done before I sat down for that first invasive procedure. I would have made sure my notes were present and correct and then he would have prescribed those antibiotics.

[080311 in reply to Sunnie2day]

Hey Sunnie like you my dentist is very aware of my heart issues, and I see the hygienist twice a year ( though not this year!) just to make sure there is no plaque at all. When I had my pre op dental check they did what they called a deep clean! Worse than the surgery! They said there are more germs in your mouth than the rest of your body put together! I had no idea.

Hope your doing well Pauline

[Sunnie2day in reply to 080311]

We're all fine, here and abroad - hope the same for you and yours

Until I retired home I always had antibiotics with dentistry, even for a deep clean, and for the very reason you cite - our mouths are full of germs. Mobile Petrie dishes, really. Like TRST, I was shocked when dentists had to follow the new 'no prophylactic antibiotics (unless...and that 'unless' is in really small print)' rule - so many studies have shown a correlation between invasive dental work and subsequent heart complications.

My dentist was very apologetic when he had to deny me the antibiotics, he knew about the risks but felt without my heart conditions being visible to him that day he had no choice. If I'd been thinking straight I would have left without going ahead with the dental work and focussed on getting my notes sorted. Instead I let him go ahead, hoped for the best but ended with very close to the worst.

Lesson applied - notes updated and corrected and an even more apologetic dentist won't go near me unless he's had me on those antibiotics and neither will the hygienist.

[080311 in reply to Sunnie2day]

Yep not to bad. The boys are good, though Craig (Australia) managed to put a drill into the back of his hand last weekend! Sends me a photo then tells me not to worry!😩

As old as they get you never stop being a Mum!

Take care Pauline

[Sunnie2day in reply to 080311]

So true - my two could be in their 80s and they'll still be my babies. Oh yikes drill into hand and photos for Mum, yikes, yikes, yikes!

[080311 in reply to Sunnie2day]

10,000 miles away and all I wanted was to take him to A&E! He was” it looks worse than it is” Why send me photos if he didn’t want me to react😩

[shopman]

Always remember having to go an hour before my appointment to have some of the "banana" flavoured antibiotic. Sitting their having to listen to the whirring of the drills was more terrifying than my nervousness about what was still to come. That was about 15/20 years ago and of now things have changed for the better.

[Sunnie2day]

I used to be 'non-confrontational' but that's changed since my wobble last year. I have been reading the discussions here about telephone consultations with consultants people have never met and discovering during the consult the specialist hasn't for whatever reason read the notes - until last year I would have mentally sighed and muddled through.

Now? Now the first thing I would ask is 'Have you read my notes and seen all my scans?'. I'd do it in a nice way but I would definitely do it. And if the response was anything like 'Well, I've not really had a chance...' I'd politely end the 'visit'.

[Fluffybee]

I know your post was a while ago but just seen it.

I’m petrified of the dentist, now that’s when he suggests a bit of sedation, last time when I didn’t know what I was saying I apparently told him I like to sniff beards 😱😱😱😱 now that’s embarrassing. I’m pretending that’s not happened, I now need a tooth out !!!!! So can completely know how you’re feeling and my dentist is lovely, it is a practice that’s advertised as for nervous patients 🥴

[PeterReeszoa]

OMG! What happened to you? I am also afraid of dentists after one of them accidentally drilled my mouth instead of my tooth. I think the dentist was drunk or high at that time. How can they not notice that they are drilling a human flesh? I was scared to death of all dentists. But I needed braces, so it requires visiting an orthodontist, which for me is similar to a visit to a dentist. Luckily, I placed invisible aligners, which I found on tallah.com/sa/ar It requires less time spending at the orthodontist cabinet. Besides, a good friend of mine recommended me her dentist, who is not a butcher. Moreover, she went there with me to support me.

[Scoopdogg in reply to PeterReeszoa]

I cut my hand off - it was saved and reattached but surgeries etc and I think the noise must remind me of the saw?? I also had a butcher dentist years ago so that’s there too