subject: Finding Dentists Who Understand Unusual Anesthesia Issues [print this page] My dentist 10 years ago took time to understand what I was saying and did something about it. He would not begin with the procedure without being certain that I was actually numb.
He observed my x rays and did some tests to assure that the nerve that received the shot is the most efficient such that the numbness was most effective. I am not taken as serious as this by the dentists in the area to which I moved so I stopped going for dental visits.
Last year, a severe tooth ache plagued me and I concluded that I need to get rid of this problem. A friend of my wife recommended a dentist to check my teeth. He referred me to a dentist in San Francisco after trying several times to inject me with novocain, saying there are special dentists for people like me.
Comfort did not become an issue for me in this dental office because of the general anesthesia they offered for the dental work, unlike most offices I have been to.
A very detailed survey was handed to me by their staff, which covered almost all of my issues with dental appointments. A familiar instinct of fleeing was even described in one of the sections. It inquired whether I postpone dental appointments continually, to which I have affirmatively answered.
General anesthesia was used on me to get all the needed work on my teeth done in one visit. Only a number of patients can actually afford general anesthesia every visit. I paid a little more than $1,000 just for the anesthesia, the procedures cost extra.
What the need to do in my case is to do a prophylaxis and they had to get one side of my mouth ready for them to put on a crown. They thinned out one tooth with caries until all damage is gone and prepped a separate tooth for root canal.
My memory skipped the duration of the whole procedure already. If general anesthesia was not part of the process, I need to go back three more times to complete the procedure and it is not that appealing. When you compare the cost of having local anesthesia four times and taking off work four times with going in for one appointment and getting general anesthesia, the decision is easy.
I did not get all queasy because of the general anesthesia, but I cannot help but sleep the entire day. My wife had three days of feeling sick after removal of four wisdom teeth under general anesthesia.
My insurance doesn't pay for the sedation, but they did pay for all of the other work up to approximately $1,000. There was, however, one tooth that required another dentist to perform the root canal along with the sedation and this immediately added $1200 on the total cost.
My insurance was therefore, used up so fast that year. I will not have second thought about going through that if my teeth get that troublesome again. I most likely would have left if it were a local anesthesia and was not able to manage the procedure at all.
From the time that major work was over, the next visits were just for teeth cleaning and not involving any needles. This does not mean that I have lost the horrified feeling toward dental procedures.
by: John Chambers
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