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scansinboy · 01-26-2004, 01:51 PM

This is for my girlfriends father:
He hasn't been to a dentinst in YEARS, (we're talking at least 10 here, probably many more) and as a result, his teeth are in pretty bad shape. The reason he won't go,(we feel) is that he has some deep seeded fear of pain, or maybe dentists in general.
We've been hearing about (ads on the radio and such) sedation dentistry, where they knock you out and do the work, just as if you were having your wisdom teeth pulled, and reccomended that he go and do that, but here's the thing...

He claims that he cant have novacaine and that he can't be sedated because he has a heart arythmia. Doesn't novacaine work by all the sodium (or is it potassium) ions blocking the transmision of nerve signals? If so, how would a heart arythmia be affected by it.
I also don't know if this is a legitimate reason for not being sedated. Is it? And if it is, are there any altenatives? Dental science has come a long way even in the last 20 years, and there has to be something that can put him at ease about going to see a dentist.
By the way, if and when he does go, he'll probably need major and extensive work, that is if he doesn't need to have most of his teeth pulled and get dentures. He's 45.

01-26-2004, 01:51 PM	#144 (permalink)
scansinboy Insane Location: Milwaukee	This is for my girlfriends father: He hasn't been to a dentinst in YEARS, (we're talking at least 10 here, probably many more) and as a result, his teeth are in pretty bad shape. The reason he won't go,(we feel) is that he has some deep seeded fear of pain, or maybe dentists in general. We've been hearing about (ads on the radio and such) sedation dentistry, where they knock you out and do the work, just as if you were having your wisdom teeth pulled, and reccomended that he go and do that, but here's the thing... He claims that he cant have novacaine and that he can't be sedated because he has a heart arythmia. Doesn't novacaine work by all the sodium (or is it potassium) ions blocking the transmision of nerve signals? If so, how would a heart arythmia be affected by it. I also don't know if this is a legitimate reason for not being sedated. Is it? And if it is, are there any altenatives? Dental science has come a long way even in the last 20 years, and there has to be something that can put him at ease about going to see a dentist. By the way, if and when he does go, he'll probably need major and extensive work, that is if he doesn't need to have most of his teeth pulled and get dentures. He's 45. __________________ Don't blame me... I voted for Kodos! Last edited by scansinboy; 01-26-2004 at 01:57 PM..