I have a confession to make.
I... think I am addicted to nitrous oxide or laughing gas. I'm addicted to being put to sleep. My addiction may become a problem.
My left molar had a crack back a year ago and I waited this long to finally get a root canal after experiencing painful sensations. I am very nervous when it comes to dental procedures just because I have been to dentists and dental offices that left me in pain and horror. I got my first painful wisdom tooth removed under IV sedation which knocked me out cold and I paid $1200 cash for it which was worth every penny because I have no memories whatsoever of it. I was in and I was out. That was what it seemed like and I was in no pain whatsoever even during healing session. But the day after my root canal treatment exam my lower left wisdom tooth was giving me so much pain I was not able to sleep and no matter what pain medications I took or how many I took nothing helped so I went into a different dental clinic to get it removed.
What I like about that clinic is the fact that they were willing to pull my tooth on my first visit so I did not have to keep making multiple appointments for every little thing. When I got there, the doctor said he can do multiple things on just that one visit which I got a basic cleaning (tar tar removal), fillings for my cavities, and my wisdom tooth extraction. And must I say, cavity fillings hurt so much!!!! Even after receiving numbing shots, it still hurted so bad in some places. What I hated about this clinic is the fact that the dentist told me to just hold on for a bit when he was doing my cavities. To just hold in the pain. It was extremely painful and that was what I was most scared about--- being ignored when I am in pain. The wisdom tooth removal was quick and painless though because I was so scared I asked for another shot of those numbing medications. It was less than a minute and painless compared to cavity fillings.
Now, back onto my addiction and confession. I got my root canal treatment done this morning at 10am. When I went in for my consultation, I made it clear that I needed help for anxiety. I have a severe fear of any dental procedure just because my teeth are so sensitive. The nurse reassured me that I will get laughing gas to calm my nerves. Fast forward to a month which is today. I walked into the lobby extremely nervous and was afraid I was going to still feel all the pain.
I got hooked up to the gas which had a piece that went inside my right nostril and blew the nitrous oxide in. I started feeling whoozy and got a little scared because I was not sure on how I was suppose to feel. My legs and arms started to feel a bit numb but I remember during my consultation, the nurse said if I felt numb they would turn down the gas and I absolutely did not want that. I wanted more so I could forget everything. I started to drift off into my own world as I was inhaling more of the gas. The nurse then started to put lidocaine gel on my gums to get it number before the doctor came in to give me shots to numb my nerves. When he came in and talked to me all I could do was nod yes or no because I was slurring my words already when I was responding to the nurse. He proceeded to give me shots at the back of my mouth and I felt a slight pinch only as the nurse had previously said so too, like a mosquito bite. And she didn't lie. He gave me about 4? Shots or so because my mouth was numb and I was really high off the medication it was hard for me to concentrate on counting. I felt pressure but no pain. After about a minute or so he started putting these things in my mouth to hold it open and to block everything else but the tooth. I didn't care anymore at this point because I was so relaxed. Some patient had called so he stepped out for a few minutes to take the call and I was still high on the medication that I did not care much either. By the way, my eyes were closed the entire time. If I opened them I would see the instruments that he used so I chose to close my eyes and not see it.
He came back in and asked me to lean towards him more which I did and he proceeded to go in and continue the procedure. I felt slight very very slight coldness/pain like a 0.5 out of a scale of 10. I was considering telling him but I figured I can just hold in the pain because it was so slight. So the pain lasted about... a minute at max and I believe that was when the medication completely numbed my nerve and gums. The rest of the procedure went extremely smooth. I was in my own world thinking ALL sorts of thoughts. The entire thing took about 1.5 hours but to me it felt like 10 minutes. I was extremely sad when it was done because I was brought back to reality when the nurse turned off the gas and just gave mr straight oxygen. I felt so many different emotions I have never felt in my life before during that 1.5 hours. My body was very calm, my heart rate was very slow, and I thought about all sorts of things. The room felt like it was spinning at a comfortable speed going clockwise. At one point I panicked a little and thought about how I was not fully breathing in the nitrous oxide because I was breathing through my mouth. Then realized I was trolling myself. Then at another point, I completely blocked out the conversation between the doctor and nurse and thought about the moment before death. Since my heart was beating very slowly, and I was only faintly hearing their voices I thought about how this must be how people in comas and right before death feels like. To hear people talk but not being able to respond. To feel so light and calm and relax and ready for death. Wow.
Crazy, but I was happy. To feel all those emotions and to think and be so calm in my life for once. It is crazy. So I think my body and mind is craving for that sensation again. I would do it again. I got over my fear of root canals and now I know I can always do any dental procedure as long as I can be that calm. I still find it unbelievable to feel that peaceful and relax in my life. It was amazing and painless.
Of course, all thanks to that dentist and nurse. That's all.
XOXOMNT
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