Dental anxiety, sedation, extraction, other health issues

[Alexis Bailey]

Hello, I am having a bit of a problem and hope somebody can offer some advice. First thing I should probably admit is I hate dentists. I have full blown panic attacks just thinking about going to the dentist. On Monday, one of my molars started crumbling. I have some jaw pain near that tooth. I have state insurance (medicaid) and do have dental coverage. I know I will require some form of sedation. I called every dentist in my area covered by insurance and none of them offer any soft of sedation (wont even write a script for one anti-anxiety med ahead of time). My husband made an appt yesterday with one of those sedation dentistry places with free consultations. After bawling my eyes out in the exam room, the dentist said I needed either a root canal or extraction but because I takeother medications for non related health issues (muscle relaxer, nerve pain med, narcotic pain medication, and sleep aid), he would not be able to give me the amount of sedation required. The dentist recommended a see an oral surgeon. I did some more research and I think I would be okay with a strong anxiety med before hand and some nitrous.

Well guess what, my insurance doesnt pay for any kind of sedation. From my research online, it looks like oral sedation is around $400 and nitrous averages $100-200. I had a thought that maybe I could call my doctor and ask if he would write a script for one anti-anxiety pill (he has done is before any procedures he performs). Has anybody ever tried asking their doctor for something to easy dental problems? Would a dentist even treat me if I said I got meds from my doctor since the profit margin on oral sedatives is so high? Has anybody been in this position, not being able to find a dentist to sedate you due to other meds you take?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to any advice.

 

[LADentalclinic]

I'm not sure why a dentist would refuse to treat you because you received anti-anxiety medication from another doctor. Dentists don't make money from prescriptions. Pharmacies and drug companies do. Checking prices online is not always reliable. Prices can vary greatly from region to region. You may be able to get a more accurate estimate by calling the clinics that you're considering. You also might want to have a complete exam done first if you haven't already done so. If you need any other teeth extracted it would be better to have them taken care of at the same time so you only have to pay for sedation once.