Am I overreacting?

[panago]

For preface, I live in Canada (I think this matters to the story).

I lived in the UK for several years during which I did not really go to the dentist unless I absolutely needed to BECAUSE I have a jaw issue (I don't know the name but basically one side of my jaw is nearly bone to bone with little cartilage--it used to get stuck shut and I had to have a lot of treatment to get it to where it is today). One of the only experiences I had at the dentist was them completely ignoring my jaw issue and making me keep my mouth open too wide for too long. Result? Lock jaw.

So when we moved to Canada and got insurance (the other half of the reason I didn't go in the uk), I got a dentist. I explained during the initial appointment (and several times when a treatment plan was discussed) that I have this jaw issue.

I'm nervous and therefore require sedation which is done via pill in the office. First treatment was great, I was fully sedated and remember nothing. Appointment was short as we were breaking up treatments.

I went yesterday for my second appointment. After they administered the med they told me they were going to finish my mouth (think 3 treatment session combined into 1). I told them the sedation wasn't taking effect twice (one receptionist, once hygienist). Both times I was told they would tell the dentist. Nothing happened. I mentioned to the dentist and he said it was fine and I would "get more sedated as time passed" (it had already been an hour). Started treatment anyway which I remember every detail of. In total, my mouth was wide open for 2.5 hours. No one listened to me when I said it hurt, when I moved, raised my hand, etc.
The aftermath is an extremely sore jaw and limited ability to open my mouth without pain.

When I emailed the dentist to let them know my concern I was given the "we have passed your email on to our practice manager and sorry you feel you weren't listened to ". I feel like finding a new dentist for any future treatment.
Am I overreacting or should that not have happened?

That shouldn't have happened.

The Dentist fobbed you off and carried on, that bad practice.

Would you change dentists or allow them to rectify (not sure how this would happen as what's done is done)?

That's sounds awful. Sorry you had to go through that. There is another thread somewhere about not being listened to by medical professionals.

I feel quite strongly that if you say something isn't right, you should be listened to.

With regards to letting them rectify their mistake, it depends if you feel confident that it wouldn't happen again. I certainly wouldn't see the same dentist if this happened to me.

That sounds very unpleasant but I don't understand why you allowed it to happen. Couldn't you have spoken to the dentist directly or insisted they stop as time went on? Possibly your objections were so polite that the staff didn't understand the level of your discomfort.

I wasn't in pain. I just was not sedated and not comfortable (neck positions wrong). The pain was AFTER the procedure (jaw and tooth from placement of bite block). This pain could have been prevented. As an already nervous patient I feel traumatized.

Sorry, I'm not sure I am totally following. Presumably if you had been fully sedated your mouth would still have been wide open / neck at an odd angle and have caused you pain afterwards? I'm not sure anyone can have their mouth open for hours without some aching afterwards. Saying that's "traumatising" is pretty strong.

If I had been fully sedated I would have been much more relaxed. No, it will not have made a difference to jaw pain. @JeanPagett perhaps "traumatized" is a strong word for you, but for someone who already struggles with dental phobia it is very real for me.

Not being listened to by people you're putting complete trust in (usually in a medical situation) is very upsetting. I don't think you're overreacting at all. There are different levels of trauma and if that's how you feel then no-one should dispute that.

I would definitely change dentists. It doesn't have to be a horrible experience. I'm sure there will be one you'll feel comfortable with and will listen properly to their patients.
Surely that's the first thing a decent medical pro should be good at. Good luck.

This sounds like it was very distressing for you and I'm not trying to minimise that. My point was just that an aching jaw and neck after lengthy dental work is fairly common and you could have advocated for yourself more firmly regarding the level of sedation. Feeling traumatised by those two issues is, I think, a fairly unusual response.

The question you've asked in this thread is if you're overreacting and to be honest I do think the degree of upset you are feeling over this is slightly disproportionate.

You could have advocated for yourself more firmly regarding the level of sedation

How, exactly?! I asked twice and was told no. Twice. The rest of the 2.5 hours I was unable to speak because my mouth was being worked on with no breaks and no other opportunities.

This is the problem with doctors who don't listen. It's always the patients fault for not advocating more. I feel I advocated as much as I could given the situation. The only other thing I could have done was leave but I had no ride (I had sedation so didn't and couldn't drive)!

I have no jaw issues and no dentist issues and l would find having my mouth open that long very difficult. It sounds a wierd thing for a dentist to do. My dentist nearly overdos the..give you a break/ are you sure youre ok thing when all l want is get on with it and get it over with.
Maybe a dentist here would say if keeping a patient in the chair for 2.5 hours is extreme..sounds bad to me.

Definitely look for a new dentist. Ask family and friends for referrals. I once had a root canal (also in Canada) and the dentist drilled into my sinus cavity and caused major damage. Over 20 years of pain and problems resulting in hospital treatment from an Oral Pathologist and a Neurologist. I never went back to that dentist. It took serveral attempts to find a decent dentist, but once I did it was well worth it. You definitely need someone who will listen to you and take your concerns seriously. Good luck.