How do you get through a long dentist appointment?

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Two fillings and an extraction, so I'll be in that chair for a while!

I have a relaxation technique in my head but otherwise, I'll just be sat there. I'm a pretty nervous patient but I know I need the work done and will feel better afterwards.

Google is saying to bring ear buds and listen to something or play word games in my head.

What have you done??

Damn I am booked in for one on 30 January. I thought today was bad enough

Yep. In July I had a triple on one tooth, took 2hrs10 and cost 800 quid!! Still lost the tooth in the end (xmas eve!)... which grates a little.

I had a wisdom tooth out last month, 5 minutes in the chair max.

Two fillings today and both of them combined took less than 5 minutes, I couldn’t believe it!

Hopefully it will be as quick for you x

I’ve had several hour long appointments and I take headphones and listen to music or a podcast and try to zone out.

also useful to apply (& take) plenty of lip balm as I find my lips get dry and then can crack which just adds insult to injury!

Hope it goes ok for you x

In ear headphones and an audio book or podcast that I'm really interested in. I wish I'd asked someone to drive me to and more importantly, home, from my root canal. It's only dawning on me (aged 52) that I down play my own needs especially medical and just crack on but it could be so much easier to have some support.

To be frank, I just enjoy being in the dentist's chair where it's toasty warm and no-one from work can reach me or bother me. I just close my eyes and enjoy the 'me time' when I don't feel guilty for doing absolutely nothing except having a lie down!

This is not a response I expected! A very positive take, though!

I've got a huge tongue so I spend the entire time making sure I've got it tightly jammed out of the way. Ever since I saw a video of tongues chasing the dentist's fingers around, I can't countenance the idea of my whacking great tongue unconsciously getting a good lick.

So that takes up all my concentration!

I don’t remember my root canal taking too long as it was done in stages.

Rest easy afterwards - I always feel burnt out after treatments so try to have a relaxing evening if you can.

I'm not sure how long an average one is but it was things like not being able to find the root, and it being very very delicate. One of my teeth, the bone had eroded all round it as well. Can't remember what else but it was stuff going on as it happened, unexpected things. He only realised the second tooth needed done by working on the first one (which was right beside it). Really rough time and I'm glad it's over.

My 8 hrs were spent being worked on by an endodontist. He still was going to refer me on to a further specialist after, but fingers crossed it won't be needed.

I had an abscess which had to be drained a couple of weeks after giving birth - I didn't have any anaesthetic as I was BF, but I still nearly fell asleep because it was sooo nice to lie back and relax to the sound dentist I had at the time talking - he had a gift of talking in a pleasant, interesting way.

26 years later I've finally got to have that tooth out in a couple of weeks. Different, less chatty dentist but I don't think I need anything other than maybe focus on breathing

Mine will put anything you like on the TV and will suggest Friends if you don’t know what you want to watch - I suppose it’s inoffensive and will keep you distracted!

My longest appointment was root canal work and an extraction in the same appointment, but the dentist got called away in the middle of it, so it ended up being almost three hours all up.

Twice now during really long appointments I’ve had to get up and go to the toilet. The dentist usually tells you where they’re up to, so that you know when a good time to tell them that you need a break is. But make sure you know where the toilet is in advance, so that you don’t have to go looking for it or ask someone!

I have the first of 4 long appointments tomorrow as well. I need 7 fillings and a root canal 😟🥴. I’m trying to tell
myself it will be a break from my small children but I’m not convinced. Will take headphones and hope for the best but I’m extremely nervous too.

My dentist has a TV mounted on the ceiling for patients to watch. He plays compilations of old cartoon shorts on there — things like Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, that kind of thing, where you don't need the sound. I wish more dentists did that — it's good to have the option of something visual to focus on. I wonder if he'd let you play something of your choice on there, if you were having a long planned procedure.

Usually just suffer it and panic about swallowing 😬 always made it through though 🤣

I mentally walk myself through buildings - like houses I’ve lived in or schools have been to. Interestingly, there was a thing on the radio about research showing that nostalgia is a good pain reliever - although I hadn’t heard this when I started doing it.

Good luck! I'll be thinking of you!

A TV would be a good option for some but when day time shows are playing in hospital waiting rooms it makes me 100x more nervous for some reason. I can’t concentrate listing to my headphones either in these situations so find just relaxing in the quiet helps me the most.

I had a root canal, and that took about 2 hours. I had to have a rubber block put in towards the back of my mouth to rest my jaw on... because my jaw was wobbling due to keeping it open for so long.

Since the only person who can see it is the person in the chair, my dentist leaves it entirely up to the patient whether the TV is switched on or not. I agree, though, compulsory line-of-sight Loose Women combined with dental work would be some kind of Clockwork Orange style torture.

Me too! I used to hate it but then I had a child that never slept and I was able to doze away at the dentists. I went from being a nervous patient to a comfortable one. Now I just think of nothing and if it's very uncomfortable I breathe and count either a 4 in 8 out or box breathing.

I had a really bad fear of going to the dentist, didn’t go for over 15 years after having several fillings when I was younger. After being in considerable pain for years and my teeth being in an absolute state, I made an appointment. At that point I needed 8 fillings including between and behind my upper front teeth. I was open about my panic now that they don’t routinely offer sedation. All got done with me wearing one earphone listening to my favourite band. They've since drilled all stains away from my upper front teeth and filled the broken bottoms of them in with composite as well as drilling away awful decay on my back teeth, filling in where they can on my lower front teeth with composite because my lip piercings had caused severe erosion and it was very sensitive. Even sorted out a mouth guard to stop me grinding my teeth and breaking them further. All on the NHS. I’m very lucky. This brilliant dental practice has been beyond amazing helping me, even staying after hours.

I used to listen to music or podcasts because I was a terrible nervous patient
My dentist nearly fell over when I voluntarily asked for cosmetic bonding AND turned up with no headphones
They do have music playing and tend to chat which helps and will say "just this bit now/5 mins and you can rinse"

I take a diazapam 2 hours before my appointment and listen to my "long run" play list while "running" one of the routes in my head.

I remember a dentist saying - quite crossly 😁 - that major dental work - extractions, root canals etc are surgical procedures and it made him angry when some of his patients told him they were expected back at work the same day because they never would be for other minor ops.