I am so scared of the dentist, I am ok for check up's but as soon as work needs to be done, then it's nightmare for me.

I need a root canal and bridge on a wisdom tooth. In the past I have had I V sedation, I am fine with this but, it costs lots n lots of $. My dentist now offers sedation by taking a pill, apparently it also helps with gag reflex as well. Has any one tried this method? How did it work for you?

Using your 'full wine glass' as inspiration, may I suggest getting pissed and passing out in the chair might be an option....

I prefer not too, the last time I needed work, the dental assistant tried to work on the wrong side of my mouth and would have had I not stopped her

She was on the inside? Sounds fun.

Maybe your first option is to get a second opinion. Some dentists have been known to suggest treatment that may not be absolutely necessary.

it felt like my mouth was open wide enough for her to be haha

I heard that too. I really trust this guy, he put a small camera in my mouth that showed on a overhead screen, that the tooth had a large crack down it. It's one that I have had a lot of problems with over the years.

What type of pill?

I hate going to the dentist...although I haven't had a root canal...I have crowns and a bridge. It really didn't hurt...nothing to worry about. My dentist wanted to extract a broken wisdom tooth...I was too scared so I had it crowned instead.

I recommend getting the general anesthetic and having someone pick you up after. If you‘re queasy about routine dental work you don‘t want to have a root canal with just freezing. Once I got good and drunk after having a wisdom tooth out and it thinned my blood enough I was swallowing my blood in my sleep and had to get up in the middle of the night and puke up a blood clot the size of a cat. So don‘t get drunk, now go have your supper.

Do they still do that for dental work? They don't use it for most minor surgeries in hospitals now...IV sedation is used. It is much safer and recovery is much quicker.

They might not - it was ages ago when that happened but I still call it a ‘general‘ when they knock me out. The 3 operations I‘ve had in the past 3 years were all done using IV.

I work in mental health and it's common for our clients to take 0.5 - 1.0mg of Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 hour before dental work. Ask your dentists what he is prescribing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorazepam

I've been prescribed Valium...to be taken 1 hr prior to minor surgeries.

I think they do. I'm also rather distrustful of dentists, not terrified as much as contemptuous. I went to one about a year ago (first time for decades) and the bastard used a local containing adrenalin, to which I had a bad reaction. My blood pressure went through the roof and they had to call paramedics to the dentistry. Nice.

Incompetent bastard.

But back on topic. He later recommended nitrous oxide, so I told him to f*** off.

I need so much work done it's not even funny, and due to my own fears I keep putting it off. This is not just normal fear it's crippling, sick making, hyperventilating type stuff - and thats when they ask you to open your mouth just to put that little mirror in.

I have to warn both dentist and assistant that if they even touch my teeth with anything without putting me out cold I am likely to assult them (and thats not a story thats a very likely thing to happen).

So I would be really interested to hear how this sedative works (though mine would be needed for a check up!)