I am kind of embarrassed. I think I ruined my dental appointment. I’ve been avoiding the dentist, so he called me to ask what the problem was. I told him I’ve been having some anxiety issues. He suggested sedation dentistry. I agreed and felt pretty comfortable. My appointment was scheduled for two. He told me not to eat. I thought I’d be fine, but around 10 I got super hungry.  I just had a candy bar and was sure it would be out of my tummy by my appointment. But, when I got the sedation, I vomited. I was too embarrassed to tell my dentist I ate. He rescheduled.  Do you think it was the eating or something else?

Loriee E. – Denver

Loriee,

It was likely the sedation that’s a problem. The medicine makes you a little woozy. When you add food to that, you’re just asking to vomit.  Many dentists won’t treat you if they know you’ve eaten because they worry about aspiration.

You’ll like sedation once it’s done with an empty stomach. It will completely change how you feel about dentistry.

If you have a high metabolism and it’s hard for you to go a long time without eating, you may tell them it’s important to schedule you in the morning.

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