My Tips for going to the Dentist
This article is about how I’ve managed to access brilliant, safe and (almost affordable) dental care over the last decade or so; it’s also written for those having difficulty accessing dental care. Perhaps, like a friend of mine, you’re about to facilitate an appointment with a new dentist and have hesitations? If it’s an art to master fragrance free accommodations via communication, planing and experience, I’m here to share my ‘How to’ master list with you.
For those of you who don’t know: Fragrance can be a barrier to accessing basic services. If a patient gets too sick from exposures, it’s not uncommon for them to go without treatment of take drastic measures into their own hands.
Think about it, someone is in need of medical attention and cannot access it without getting more sick? Sometimes, even worsening the condition. Why are there no rules or guidelines for people like us? (Oh, wait we do have guidelines? Check them out here.) We also have the hospital guidelines but are they enough? (You can check those out here.) No. Not if we have to manage our own admissions and visits, they’re not.
Labyrinth Press does keep a public Australian doctors list, and a Global list: now, with Dr Sternson’s permission’s and my wonderful Maxiofacial surgeon’s both have now been added to the ‘Doctors, Dentists and Practitioner’s list: the Listly Doctors’ List.
The service and care taken in regards to chemical sensitivity and mould has been outstanding. I’ve had teeth taken out and implants placed in without having to go under but with no pain. Lovely nurses too. I don’t mind holding nurse Tiki’s hand while listening to the good doctor drilling into my jaw. And then all the blood is sucked away as the wound is rinsed with saline water, and only saline.
A Collective Note from us:
Dear Dentists: if you work in dentistry and you’re reading this, please read this with an open mind and an open heart. Listen to your patients if they say they’re sensitive or have allergies to chemicals; do your best to accommodate them just like you would if they were a patient in a wheelchair or with another physical impediment. Otherwise they will go elsewhere even though you just breached the Access to Goods and Services for Disability guidelines!
For patients who have a chronic illness that includes chemical sensitivity to various chemical irritants, please be assured that there are dentists willing to work with you and your allergies and sensitivities, it’s just a matter of finding them. If someone is ignorant enough to fail to understand the accommodations you need, do you really trust them working with your teeth?
Sure, you’ve got the Human Rights Access to Buildings and Services guidelines, always handy to take along to visits, giving to practitioners who are not aware that fragrance can be a barrier to many essential services. but what other tools are in our toolkits?
You see, back in 2005, after reading Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: a survival guide I guess I looked at the process as giving the dentist an interview. To see if they were up to the job of working on my teeth and accomodating my situation with the chemical sensitivities.
It’s good to know what works for you and make a list of that. And maybe more importantly what doesn’t work. If you’re very sensitive to mould or chemicals you or your carer are better off ringing from home to ask if the building is water damaged or they have fragrance emitting devices, the burning of ‘natural’ essential oils or fragrance in the toilets. And find out if they are willing to go fragrance free for the patient. Add to your list other requirements like wheelchair access or oxygen use or even tell them if you wear a mask (as that can help people grasp the gravity of the situation).
It’s often good to point out that IT’s THE CHEMICALS NOT THE ACTUAL SMELL THAT IS THE PROBLEM HERE.
If they try to wriggle out just offer a doctors letter of tell them you have a disability; but most won’t ask as this condition is getting more common, sadly, in my opinion.
(The building my dentist is in has automatic air fresher spray in the toilets on the same floor but staff have been nice enough to direct me to toilets on another floor that doesn’t have them. Otherwise the fragrance is sprayed all over my clothes and ruins the excitement of visiting Haigh’s Chocolates after my appointment! I always take a change of clothes and keep baby wipes in the car for this reason as it can happen anywhere these days!)
As I’m ageing towards the end of life, I’m finding dental implants work best (and are cheaper if you rip your tooth out and only do that instead of saving the tooth with a hundred procedures then loose that same tooth! And, for me, root canals or infected teeth really do interfere with my health, also related to the amount of chemical exposure and duration of it. (And MaCRONS, which I’ll save for another post) As well, my doctors and I can link it to my CIRS and I have found low dose antibiotics help but I’m off them for now except as a precaution with dentistry procedures. (I cant take heavy antibiotics as it’s like a chemical exposure. So gross.)
The following is some of what worked for me (including all the Material and Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all drugs, chemicals and other substances used in my mouth during my last visit). Some of these products may make a good starting point for discussion with your dentist when deciding on what to use.
Please note: All products (MSDS shown in part II) that had a solvent or petrochemical base where used outside in a separate room and only placed in my mouth once nearly dry. We had the air-conditioning on high. The room is not water damaged (no water leak stains on the ceiling). The staff working on me were fragrance-free. And have I told you it’s next to Haigh’s Chocolate Shop?
More coming next week in Part II of ‘Going to the Dentist with MCS and CIRS’
eremophila says
5 August, 2019 at 6:03 pmI’m looking forward to seeing more on this, being one of those who keeps putting off the visit to a dentist.
Michellina van Loder says
23 August, 2019 at 9:06 amThanks, i’ll try to get my part 2 up soon 🙂