Watching injections makes me cringe...

[babytomato]

Fellow pre-dent here,

There are many things I find interesting while shadowing, but injections are not one of them. I can handle watching one, but it makes me uncomfortable and I'm not sure if I can actually handle doing it myself. Obviously I don't like needles -- in fact I'd say they're my number one fear. Did anyone else have this issue and if so, it is possible to get accustomed to it after practicing it in dental school?

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[A-5_Guy]

I'd probably find a way to get over that aversion. You're going to need that skill as a dentist when you poke at CN V. Maybe get the dentist to explain why and what he's doing? Sometimes knowing the method to the madness makes it all come together.

 

[deleted678432]

Its just a very thin edged piece of metal pressing against cells and blocking their sodium channels

 

[mk04447]

Go all natural. It's the in thing. I can see the commercial already, "Real men get their teeth fixed with a shot of whiskey".

 

[321931]

Blood and extractions used to make me cringe. Now I don't even care if my entire glove is soaked in blood and I have to dig my fingers in to catch that root tip. You will get used to it. It's part of the job.

 

[2TH MVR]

Consider being an Orthodontist.

 

[Frychicken]

It's more fun when you're the one inflicting the pain.

 

[Vicviper]

Trust me, you get used to it - don't stress

 

[babytomato]

Thank you, guys! That's reassuring

 

[BluntForceTrauma]

I used to be so afraid of needles (stemming from an extended stay in a hospital as a child). I couldn't watch injections without getting light headed, let alone have them done on me. Then I got a job in an ER where I saw a lot of carnage and flesh, not to mention IVs, local injections, etc. This all before shadowing a dentist. I had to get so many titers, shots, tests done on myself to be able to work at the hospital that I got super desensitized and now you can come at me with a 7 gauge and I don't even flinch (ok, maybe a little bit for that size).

TL;DR More exposure, more comfortable you'll get, easier it becomes til you don't even think about it.

 

[Greyangel6]

I went from not being scared to being scared to being more cautious haha (stab lab, needle stick with classmate) Now I'm cautious because I'm looking out for No.1

 

[RNtoOTinMN]

For me, being exposed and having to deal with my fear over and over again has helped. I have an intense fear of vomit. If my sister had the GI flu when I was young I would hole up in the basement and not talk to her until she was 100% better. I'd stay home from school if my stomach felt even a little funny and once plastered myself to the van door because my sister was about to puke and my dad wouldn't let me out. It was BAD so... I became a nurse. Now, I can watch you puke, rub your back, clean it off your shirt, study the contents, and then go eat lunch. Don't let your fear hold you back, maybe consider working as a phlebotomist for exposure.

 

[ncide]

You'll get desensitized to it. Injections are nothing compared to what others in our field do. Take a look at this hemimaxillectomy done by an oral surgeon.

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