Hi, As usual I didn't do a very good job of explaining myself. What I should have said is that I have dental phobia but that is not what is keeping me from going to the dentist. What is keeping me from the "chair" are the other neurological problems in which 100+ times a day I get this feeling in my esophagus/throat like I am going to gag, it is very disturbing when this happens and I have to fight to prevent myself from gagging over and over. Can you imagine sitting in the dental chair feelng like this?

Actually the phobia has helped me to get good dental care because I want to keep my mouth in as good shape as possible and therefore have been obsessive about getting my teeth cleaned and checked every 6 months and have taken care of every problem before it gets big. This is the first time in my adult life I've missed dental cleanings.

Regarding the salt - this is under a doctor's direction due to my vertigo problems. The idea is to keep fluid to a minimum in my inner ear (assuming I have Meniere's). I have wondered if I may be overdoing it with both the low sodium and diuretic but the combination of that and the gluten free diet seems to be working and I pray it continues to do so because having a severe hours long vertigo attack is a horrible experience that I would wish on no one.

Hi AppleTree,

Thank you for clarifying your concerns about being in the dental chair. Dental phobia is most often referred to when people have a fear of dentistry and of receiving dentistry. So if I understand you correctly, your fear is not about that, it is a general fear of gagging irrelevant of where you are or what you are doing.

Regarding your dental health, the dental symptoms you are having are commonly seen with root canaled teeth and indicative of a bacterial infection. If that is the case, then as long as that tooth is present the infection will continue to thrive and spread. If this concerns you and you already have a dentist you are comfortable with, then perhaps it would behoove you to make an appointment. Here is an article written by a dentist who shares his means of dealing with patients who have a strong gag reflex.

http://www.dentaleconomics.com/artic...t-gagging.html

Regarding the vertigo, I have endured episodes of vertigo and can appreciate how debilitating that can be. What I found out after working with an Integrative practitioner is that I was depriving myself of salt unwisely thinking it was healthier to limit my intake. When I educated myself on the importance of consuming salt and the differences between table salt and unrefined salt, I realized the health benefits that I was missing by not using the healthier salt. I increased my salt intake using pure pink Himalayan salt and my vertigo subsided.

When someone is low in serum sodium, they will end up with an electrolyte imbalance. This can cause a variety of symptoms depending on the severity of it ...but 2 of those symptoms are vertigo/dizziness and involuntary gag reflex or vomiting. A true sodium deficiency is called Hyponatremia.

I'm just offering you information that I hope is helpful to you.

Bryanna thank you for taking the time to reply with all your info, especially the link of gagging in the dental chair. It was great to read that there actually are dentists out there who are willing to work with the patient and help them. I'll have to pass that along to some of my friends who are "gaggers."

Re my dental phobia. I have always had dental phobia and as a teen stayed away as much as my parents let me. I grew up without floridated water and as a child had lots of work done and lots of big fillings, most of it without novacaine. Then in my early 20's I realized the best thing I can do is get there regularly and get problems taken care while they are small. Thus I began 6 month schedule that I never strayed from until recetly (and valium has helped). A good part of my dental phobia revolves around that of lying flat back with my head lower than my feet and having water dribble down my throat and the fear of gagging (I have terrible emetophobia). My mouth is tiny I'm told over and over and I have a terrible time with impressions and the newer digital xrays.

My recent problem with the dentist however, while still that of a fear of gagging is entirely different. The above gagging is from specific large things being stuck in my mouth, such as an impression, or a big digital xray. That I am still afraid of but now I have the additional problem of having this unnamed neuro disorder which causes a feeling of gagging from my esophagus to throat. This happens spontaneously over and over all day long and has nothing at all to do with dental impressions. When it happens I need to stand up straight, thump on my chest a little (kind of like burping a baby) and it ends with a hiccup, which can be loud, all the while feeling llike I will gag. Do you see why this can be difficult in a dental chair? This whole problem whatever it is, has been so distubing and disrupting to my entire life.

So I really have a two fold problem, the initial dental phobia which I have always had and this newer problem which makes the initial one that much worse.

So, that's my story . . . . . I did make an appt today and am seeing the dentist next week. I am not happy with this dentist. About 3 years ago I switched to one that was superb, the best dentist I have ever been to in so many ways, and he could even work with me in a semi upright position which was a big plus. But then he left to bigger and better places so now I am seeing his partner who is nowhere near as good.

I get my sodium and other electrolytes checked every 6 months and they are always fine, never a problem, sodium is right there in the middle of the range. So I think I'm okay with my low sodium diet. My vertigo started before the low sodium so I don't think that is what is causing it.

AppleTree,

Okay, well I'm glad you found the article about the gagging in the dental chair helpful. It sounds like you're convinced that you have a neurological disorder causing the gagging. I really hope someone is able to help you with that so it eases up. I also hope your dental appointment goes okay next week.

All the best to you! Have a nice holiday

Just an update - I saw the dentist today. He took an xray and poked around in there. He couldn't find anthing wrong, said the xray was fine, compared it to the one from 3 years ago and there was no change. He said I needed a cleaning which I expected him to say as it has been 18 months. I scheduled that for later this month. I'm not real confident that will clear up the horrible taste/order but hope it does despite my negativity about it

AppleTree,

Thanks for the update. If you suspect that your dental problem is associated with the root canaled tooth and not just plaque related, perhaps this transcript between a dentist and a physician will offer you some insight.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...nal-teeth.aspx

I had my cleaning today. My regular dentist was out so I saw his partner. He spent much more time poking around in the lower right quadrant and could find nothing wrong, no inflammation, draining, oozing. I've spent the last week super cleaning that area, using those little brushes that go between the teeth, rinsing with hydrogen peroxide, etc. The bad odor has definitely decreased I'm glad to say. Whether it's from the old root canal or something else, who knows? At this point I'm not willing to extract the tooth (as well as my 4 other rc'd teeth) because no denstist can give me any good reason to do so. I talked with the dentist and hygienist a bit about root canals and how safe are they. He told me there is no scientific proof that they cause all these diseases people say they do and the mouth is teeming with bacteria. He said I definitely don't want to go the implant route, that has more problems of its own. We're keeping a watch on the area and if the oder comes back stronger instead of diminishing as it is we'll do the next step.

I'm familiar with the work of Dr. Mercola and quite honestly, as I'm sure you know, his reputation isn't too great in the medical world, in fact most consider him a quack. Even the FDA has been after him for varioius things. All articles I can find about the dangers of root canals go back to the denist in the 1920's who took a woman's root canal and implanted in the back of a rabbit, the rabbit died. (Incidentally the woman also died a week later.) No current scientic data is out there to prove root canals are dangerous. If you were going to have open heart surgery would you use a doctor who is up to date with current surgical techniques or would you look for one who bases everything on studies from 100 years ago?