Metal Mouth Message Board

I've gotten impressions twice before, and due to my awful gag reflex, both times were fairly traumatizing. They gave me that spray to numb the back of my throat, but still, I gagged. I'm getting double jaw surgery in about a month and a half, so I have to go back for impressions, yet again, in about a week. Can anyone offer me tips for surviving impressions? Thanks

Isn't that just the worst bit of it all? Once the stuff is in my mouth, I get my ortho to sit me up straight away. I find that this helps tremendously, coupled with keeping my eyes closed and concentrating on my breathing or counting. It helps me so I hope it helps you too.

Good Luck, I can fully sympathise.

Julie

Isn't that just the worst bit of it all? Once the stuff is in my mouth, I get my ortho to sit me up straight away. I find that this helps tremendously, coupled with keeping my eyes closed and concentrating on my breathing or counting. It helps me so I hope it helps you too.

Good Luck, I can fully sympathise.

Julie

I can only tell you what worked for me. When I went for impressions I told the assistants about my exterme gagging reflex. What they did was once they placed the impressions in place they continnually flikked at my ears, I was so totally engulfed in them playing with my ears I totally forgot about my gag reflex. The first thing you know I was done!

Ugh! Impressions are one of the most difficult parts of the process. I have a very small mouth combined with the fact that for some reason I can't breathe with my nose while my mouth is open, which only makes my gag reflex that much more sensitive. This last time I had impressions done they used a flat plastic tray like device and a lot of vasoline around my mouth and shockingly enough I didn't have any problems. I think I also got lucky because I was sitting completely upright when the procedure was done making it easier to breathe. You might want to ask if you can sit up or even stand up (I find that it makes breathing easier and you feel more in control... silly, I know).

.......once they placed the impressions in place they continnually flikked at my ears,

How funny! I guess anything that takes your mind of it is worth a go. They'd certainly never miss my big ears.

Yeah, this part is horrible... When they took the impression of my teeth, I had no idea of what they were going to do and almost vomitted... I had to keep breathing really loud ...

how are the impressions made nowadays?
My last ones we made in 1986 and it was quite easy. Somekind of light blue stuff on a tray. Tray in, bite, tray out.

I know this is going to sound a little weird, but before I had my impression for my retainer I put a piece of peppermint under my tongue when they did the top impression. Also when she put the tray in my mouth, they had my hold my head down towards my stomach so that the stuff oozed out of the front of the tray and not to the back of my throat. I have a horrible gag relfex and even I was okay!

You have to do whatever works for you. I tell patients to wiggle their toes and breathe through their nose. You just have to stay relaxed. In extreme cases I will put some topical anesthetic on the soft palate but I rarely do that. The key is to relax and realize that problems are mostly in your head. You can do this, just don't stress about it.

Regards,
Rory

I am an orthodontic assistant and well as a patient, so I get the best of both worlds haha The 3 important things during impressions to help with with gag reflex are:

1) breathe through your nose deeply
2) lean your head forward
3) lift your legs up and down a bit (to tense your abdominal area)

starryadora wrote:I am an orthodontic assistant and well as a patient, so I get the best of both worlds haha The 3 important things during impressions to help with with gag reflex are:

1) breathe through your nose deeply
2) lean your head forward
3) lift your legs up and down a bit (to tense your abdominal area)

All good info!

Also, ask if you can try the tray in by itself a few times....just sit in the chair for awhile with it hanging out of your mouth until you get used to it

See if they will use warm water so it will set-up faster.

Good luck!

Dr. S

I have a gag reflex from hades, I let them put the tray in and leaned forward and just breathed out my nose and i was completely fine, i never gagged.
I guess its all in what you can endure. I just didn't think about it.

I, too, am a gagger...but this little trick helped immensely: the ortho's assistant told me to raise one leg, just a few inches off the chair, while sitting there, waiting for the stuff to harden. I don't know why, but it worked. Maybe it has something to do with the abs...or maybe I just needed something else to think about (like how goofy I looked with one leg up!). Good luck.

Thanks so much, everyone, for the tips. I'll definitely be trying some of them out, and I hope all goes well.