I have a huge phobia about the dentist, and hadn't gone for about 10 years - terrible I know Last year I went in and had a wisdom tooth removed, a few fillings fixed up, a few new ones, and a huge clean. The only way I would do it was sleep dentistry - and whilst expensive it was SOOO worth it.

The dental work was approx. $1000, the anaesthetist was about $1000 too, but I was out for around 3 hrs. I claimed a smallish amount back from our health fund. I did not have any pain at all, I vaguely remembered wanting to scratch my nose a few times, which is apparently a common side affect. Each time I lifted my hand to scratch they said they'd scratch it for me to which I would reply 'thanks so much'. They said afterwards I was one of the most polite patients ever. I had to sit in a 'recovery room' for about half hour afterwards before they released me to a friend - I was sleepy on and off for the rest of the evening.

I would totally recommend it if the cost is feasible as it really takes the fear out of it, but realise it's not for everyone. It took some convincing to get DH to agree to the cost, but as I needed so much done it was the best option. Good luck if you decide to go for it!