Best, most effective drugs for a dentalphobe

Can you ask your doctor for lorazepam? S/he's presumably the one who prescribed it in the first place, and doc's are generally willing to give a small amount more of anxiety meds if you explain what's freaking you out. And yeah, it sounds like it wouldn't be easy to switch dentists now, but try hard in the future to find a phobic-friendly dentist. My dentist has a sign on the wall, "We cater to cowards" and it makes me feel better just to see it.

You're 1) trying to self medicate, and 2) asking random strangers on the internet to recommend prescription drugs. Don't do this. Besides, dental insurance is almost bound to be cheaper than COBRA, which charges ridiculous, even punitive premiums. Call around for quotes for dental insurance and do this the right way.

I'm sorry if my question comes off as quest for self-medication. My intention is to get some feedback from other dentalphobes on drugs which worked for them that a dentist can prescribe.

I don't know anything about the drugs, but I just had my crown finished last week, and it was nothing. All they're really doing is cementing it in place.

Why not just ask for lorazepam again?

I am not your dentist nor your doctor nor your pharmacist...but FWIW....I'm a hardcore dental-phobe, too, but my most recent trips to my dentist have been blissfully anxiety-free, thanks to (prescribed, legal) sub-lingual Halcion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triazolam). It didn't quite render me unconscious, but it did put me in a state of utter relaxation and I just didn't care what the dentist was doing. Had a friend drive me home, slept it off for a few hours, and have virtually no memory of anything that happened in The Chair. YMMV>

Yeah Halcion really makes the dentist not scary at all - I had it for my first root canal. But it's sort of like using a bazooka gun to kill an ant. That stuff is strong. Actually, it kind of makes the dentist so un-scary that it goes back to being scary again because you're so drugged. I'd suggest switching dentists -- tell your dentist that you really need nitrous oxide and that you have to go to someone who uses it; s/he'll understand. Nitrous oxide was plenty strong enough for me and to be honest Halcion was a bit much for a root canal. I am super, super anxious about the dentist and have actually cleared out a waiting room on more than one occasion with my screams (seriously) so if the nitrous works for me, it should work for you.

Not a meds recommendation, but my dental anxiety has been significantly reduced at dentists that had TV in the ceiling. Having the distraction, and maybe more importantly having my hearing blocked, always makes a huge difference. (I get twitchy even during cleanings.) You might consider taking your iPod or whatever; a Walkman made my horrible dentist bearable during my high school days.

Can you at least wear headphones? That can help a lot. I'd also switch dentists to one that has the gas. There are ones that will put you completely under (for severe phobias), but I don't think the risk is worth it when the gas should be fine.