Dental Fear, Ask the Dental Doc

Dr. John I am fifty-five years old and can count the number of times I have been to the dentist on one hand. I have not seen a dentist in 15 years. Just thinking about going to the dentist causes me anxiety and fear. I have tried to ignore my dental pain for as long as I can, now I have several teeth that hurt. I saw dental advertisement in the paper stating that with just the administration of a pill I could sleep through my treatment, this sounds really good to me. Does it work, is it safe? Nelson