Dental anxiety is real, and you’re not alone. Plenty of patients feel nervous about getting the care they need. That’s why we offer a variety of sedation options to keep your experience soothing, painless, and stress-free.
Dental sedation can help patients feel less anxious and more comfortable during dental treatment. Patients can take medication in the form of a gas or pill, which relaxes them, relieves negative emotions, and improves comfort and cooperation.
Sedation can help a variety of things like sensitive gag reflexes, pain, anxiety, restlessness, sensitivity, and special needs. For example, some patients may have limited jaw mobility, so keeping their mouth pried open during a long appointment may cause them significant discomfort.
Sedation makes this position more comfortable, suppresses the patient’s gag reflex, and makes them feel calm. If you suffer from dental anxiety or have dealt with past trauma related to dentistry, you may even avoid dental appointments.
Sedation enables patients like this to get the treatment they need without suffering. They don’t even have to remember the experience afterward! Contact us at The Local Dentist to schedule a consultation.
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Patients may have dental anxiety because they had a bad childhood experience, they’re claustrophobic or scared of feeling pain. Whatever it is, it’s a significant barrier to getting people the treatment they need. Sedation makes these patients feel comfortable, safe, and pain-free, so they don’t avoid necessary dental work.
Sedation can help patients who struggle to get numb from local anesthesia or patients with low pain tolerance to receiving pain-free treatment by eliminating pain sensation and sensitivity. This is especially important for invasive procedures like oral surgery.
Fortunately, for patients with anxiety, one of the side effects of sedation is anterograde amnesia. This temporarily prevents patients from forming new memories while they are sedated. Once their appointment has ended, they won’t have any recollection of the tools used or what was going on, and this can help reduce future anxiety.
Dr. Chaz will review your medical history to determine if sedation is safe for you and what type of sedation is most suitable for your needs.
Different sedatives require different preparation instructions. Before receiving laughing gas, patients should not eat for 2 hours beforehand. Before receiving oral conscious sedation, patients need to fast for 6 hours and arrange transportation to and from the office. Someone will also need to monitor them for the rest of the day.
Laughing gas is inhaled through a gas mask, and oral conscious sedation is taken orally in pill form.
Once you have been sedated, we will continue with your treatment. Contrary to popular belief, sedation is not only for invasive procedures like oral surgery. You can be sedated during routine appointments like cleanings if this relieves your anxiety or discomfort.
We might need to monitor you for a short while after your treatment if you received an intense sedative. Dr. Vittiow will provide you with instructions on what you should avoid or are free to do for the rest of the day.