Thank you all for making me feel so comfortable when I come in to your office. All of the ladies are so loving, kind and helpful to me. I’m terrified of going to the dentist, but not when I come to this office. Thank you for taking such great care of me. – Elaine
Afraid of the Dentist? You Don’t Have to Be!
If you’re reading this, then chances are you don’t like going to the dentist. Maybe it’s been two years since your last appointment, maybe it’s been twenty, or maybe you’ve never been to the dentist at all. Perhaps you pull yourself together to go for a cleaning, but “forget” follow-up appointments to get a cavity filled or broken teeth fixed. You know that you should go – if you have a cavity or need a root canal, avoiding it will only make it worse – but a deep-rooted fear stops you in your tracks.
If you are truly afraid of the dentist, you are not alone. Millions of Americans have a dental phobia that keeps them from getting the oral health care they may desperately need. Many suffer with persistent or worsening pain in order to avoid this anxiety-producing appointment.
But what if you had the option of making your trip to the dentist anxiety free, perhaps even relaxing or comfortable? Here at Samuel R. Moss, DDS and Associates we practice sedation dentistry when requested by timid patients.
How Sedation Dentistry Works
Using sedative medications (e.g. anti-anxiety medications, tranquilizers, or depressants) either taken before the dental appointment or administered in our Lafayette dental office, sedation dentistry is a practice designed to relax patients and make their dental appointment more comfortable, whether the visit is for a routine checkup or more extensive procedures. It has been available in various forms for decades, and therapies continue to evolve.
It is important to note that patients who opt for sedation dentistry are not asleep while the dental team completes its work (it is not the same as general anesthesia). Patients will feel more relaxed and comfortable during their appointment, and may actually not remember much about what was done, but the medications used in sedation dentistry are designed to keep patients awake and able to respond to the dental team during the entire procedure. Sedation dentistry also doesn’t eliminate the need for local anesthesia (shots), but will likely keep you more at ease during the experience.
Who Sedation Dentistry Is For
While targeted more toward patients with substantial dental anxieties, sedation dentistry can also benefit other patients, such as those with a strong gag reflex, jaw soreness, or prior difficulties getting numb. However, if you are among the millions of people with a dental phobia, sedation dentistry could be an option to get you back into the dental office for the treatments and oral health care you’ve been putting off.
Sedation Dentistry F.A.Q.s
1. Will I need a driver?
Yes, you need someone to drop you off and pick you up. You are not to operate a vehicle for the day you are treated.
2. Are you sure this is going to work?
We have been using the latest sedation protocol for dentistry for almost 10 years. We have amazing success using the oral sedation.
3. I am very nervous when it comes to dental work, do you put patients to sleep?
No, you are able to breathe on your own and can respond to verbal commands. But most people end up sleeping through most of the procedure and remember little of what happened. If you want to be put to sleep, we can refer you to a hospital or someone who uses IV sedation.
