Posts for tag: pain free dentist
Question: What is oral sedation and how does it help with dentistry?
Answer: Oral Sedation involves the use of oral medications in the form of a pill/tablet to relieve mild to moderate anxiety. The most commonly prescribed medications are Halcion, Ativan and Valium, all of which produce a high level of drowsiness but not a complete sleep. The medicine is generally administered one hour prior to treatment but sometimes is also administered the night before the dental appointment as well. You will, however, remain awake and alert throughout your dental treatment and be able to breathe on your own without the fear and anxiety you might other- wise experience. One downfall to oral sedation is that since every patient exhibits different levels of tolerance to drugs and different digestion times, there is no way to measure how much medication has been directly absorbed into the stomach. It is not effective or safe to try to make the patient more relaxed by giving more pills if the initial dose was not effective to relieve the patient's anxiety. Depending on the patient and the treatment being provided, sometimes laughing gas is used in conjunction with oral sedation to help assist with anxiety and pain control. Oral sedation is typically much more effective than laughing gas alone, but not nearly as effective as IV sedation or general anesthesia.
Question: What is laughing gas(nitrous oxide) and how it is used for dental
anxiety?
Answer: Nitrous Oxide is a sweet smelling gas administered through a inhaler mask that is placed over a patient's nose. The patient simply breathes in the laughing gas and almost immediately(within 2-4 minutes) experiences a relaxed state. Nitrous oxide is administered to patients requiring relatively short dental procedures and for those with mild anxiety. Recovery time for patients receiving nitrous oxide is very brief, as the effects subside within minutes, allowing patients to drive themselves home if necessary. This is the only form of sedation that the patient can drive to and from their dental appointment. Nitrous oxide works very well with children and does well with adults but less predictable.
Question: Does everyone fear going to the dentist?
What percent of patients do you see have anxiety or fear going to the dentist?
Answer: Approximately 10 million Americans avoid going to dentist due to fear and anxiety. I would say 40-50% of my patients have had or do have some fear of the dentist. This fear usually stems from a bad experience or not understanding what is going on. By simply educating the patient, much fear is eliminated when the patient knows exactly what the problem is, how to fix it, and what it takes to fix it. I take pride in most of the services I offer but the one I take the most pride in is the one you don't see listed--helping you CONQUER your fear of dentistry. I am confident I can help you not only conquer your anxiety but help you establish a routine of regular dental care that prevents you from needing frequent amounts of dental work and be proud of your oral health and smile!
