Many people feel a level of anxiety as they sit in a dentist’s waiting room. At the Placerville Dental Group, we acknowledge this problem. We do our best to put you at ease, let you know what we find during your examination, and show you how to improve and maintain your oral health. Our patients typically have a great experience coming to our office, relieving their anxiety, at least until their next visit. How can you handle dental anxiety?
Dental Data from Down Under
An Australian research study examined dental anxiety in men and women. One of the researchers, Dr. Avanti Karve, reported that a person with severe dental anxiety will experience dental pain, but still wait an average of seventeen days before making a dental appointment. The typical person waits an average of only three days when in such pain. Dental anxiety can certainly be debilitating!
Sedation and Dental Anxiety
One proven way to help patients cope with their anxiety during their dental visits is with sleep dentistry, or oral conscious sedation. When choosing this option, your dentist at the Placerville Dental Group gives you an oral sedative in pill or liquid form. During the procedure, you are still awake, but sedated. In many cases, patients do not retain memories of the procedure, so there are no experiences to fuel the anxiety upon later visits.
A lighter form of sedation is nitrous oxide, or “laughing gas”. Your dentist administers the gas with a breath mask. After a few deep breaths, nitrous oxide helps you reach a relaxed, dream-like state. You are still conscious and can even follow simple commands, but the gas helps you remain unaware of any pain.
In any use of sedation, your dental team carefully monitors your blood oxygen levels, blood pressure, temperature and heart rate to ensure safety during the procedure. Using a recovery room or dental chair, the staff monitors your recovery from sedation carefully until you are safe to stand and make your way home with assistance.
Nothing to Worry About
Would you like to know more about oral conscious sedation, or how to deal with any stress or anxiety you feel about visiting the dentist? Please give the Placerville Dental Group a call or schedule an appointment online. We’re here to help remove or treat the source of your dental pain and to alleviate your dental worries.
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