A few weeks ago, Ethel, a patient of ours brought in a friend to her dental cleaning appointment.  Ethel had been trying for years to get her friend to come in but because of her fear of dentistry she wouldn’t.  It was truly a monumental moment for her to just come in and meet our team.

Many of you have heard the term [link id=’94’ text=’sedation dentistry’]… so what is it? It is the act of taking anti-anxiety pills to help relax you enough to have dental treatment done. Through my years of practice, I seldom meet people that don’t have some level of fear of the dentist. Some fear “the shot”, some “the sound”, and some the “entire experience”. Regardless of what the fear is, there are ways to work through them. The process is simple. After a careful review of the patient’s medical history, I will choose the appropriate medication(s) and level of sedation to best meet their needs. On the day of treatment, the patient will be driven by a companion, because most likely they will have taken a single pill before arriving at the office. More medication may be given depending on the type of procedures being performed and the duration of the appointment. When treatment is complete and our patient is ready to go home, the companion will drive them home and stay with them until our patient is fully recovered (about 4-10 hours). Due to the amnesic properties of many of the medications, PATIENTS HAVE LITTLE-TO-NO MEMORY OF THEIR TIME IN THE DENTAL CHAIR BY THE NEXT DAY!

Fear and anxiety are normal, and something that people can’t always control. People don’t have to feel embarrassed and neglect their oral health anymore.  It was a great day for Ethel’s friend, a great day for me and my team and a great day for sedation dentistry

Have a wonderful summer!