While some people have no problem going to the dentist — even if they’re looking at a full-mouth reconstruction — others experience so much fear that they cannot even get themselves into the office for a routine teeth cleaning. If this describes your feelings, don’t feel alone or embarrassed. Dental anxiety is a very common problem affecting millions of people worldwide. Many sufferers are afraid of the drills, scrapers and other equipment associated with dentistry. They have anxiety about the pain they think they might experience. Others may have memories of actual dental experiences that were unpleasant.
Many people with dental phobia put off proper dental care for years and the quality of their smile suffers significantly. Dental anxiety is the leading cause of skipped dental checkups. However, broken, decayed or missing teeth can have a serious affect on your general health, self-esteem, social life and career. Tooth decay and gum disease will not go away if ignored. These worsening conditions will only lead to more serious and expensive emergency dental procedures in the future.
One of the best ways to overcome dental anxiety is sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry, or twilight dentistry as it is also called, uses sedatives to put the patient in a state of deep relaxation while the dental work is performed. Afterward, the patient remembers little or nothing about the procedure. In this treatment, the sedatives are administered about an hour or two before the procedure. The medication makes you drowsy and very relaxed. As noted, it also has an amnesic effect that will likely keep you from remembering your appointment at all. However, you are not unconscious and can even converse with your dentist throughout the procedure.
Sedatives can be administered in several ways: orally, intravenously or through inhalation. Oral sedatives are usually given in pill form. This is the type of sedation used at Adult Dentistry of Ballantyne. The patient takes the provided pills at home prior to the scheduled procedure. For safety, arrangements must be made for the patient to be driven to and from the appointment. During the procedure the patient experiences no stress or anxiety.
Sedation dentistry is a safe, secure and worry-free way to keep your smile healthy and brilliant. For more information, schedule a free, no-obligation smile consultation with Dr. Robert Harrell at Adult Dentistry of Ballantyne today. Call 704-541-9888 or use the contact form on this page to make your appointment. During your consultation a complimentary digital smile preview (an $85 value) will be created to show how you will appear when your sedation dentistry treatment is complete.
