At Weninger Dentistry, our mission is to help all our patients feel comfortable receiving dental care. If you are nervous about visiting the dentist due to a past bad experience or fear of dentists, don’t worry. Here are the ways that we make nervous patients feel comfortable receiving dental care.
Oral Sedation
Sedation works well for patients who have a fear of the dentist or who have physical responses, such as gagging, that make it hard to do dental work. We offer a few types of oral sedation and will select the right product for you based on your circumstances.
If your dental anxiety is mild or moderate, we may recommend nitrous oxide gas, which is a fast-acting sedative that comes with few side effects. Patients who receive nitrous oxide recover quickly and most importantly feel relaxed while they get the care they need.
Oral medication such as benzodiazepine has a longer lasting effect, so patients are not allowed to drive themselves home after treatment. However, this type of sedation is useful for patients with deeper anxiety or anyone with respiratory problems. When you take an oral medication, you will be relaxed during the procedure and maintain few memories after the appointment.
IV sedation is a relatively rare technique within dentistry, as it requires special training. IV sedation is able to provide a deeper relaxation than oral sedation because medication is administered into the bloodstream. Our dentists are able to perform this sedation and automatically adjust the amount of medication so you remain sedated throughout the appointment. If you have severe dental anxieties and do not wish to remember anything about the appointment, we recommend this technique.
Uneasy Feeling in the Chair
If you have an uneasy feeling sitting in the dental chair but don’t want to be sedated each time you go to the dentist, we can help you overcome your fear of dentists. We have put together a free guide that covers common reasons people fear going to the dentist and reasons not to be afraid of dental work. Understanding the rationale behind your fears and confronting them is the first step to overcoming the unease or dread that you feel.
Our dentists want to help all our patients feel comfortable seeking dental care. When you visit us, we encourage you to be upfront about your dental fears so that we can help you have a positive experience. We strive to be patient and caring with our dental patients that have fears. We know that some of our patients feel more comfortable when they have more information about a procedure or what to expect while other patients would prefer to know as few details as possible.
We believe that it’s possible to get the care you need in a comfortable manner, whether by using sedation techniques or learning mindfulness strategies. If you’ve been putting off dental care because of fear, take the first step today and set up a consultation with our compassionate dentists.