The Latest Options for an Anxiety-Free Dental Experience

The Latest Options for an Anxiety-Free Dental Experience

Anxiety, nervousness, and apprehension are very common and normal emotions that millions of patients experience in response to dental treatment. Prior to, or during a dental visit, these emotions can contribute to high levels of stress and may even prevent you from seeking the dental care that you truly need.

Rather than allow these feelings to complicate or interfere with your health, you should know that there are a variety of available solutions that can provide you with comfort and increase your confidence. Today, sedation dentistry is more advanced and more sophisticated than ever before. Your oral surgeon has the experience and the resources to help you to achieve deep and profound levels of relaxation, even for the most apprehensive patients.

Oral surgeons are trained to administer a full range of sedation, local anesthesia, and general anesthesia. These solutions are essential to providing pain management and anxiety management.

For patients who are too apprehensive to enter the dental office, oral sedatives may be safely prescribed in advance of the scheduled visit. When taken the night before or the day of the planned procedure, patients will be able to enjoy a restful sleep and feel calm enough to prepare for their visit.

In the office, oral sedatives, intravenous (IV sedation), or a combination of both may be administered to promote relaxation and alleviate apprehension.

An inhaled sedative, such as nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to provide a gentle calmness, is easily administered through a comfortable nose-mask.

General anesthesia produces the most profound and deepest level of sedation. This method induces a level of sleep, for which the oral surgeon will provide ventilation and vital sign monitors.

In order to assist your oral surgeon in selecting the sedation methods that are best for you, you will need to communicate openly about the aspects of dentistry that cause you the most distress. It is also critical that you disclose all details of your medical history including underlying health conditions, prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and supplements.

With so many options for an anxiety-free dental experience, there is no need to suffer or stress about your dental visit. To schedule a consultation, and for more information about sedation dentistry, contact Charlottesville Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center today.