While one in three people experience moderate fear and anxiety at the prospect of visiting a dentist, for one in seven people their fear of dentistry rises to the level of severe phobia. For these people, living with oral pain and discomfort is preferable to submitting to dental care. There is an alternative to living in constant pain: sedation dentistry, sometimes called oral sedation dentistry, relaxation dentistry, or even sleep dentistry. What exactly is sedation dentistry? Quite simply, it is a process of delivering to the patient oral medication or a combination of medications that puts a patient totally at ease and relaxed. Fear triggers the release of certain chemicals in the brain that heightens the 'fight or flight ' response, …show more content…
For the doctors, the trade-off is being able to deliver dental health care to people whose phobias have prevented them from getting much needed relief from pain and suffering, thereby improving their quality of life.
When I was a child I use to have a dentist who had games, was very friendly to me, and even gave out toys. But as I grew up I realized how horrible of a dentist they actually were and the butch jobs they performed. So do your child and yourself a favor and don 't even factor in these worthless amenities. When choosing a dentist for a child, do the right thing by choosing a dentist you yourself the adult is comfortable with. Below are some guidelines for doing just that: Busy Waiting Rooms Are Bad If a dentist always has a busy waiting room it doesn 't mean it 's because they are "popular". Busy dentists probably are stressed out and will probably rush through working on your teeth. A good dentist will always schedule it so you are pretty much the only person in the waiting room if you arrive early. Ask Your Friends Don 't go around trying to check if dentists ' documents are legit. I 've met plenty of scam artists in business that showed me all sorts of fake documents and the whole process of verifying it takes forever. Don 't call 1-800 lines to get recommendations on dentists either. Asking your friends for
There are many causes of dental phobia and reasons why individuals just do not want to visit the dentist bi-yearly for an exam or even for further procedures. While a lot of causes are unknown, there are some that are more obvious. Some people have a generalized fear of pain. This is a very common reason for an individual to skip the dentist office altogether. This reason of phobia is usually caused by an unpleased or painful previous dental experience or from someone else’s story about their negative experiences. An article from Web MD called Easing Dental Anxiety in Adults states, “Thanks to the many advances in dentistry made over the years, most of today’s dental procedures are considerably less painful or even pain-free” (2016).. A second cause behind some people’s dental phobia is fear of injections or fear of injection failure. The majority people are very afraid of needles. This fear increases when it involves needles inserted into their oral cavity. (Colgate, 2016). Some people even fear that the anesthesia has failed and it did not relieve them of their pain before the dental treatment begins. Along with the fear of injections comes the fear of anesthetic side effects. Some individuals dread the side effects that anesthesia is likely to cause, such as dizziness, nausea, and feeling faint. Others do not like the loss of feeling they experience in their oral cavity. A third cause of dental phobia is the feeling of helplessness and loss of control. People
Those who have a fear of the dentist often forgo important preventive care, resulting in extensive decay, gum disease, and potentially life threatening infections. Sedation dentistry allows these people to overcome their fear and receive the care they need.
There’s no need to worry about the pain emergency dental care can cause, as Accent Dental is skilled and experienced in the practice of sedation dentistry. Rest assured that if a dental emergency strikes your family, you have a safe and painless option at your disposal: sedation dentistry has minimal side effects, is painless from start to finish, has been tested extensively for safety, and doesn’t require a needle. Don’t let anxiety keep you from obtaining necessary dental care when you can use sedation dentistry for your dentist emergency in Frisco,
The stigmatism attached to going to the dentist goes out the door when meeting the dental staff and their ability to get patient’s minds off of the procedure they are about to perform.
Duffield Dentistry knows that going to the dentist is not your favorite activity. That is why we offer options such as sedation to manage any anxiety you might feel about your appointment. Give us a call to discuss the different ways we can help take the worry out of your visit.
Sedation dentistry is a great asset to you if you fear dental appointments in general or only specific procedures. Sedatives used in dentistry are very safe and effective, and they can help you get your oral health back on track if you have skipped dental appointments due to overwhelming anxiety. If you have requested gentle oral sedation to help calm your nerves during your dental procedure, but remain fully awake, then be sure to follow these two steps to help your dentist provide the right medication and dose to keep you calm, yet awake, during your dental appointment.
Sedation has always been a popular method to alleviate dental anxiety. Dr. Fred Quarnstrom (1996) writes that nitrous oxide has been popular because its effects diminish quickly after application is terminated. "Patients can drive after a relatively short recovery time." It is a safe form of sedative, and "offers a major advantage when we consider an overdose. By removing the source of the drugÉthey will excrete most inhalation agents via the lungs, thus reducing the overdose" (p. 5). While this is a popular method, it is not the best method to alleviate the anxiety that many dental patients have. Dentists instead should be concerned with the working with the patient's anxiety, not simply displacing it for the duration of their visit. The three main areas that show the most promise in decreasing patient anxiety include an increased amount of interaction between dentist and patient, hypnotherapy, and improved dental technology.
Some patients go through dental anxiety due to the feeling of having no control as they lay on the dental chair. They are laying down, hardly able to move or speak, as the dentist performs the treatment. Due to this feeling of discomfort and anxiety in a dental setting, several dentists have started making their offices more attractive with methods such as placing more comfortable furniture, pictures and paintings depicting calm settings, and soothing music in their office. Other factors that may reduce or increase a patient’s anxiety involves how the dentist communicates with the patient. Taking time to speak to the patient before the procedure to explain what will occur during the procedure and telling the patient to raise their hand if they have something that they want to say during the procedure are both helpful ways in reducing a patient’s anxiety. During the procedure, it is also recommended to let the patient know what sensation to expect right before a certain step in the procedure and for how long they will be feeling that sensation.
We understand that Patients who are extremely fearful of Dentists need more time to feel comfortable. Just tell our staff that we may set up an introductory visit with minimal intervention. We can take baby steps and follow a protocol that I call “Patient Desensitization”. We move at your speed. We can prescribe medications and we offer Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) to control you anxiety, and gradually, we can minimize or extinguish this fear. Dental Phobia can be managed and controlled with understanding and care.
The dentists at Winston Smiles can help calm your fears about dentistry. We understand that going to the dentist may create anxiety for your child or yourself. We use different types of sedation based on what is necessary for your situation.
Fear of the dentist is more common today than most people would imagine. You’re probably very familiar with individuals fearing the dentist, especially if you work or have worked in the dental field. So, what is dental fear? Is it an idea that our parents put in our heads because it was passed down to them from their parents? Is it an emotion that is formed based on images shaped in the mind about going to the dentist? Dental anxiety is abnormal fear or dread of visiting the dentist for preventative care or therapy and unwarranted anxiety over dental procedure. (U.S National Library of Medicine, N.D.) Patients who experience dental anxiety will have a sense of nervousness and unfounded worries or fears. “Some studies have concluded that 75% of people have at least some fear about dental visits.” (Penn Dental, May. 15, 2017.) Dental phobia is a more serious condition. It's an intense fear or dread. “People with dental phobia aren't merely anxious, they are terrified or panic stricken.” (Colgate, September 18, 2013.) Many people with dental phobia typically avoid the dentist unless they have pain and only find it necessary to seek treatment. Negative experiences in childhood are the most common causes of dental fear. So, what can we do to rationalize with our patients? Educate!
Perhaps the best way to allay your dental fears is knowing that you are in control of the situation. Explain to your dentist that you have a fear of dental procedures. Ask that he help you overcome this fear by thoroughly explaining everything he intends to do and getting your approval before doing it. If you like, your dentist may even show you some of the tools he will be using and explain them to you. This eases anxiety in some people. The knowledge that you can say no to your dentist at any time and try again on another day or with different sedation gives you the power.
The determination of the nature, reason for and degree of a patient’s dental anxiety is vital component of any sedation assessment as it can determine the type of sedation undertaken. Within the literature the indicator of sedation need (IOSN) has been reported
Going to the dentist can be the most terrifying thing for some people. It has been proven by many studies that people rather take the pain of gum disease ,or even a broken tooth than to step into a dental office. The noisy tools, the scary instruments, and the thought of the dentist drilling into your teeth doesn’t make it any better. Dental anxiety and phobia is very common today, it is estimated that about 9%-15% of Americans fear the dentist. Even though there are many cases of people who fear the dentist and might even take the pain, they are transmitting that fear to other people and also their kids. The thing is if they realized that by going to the dentist the could save your life. Many cases are shown today of many disease and infections
We work constantly to help you feel like you can relax and enjoy your dental experience. We offer a welcoming environment, a friendly staff, a large range of comfort options including beverages in the waiting room and longer appointment times, and three different levels of sedation. If you are afraid of the dentist, you are not alone. We love helping patients manage their dental anxiety so they can get the care they need. Learn more about relieving your dental anxiety and our sedation options by visiting their individual pages.