Questions to Ask Your New Dentist if You're Anxious About Dental Work
- By Mary Marks
- •
- 20 Jul, 2020
- •
Many people experience anxiety or fear even when they think of dental treatment and look at sedation dentistry as an option. However, dental visits are very important for maintaining your overall health, so if you suffer from a dentist phobia and you need to turn to a new dentist, it is essential to inform your new doctor about the issue. Good dentists are aware of the existence of the problem and they are very understanding, so your new doctor will probably be able to propose great solutions to make dental treatment easier to endure. Here are some questions to ask your new dentist:
- The method used by the dentist to ease your fears – the environment, the colors and shapes around you can all have calming effects on the anxious mind, but you should also find out about any other options to make the treatment easier for you. Many doctors use nitrous oxide and perform sedation dentistry – find out the options provided by your doctor;
- Is it an option to take baby steps – having multiple, shorter treatment sessions, rather than one, long and difficult session is another option that can help patients suffering from anxiety or fear of dental interventions;
- Other tips from your dentist – ask your dentists to recommend you other methods to reduce your fears. Many people, for example, feel more comfortable wearing their earphones during the treatment or prefer to hold a soft, familiar object in their hand while their tooth is being treated – maybe one of these methods might work for you as well.
Although oral sedation dentistry Highlands Ranch is one of the optionsavailable for managing anxiety and discomfort during oral surgery, you certainly do not need to use it all the time. As a matter of fact, the exact type of sedation or anesthesia that you receive during oral procedures may depend on various factors, such as the complexity of the procedure, your medical problems, as well as your doctor’s preferences.
There can be several different levels of sedation that can be used in oral surgery. Local anesthesia is one of them. This involves injecting anesthetic medication into the specific area where the surgery will take place. It numbs the area and is often used for less invasive procedures.
Oral sedation involves taking medication in the form of a pill to induce a state of relaxation and drowsiness. The patient is still conscious, but he/she may not be fully aware of the procedure. At any rate, sedation helps him/her get rid of anxiety.
In the case of intravenous sedation, medication is administered through a vein, which induces a deeper state of sedation than oral sedation. Patients may still be conscious, but they are less aware of their surroundings and may not remember the procedure.
