Sedation Dentistry
Feel No Pain and Ease Dental Anxiety with Sedation Dentistry
Dental anxiety is a common phobia that causes people to avoid visiting the dentist for needed dental work or even routine cleanings. Sedation dentistry, however, can change your entire outlook on oral health and dentistry. You can be in dreamland during your time in the dentist’s chair at LifeTime Smiles in Burke, VA, which means your anxiety doesn’t have an opportunity to jeopardize your oral health.
Types of Sedation Dentistry
The most common types of sedation dentistry include:
- Nitrous Oxide Sedation: Also known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide sedation allows a patient to reach a state of complete relaxation. The nitrous oxide is breathed in through your nose prior to treatment and its calming effect kicks in quickly, after only about 30 seconds. This type of sedation works best for patients who want to remain somewhat conscious throughout their procedure, though some people become so relaxed they fall into a light sleep.
- Oral Sedation: A sedation pill is taken one hour prior to your appointment so you arrive at our Burke dental office feeling relaxed. Because the pill’s effects can cause drowsiness and extreme relaxation, it is important to have a responsible adult provide transportation to and from our office.
- STA System: A computer-controlled anesthetic injection device, the STA system delivers precise and virtually pain-free injections. This local anesthetic is administered in the exact area of your mouth where dental work is to be done. This method is especially helpful for patients who have a fear of needles or injections and creates an increased patient comfort level.
Creature Comforts Accompany Sedation Dentistry
It helps to have the familiar around you when you’re in an environment that is stressful to you. There is a reason so many children are attached to a lovey – it offers reassurance and a calming effect when they encounter new situations.
We encourage our patients to bring along any creature comforts that will help them relax, whether undergoing sedation dentistry or not. Bring your favorite stuffed animal, good luck charm, noise-cancelling headphones and music, or a neck pillow. Whatever aids you in reaching a state of calm works for us too.
The Importance of Sedation Dentistry
At LifeTime Smiles, we want our patients to maintain good oral health for a lifetime. Our practice is here to help you reach your smile potential, whether you are experiencing tooth pain, broken teeth, missing teeth, gum disease, or otherwise. It’s often the worst kind of pain that finally brings patients to our office. In cases like these, bigger interventions and restorations are usually necessary to fix the problems and alleviate discomfort. Sedation dentistry makes it possible for anxious patients to get through the treatments needed to achieve good oral health.
Have you dragged your feet about seeing a dentist because of nerves or anxiety or even embarrassment about the state of your teeth and gums? We want to reassure you that if your mouth is in disrepair, that is an even bigger reason to come to our Burke dentist office and allow us to treat you. And if you need sedation dentistry along the way, that option is available to you.
Contact Drs. Reangber or Fassnacht at LifeTime Smiles in Burke, VA, to schedule your consultation to discuss your dental treatments and the comfort of sedation dentistry.