Has it been years since you or someone you love have been to the dentist? Did you have a bad experience as a child or teen that is keeping you from having regularly scheduled dental check-ups?
If going to the dentist makes you feel anxious, nervous or sick to your stomach, you may have dental phobia. It’s important to realize that dental phobia is a real condition and you’re not the only person that feels this way, this condition affects many people. The severity of dental phobia ranges from patient to patient. For some there’s anxiety at the thought of sitting in a dental chair while others have a paralyzing fear of receiving dental procedures. Patients with sensitive gag reflexes are often times leery of going to a dentist. If dental phobia has caused you to miss or avoid regular dental checkups or important dental procedures there is a solution that can help.
Sedation dentistry is an option for people with dental phobias. Sedation dentistry is a safe and effective way to help dental patients relax, feel less anxious and feel comfortable enough in a dentist’s chair to receive the important dental care that they deserve. The most common form of sedation dentistry is called nitrous oxide or laughing gas. This slightly sweet and easy to administer gas is given to patients through a comfortable mask that is gently placed over the nose. Immediately upon inhaling nitrous oxide dental patients begin to relax and anxiousness melts away. A calming effect comes over patients as this light sedation helps patients calmly receive most dental procedures. The best part of nitrous oxide is that as soon as dental procedures are complete the mask is removed and patients are alert and able to drive home.
Coming to grips with a fear of the dentist is important for ones oral health. Recent studies indicate that adults that suffer from dental anxiety may pass their fear of the dentist to their children. Let sedation dentistry help stop your dental phobia from having detrimental effects on your oral health.
