Sedation Dentistry – Annapolis, MD
We Can Safely Ease Your Dental Anxieties
Fear of the dentist is much more common than you might think. In fact, it’s estimated that 1 out of every 5 Americans has avoided receiving needed dental care because of anxiety. Whether it’s due to worries about cost, loss of control, or simply an aversion to having someone look inside your mouth, we can safely ease your dental anxieties with sedation dentistry. Even if your anxiety has prevented you from getting dental care in the past, there’s no reason to let it negatively impact your future. Keep reading below to learn how sedation dentistry in Annapolis can benefit you.
Why Choose Goodman Dental Care for Sedation Dentistry?
- Nitrous Oxide for Mild Anxiety
- Oral Conscious Sedation for More Severe Anxiety
- Safe for Patients of All Ages
Benefits of Sedation Dentistry
The most obvious advantage of sedation dentistry is its ability to completely soothe your worries, no matter how severe they may be. However, it also offers several other benefits. For example, both nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation greatly suppress the gag reflex. Having an overactive gag reflex is a common reason behind dental phobia, but with sedation dentistry, we can treat you without that reflex getting in the way. Furthermore, you very likely won’t remember any of your procedure afterward. Additionally, sedation is perfect for patients who must undergo extensive treatment in one sitting. Otherwise, you may become sore from holding your mouth open for an extended period of time, but that’s no longer a problem with sedation. Lastly, sedation can help uncooperative patients, such as fidgety children and patients with special needs, receive the care they need without any issue.
Nitrous Oxide Sedation
If you only have mild to moderate dental anxiety, you may be a candidate for nitrous oxide sedation. We administer this colorless, odorless gas through a nasal mask. Within minutes of breathing it in, waves of relaxation will wash over you. Throughout your procedure, our team will keep a close eye on the amount of nitrous oxide you’re breathing in and adjust it as needed. While you’ll still be awake, chances are you won’t remember much of your procedure. Once your treatment is finished and you stop breathing in the gas, your state of mind should return to normal within half an hour. You should be able to resume your day as normal not long after your appointment.
Oral Conscious Sedation
For patients with more severe dental anxiety, we offer oral conscious sedation. Your dentist in Annapolis will prescribe a pill for you to take about an hour or so before your treatment is scheduled to begin. This pill causes a relaxed euphoria to radiate through your body. You’ll need a trusted friend or family member to drive you to and from our office. You’ll be so relaxed that you may even briefly fall asleep during your procedure! However, you should still be able to respond to our basic requests. Because the effects can last for several hours, we recommend taking the remainder of the day to rest and recover after your appointment.
Has your fear of the dentist kept you from receiving the care you need? With sedation dentistry, that doesn’t have to be the case any longer. Give us a call today and ask about sedation. We can’t wait to give your smile the treatment it deserves!