One of our patients, we’ll call her Marsha, used to hate visiting the dentist. Maybe her symptoms sound familiar to you. As she told us, just the thought of opening wide made her break out into a cold sweat. She had avoided visiting the dentist for years, until late one night she was woken by an abscessed tooth. She couldn’t ignore it anymore — luckily, she found the sedation dentist in Lancaster, PA.
One visit to our doctor put Marsha at ease. We discussed her options in sedation dentistry and let her know she certainly wasn’t alone in her dental fear. With oral conscious sedation for calming her nerves and a local anesthetic for numbing the treatment area, we were able to perform an emergency root canal to get Marsha’s smile back on track.
Patients who are afraid of the dentist benefit greatly from sedation dentistry. In facot, sometimes just one visit under sedation is all that’s needed to show them that there’s really nothing to fear from visiting the dentist, and they are able to resume regular preventive appointments once again. Marsha is now one of our regulars!
Our dental office offers oral conscious and IV sedation. The one that is right for you depends on your level of fear or anxiety on the treatment day, as well as the type of procedure being performed.
What to Expect from Sedation Dentistry
So you have made the choice to benefit from sedation dentistry, and you would like to know what you can expect. Just a little advance preparation can help ensure things go smoothly on the day of your treatment.
Plan for someone to drive or accompany you to and from your appointment with oral conscious sedation. You will take the medication about an hour before treatment, and its effects are likely to take over before you are settling into the dental chair.
Because IV sedation is administered after you have settled in the dental chair, you can drive to your appointment if you like — but make plans for a ride from the office, as you will remain groggy for the rest of the day. Have someone check in on you for the first several hours after your treatment with IV sedation.
You do not need to wear any special clothing to your visit with sedation dentistry. Just make sure you are comfortable, and avoid wearing lots of jewelry or accessories. We think you look great already!
Some patients experience nausea after undergoing sedation dentistry, but the effects should be temporary and mild. Most people are unlikely to remember the details of their time under sedation.