Did you know that 3 out of 10 Americans suffer from a fear of the dentist?
Dental anxiety is one of the leading excuses patients give for not visiting the dentist on a regular basis. This is problematic for many reasons. Preventative dental care is essential for your well being and can protect you from a range health complications. If you avoid visiting the dentist due to dental anxiety, Valley Dental Health wants to help you get the dental care you need.
Combating Dental Anxiety
Visiting the dentist twice a year for preventive dental exams, whether you have dental anxiety or not, can help keep your gums and teeth healthy, avoiding the need for advanced dental procedures. Bi-annual dental check ups help your Valley Dental dentists spot signs of developing oral health concerns in the earliest stages, so treatment can be less invasive, and more effective.
Avoiding the dentist may complicate your dental health. Visiting the dentist on a regular basis can help prevent tooth decay, oral cancer, and the spread of gingivitis. Patients who visit the dentist more frequently are less likely to have missing teeth, bone or gum recession and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Do not let dental anxiety prevent you from enjoying your optimal oral health.
Conscious Dental Sedation Options
For patients who have been away from the dentist for some time, or who suffer from regular dental anxiety, we offer sedation dentistry options. Sedation dentistry allows patients to feel totally relaxed and at ease during their treatment. Patients using sedation dental options may also be able to receive multiple treatments in one sitting saving stress, money and time.
- Oral sedation dentistry Oral sedation is taken in pill form. Patients remain conscious, yet relaxed, allowing the dentist to perform the needed procedures. Most patients report having little to no memory of the procedure. Patients will be required to have a ride to and from the dentist office for their safety.
- Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is inhaled by the patient through a mask. The gas simply relaxes the patient. They remain fully awake and cooperative during treatment. Nitrous oxide is one of the safest and most effective sedation dentistry techniques. The effects of laughing gas are only present when the mask is on, allowing the patient to quickly recover and return to their normal activities.
- IV sedation dentistry
IV sedation dentistry is administered by our highly trained and certified dentists. One of the only Hunt Valley dentists to offer IV sedation dentistry, we carefully screen and monitor our patients for a safe and effective sedation option. A thorough health review is required to qualify for IV sedation. The sedation medication is administered directly into the bloodstream for a highly controlled and monitored sedation option. The sedation can be controlled by your dentist for optimal results.
Reversing the Effects of Sedation
One downside to sedation dentistry are the lingering, although temporary, side effects. Patients often feel frustrated by the numbness, drooling and slurred speech often associated with anesthesia. Although these side effects wear off after a few hours, some patients may need to get back to their daily routines sooner than anesthesia allows. We Oraverse® to reverse the effects of anesthesia. Oraverse® is an injection that is delivered after treatment so that you can leave our office without the lingering side effects.