Your pulse is racing. You think you might be sweating. You sit fidgeting, tapping your toes, and trying to read old magazines. Then, you decide to give pacing a try. Back and forth across the 12X12 space you go. Then, a scrub clad person, peaks a head around the door and calls your name. Then, you take a deep breath, and choose to fight your fear. You force yourself to walk into the patient room for your six month checkup. If this sounds familiar, you may be one of the 15% of Americans who suffer from dental phobia or anxiety. A Delta Dental survey of those who receive insurance benefits from their company revealed that 58% of patients reported experiencing some fear or reluctance caused by even routine preventive dental checkups. There is some good news for Capital Smiles patients. For a limited time, your Capital District dentist and team are offering free oral conscious sedation with your first paid procedure.
Oral Conscious Sedation
At Capital Smiles, we offer two forms of dental sedation: nitrous oxide and oral conscious. Nitrous oxide is a great option for patients who experience minor difficulty managing pain or discomfort during dental procedures using only local anesthesia. For patients with a greater amount of dental anxiety, oral conscious sedation may be the best choice since relaxation begins before patients ever leave home. The dentist prescribes a sedative that is taken orally at a predetermined time leading up to the procedure. Patients will need to have a friend or family member drive them to and from their appointment since the sedative effects are long lasting. Once the patient arrives for treatment, they are already relaxed, and ready for their visit. At the office, additional sedatives are administered with nitrous oxide for a deeper level of sedation. Patients who choose oral conscious sedation report feeling extremely calm and as if they are drowsy, but as the name suggests, patients remain conscious throughout treatment. In addition to helping patients relax, oral sedatives also decrease sensitivity reducing pain and discomfort during treatment. Since muscles are relaxed during treatment, patients report experiencing very little discomfort following treatment. Another perk for many patients is mild amnesia following treatment. Most patients remember very little if any of their procedure.
To find out more Contact Your Capital District General Dentist
Interested in finding out more about how oral conscious sedation can help you overcome your dental fears? Contact Capital Smiles today.