Unfortunately, not every patient feels excited to visit the dentist. For some people, it’s just a minor nuisance. Other people may feel dental anxiety, often due to past experiences with the dentist. Chronic pain or a strong gag reflex can also make dental procedures unpleasant. There are also patients who find it difficult to sit still for long periods of time.
Whatever the reason you might dread visiting the dentist, sedation dentistry might be the solution. At Kuzma Advanced Dentistry, we want our patients to feel comfortable when they visit us. To make all patients feel comfortable during their treatments, we offer a few different sedation dentistry options. See if sedation dentistry is right for you.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Sedation Dentistry?
Patients who experience any physical or emotional discomfort due to dental visits can benefit from sedation dentistry
- Common problems include:
- Fear of the dentist
- Anxiety from sounds, smells, or sights at the dentist
- Sensitive gag reflex
- Discomfort from holding the mouth open
- Difficulty sitting still
- Difficulty getting numb
- Insomnia the night before a dentist appointment
- Excess pain during or after dental visits
If you experience any of these in connection with your dental visits, sedation dentistry can help. To try to help all anxious dental patients in Wilmington, we offer three different sedation dentistry options.
Oral Sedation
Oral sedation is when a patient takes a pill like a valium to relax. We advise patients to take the pill about a half-hour before their appointment so that they are completely relaxed when it begins. For people with extreme anxiety that starts the night before, we might also prescribe a pill to help you sleep.
Oral sedation will keep you awake and conscious during your appointment, but you will feel completely relaxed. Oral sedation helps with pre-appointment anxiety, is easy to take, and lasts long. Patients will need to arrange for a ride to and from their appointment when using this option.
Nitrous Oxide
The second option for sedation dentistry is Nitrous Oxide, commonly known as “laughing gas.” Nitrous Oxide is an odorless gas that you inhale during your appointment. You will experience a state of relaxation in less than five minutes. Once your procedure is over, you can expect the effects to wear off quickly. This option may not help anxiety as much as oral sedation though. Dr. Kuzma will recommend the best sedation dentistry option for your needs.
NuCalm
Our last sedation dentistry option is NuCalm, a drug-free relaxation dentistry technique. NuCalm uses a natural supplement or lotion that supplies your brain with the same relaxation neurotransmitters that your brain produces to prepare for sleep. It also uses cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) to make your brain more receptive to the relaxation neurotransmitters. You’ll also wear headphones that present the brain with binaural beats to encourage low frequency or relaxed brain waves. Lastly, you will wear dark glasses or an eye mask to block out light and stressful sights. This combination allows you to relax without taking any drugs.
If you experience anxiety or discomfort from dental appointments, discuss the best sedation dentistry options with Wilmington, NC dentist Dr. Michael Kuzma by calling (910) 392-6060 today.
