How You Can Finally Relax in the Dentist’s Chair

Does just the thought of sitting in the dentist’s chair make your palms sweat or your heart race?

This is common for those who experience dental anxiety. This anxiety can stem from different reasons. Maybe you haven’t been to the dentist in a while and you’re afraid of what they might discover. You might even struggle with anticipating pain. 

You are not alone in these fears. If you, or someone you know experiences higher levels of dental anxiety, we’ve got good news.

There are sedation options that can help you to finally be able to relax during your appointment. 

What if years of treatment could be performed within one or two visits?

Under normal circumstances, sitting in the dentist’s chair for hours at a time would get uncomfortable. This isn’t the case when you choose sedation dentistry. With light sedation, you can eliminate multiple office visits by getting multiple treatments at once. After the procedure, you’ll awake feeling refreshed with little recollection of the treatment.

Midlothian Dental Center offers three types of sedation: conscious sedation, IV sedation and nitrous oxide. All options are administered by knowledgeable and experienced dentists who are members of the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation. Cathy Harrison, CRNA, is a certified registered nurse anesthetist, whose role is to administer medications for moderate sedation and ensure patients are comfortable throughout the procedure. 

If you’re interested in sedation that is on the lighter side, nitrous oxide (laughing gas) may be best for you. This will help you relax, so you can better enjoy your dental appointment - plus you will be able to drive yourself home. 

Overall, if fear of needles, smells, tastes or the dentist in general affect you getting necessary oral treatment, sedation dentistry could be the right choice for you. This is also a wonderful option for those who have difficulty becoming/staying numb. 

Our goal is to make a visit to the dentist something you could enjoy, and one of the ways we do this is by making the treatment as relaxing as possible.

Before choosing sedation, there’s a few things we’d like you to know:

• You won’t experience any pain.
• You won’t be unconscious. Instead, you’ll be fully relaxed and able to respond.
• Depending on treatment, you could be under sedation anywhere from 2 to 6 hours.
• Someone will need to drive you home after the appointment (unless nitrous oxide was used for your sedation) 

If dental anxiety is keeping you or someone you know from receiving much needed treatment, call us today to see how sedation dentistry can help. You know where to find us! (804) 794-4588