Eliminating the Fear – Sedation Dentistry

Sedation dentistry and anesthesia techniques can help people with even the most severe forms of dental anxiety.

DR. JAMES SNYDER: About another third of our patients are patients who are significantly frightened or phobic. And although they may or may not be in the eyes of the psychologist or psychiatrist pursuant of a mental illness such as dental phobia, that doesn't matter to the patients. They know they're afraid. They have been unsatisfied or uncomfortable with previous treatments, and they live in mortal fear of any future treatments. And for those patients, it's also a simple matter for them to achieve whatever their dental treatment objectives are from the simplest things like dental examinations all the way through the most comprehensive rehabilitations. DR. HUGH CAMPBELL: They're so afraid, they can't open their mouth but a certain--you know, I mean they can't consciously open their mouth. Now they're perfectly capable of doing it, but they're not going to do it for me. But they know that they need to have some work done, it's usually pain related. And we just have to refer them to Dr. Snyder because they're going to have to get some type of sedation that's going to--you know, so that they'll be able to relax, and for the work to be done in, you know, in a timely manner. DR. ANGELA MOSS: Either we have tried at our office and it hasn't been successful and to the patient's desire, and they're happy to go somewhere where they're going to be totally out, they won't remember anything, and it's just going to get done. Other patients, they come in and they have a concern of maybe waking up in the middle, or they've been somewhere before where that happened even though they had IV sedation, they were very concerned. And right away I refer them here, no questions. DR. JOYCE NIA: They really start you getting back that trust to come to a dental office like this setting. They know they don't have to deal with that fear, because that fear is very real. It's not like you can sit through or try to bite the bullet and overcome with it. But they know they don't have to go through that struggle, which is very important for them to overcome that fear. MS. WILMA WASHINGTON: I have always been afraid of the dentist. I had a couple of bad experiences very early in my life, and always procrastinated, never had good dental care. And I'm 50 years old now, and for the first time I willing come to the dentist and schedule the appointment. MS. MARINA ARMISTEAD: So I don't recall any of the procedure, which I'm delighted to report. I don't want to recall anything. MS. INDI CATHER: Every experience that I've had here from the bridgework, to the tooth work, to the going to sleep, everything has been fantastic. And I look forward now to coming to the dentist has opposed to having to take all kinds of nerve medication to get me to the dentist before.