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A
recent survey revealed that nearly one-third of the
population dislikes visiting the dentist. Many people
will put off a trip to the dentist simply because they
are afraid of experiencing discomfort or pain. Unfortunately,
too few people realize that by skipping their appointments,
they’re increasing their chances of more serious
dental problems down the road.
Dr. Lide and our team are well-known for being gentle,
compassionate dental professionals. Often, many nervous
patients are calmed by just talking to us and having
us listen. Still, other people experience real and
unnecessary anxiety while sitting in our dental chair.
That makes
it difficult for Dr. Lide to provide the treatments
you need. That’s why we offer sedation dentistry.
Sedation dentistry is completely safe and very effective.
If you need extensive treatment, we can often combine
appointments to make the most of your treatment.
Dr. Lide recommends sedation dentistry for anyone who
has
had past traumatic dental experiences, complex dental
problems, a bad gag reflex, difficulty becoming numb,
or very sensitive teeth.
But which one should you use? We offer several sedation
types:
Oral Sedation
Dr. Lide recommends oral sedation if we need to perform
extensive treatment or you simply need help relaxing
during your appointment. With this method, we will
prescribe a sedative, such as Halcion or Valium, an
hour before
your dental appointment. We strongly advise that you
have someone accompany you to your appointment since
you will feel drowsy. Once at our Richardson dental office, our team
will escort you to a dental chair in our comfortable
operatory
and cover you with a thick, warm blanket. While you
won’t
be completely unconscious, you will feel very relaxed
while we treat you. Once complete, your companion can
escort you home to relax.
IV Sedation
With IV sedation, Dr. Lide will invite an anaesthesiologist
to the office to sedate you before he begins your treatment.
As our team works, you will feel comfortable and relaxed.
Most likely, you will have no memory of the appointment.
Afterward, you will need to have a companion drive
you home, as you should not operate a motor vehicle
for 24
hours after your visit.
Nitrous Oxide
You may already know nitrous oxide by its more common
name, laughing gas. If you’re unfamiliar with this
process, we’ll begin by placing a small inhaler
over your nose. This provides pure oxygen for you to
breath. After a few minutes, we’ll introduce nitrous
oxide. Most patients experience an initial sensation
of light-headedness, followed by a comfortable feeling
of warmth. Throughout the procedure, you’ll be
completely conscious and we’ll ask you questions
about how you are feeling so we can adjust the flow of
nitrous. At the end of our treatment, we’ll give
you oxygen again and after we’re done, you can
walk out of our office feeling normal.
General Anaesthetics
We can also help you relax with a general anaesthetic.
With this type of sedation, we will give you a pill
before your appointment so you’re unconscious
briefly or we may combine the anaesthetic with nitrous
oxide.
Either way, you will be comfortable and pain-free while
we work on you.
Each person is unique, so Dr. Lide will need to evaluate
your medical history before he can recommend a sedation
method. If you think sedation dentistry may be right
for you call us today to schedule your first appointment.
It may change the way you feel about dentistry.
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