“Do all dentists provide anesthesiology for nervous patients?”
I am a 36 year old female who is fearful of the dentist and hasn't gone in years. Could I be given anesthesia for the entire dental checkup? This includes the teeth cleaning and x-rays?
13 Answers
Hi there,
Dental phobia is quite popular and rest assured you are not alone in this. My suggestion to you is to look up an office trained in sedation dentistry and schedule appointment to meet the dentist. It is very important that you feel comfortable and meet the team to discuss your dental needs and determine the type of sedation you'll be comfortable with. Usually the first appointment is not invasive so rest assure you are in charge. Typically you'll meet the dentist to talk first and get to know each other. Then some xrays can be taken to be able to set up a treatment plan. Cleaning is not usually done at this appointment, so don't worry. Look up SedationCare.com to find an office close to you. Good Luck!
Dental phobia is quite popular and rest assured you are not alone in this. My suggestion to you is to look up an office trained in sedation dentistry and schedule appointment to meet the dentist. It is very important that you feel comfortable and meet the team to discuss your dental needs and determine the type of sedation you'll be comfortable with. Usually the first appointment is not invasive so rest assure you are in charge. Typically you'll meet the dentist to talk first and get to know each other. Then some xrays can be taken to be able to set up a treatment plan. Cleaning is not usually done at this appointment, so don't worry. Look up SedationCare.com to find an office close to you. Good Luck!
No, you need a board-certified practitioner who can perform general anesthesiology.
Yes.
I personally think that you do not need full anesthesia for a routine check up and I don’t know any other dentist that do. Have a great day
There's no need for anesthesia. It does not hurt.
Hello,
So sorry to hear about your fear of dentist and dental work, however, this is very common and we see and treat numerous patients who have not seen dentist for a very long time due to their fears! Fortunately, we do provide dental sedation (aka sleep dentistry), which is a very powerful tool in helping our fearful patient population.
So sorry to hear about your fear of dentist and dental work, however, this is very common and we see and treat numerous patients who have not seen dentist for a very long time due to their fears! Fortunately, we do provide dental sedation (aka sleep dentistry), which is a very powerful tool in helping our fearful patient population.
Not all dentist provide sedation. For the initial exam you should not be sedated because we have to get an accurate health history and to discuss your dental needs.
Dana Truesdale, DDS
Dana Truesdale, DDS
All dentists provide local anesthesia. Not all dentists provide "laughing gas" or sedation. Many dentists are happy to take extra time with nervous people.
There are different types of anesthesia for different reasons. If you are having a procedure done that would cause pain in your tooth or gums there is local anesthesia to numb this area. Other kinds used in dentistry would be considered general anesthesia. Nitrous oxide (or laughing gas) can be used to reduce anxiety and help with pain reduction. General anesthesia with IV sedation would be more like surgery where you'd go to sleep and typically have little to no recollection of the procedure. There are dentists that utilize all of these forms and some only use a couple. I would look around and ask your dentist if they provide any of these services. I would also try to find a place that has a calming environment, listens to you, makes you feel at ease. Tell you dentist what makes you anxious and what you like or don't like. We like to know these things! :-) At our office, we have blankets, Netflix/Hulu, noise cancelling headphones, etc. to help reduce anxiety during uncomfortable dental procedures. I'm sure you can find a dentist in your area that would help with this.
You can generally find sedation trained dentists in most metropolitan areas.
It depends if the anesthesia being administered is local anesthesia or general anesthesia. Most if not all general dentists administer local anesthesia, but not all administer general anesthesia.
Absolutely! There are many ways to alleviate your anxiety from Valium to "laughing gas" The most important thing is to get a check up and treat the disease while its in a manageable state. Talk to a friend and find a dentist that will provide you medication for your anxiety. I am proud of you. Good Luck!
Not all dentists have advanced sedation at their offices. While you could be given anesthesia for dental work, it is not a common adjunctive service for a dental check up and cleaning. Contact a dentist to see if that is a service they provide.
