Overcome Dental Anxiety With Oral Sedation

Keeping up good dental hygiene and oral health is important for staying healthy overall. Good dental health is correlated with a lower risk of infections and other types of illnesses. 

But 36% of Americans have dental anxiety, making it tricky to keep up with oral hygiene. 

If you struggle with dental anxiety, you may find it difficult to maintain appointments and visit your dentist regularly. This means you might not be giving your oral health the attention it needs. 

Fortunately, we have a solution. At the dental practice of Robert F. Wilcox, DMD, in Butte, Montana, we offer oral sedation, which can help you overcome your dental anxiety so your teeth get the attention they need. 

Dr. Wilcox has years of experience helping patients with dental anxiety, so you know you’ll be in good hands. 

Take a moment to find out more about oral sedation and how it can help you overcome your dental anxiety. 

Understanding dental anxiety

Dental anxiety has many causes, and everyone who experiences this condition has their own reason or combination of reasons to be nervous seeing the dentist. Some common causes include:

• Fear of pain 
• Nervousness of holding their mouth open for long periods 
• Anxiety about sitting in the exam chair
• Dislike of the smell of chemicals at the office 
• Fear of the sounds made by the dental drill and other tools
• Trust issues or fear of loss of control 

Many people who experience dental anxiety are also anxious about the cost of dental work. 

Understanding oral sedation

To ease your dental anxiety, dentists may offer oral sedation. Dr. Wilcox uses different forms of sedation, including :

• Nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas
• IV sedation, where relaxing medications are delivered intravenously
• Enteral sedation, anesthesia in a pill or liquid form
• Anti-anxiety medications like diazepam or temazepam 

It’s not one size fits all when it comes to sedation. Dr. Wilcox works with you to determine the best one for you. 

To figure out the best type of dental sedation for you, he discusses your medical history, pain tolerance, and level of anxiety and takes into consideration the dental procedure(s) you need. 

How oral sedation reduces stress about the dentist

You might still be wondering how exactly oral sedation helps you overcome your dental anxiety. Here’s how this happens in several key ways: 

No need to worry about discomfort

If you’re worried about being uncomfortable or experiencing pain during your visit, oral sedation puts that to a halt. After taking the sedative, you won’t notice the work going on in your mouth, leaving you to relax and let our skilled team take care of your teeth. 

Helps you stay calm about future procedures 

When you’re sedated, your brain can’t make new memories during your procedure. This is known as anterograde amnesia and helps you shake anxiety. 

Since you’re not making memories during your procedure, anxiety, and emotional distress about future visits to the dentist fade away.  

Your gag reflex is minimized 

While your gag reflex helps prevent you from choking on things that get too deep in your throat, it can make it difficult to sit through a dental procedure. 

During oral sedation, your gag reflex is temporarily paralyzed. This means you won’t have to worry about gagging while in the chair. 

Your appointment will be over before you know it

One of the best ways oral sedation helps you with your anxiety is that it makes your appointment go by in the blink of an eye. Dr. Wilcox can work more quickly and efficiently when you’re sedated and relaxed, so you can get back to the comfort of your home so much faster. 

If you want to find out more about how we can help you overcome your dental anxiety, or if you’d like an appointment with oral sedation, schedule an appointment online or give us a call at our Butte, Montana, office today.