What is Dental Anxiety?
Do you dread visiting the dental office or avoid scheduling appointments? Dental treatments can make patients nervous, and some would rather live with oral health issues than set foot in a dentist’s office. If this sounds like you, then you may be suffering from dental anxiety. Dental anxiety is a common problem that can be caused by previous bad experiences, phobias, or lack of trust.
At River Birch Dental, we’ll help ensure that you’re completely comfortable the moment you enter our office. That’s why we offer safe nitrous oxide for any patients who feel nervous or uneasy about their dental procedure.
How Nitrous Oxide Can Help
If you’re experiencing dental anxiety, Dr. Vargas will provide you with sedation in the form of nitrous oxide to ensure you’re comfortable during your visit. Administered through a face mask before your treatment, nitrous oxide can put you in a state of total relaxation so that you don’t feel any pain or fear during your procedure.
What Is Nitrous Oxide?
Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is a form of mild sedation that puts patients in a euphoric state to ensure they feel at ease during their treatment. It’s administered through a mask that’s placed over the nose. You’ll inhale the gas before Dr. Vargas begins your treatment as well as during.
Each person reacts to dental treatments and medications differently, so we’ll make sure to perform a thorough evaluation before providing you with this sedation. We’ll also monitor you while you’re receiving the nitrous oxide to ensure you’re completely safe.
Unlike other types of sedation, you won’t feel any side effects coming off of nitrous oxide. Once your dental treatment is complete, we’ll take off the mask and flush out the sedation with oxygen. This will ensure you have total control of your body again and can drive home safely once the nitrous oxide is completely out of your system.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re nervous about going to the dentist, here are a few tips to help you overcome your fears:
- Listen to music to take your mind off things and distract you from unpleasant sounds.
- Do your homework — Ask family and friends for recommendations on dentists they trust who can help with dental anxiety.
- Avoid caffeine before your appointment to reduce anxious feelings.
- Use hand signals — When you’re feeling uncomfortable or need a break, use your hands to communicate your message
- Choose an appropriate appointment time when you won’t have to rush.
If you’re feeling nervous when you arrive at your appointment, be sure to communicate your concerns to our dentists and we can help you through your treatment. We offer dental sedation to put your worries and pain at ease.
Nitrous oxide is a type of conscious sedation. Its purpose is to make you feel comfortable and help you relax. It’s often used in combination with a local anesthetic, which will take the pain away. If you experience pain or anxiety throughout your treatment, be sure to let us know and we can adjust the dosage to help keep you at ease.
Conscious sedation methods such as nitrous oxide won’t knock you out completely. Although you’ll feel calm and drowsy, you’ll still be awake and able to respond to verbal cues and touch. Our dentists will ask you questions throughout your treatment to ensure you’re comfortable and pain-free. It’s likely you won’t remember much from the procedure though and time will go by rather quickly when given nitrous oxide.
Absolutely! Nitrous oxide has been used since the 1800s and is a safe and effective way to keep your worries at bay while we improve your oral health. When administered by experienced dental professionals, like our dentists at River Birch Dental, nitrous oxide is completely safe to use. We’ll deliver a safe dosage and monitor you throughout the treatment.
Although children typically recover quickly from the effects of nitrous oxide, we’ll be sure to monitor them until they’re safe to leave. Children may become exhausted or nauseous after being exposed to nitrous oxide.
It’s important to keep them hydrated for the rest of the day and make sure they avoid high-impact sports, especially activities requiring balance. If you have any questions or concerns about dental sedation, feel free to contact our office by calling (715) 646-2161 and one of our helpful team members will be happy to assist you.