Forget Your Dental Fears

An incredible 30 to 40 million American adults do not go to the dentist due to fear and anxiety. Imagine the plaque and tartar build up that accumulates on your teeth if you do not attend routine dental check-ups. Yes, a good at home dental hygiene routine can help to keep your teeth in good shape, but dentists have special tools and are highly educated to care for teeth and spot issues that non-dentists just can’t always find.

The following are common reasons attributed to dental phobia or anxiety:

• Fear of a painful procedure
• Fear of the noises heard at a dentist office (e.g. drills, x-ray machines)
• Fear of the smells
• Not being in control
• Embarrassment or low self-esteem regarding their teeth
• Previous bad dental experience
• Extreme gag reflex

Have no fear! Dentistry has come a long way. In today’s day and age, modern technology and years of education allow for pain-free dental treatments and procedures. In fact, sedation dentistry has positively changed the way that many patients feel about the dentist. Through sedation dentistry, nerves can be calmed and pain is eliminated. Because of tales from older treatments, certain procedures like root canals have a bad stigma attached to them. Thankfully, modern day root canals are not painful! If you add on sedation to the treatment, the overall experience is that much more enjoyable.

True Sleep Sedation Dentistry

True sleep sedation is the highest level of sedation dentistry. For those experiencing debilitating bouts of dental phobia or anxiety, as well as patients with special needs, lower doses of conscious sedation may not be the best option. When using true sleep dentistry, the patient is in a sleep-like state for the duration of the dental treatment. You will have no memory of the procedure when you wake up. This is accomplished by using an IV for general anesthesia and is performed by a licensed professional in sedation dentistry.

True sleep dentistry benefits include:

• Total relaxation and state of calm
• No memory of the treatment when conscious
• Be pain-free during one or multiple procedures
  • More procedures accomplished in just one appointment
• Monitored by a professional throughout the entire treatment process

If you do not specifically have dental phobia, anxiety, or special needs but want to try sedation dentistry you are still eligible to get sedation. Situations such as needing multiple dental procedures can make it a long day at the dentist. Give us a call. We are happy to discuss the best level of sedation for you and any or all of your upcoming dental treatments. At Gulch Dental Studio, we are pleased to work alongside Dr. Matthew Yezerski, a licensed administrator of general anesthesia. Our office is one of the only in the greater Nashville area to actually make this unique service available to you. Feel free to use our helpful online appointment form to book your next appointment easily!