You’ve had a fear of the dentist since childhood, so you’ve avoided going for years now. One day you’re chowing down on some delicious hard candy, and you suddenly hear a loud crunch. A jolt of pain shoots through your mouth. You spit out what’s in your mouth only to discover that a piece of your tooth has chipped off! If you’re going through a dental emergency like this one, don’t worry. Your emergency dentist in Gainesville offers many ways to soothe your dental worries, even if you’re afraid of getting treatment.
Why You Might Be Anxious
With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, there are plenty of reasons to be worried about the outcome of this disease. You or someone you love might get sick, which is no laughing matter. To top it all off, virtually all elective dental procedures have been postponed until further notice. That means that your regular dental cleanings are effectively canceled for the time being. However, your dentist remains open for emergency treatments. But what should you do if you’re too anxious to go to the dentist?
How Your Dentist Can Alleviate Your Worries
As many as 20% of Americans have dental phobia, or a fear of the dentist. Because this is so common, your dentist offers sedation as a way for you to get the care you need without any anxiety. Your sedation dentist in Gainesville offers three main methods of sedation to help you:
- Nitrous oxide. A mask will be placed over your nose through which you will breathe a colorless, odorless gas. Within minutes, waves of euphoria will wash over you. Best of all, the effects wear off quickly, allowing you to resume your day as normal soon after your appointment.
- Oral conscious sedation. For more moderately anxious patients, we can prescribe a pill to take about an hour before your appointment is set to begin. You’ll feel so calm you might even fall asleep during your procedure! The effects should last the rest of the day, and you shouldn’t remember much of your treatment.
- IV sedation. One step below general anesthesia which leaves patients completely unconscious, IV sedation keeps you awake, but just barely, with a drug injected intravenously. Like with oral conscious sedation, you’ll be awake enough to respond to your dentist’s requests, but you shouldn’t remember anything at all afterward.
If you’re suffering through a dental emergency, try not to panic. Simply call your dentist and alter them as to what’s going on. Using whichever method of sedation is right for you, they should be more than able to alleviate your anxieties and allow you to undergo the care you need to get your smile back in great shape!
About the Author
Dr. Art Mowery is a dentist who is Board-Certified in IV sedation, so he can help even the most anxious of patients get the treatment they require. In addition, he has earned an Affiliate Associate Fellowship in the American Academy of Implant Dentistry so if you need to replace a tooth due to a dental emergency, he can replace it himself. To learn more, contact Dr. Mowery’s office at (352) 332-6725.
