If you’ve ever been to the gym, you know there are things you sometimes have to endure. It might be tough to exercise that much, but in the end, it’s worth it. You might not be super thrilled about going to the gym, but you can do it. What if you couldn’t, though? What if you feared the treadmills and weights so much that you couldn’t get the exercise your doctor recommended? That’s when you’d have a problem and could use some help.
At Mid-Michigan Dental Excellence, we might not have personal trainers to give you encouragement. But if you have dental anxiety badly enough that you are thinking of skipping needed treatment, we can help. Our sedation dentistry (nitrous oxide or oral medication) can remove anxiety. In fact, here are seven reasons why you might want to consider sedation for your next dental appointment.
- Local anesthetic might not work as effectively: Some patients have a natural resistance to painkillers and local anesthetic. For example, redheads tend to be more sensitive to pain and need more local anesthetic than other people. Other people just are more resistant to the effects of anesthesia. If this is you, dental sedation can help you get through a more painful treatment. That’s because the sedation makes you relax and feel better.
- You have a sensitive gag reflex: In order to work on your teeth and help keep your mouth clean, Dr. McDonald will need to work in your mouth. For most patients, that’s not a problem. But some people have a sensitive gag reflex. For these people, even taking X-rays of the back teeth can cause them to gag, nevermind placing a dental crown back there. If this is you, dental sedation will help. You can get so relaxed that your gag reflex will most likely not be a problem.
- You have trouble sitting still for a long time: Some people are just naturally restless. Whether it’s because you are a bundle of energy or you’re not used to sitting in one place for too long, it can be hard resting in the dentist’s chair until the treatment is done. This is especially true if your treatment will take awhile. In this case, sedation dentistry will help you feel so relaxed that you don’t mind sitting there.
- You’ll be comfortable throughout the treatment.
- Someone you know told bad stories about dental visits: Stories are powerful. If you hear a story about someone at work messing up, you’re more likely to see any of his work as bad and filled with mistakes. That’s true with just about anything. Hear a bad story, expect a bad experience. If you listened to your parents or friends talk about a bad experience they had at another dental office, it will color your perception. You’ll get worried and expect similar bad experiences even if you have never been to our office yet. If this is the case, sedation dentistry can help. You’ll feel so relaxed that any bad stories you might have heard will be easily forgotten.
- You have special needs: We are a true family dentist here at Mid-Michigan Dental Excellence, so we see all patients. If you or a member of your family has special needs and is due for a cleaning and exam, dental sedation can help reduce the impact of those needs. For example, if you sometimes have involuntary muscle movement, sedation can help reduce that so you can get the treatments you need.
- You need time to get through several treatments: We work hard at our Alma, MI dental office to make sure you’re comfortable. But if you have several treatments to get done, it might be harder to stay relaxed in that chair for so long. If you need many treatments, such as getting dental crowns put on two or three teeth, sedation can help you get through all of those in one visit.
You had a bad experience with dentistry in the past: It’s called operant conditioning. When something you experience is paired with pain or anxiety, you start to feel bad whenever that something happens again. If you got into a bad car accident while driving a blue Ford, you might feel anxious whenever you see a blue Ford drive past. This happens even though you’re perfectly safe. If you had a bad experience at a different dentist’s office, even if it was decades ago, the memory can make you fear any dentist. Sedation can remove that concern, giving you a great experience at our Alma, MI dental office. Plus, you begin to pair dentistry with good experiences, helping you get past anxiety even more.
If you are worried about your next dental appointment, don’t be. With sedation dentistry, you can feel relaxed and comfortable throughout your treatment. Call us today at (989)-773-2133 to discuss how sedation can help you.