Don’t Let Anxiety Or Fear Stop You From Achieving Your Dream Smile

Written by Dr. Scharfenberg on Jul 3, 2018

Don’t Let Anxiety Or Fear Stop You From Achieving Your Dream Smile

So many dental patients, of many different ages, deal with anxiety and fear related to dentistry. In some cases, this anxiety simply makes going to the dentist unpleasant. In other cases, dental anxiety actually prevents the patient from completing dental treatment at all.

If you are someone who has struggled with dentistry related anxiety, our Elmhurst sedation dentists are here to help you. We know that this type of stress and anxiety can be absolutely debilitating, which is why we offer solutions to help you take control of your smile.

One fairly unique solution that we offer in our practice is called Dental Spa Therapy. Dental Spa Therapy uses a combination of holistic therapies to help the patient relax and stay comfortable during treatment. We may, for example, combine muscle manipulation, aromatherapy, and acupressure to help minimize your stress levels. The ultimate goal is to lull the patient into a peaceful stage of pre-sleep. Dental Spa Therapy is always tweaked and tailored to fit the individual patient’s needs.

Our Elmhurst dentists also use nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, to give patients a sense of calm before treatment begins. Nitrous oxide is administered through a gas mask; as the patient breathes in he or she begins to feel relaxed, and maybe even a little giddy or giggly.

Oral conscious sedation is an increasingly popular form of sedation that allows patients to start feeling relaxed and confident before they even step foot in our office. If you choose oral conscious sedation, our dentist will prescribe you a small sedative pill. You’ll take this pill at home, about an hour before your appointment is scheduled to begin. This medication will make you feel calm, and it will also provide amnesic effects, so you’ll be unlikely to remember any of your dental treatment process once the effects of the medication wear off. Oral conscious sedation provides all of these benefits, while allowing you to remain conscious and responsive to our dental team the entire time.

With all of the relaxation and sedation treatments available today, there is truly no reason to let chronic dental anxiety harm your smile. Please contact our Elmhurst sedation dentists to learn more about any of these treatment options, and to schedule a personal consultation with our team!