Local Sedation Dental Care - Anxiety Free Dentistry
Premier Aesthetic Dentistry
Appointments: (803) 781-7901
Mark Pelletier D.D.S.
Premier Aesthetic Dentistry
900 Lake Murray Boulevard, Suite 200; P.O. Box 1181
Irmo, SC 29063
If you want a gorgeous smile that turns heads, you may want to learn about the range of dental services offered at Premier Aesthetic Dentistry. Irmo area cosmetic dentist Dr. Mark Pelletier is dedicated to producing quality results and beautiful smiles.
Would you like your smile to be a bit brighter than it is right now? We can make it happen at Premier Aesthetic Dentistry, with professional tooth whitening for brighter natural looking teeth. Dr. Mark Pelletier's Irmo, SC area office can effectively lighten your stained or discolored tooth enamel. Whiter teeth not only look great, they improve your self-confidence.
New and safe sedation dentistry with Irmo area sedation dentist Dr. Mark Pelletier means you can have years of dental treatments done quickly while you're lightly sedated, with little or no discomfort. If you've been putting up with discomfort, hiding your smile, or delaying scheduling dental work because you're too busy, your life is about to change. Make a sedation dentistry consultation appointment today with Dr. Pelletier.
Premier Aesthetic Dentistry practices the highest infection control standards to protect our patients and ourselves. In the Irmo, SC area, Dr. Mark Pelletier and his staff strictly observe all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. All instruments are cleaned, disinfected and routinely sterilized as recommended by the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control. Whenever possible, disposable, single-use items are used to ensure your safety.
Dr. Mark Pelletier, practicing in the Irmo, SC area, can provide you with the highest quality dental crowns available, and restore your smile. Using state-of-the-art materials and cutting-edge techniques, Dr. Pelletier can make your smile look healthy and natural again.
Grand River Dental Care
Appointments: (517) 546-7211
Wayne Nelson
Grand River Dental Care
2700 West Grand River Avenue
Howell, MI 48843
Are you nervous about the dentist's drill? Now you don't have to worry about it. Howell area dentist Dr. Wayne Nelson employs a new cavity repair procedure called air abrasion that our patients find much more comfortable. If you have numerous cavities, air abrasion allows Dr. Nelson to treat them all in just one office visit. Don't put off getting dental work done when there is a drill-free, comfortable method of treatment available.
At Grand River Dental Care we aim to maximize your insurance benefits and make any remaining balance easily affordable. Howell area dentist Dr. Wayne Nelson and his knowledgeable staff can help answer any of your insurance questions.
We accept most insurance carriers. Please check with us prior to your appointment, but it's safe to say we likely accept the type of insurance you carry.
Grand River Dental Care offers natural-looking partial dentures. Howell area dentures dentist Dr. Wayne Nelson uses the latest technology to produce materials custom-blended to your skin, hair and eye color. You'll look like you were born with perfect teeth.
Have you ever considered natural-looking, permanent dental implants instead of uncomfortable dentures? Incredible recent advances in technology allow Howell area dental implants dentist Dr. Wayne Nelson to create tooth implants just for you that can be permanently anchored to your jaw. This is a great option to consider if you've had negative experiences with dentures in the past.
If you want a gorgeous smile that turns heads, you may want to learn about the range of dental services offered at Grand River Dental Care. Howell area cosmetic dentist Dr. Wayne Nelson is dedicated to producing quality results and beautiful smiles.
Andrew G Mortensen DDS
Appointments: (714) 964-4183
Andrew Mortensen D.D.S.
Andrew G Mortensen DDS
17762 Beach Blvd Ste 210
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
If you are missing one or more teeth, you'll want to talk with Fountain Valley area dental implant dentist Dr. Andrew Mortensen about replacements that look and feel as natural as your own teeth. If dentures are causing you problems, you may consider dental implants. Unlike dentures, which can be removed, Dr. Mortensen offers dental implants that are permanently anchored into the jaw itself.
For safe and professional teeth removal in the Fountain Valley area, Dr. Andrew Mortensen can help. If you need to have one tooth or several teeth extracted, you can trust our highly skilled team.
We're committed to your comfort and long-term oral health. We'll give you the gentle, professional care you deserve.
Andrew G Mortensen DDS is a trusted Fountain Valley area NTI-tss plus provider. Our highly-trained team fit you with a custom bite guard designed to relieve headaches and migraines caused by jaw clenching during sleep.
Each person is unique. Our experienced team will provide you with the individualized care you deserve for your situation.
Andrew Mortensen, D.D.S. is proud to be a trusted Fountain Valley area Zoom!® teeth whitening dentist. Our patients love the short amount of time the tooth whitening treatment takes as much as they love the results.
You'll be able to relax in our comfortable surroundings. In just about an hour, you'll have a sparkling white smile!
Fountain Valley area Invisalign® dentist Andrew Mortensen, D.D.S. is happy to provide your new clear braces. At Andrew G Mortensen DDS, we want you to have the straight teeth and beautiful smile you desire.
We're happy to assess your needs create your individual treatment plan for braces. You may be able to have your new Invisalign® aligners sooner than you think!
More Sedation Dentists in the Huntington Beach, CA Area Near You
JAMES J BAKER D.D.S. PA
1106 SOUTH PARK DR
REIDSVILLE, NC, 27320
(336) 349-9269
Dr. Randy Johnsons Center For Contemporary Dentis
2581 Nut Tree Rd Ste A
Vacaville, CA, 95687-6915
(707) 448-9211
Doctor - Activate Your Free 1stSedationDentist Directory Listing
PERRY L JEFFRIES D.D.S. AND ASSOCIATES PA
871 HUFFMAN ST
GREENSBORO, NC, 27405
336230346
ANDREW R OBLINGER D.D.S.
247 W CATAWBA AVE
MOUNT HOLLY, NC, 28120
(704) 827-0206
Conscious Sedation Dentistry: Managing Dental Anxiety
All too frequently, a planned visit to the dentist is looked on with a degree of dread and foreboding. This is referred to as dental anxiety.
Dental anxiety is not unusual, for it is quite natural for a person to be uncomfortable when placed in a position in which they feel that they are vulnerable, as occurs in the dental chair.
It is important that a patient tell the doctor if they have any dental anxiety related to their planned dental treatment. Keeping their fears hidden can only lead to a much more unpleasant experience for the patient and, in more extreme circumstances, may even increase the likelihood of certain emergencies occurring, such as fainting.
Once the sedation dentist is aware of the patient's dental anxiety and fears, there are many ways in which they may be addressed. In some cases, simply discussing the planned procedure is all that is necessary to alleviate the patient's dental anxiety.
When this is not enough, other highly effective and safe sedation techniques can be used to alleviate dental anxiety. If the technique involves the administration of a drug, it is termed conscious sedation dentistry.
The most readily available routes of conscious sedation are: oral, inhalation, intravenous and intramuscular. For extremely fearful dental patients, general anesthesia may be required.
Oral Conscious Sedation Dentistry
Many dentists will prescribe a sedative drug to be taken by mouth prior to the planned treatment. If the individual has an even greater degree of dental anxiety, the doctor may prescribe an oral conscious sedative to be taken at home one hour prior to going to sleep on the evening before the appointment.
If the drug is administered at home, it is IMPERATIVE that the patient NOT DRIVE A CAR to the appointment. Patients receiving oral conscious sedation are not permitted to drive a car or operate a motor vehicle for 24 hours following their appointment.
Commonly administered oral conscious sedatives include: Valium, Halcion, Dalmane, and Versed. Oral conscious sedation dentistry is most effective in the management of milder degrees of dental fear.
Inhalation Conscious Sedation Dentistry
The use of inhalation conscious sedation (nitrous oxide and oxygen) has been a mainstay of sedation techniques in dentistry for generations and still represents the most frequently employed technique. Commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide-oxygen is used by more than 35% of all U.S. dentists.
An advantage of this technique of inhalation conscious sedation is that most people receiving it recover promptly and may be permitted to leave the dental office unescorted and resume normal activities immediately.
Inhalation conscious sedation is most effective with mild to moderate degrees of dental anxiety.
Intravenous Conscious Sedation Dentistry
Though not as readily available as other conscious sedation techniques, intravenous (IV) conscious sedation is a safe and highly effective technique for management of moderate to more severe levels of dental anxiety.
Sedation dentists who employ IV conscious sedation have received specialized advanced training and certification by their state Board of Dental Examiners.
Drugs administered intravenously are more effective than the same drugs taken orally. A major benefit of some of these IV drugs is amnesia.
The patient will have no memory of some, or even all, of the dental treatment. This will lead the patient to think they were asleep during the treatment when, in reality, they were awake, but comfortable, at all times.
During the procedure, monitoring devices will be attached to the patient. These devices monitor the effectiveness of one's breathing (pulse oximeter), blood pressure and heart rate, increasing the safety of the procedure.
Patients receiving IV conscious sedation are not permitted to leave the dental office unescorted at the conclusion of the procedure.
Intramuscular Conscious Sedation Dentistry
Less commonly employed for adult patients, intramuscular (IM) conscious sedation is a relatively effective technique for management of moderate levels of dental anxiety and fear.
IM conscious sedation is more often employed in the management of fearful children. Sedative drugs are injected into the muscle of the upper arm or the thigh, producing sedation in approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
Dentists using IM conscious sedation have received specialized advanced training and certification by their state Board of Dental Examiners and will employ the same monitors described in the IV conscious sedation section.
General Anesthesia
Though the techniques of conscious sedation described above effectively manage more than 90% of all fearful dental patients, some may require general anesthesia in order to relieve their dental anxiety during their dental treatment.
When general anesthesia is used, the sedation dentist will employ a person who is trained and certified in general anesthesia to manage the patient while the dentist carries out the dental treatment.
This person will be a dentist anesthesiologist, a medical anesthesiologist, or, in some cases, a nurse anesthetist, whose sole responsibility is to ensure the safety of the sleeping (unconscious) patient while the dentistry is being done.
Sleep dentists using general anesthesia have received a minimum of two years of specialized advanced training and have been certified by their state Board of Dental Examiners. Monitors will be employed to help ensure the safety of the procedure.
Not all dentists employ conscious sedation techniques to relieve dental anxiety. It is important for patients to voice concerns and dental fears with their dentist during their first visit to the office.
The dentist will seek to work out a treatment plan that will best accommodate the patients needs. In some situations it may be necessary to refer a patient to a doctor who has these techniques available.
By Stanley F. Malamed, DDS
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
Laughing Gas (Nitrous Oxide) During Sedation Dentistry
The most commonly employed technique used in conscious sedation dentistry is inhalation sedation with nitrous oxide and oxygen (N20-02) or "laughing gas". It is estimated that approximately 35% of U.S. dentists use this technique to relieve dental anxiety.
The goal sought when laughing gas is used is to eliminate dental anxiety, making the patient more comfortable while the sedation dentist is able to more effectively complete the planned dental care procedure while the patient is sedated. Consult with your dentist to find out if this procedure right for you.
A small rubber inhaler will be placed over the patient's nose and adjusted so that the patient is comfortable. At this time, the patient will be breathing 100% oxygen.
Some patients at their first laughing gas visit will feel that they are not getting enough "air." The patient should tell the sedation dentist and he or she will provide them with even more oxygen to breathe.
Once the patient is comfortable breathing oxygen, the dentist gradually will introduce nitrous oxide. Over the next three to five minutes, the patient will be asked, "What are you feeling?" as the amount of nitrous oxide is slowly increased.
The signs and symptoms that most patients experience when receiving laughing gas include an initial feeling of lightheadedness, which gradually leads to an all-over feeling of warmth. Many persons mention a comfortable "vibrating" or "humming" sensation. It is common to feel one's fingertips and hands become "numb."
This same sensation may develop in the mouth - a benefit to the sedation dentist (and patient) during the dental care treatment. Some patients will mention that their arms and legs feel "very light." Interestingly, other patients will say that their arms and legs feel "so heavy I can't even move them."
If either of these occurs to the patient, it is perfectly normal. The individual might notice that they are perspiring a little, too. This is a normal effect of nitrous oxide and oxygen dentistry.
The sedation dentist will talk with the patient throughout the dental care procedure and the individual will be able to respond without any problem. This is a major advantage, and a safety feature, of conscious sedation using laughing gas.
If, at any time during the procedure, the patient feels that they are getting too much nitrous oxide or if they begin to feel uncomfortable, they should tell the dentist immediately and within seconds the dentist can adjust the flow of gases, and the patient will feel more comfortable again.
At the conclusion of the sedation dentistry treatment, the patient will once again receive 100% oxygen (for a minimum of three to five minutes). At the end of this time, the person should feel absolutely back to normal. If they still feel even a little bit sedated, the dentist should give the patient oxygen for a few more minutes.
Most dentists permit the fully-recovered laughing gas patient to leave the dental office unescorted and to resume their normal activities. In some situations where a patient recovers more slowly, they might be required to have an escort (friend or relative) drive them home.
Laughing gas inhalation sedation is highly effective in the management of mild to moderate levels of dental anxiety. It also is an excellent technique in persons who are extreme gaggers; laughing gas usually eliminates or minimizes gagging in most patients.
Finally, laughing gas is highly recommended for apprehensive patients who have medical problems such as angina pectoris, persons who have had a heart attack, or persons with high blood pressure, asthma or epilepsy.
Inhalation sedation dentistry should not be used with persons who are claustrophobic or with persons who are unable to breathe through their nose. Please discuss these with your dentist before treatment using laughing gas begins.
By Stanley F. Malamed, DDS
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
