Severe Dental Anxiety

Free yourself from dental fear and anxiety 

Sedation Dentistry

A Stress-Free, Pain-Free Dental Experience

No matter how fearful you are, or how long it has been since you were at the dentist, you can get back to dental health easily and comfortably without stress or anxiety.

At Dental Care of Stamford we always focus on your comfort and convenience to ensure that your dental visit is as pleasant as possible.  But we also understand that many of you need some extra help to get past the fear. If this sounds like you, sedation dentistry, (also known as sleep dentistry) may be the right solution for you.

Sedation dentistry uses medication to relax you so that you can have the dental treatment you want and need in order to have a healthy smile. There are several types of sedation dentistry all of which are offered at Dental Care of Stamford.

Sleep Right Through Your Dental Visit

You know you need to get your teeth taken care of, but your fears keep holding you back. We understand that for some people, going to the dentist is a severe phobia. Best way to get though your dental visit is to sleep right through it! With sedation dentistry you are calm, relaxed and hardly remember you entire dental visit!  

Oral Conscious Sedation

Oral conscious sedation is a very safe and highly effective way take care of your dental health without stress. With oral sedation you take a pill that relaxes you and puts you into a dreamy state of consciousness. You alternate between being conscious and drifting off to sleep.  Most people have very little, if any memory of their entire visit to the dentist.

IV Sedation

With IV sedation our board certified dental anesthesiologist places a small IV in your arm. This allows the doctor to inject the anesthesia medicines that put you to sleep. Just like in a medical procedure, you will be sound asleep the entire time and safely monitored by our team. You are comfortable, pain free and you will have no memory of your dental visit.

Sedation Dentistry FAQs

Here are some of the FAQ we’ve received from our patients. Have additional questions or concerns, call us: (203) 324-6171

Many people have strong fears associated with dental care that makes it hard for them to get their work done. Other patients need a lot of work and don’t want to have to come for many visits – They want to get it done in the fewest number of visits possible. In either case, being sedated makes the person unaware of what is going on so that they can get through dental appointments with ease and comfort.

Anyone who wants to have dental work done in a state of comfort and relaxation is a candidate for sedation dentistry. Specific examples are patients who have a hard time getting numb, have a strong gag reflex, patients who have significant fears of dental treatment, have had bad experiences in the past and people who simply want to get a lot of work done in a long visit without being aware of the time in the dental chair.
You have nothing to eat or drink from midnight on the day prior to your visit. If you take routine medicines you MUST discuss this with the doctor at your consultation visit. Different medicines can interact with each other and it is important that we know anything you take. That includes all vitamins, mineral and herbal supplements of any kind and especially nicotine (in tobacco products) and caffeine (in tea or coffee). Your companion will bring you to the office and receive instructions from us. They don’t have to stay at the office for the entire time but they will need to give us a phone number so we can call them to come and pick you up when your treatment is complete.
We will review any postoperative instructions with your companion before you leave the office. You will be escorted from the office directly home by your companion who must seat belt you into your car and take you into your home and get you comfortable and settled to sleep and rest for the balance of the day. You cannot be left alone because you will still be sleepy for several hours and might slip and fall if unattended. It is very important that you drink lots of water or fruit juice and when any numbness is gone, soft and easy to digest foods are suggested.
The medicines that we use for oral conscious sedation and IV sedation are designed to make you comfortable and not aware of your environment. As such you cannot drive a car, operate machinery, stand on a ladder, ride a bicycle or do any activity that requires fully conscious awareness or judgment until the next day after sedation dentistry. That includes making important business or personal decisions. You will need to be accompanied to and from the office directly home where you will spend the remainder of the day sleeping and letting the sedation medicines pass out of your system.
You must refrain from eating or drinking after midnight the day before other than taking any routine medication. (This will be gone over in detail at your consultation visit prior to any sedation.) When you arrive at the office you will be given medication and escorted to the dental room where you will be seated and made comfortable with a soft blanket and placed on a medical pulse oximeter to monitor your vital signs. When you are at a comfortable state, we will take care of your dental needs. When the dental work is completed you will be awakened so that your companion can take you home.

After experiencing sedation dentistry most of our patients say something like, “That was so amazing.  If I knew it would be so easy, I would have done it years ago.”  All of your work can be done with sedation if you prefer.  But we find that many of our patients eventually start to feel so much more comfortable that they feel great about having subsequent visits completed without sedation.

 

What Our Patients Say

I came here absolutely petrified – Literally shaking in my chair. Everybody here really put me at ease and made me feel comfortable and confident that they were not going to let anything bad happen to me. I had the sedation dentistry work done and it was a complete success. I didn’t remember feeling anything and my recovery was minimal – I was up and at-’em by the next day. And now when I come here I don’t need the sedation. I feel comfortable enough to let Dr. Simon do what he needs to do.

Lisa

I had some pretty crummy dental experiences when I was younger. As a physician I knew the importance of dental care, but I really ignored my teeth. I got a few flyers from Dental Care of Stamford and thought well maybe I’ll just call. I had such a pleasant experience from my first contact with them. I was quite nervous and asked for sedation dentistry. I don’t even remember the experience so it was great! I’ve come back since then and I really recommend Dental Care of Stamford to my patients, friends, family and anyone else.

Jenn

If you have questions about how Dental Care of Stamford can help you please contact us