Nobody should miss out on needed dental care just because they are fearful or anxious about it. At Prostho Endo Dental Group, we offer sedation dentistry to help you feel relaxed, cared for, and empowered during your visit. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t visited a dentist in years because of your history, have a lengthy procedure ahead of you, or are simply uncomfortable in our dental chair; our dentists and team provide a caring, compassionate approach with a gentle and skillful approach. Patients in North Bethesda, MD, who require anything from routine dental care to restorative work, endodontic treatments, and even advanced prosthodontic dentistry may benefit from our sedation dentistry to make their care feel less daunting.
We Put The Comfort Of Anxious Patients Front & Center
Fear of dentistry can manifest in a variety of ways. Sometimes, it is anxiety before getting a cleaning, but in other cases, patients don’t visit the dentist at all for multiple years because they are scared of what dental care may bring. Sedation dentistry allows these patients to be more relaxed, have less sensitivity to sounds or sensations, and get the care they need without as much fear or trepidation.
At Prostho Endo Dental Group, we don’t view comfort as an afterthought; it is part of your treatment plan. Before making sedation recommendations, we take time to find out what your concerns are, any health history and treatment concerns you may have, and any past dental experiences to see what may be best to address your particular needs and keep you both comfortable and safe.
Education & Communication Can Help You Overcome Your Dental Anxiety
Not knowing what to expect may be one of the biggest reasons why people with dental anxiety visit the dentist. At Prostho Endo Dental Group, we do what we can to provide a clearer sense of what to expect with each visit. We speak in accessible language, answer questions you may have about treatments, and work with you to ensure that you know what treatment you need for your oral health before you move on.
This is especially helpful for patients with a past dental experience that may not have been clear and confusing, or, for that matter, patients who simply don’t feel as comfortable as they might want during dental care. You have an understanding of what is happening with your care, how your sedation works, what you may feel in treatment, and what you may experience as you recover with us. It makes the experience not only more manageable but also much less scary. Prostho Endo Dental Group prides itself on ensuring our patients feel comfortable, informed, and respected every step of the way in our care.
Nitrous Oxide Sedation Helps Patients Relax During Routine & More Involved Dental Care
Nitrous oxide, also known as “laughing gas”, is a gentle method of sedation that provides a relaxed feel without sedating the patient too much, allowing the patient to feel more comfortable but still able to be responsive throughout the visit. It comes in the form of a gas that is breathed through a small mask worn over the nose to help the patient feel more relaxed, and because it acts so rapidly and is so quickly cleared out of the body, it is a great option for those looking to have a more routine or moderately complex dental procedure done.
It can be utilized during appointments such as a cleaning or exam, fillings, crowns, root canal therapy, and extractions that would benefit patients who want to minimize the anxiety they may experience during their appointments. It can be altered throughout your appointment to provide the amount of relaxed feeling you feel most comfortable in. We also watch over patients to make sure it is still at the level where it feels safe and comfortable in their care.
Oral Conscious Sedation Allows Patients To Relax More
Oral conscious sedation can allow for a more thorough, relaxed experience for patients with dental anxiety, strong gag reflexes, patients who are unable to remain in our dental office for an extended length of time, or those looking to have more in-depth work done. Oral conscious sedation may require a patient to take a medication that will relax and make them drowsy so that they will remain able to communicate with our providers but have a more relaxed experience during their visit.
This can be a great option for those patients who need multiple procedures done at the same time, or who have not seen a dentist for many years and are scared. However, because it takes longer to wear off than other types of sedation, patients are required to have a responsible, sober person to accompany them to and from the dental office and be able to watch them after the procedure.
Building Your Own Comfort Plan
We understand that the experience of feeling anxious at the dentist is going to be different for each person, so the sedation experience shouldn’t be. This is why at Prostho Endo Dental Group, your comfort plan may include things like sedation, pacing, extra communication, breaks during your treatment, or even some adjustments in order to make you feel more comfortable in the chair.
In choosing whether or not to use sedation, we look at your medical history, your medications, the degree of anxiety you are experiencing, the level of your treatment needs, and your desires and preferences. We want more than for you to just get through that appointment; we want you to have an experience that will leave you feeling more confident, comfortable, and safe when you need to return to see us.
Sedation For Full-Mouth Reconstruction & Other Treatment
There are many patients who could really benefit from sedation dentistry in order to receive full mouth reconstruction, prosthodontic treatment, surgical, or restorative treatment of more than one tooth. Appointments that require multiple areas of the mouth to be treated are often longer and more challenging for the patient, both physically and mentally. Sedation dentistry allows us to provide these appointments in a much more pleasant manner, in addition to being able to perform the procedure itself much faster.
This is especially the case in a practice such as Prostho Endo Dental Group, where patients who require advanced restorative procedures or prosthodontic work can receive it alongside their endodontic treatment in a larger treatment plan to improve their oral health. Using sedation can help patients who would have avoided treatment due to anxiety or lengthy appointments receive the treatments they need.
What To Expect Before, During, & After Sedation Dentistry
Prior to your sedation appointment, the members of the Prostho Endo Dental Group team will be able to discuss your medical history, your medications, and what you can and cannot eat, drink, or do before and after the procedure. You will receive individualized instructions depending on the type of sedation used. During treatment, we will be monitoring your comfort and safety. You can expect to be more relaxed or have a little less awareness of your surroundings, which may result in not feeling as anxious or scared of noises or sensations.
Depending on the type of sedation used, you will remember much or very little of the procedure afterward. After the procedure, your post-sedation experiences will depend on which option you chose, and may include the need to rest for the remaining part of the day. The team at Prostho Endo Dental Group can provide specific information on how to recover quickly and when you will be able to resume your regular daily activities.
Providing Comprehensive Care Without The Stress
Sedation dentistry provides patients with a way to receive the comprehensive care they need, rather than feeling overly stressed, anxious, or fearful during their procedures. For some patients, it can make a single procedure easier to undergo, and others may use it to begin the process of receiving the dental care that has been eluding them for so long. Using this method at Prostho Endo Dental Group, our patients in the North Bethesda, MD area will receive sedation that can be combined with diagnostics, treatment planning, patient education, and a team approach from beginning to end, including the taking of digital and conventional x-rays and explaining how various treatment options can improve the function of their mouths. Patients can expect to be fully informed and well-supported as we guide them toward improved oral health.
Choose Prostho Endo Dental Group For Sedation Dentistry
Deciding to utilize sedation dentistry isn’t simply about feeling good in your dental appointment, but also finding a provider that understands the impact of anxiety, the impact of complex treatment, and past experiences with dental treatment. At Prostho Endo Dental Group, we utilize sedation along with the same degree of care as we do with our restorative and prosthodontic services. We are able to utilize sedation alongside our treatment planning with an eye toward helping patients receive the dental care they need in a setting that feels safe, calm, and welcoming.