A needle prick here, a yank or pull there, and pressure everywhere – that was the past of dental care. It used to be the case that a fear of pain was simply the way things went for dental patients, and there was no way to avoid the discomfort of necessary dental procedures. At Edgewood Dental Care we think we’ve grown past that, and we want to show you how.
Modern dentistry has shifted focus from providing care that works to providing care that’s comfortable and patient-centered. If you’ve been avoiding the dentist because of the fear of pain that comes with a visit then you don’t need to anymore – we can help!
Avoiding Anxiety: What We Can Do
A good dental care experience starts the moment you walk in the door at our Edgewood dentist office. We take the time to treat you like a person, and that means responding to your individual needs, personality, and any dental fear you have.
Each member of our team was selected not just because of their exceptional dental skill, but also because of their ability to treat our patients like people. We value the interactions and relationships that develop with you over time: we’re not just your dental team, we’re also partners in your health!
But that doesn’t mean we can always take care of your fear or anxiety over dental care. It’s often the case that a good environment will make your experience better but that isn’t necessarily the case. We have a number of ways to make your dental care better from the moment you sit down in the chair!
The Wand: Pain-Free Injections
A big part of dental fear for a lot of patients is the anesthesia. No one wants to feel the needle prick and the novocaine filling their mouth! We use The Wand to provide injections that are completely pain free and only numb the part of your mouth that actually needs it!
The wand is computer controlled and distributes anesthesia exactly where it needs to go. It starts by numbing the injection site so that you don’t feel the initial prick and then expertly distributes novocaine to numb the target area. When your procedure is over you’ll still have some numbing but not the whole mouth numbness of traditional injections. It’s pain-free and precision for a better experience!
Dental Sedation: Helping You Feel At Ease
When your fear of dental care is intense there’s not a lot we can do to convince you to sit down in the chair – it’s still terrifying! That’s why we offer a wide range of dental sedation options that can have you feeling relaxed in no time at all!
Nitrous Oxide is our most commonly offered level of sedation. Delivered as a gas, nitrous oxide will leave you feeling relaxed and at ease but still awake – you simply won’t care at all! Nitrous oxide also wears off quickly, meaning that when your procedure is over you’ll quickly recover and feel back to normal. Nitrous oxide is the perfect solution for patients with moderate fear or those only needing a short procedure.
Oral Conscious Sedation is delivered in the form of a pill. We’ll prescribe it to you before your appointment and you’ll take the pill before coming in. By the time you sit down in our chair you’ll probably be feeling incredibly relaxed! Oral sedation will leave you awake, but many patients fall asleep while under its effects. It also has the added bonus of inducing mild amnesia, meaning you probably won’t remember your procedure at all. That’s a great benefit for patients who don’t want to recall a frightening experience!
Oral sedation is strong and long lasting, so we’ll require you to bring someone along to drive you home.
IV Sedation is the strongest level we offer at Edgewood Dental Care. Identical to the “twilight sedation” offered by hospitals, IV sedation will leave you awake but in a dreamy state where you won’t remember a thing. You’ll be responsive if we ask you something but otherwise you’ll be completely out of it.
Once your procedure is over we’ll wake you up but you’ll still feel pretty groggy. You’ll need to bring someone with you who can drive you home but that’s a small price to pay for fear-free dental care!
Let Us Help You!
We want to do all we can to make your dental care easy. There are some things you can’t ignore when it comes to your oral health so don’t wait – call Edgewood Dental Care today! You can reach us at 859-474-7830 or you can request an appointment by filling out our online form. We look forward to seeing you soon!