Dental fear or anxiety is a common problem that keeps people from getting the dental care they need. Today, we would like to tell you about a patient named Maggie who avoided dental care until she had a serious problem. Then she came to us. The team at Edgewood Dental Care helped her stay comfortable AND solved her dental problem. Let’s tell Maggie’s story:
Meet Maggie
Maggie visited our office for the first time about a year ago. She is a mother of three and a stay at home mom who had avoided dental care for almost her entire adult life. When she was young, she had a traumatic experience with a dentist who was not concerned about her safety or comfort. Maggie new that most dental offices would not be so careless, but she was scarred nonetheless.
Maggie new the good dental care was important, but because of her fear of dental offices, she convinced herself that her smile would be fine. How very wrong she was.
Realizing Help Was Needed
Maggie took great care of her smile while at home. She brushed twice a day and even flossed when she remembered to, which was at least a few times each week. But it was not enough to stave off disease. Maggie realized that she might need professional help one morning when she woke up with a tooth ache. As she was eating breakfast, she experienced some discomfort when she bit down. However, the pain was not severe and she decided to give it a week or two to see if it got any worse.
Well, it did. Over the next couple of weeks, the slight discomfort she felt when chewing turned into a pretty uncomfortable pain. She did some research online and found that pain when chewing is a sign that you may need a root canal! The idea of root canal terrified Maggie! She put off truly considering a trip to the dentist even longer.
Finally, when the pain was too harsh to even chew on that side of her mouth, she knew it was time to take action, so she called her friend, Lisa, who she knew could recommend her to dental office that actually cared about her comfort.
[ring, ring]
“Hello?”
“Hey Lisa, it’s Maggie. How’re you?”
“Hey Mag! I’m pretty good. How’re the kids?”
“Oh, they’re fine, but I’m not doing too great. I have a toothache.”
“Oh no! I’m so sorry. I know you have dental anxiety, but have you considered a trip to see a dentist?”
“That’s why I’m calling you. Do you know of an office that can help me stay comfortable throughout the whole process? I just don’t want to have another bad experience.”
“Yeah, of course. I go to Edgewood Dental Care. They are very attentive and will make sure you are 100 percent comfortable. I think they even have dental sedation, if you think you need something like that. Give them a call.”
Lisa found the phone number for Maggie and then they hung up. Maggie hesitated, but she knew she had to get help before things got even worse.
Her First Appointment At Edgewood Dental Care
When Maggie made her appointment at our office, she told us all about the traumatic experience that she had. We agreed that we would use dental sedation to help her remain calm and comfortable the entire time she was at our office. We have three different levels of dental sedation — nitrous oxide, oral conscious sedation, and IV sedation.
At Maggie’s first appointment, we were able to give her nitrous oxide sedation (also known as laughing gas) to help get her through the examinations without any stress. We determined that she did indeed need a root canal due to an infection. She was not thrilled about this idea, but the sedation helped her remain cool and collected. We talked about how oral conscious and IV sedation worked. We decided that, during the root canal procedure, we would use IV sedation to help Maggie essentially sleep through it.
Maggie’s Happy Ending
When it was time for the root canal procedure, we were ready. We administered the IV sedation through an intravenous line. IV sedation works quickly, so Maggie soon fell into a sleep-like state. She would not remember any of the sights, smells, sounds, or sensations from this procedure.
Everything went smoothly and Maggie was able to return home without any pain or discomfort. Best of all, she had a positive experience at our office that did not involve any stress or fear! Maggie now visits our office on a regular basis for checkups because she knows that we can help keep her mouth healthy and her body and mind comfortable.
Make An Appointment
As you may have realized, Maggie is not a real patients. But we DO help patients just like her every day! If you are afraid of the dentist and need care, we can help you get it without stress, fear, pain, or discomfort. Please call us at 859-474-7830. We look forward to working with you.