Dental Anxiety

At Smile With Style, we can perform dental work on patients that are struggling with dental anxiety. If you avoid the dentist due to fear of what a procedure may be like or simply do not enjoy dental work, give us a call. In our Fullerton, dental office, we can ensure that you are comfortable and relaxed, regardless of the dental procedure. When you visit our office, we will meet with you to discuss what treatments you need and create a plan for how to keep your mouth healthy while easing any fears that you have about dentistry in general. We will keep you informed about the entire process so that you can make decisions regarding dental care without experiencing any anxiety.

How can I ease my fears about dental care without medication?

When you visit our dental office, we can discuss ways that you can prevent experiencing anxiety while receiving dental care. Give us a call to go over any and all methods for dealing with dental anxiety that we can offer. In some cases, all a patient needs to do is play music on headphones during the appointment. In other cases, we may need medication or another method to deal with dental anxiety.

How can I prepare for my dentist appointment?

Another easy way to calm your fears is to visit our Fullerton dental office and meet with Dr. Larson prior to the actual appointment. Taking the time to tour our office, where you can sit in the dentist chair and have a conversation, will allow you to become familiar with our staff and office environment. After this meeting, when you do have your teeth cleaned, you are doing so in an atmosphere that you feel comfortable in with friendly and familiar faces. During your consultation, we can also discuss what you can expect from a teeth cleaning or a specific procedure. This will help you to mentally prepare for how long it will take, what dental tools we will use, what you may feel during the process and what the recovery period will be, if any. At Smile With Style, we find that the more informed our patients are the more comfortable and relaxed they feel. This one appointment can help to alleviate the fear of dentists that you are experiencing.

Fullerton Dental Anxiety

Sedation Dentistry Can Reduce Your Dental Anxiety

In our Fullerton dental office, we practice sedation dentistry that can be used to reduce and prevent dental anxiety. Here are some of the questions we are regularly answer about sedation dentistry.

Will I be asleep when sedated?

Typically not. Sleep dentistry is usually reserved for oral surgery and lengthy procedures. Sedation dentistry will help you relax and can make you drowsy, so some patients do nod off. However, with our sedation methods, you are still in control of your body and are technically not put to sleep.

Can everyone use sedation dentistry?

To determine if you are healthy enough for sedation (most people are), we recommend that you schedule an appointment with our California dental office. We will meet with you to discuss the type of sedation that will be best for your procedure and the level of dental anxiety that you are experiencing.

How is sedation dentistry administered?

The most common form of sedation is taking a pill an hour before the procedure begins. One pill can help you to feel entirely relaxed and eliminate your fear of dentists. Most procedures, like teeth cleaning or fixing a simple cavity, do not necessarily hurt. With sedation, many people do not require additional medication. However, if you would like pain medication as well, we can give it to you after the sedation has taken effect.

Will I be able to move around like normal?

Yes, with sedation dentistry you can continue to engage in conversation and respond to commands; but your response times may be slightly delayed and your mind not as clear as normal. This is why we recommend that you either have someone drive you home or wait until it has worn off completely before driving home after the appointment.

Are there any side effects of sedation dentistry?

Most of the time, the sedation goes away within an hour of your procedure being complete. If you are more heavily sedated or put to sleep for oral surgery, it can take a couple of hours to feel normal but this is rare. In our Fullerton dental office, we use the least amount of sedation to help you to feel completely relaxed and comfortable. Thus, it is effective without staying in your system for too long.

Can children benefit from sedation dentistry?

Yes, children may need sedation when going through large amounts of dental work so that they can hold still long enough for a dentist to complete the dental work. This is a unique specialty and not offered at every dentist office.

Are there other ways to make dental work more comfortable?

Yes. Dental anxiety is a common phenomenon among patients of all ages. Luckily, when you visit our dental office, you can be confident that we will use the latest technology available to make your procedure more comfortable. There are also many things that you can do that may help manage your anxiety. The first step is finding a compassionate dental team. If you have dental anxiety, do not hesitate to call our office to let us know about your fears. We are dedicated to creating the most comfortable and welcoming environment for you. There are also some coping techniques you may want to try on your own. These include deep breathing, distraction, guided imagery, hypnosis, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation. However, if these techniques are not enough to assuage your fears, you may want to seek help from a mental health professional. They may be able to help you manage your phobia and promote overall quality of life, especially if your anxieties carry over into other aspects of your life. Skipping dental appointments will inevitably end up worsening your condition. Do not risk your dental health. Call us today at (714) 782-0237 to schedule an appointment or to learn more about our services.