Turning Around Fearful Dental Patients with Oral Sedation

…And when I say “turning around”, I’m referring to a story that a patient told me about how fear gripped her when she grabbed the door handle to my office, let go, and turned around to walk back to her car.  And I can’t count the number of times I've heard patients reference the movie The Marathon Man as a reason for their avoidance behavior!  It’s estimated that up to 35 million Americans avoid going to the dentist due to fear, but frequently that avoidance can result in additional dental procedures that are more costly and involved.  In dentistry, prevention really does translate into less dentistry, and catching things early can also significantly reduce numbers of visits to the dental office.

Oral sedation has proven to be extremely effective in helping patients get to the dentist, and I have been certified through a nationally-recognized training program to safely administer these medications.  A simple regimen of anti-anxiety medications is prescribed specific to each patient’s fear level and metabolism.  Some medication is taken the night before a procedure, and additional medication the morning of the appointment.  The patient’s blood pressure and blood oxygen is continually monitored throughout the procedure for safety, and a companion needs to be available to return the patient safely home.  An additional advantage of the oral medications is that they are somewhat amnesic, so many patients don’t remember much about the appointment afterwards!

One of our main goals at Financial District Dental Care is ensuring that our patients are comfortable throughout their procedures, and oral sedation can definitely help with that.  And see what else we have to offer by perusing our Smile Gallery on our website, and check us out our Facebook page for even more info and updates.  

Financial District Dental
(415) 433-1970
311 California Street, Suite 450
San Francisco, CA 94104