Dentist educates patients about sedation dentistry

The American Dental Association estimates that as much as 10 percent of the American population have dental phobia. Dental phobia is a severe anxiety or dread of making a trip to the dentist. This fear causes patients to cancel appointments or avoid going to the dentist at all, which can lead to serious oral health problems. To help relieve these fears, Dr. Richard C. Adams of Carolina Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Center offers and educates patients about sedation dentistry.

Sedation dentistry is an approach that involves using medications and anxiety-relieving techniques to help a patient relax during a dentistry appointment. Dr. Adams is an experienced Fayetteville sedation dentist who is also a member of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology and the American Society of Dental Anesthesia.

Sedation is necessary if the patient becomes extremely nervous before going to the dentist, feels tense during and after the appointment or has a sensitive gag reflex. Some patients are extremely afraid of choking or losing control while sitting in the dentist's chair.

Fayetteville sedation dentist Dr. Adams performs a consultation to find out how the patient feels when coming to a dentist's office. This allows the doctor to identify areas where he can intervene to enhance the patient's dental experience. One solution is to prescribe a one-time dose of a medication intended to relax a patient before the appointment.

Another option is inhaled conscious sedation, such as using nitrous oxide to reduce anxiety. Nitrous oxide is considered a very safe form of sedation dentistry and will quickly wear off. The solution may extend beyond medication -- it might include bringing an MP3 player into the room so that the patient can enjoy classical music.

Patients who experience severe anxiety related to dental visits may opt for intravenous conscious sedation. This method helps patients achieve the greatest level of anxiety relief and has some short-term memory-blocking capabilities, meaning the patient won't have to remember a dental procedure after it is over.

"For some patients, dental anxiety fears are so intense that they don't even want to remember what happened," explains Fayetteville oral surgeon Dr. Adams. "Sedation dentistry makes the difference because they can go to the dentist without fear or stress of experiencing or remembering the procedure."

For a qualified and caring sedation dentist Fayetteville area residents can contact Carolina Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Center at (910) 480-4890 for a consultation. Appointments times with Dr. Adams can also be requested online at www.CarolinaOral.net.​