The numbers surrounding dental anxiety are eye-opening — a recent study found that more than 60% of people worldwide experience some degree of dental anxiety. More alarming, one-third of the population in the United States avoids going to the dentist because of this fear.

To help you get the dental care you need, despite your apprehension and fear, the team here at McLean Aura Dentistry offers sedation dentistry. Under the expert guidance of Drs. Negar Tehrani and Chang Yi, we’re able to provide you with a winning combination through sedation dentistry — critical oral health care without the fear and anxiety.

Here’s a look at how sedation dentistry can help keep you smiling for years to come.

Behind the fear of dentistry

As much as we go out of our way to ensure that all of our patients enjoy comfortable and professional dentistry services at our practice, we understand that dental anxiety is a common challenge. 

There are many reasons why people avoid dental work, not the least of which are the sounds, sensations, and smells that all take place in and around your head, which is where your central nervous system is located. This proximity to your brain can heighten your senses, making you more aware of the work we do.

Or, perhaps you’ve had a painful dental experience in the past, and you’re understandably wary of all dental work as a result.

Whatever your reasons, we hear them, and we want to do our part to ease your dental experiences so that you get the oral health care you need.

Easing fear and anxiety through sedation dentistry

The sedation dentistry we practice is called conscious sedation, a technique in which we suppress your central nervous system through certain oral medications. 

With conscious sedation, you’ll be able to communicate with us during your dental procedure, but you’ll be relaxed and unable to truly register what we’re doing. In fact, some of our patients don’t recall the visit at all, even though they leave with healthier teeth and gums.

In most cases, we supply you with the oral sedatives before you visit and you take the medication about an hour before you come in. Of course, you should plan on having someone drive you to and from your appointment with us.

By the time you arrive, you should be fully relaxed and we can quickly get to work. Rest assured, we boost your sedative with local anesthetics, if needed, to ensure that your experience isn’t painful.

This type of sedation dentistry works well for those who have dental anxiety and is even effective for those who have a clinical phobia of dental work. Depending on the degree of your fear, we can tailor the medications to your needs.

If you’d like to say goodbye to dental fear and hello to healthy teeth and gums, contact our office in McLean, Virginia, to learn more about sedation dentistry.