Relief for Anxious Patients

At Highland Dental, we know that visiting the dentist can sometimes be stressful. With our more anxious patients in mind, we offer some safe and effective sedation options to help make dental procedures less daunting.

Regular visits to the dentist are essential in maintaining good oral hygiene, and that in turn has a positive impact on your overall health and well-being. However, plenty of people are so anxious about spending time in the dentist’s chair that they skip out on treatment entirely, and their health suffers as a result.

We want to help patients get past their dental anxiety, and offer three sedation options to ensure that even our most nervous visitors are comfortable and relaxed.

General Anesthesia 

Also called sleep dentistry, general anesthesia relieves pain and anxiety because it renders the patient unconscious during dental procedures.

For patients with intense dental fear or those who need major dental procedures, sleep dentistry presents an option that is both comfortable and practical.

If you and your dentist determine that your case is right for sleep dentistry, your dentist may use either oral medication or IV sedation.

Sleep dentistry has helped many patients overcome the barriers created by profound anxieties about dental procedures, which often stand in the way of optimal oral health.

Our office has access to general anesthesia at Aberdeen Hospital.

Oral Conscious Sedation

To relieve the very real and often debilitating anxiety associated with dental phobia, we also offer oral conscious sedation, alternatively known as sedation dentistry.

Patients who feel stressed about dental work, and those who need multiple procedures performed in one visit, can benefit from conscious sedation.

The oral conscious sedation procedure involves taking an oral sedative prior to your visit, then receiving nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to supplement the sedative's effects.

Oral sedatives can be taken by a patient anywhere between the night before their appointment up until approximately 30 minutes prior to their dental visit, depending on the severity of the anxiety. If you’re a candidate for oral sedation, we’ll give you specific instructions regarding when to take your pills prior to your appointment.

Your vital signs and comfort level will be keenly monitored throughout your visit.

If you're nervous about your next dental appointment, and would like to learn more about our options for anxious patients, feel free to get in touch.