I’ve recently finished one of the most rewarding cases of my dental career. It involved a patient who had a lifetime of disappointing and ineffective treatments which resulted in long term avoidence and fear of the dentist. She became a new patient, referred for sedation dentistry by an existing patient. I’m proud of our sedation dentistry procedures and successes. Everyone knows someone who is afraid of the dentist. I’d like to share our process with you.
The key to the success of a sedation case starts when the patient actually calls my office. The patient’s first impression needs to be positive and she shoudn’t feel judged. The patient’s ambivalence is strong. My staff is trained to help the anxious person feel at ease and begin to guide her through the process. Once the patient takes the initiative to make that first phone call, we are motivated to assist her in any way possible to the next step – the initial visit. We provide detailed, warm, and calm advice with no pressure or judgement.
The first visit is just a consult. I talk to the patient about past dental experiences and review her specific fears of dentistry. We work together to discuss the procedures that I use and to make the patient feel confident that this will be her best dental experience ever. An important part of this visit is the taking of a thorough medical history. I review all medications, both prescription and over the counter, as well as pre-existing conditions. I use specific sedation drugs based on each patient’s history. I choose drugs with the least amount of side effects and best results. The only dental procedure that takes place on this first visit may be a set of radiographs in order to start the treatment planning process.
In my next blog, I’ll detail the actual medications and steps that I use in sedation dentistry so that patients are relaxed and ready for their dental work.