At Constance E. Smith DDS, PC, we can perform dental work on patients that are struggling with dental anxiety. If you avoid the dentist due to fear of what a procedure may be like or simply do not enjoy dental work, give us a call. In our Jackson, dental office, we can ensure that you are comfortable and relaxed, regardless of the dental procedure. When you visit our office, we will meet with you to discuss what treatments you need and create a plan for how to keep your mouth healthy while easing any fears that you have about dentistry in general. We will keep you informed about the entire process so that you can make decisions regarding dental care without experiencing any anxiety.
Our dentist, Dr. Constance E. Smith, treats more than just your smile. Dr. Smith has tools and techniques to help you manage your dental anxiety. Some people may have had a negative experience at a dentist’s office in the past. Others may be uncomfortable with the sounds and smells, or may not like the loss of control. Other reasons for dental anxiety may be concern of pain, or simply that a person feels self-conscious about their smile.
At our office, we make sure that you are comfortable and understand your treatment. We will listen to you and let you direct the way your visit takes place. Our office is a safe environment where there is no judgment of people or the condition of their teeth or mouths. There is no dental shaming and we provide lavender towelettes and essential oils to each patient in every operatory to foster a calm and relaxing atmosphere. Dr. Smith understands a patient’s body language and will always check your comfort level before moving ahead with the treatment. We also provide every patient with the opportunity to relax and center themselves before they begin their appointment.
When you visit our dental office, we can discuss ways that you can prevent experiencing anxiety while receiving dental care. Give us a call to go over any and all methods for dealing with dental anxiety that we can offer. In some cases, all a patient needs to do is play music on headphones during the appointment. In other cases, we may need medication or another method to deal with dental anxiety.
Another easy way to calm your fears is to visit our Jackson dental office and meet with Dr. Smith prior to the actual appointment. Taking the time to tour our office, where you can sit in the dentist chair and have a conversation, will allow you to become familiar with our team and office environment. After this meeting, when you do have your teeth cleaned, you are doing so in an atmosphere that you feel comfortable in with friendly and familiar faces. During your consultation, we can also discuss what you can expect from a teeth cleaning or a specific procedure. This will help you to mentally prepare for how long it will take, what dental tools we will use, what you may feel during the process and what the recovery period will be, if any. At Constance E. Smith DDS, PC, we find that the more informed our patients are the more comfortable and relaxed they feel. This one appointment can help to alleviate the fear of dentists that you are experiencing.
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In specialty dental offices, sedation dentistry can be used to reduce and prevent dental anxiety. Here are some of the questions regularly answered about sedation dentistry.
Typically not. Sleep dentistry is usually reserved for oral surgery and lengthy procedures. Sedation dentistry will help you relax and can make you drowsy, so some patients do nod off. However, with our sedation methods, you are still in control of your body and are technically not put to sleep.
To determine if you are healthy enough for sedation (most people are), we recommend that you schedule an appointment with our Michigan dental office. We will meet with you to discuss the type of sedation that will be best for your procedure and the level of dental anxiety that you are experiencing.
The most common form of sedation is taking a pill an hour before the procedure begins. One pill can help you to feel entirely relaxed and eliminate your fear of dentists. Most procedures, like teeth cleaning or fixing a simple cavity, do not necessarily hurt. With sedation, many people do not require additional medication. However, if you would like pain medication as well, we can give it to you after the sedation has taken effect.
Yes, with sedation dentistry you can continue to engage in conversation and respond to commands; but your response times may be slightly delayed and your mind not as clear as normal. This is why we recommend that you either have someone drive you home or wait until it has worn off completely before driving home after the appointment.
Most of the time, the sedation goes away within an hour of your procedure being complete. If you are more heavily sedated or put to sleep for oral surgery, it can take a couple of hours to feel normal but this is rare. In our Jackson dental office, we use the least amount of sedation to help you to feel completely relaxed and comfortable. Thus, it is effective without staying in your system for too long.
Yes, children may need sedation when going through large amounts of dental work so that they can hold still long enough for a dentist to complete the dental work. This is a unique specialty and not offered at every dentist office.
Yes. Laser dentistry is transforming how professionals complete dental procedures. When you visit our dental office, you can be confident that we will use the latest technology available to make your procedure more comfortable. Lasers allow us to do so because the laser energy is fine and can target small spaces without irritating the surrounding tissue. We can also reduce discomfort and the recovery time thanks to dental lasers. The dental lasers are also less invasive than traditional dental tools. With the dental laser, there will be less bleeding and swelling than normal. Dental lasers can also help treat tooth decay, gum disease, and has applications in restorative procedures. If you want a more comfortable experience and to reduce your dental anxiety, we highly recommend visiting a laser dentistry office. To learn about the procedures that we perform using lasers, call (517) 312-2115 and schedule an appointment. At Constance E. Smith DDS, PC, we find that many of our patients no longer need sedation or pain medication because the common factors that create fear of dentists are eliminated. For example, the noise, heat, and vibration that is traditionally associated with the dental drill is not present when using lasers.
To learn more about sedation dentistry, new dental technology or how to reduce your dental anxiety, call and schedule an appointment with our Jackson dentist office today.
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