Do your hands feel clammy at the thought of picking up the phone to schedule a dental appointment? Millions of people in the country suffer from dental anxiety and fear due to the sights and sounds of the office as well as bad past experiences that have left a lasting impact. At Comal Dental, our understanding and caring team of professionals strive to accommodate every patient’s needs, including those who would rather do anything else besides step foot into our office for oral care. Unfortunately, without routine dental attention, your smile could deteriorate. That’s why we offer safe and comfortable sedation dentistry for our patients to keep up with their health without having to sacrifice their mental wellbeing.

What Causes Dental Anxiety?

It can be frustrating to have something like dental anxiety standing in the way of you and excellent oral health. Unfortunately, this reaction to visiting your dentist can be a result of several different causes that you may or may not be able to pinpoint, including:

• A bad past experience
• A disability that keeps you from being comfortable in the treatment chair.
• A strong gag reflex.
• Not having control of the diagnoses or outcomes of treatments.
• The sounds and sights in the office.
• Feeling an invasion of personal space and privacy.

No matter why you experience these reactions, know that they are valid, and you should be able to visit a sedation dentist who will help you feel comfortable and heard when you see them for treatment.

Who Can Sedation Dentistry Help?

Our team offers a couple of different options to help patients who are suffering from mild to more moderate signs of dental anxiety. Our methods can help patients who experience some of the following symptoms when visiting the dentist:

• Excessive sweating
• Rapid heartrate
• Have a difficult time sitting still.
• Sensitive gag reflex.
• A fear of needles.
• Suffer from complex dental issues.

Different Types of Dental Sedation We Offer

We offer two types of dental sedation for our patients, including nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation. Typically, we recommend nitrous oxide for our patients who are suffering from more mild signs of anxiety. It’s a fast-acting sedation that we’re able to administer in-office. You’ll breathe it in through a small nose mask, and the effects quickly wear off once it’s removed, allowing you to go on with your day as you normally would.

We also offer oral conscious sedation for patients who experience more moderate to severe signs of dental anxiety. Before your appointment, we’ll prescribe you with a pill that you’ll take about an hour prior to arriving. That way, once you step foot through our doors, you’ll feel at-ease and ready to begin treatment. The effects can last for hours after your appointment, so it’s important to have somebody drop you off and pick you up from our practice.