Preparing for the Initial Consultation With Your Sleep Dentist

If you are one of the 10% to 15% of Americans who suffer severe anxiety at the thought of seeing a dentist, there is help for you. Dental Sedation can be a way for you to get the necessary dental care while avoiding the usual agony and fear. This is a safe and reliable option for you, making use of time-testing methods which will ensure that you have a safe and painless dental procedure.

In the past, if you required an extensive or complex dental procedure in which you needed a general anesthesia, you would have to be admitted to the hospital. There, the anesthesiologist would administer anesthesia, which would put you to sleep. Of course, the hospital admission, use of the surgery suite and post-anesthesia recovery room would greatly increase your costs. Today, a hospital admission is usually not necessary. Some dentists who practice Sedation Dentistry have a license from the state to administer general anesthesia for dental procedures. You should inquire about this prior to or during your initial visit.

When you schedule your visit to this dental specialist, remember, this is just a consultation. View it as a ‘get acquainted visit’ and try to plan for it without the terrible apprehension. Make an effort to think of it as the beginning of a new type of dental care for yourself. Here’s a few things you can do in preparation for that first visit:

• Make a list of questions that you will want to ask the dentist. Write them down so you don’t forget them when you are in the dentist’s office.

• Think about taking a relative or close friend with you to the appointment. Remember, two sets of ears can be better than one and, if you are anxious, you may not really ‘hear’ the dentist’s answers.

• Plan ahead for your trip home. Will someone be available to drive you? Often, patients will be awake shortly after a procedure but they are really not 100% fit to get behind the wheel.

• Discuss your return to work with the dentist and the anticipated length of the procedure.

• If the procedure will be complex or lengthy, plan ahead and inform your employer that you may need a day or two off.

• If you live alone, ask the dentist if you will be returning home fully alert and able to care for yourself

• Be sure your question list includes your concerns about the type of dental sedation that will be used and just what you can expect.

• If you are taking medications, list them all and be sure you discuss any significant ailments with the dentist.

•If you have ever had an allergic reaction to a medication or an unusual effect from anesthesia, be sure to inform the dentist.

• Make a list of any drugs that you are allergic to and bring it on your visit.

• Stock up on some juices and a few soft, easy to chew foods like puddings and applesauce or jello. Soup usually hits the spot so have a can or two in the pantry. Ice cream, sherbet, and popsicles are often cool, thirst quenchers.

Preparing for your consultation will help ease some of the anxiety about your first meeting with the dentist. Remember, this is a new beginning for you and your future dental care.