Sedation Dentistry: Overcomes Severe Fear
June 15, 2010 by Doug Larson
Filed under Implants, Sedation
Sedation Case Report
An x-ray of unsalvagable tooth number 11.
Two weeks ago a long standing patient came into the office to have an un-salvageable, broken-off upper eye-tooth removed. The plan was to replace the tooth with an implant.
After sitting in the dental chair for two or three minutes the patient suddenly jumped up. He said, “I just can’t do this.” He was visibly shaking, agitated, and trying to stop himself from bolting out the door. I spoke with the patient and his wife for a few minutes to learned cause of his severe anxiety. We discussed oral sedation and I prescribed the medications he would need. Veronica made an appointment for the next week to complete the treatment with sedation.
One week later, the patient arrives at the office. His demeanor is much more relaxed. We move to the treatment room. Place him on the pulse-ox monitor. His blood pressure and heart rate are slightly elevated. He’s states he still feels pretty nervous, “a six on a ten point scale.” I give him an additional dose of the sedative agent and we wait for about thirty minutes. He is now, “a five” on the anxious scale (no one ever reports better than a five). I ask if he’s ready to get started. He says, “YES.”
The completed implant in place.
From here on the appointment is very straight forward. Remove the broken tooth, clean the empty socket, ready the bone to receive the implant, place the implant, and place bone around the implant. The patient was given four ibuprophen for the minor discomfort anticipated.
Both the patient and his wife thanked us for making the treatment so easy.
Sometimes the fear of the unknown or what happened in the past stops you cold. You just can’t proceed. With a little help from the medications available now-a-days it’s much easier to get the treatment complete.
About the author
Doug Larson, DDS leads the team at The Smile Specialists in Campbell, California. The dental practice is a progressive cosmetic, restorative and preventative family dental practice. We provide our patients with the most comprehensive dentistry available in a comfortable state-of-the art facility, the planet can be proud of. Our services are designed to maintain the health of our patients’ teeth, improve their overall oral wellness and provide beautiful smiles. Our team works to empower patients with the knowledge necessary to make educated choices about their dental treatment options. We also understand that for many, a trip to the dentist can be a source of anxiety. We want to help you reduce that anxiety. Call and allow us to help.
Dentistry has transformed in recent years. We’ll give you an experience that will change your mind about going to the dentist and even make you feel good about coming back.
