4 Tips To Keep In Mind When You Get Conscious Sedation Dentistry For The First Time

Here are four tips to keep in mind when you go in for conscious sedation dentistry for the first time due to anxiety over dental procedures. These tips will help you manage your expectations and will help the process go more smoothly and comfortably for you.

#1 Bring Someone Along For Support

If you suffer from anxiety, it can help to bring someone along with you to the dental office that you trust, such as a friend or family member. Let the dental office know that you will be bringing someone with you. Having a friendly face can help ease your anxiety and provide you with support as you are waiting for your procedure to begin and as you wrap up your procedure. Your friend or family member can also help relay any information that your dentist conveyed to you that you may have missed due to your anxiety.

#2 Arrange A Ride

You should also bring someone along with you so that you have a ride, since you will be under the influence of mild sedatives. Your dentist will do their best to ensure that you are given just the right amount to relax you. Although the sedation is designed to wear off quickly, you may still not be in the mental frame of mind to drive. It is safest and in your best interests to make sure that you have a ride home when you are using any form of sedatives.

#3 Keep Your Mind Busy

Keep your mind busy as you wait for your appointment. Staying busy with your hands and your mind can help ease your anxiety. Bring a crossword puzzle book with you to your appointment or a book to read. Or, make sure that your phone is charged and you have a few games that you could play on it.

#4 Start Small

If you have extreme anxiety about going to the dentist, start small. For your first visit, you may just want schedule an appointment where you only meet the dentist and their staff. This will help you become comfortable with your dentist. After that, schedule just a cleaning and work your way up to x-rays and any necessary dental procedures that you need. Start small and work your way up to the bigger procedures; this should help reduce your anxiety and increase your comfort level.

Try to ease your anxiety about your appointment by bringing along someone for support, bringing things to do while you wait, and by starting small and working your way to more work and larger procedures.


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