Nervous about coming to the dentist?
By: Dr. Heather Hradek
The dental office is not many people’s favorite place to be. Even we who work at the office much prefer being in the chair providing the treatment versus receiving it, but we know how very important it is to maintain our oral health so we can maintain our overall health and smile with confidence. At Chesterton Family Dental, we work very hard to try to make your visit as comfortable as possible so we provide several options to help make your visit more comfortable. Are you curious about what a few of those options are before you come in?
Anytime you come in, feel free to ask for a warm, comfortable blanket or a special neck pillow to help keep you cozy during your visit. For longer treatment, we offer videos you can watch via an IPad with noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones to help drown out the noises of the treatment around you. The time flies when you get to watch a movie or your favorite show!
Are you just anxious about getting treatment done in general? We offer several options to help lessen your anxiety to get the treatment you need and deserve in a gentle, calm environment. We offer Nitrous Oxide, or ‘laughing gas’ as it’s commonly referred to, for both children and adults. Nitrous oxide is a great option to help ‘take the edge off’ so you feel more comfortable to receive your treatment. Nitrous oxide is a gas, so once treatment is complete, we flush your system with pure oxygen so there are no residual effects. This makes it very safe for everyday procedures and you can drive to and from appointments with no worries about lingering effects after you leave.
If your anxiety is more severe, all of our doctors have completed the DOCS oral sedation course so they can safely provide you oral conscious sedation, commonly referred to as ‘twilight sleep’. We would have a pre-operative visit to discuss all treatment, thoroughly walk through your medical history, and make sure all your questions are fully answered. The day of the visit, you would require a driver to and from the appointment and plan to relax and sleep the rest of the afternoon as the medication will linger in your system for a period of time after the appointment. With oral conscious sedation, you would take a medicine by mouth that would make you very sleepy so you do not remember the appointment, but you would still be conscious, so no scary intubation or IVs are necessary. Our office is equipped with all the appropriate medical equipment to monitor your vitals throughout your visit so we can keep you safe.
If you know you need dental treatment, but are nervous about getting it done, feel free to set up a consultation with our doctors to discuss which of these options will work best for you by calling (219)929-9289. We strive to provide personalized, comfortable care for each of our patients so we can help you keep your teeth and smile for a lifetime.
Chesterton Family Dental is the general dental office of Dr. Mystie Pieters, Dr. Heather Hradek, and Dr. Robert Pieters providing comprehensive dental care for the entire family.