You know that you should go to the dentist. You don’t know exactly how long it’s been since your last trip to the dentist. But you do know why you haven’t been to the dentist. You feel anxious just thinking about sitting in a dentist’s chair. Maybe you recall a bad experience you had when you were a kid. Maybe you saw one too many movies in which the dentist character wasn’t exactly nice.
No matter the reason, everyone at Shorewood Family Dental Care wants to help make your next appointment as pleasant as possible and we can help manage your dental anxiety. Beyond that, we want to change your perception of what oral health can be.
Are you in search for the best dentist near Rockdale? We’re located in Shorewood, IL, and we welcome you to call 815-725-5991 to learn more about us and our approach to patient care.
Working With You
If you or someone in your family has dental anxiety or fear of the dentist, then you know that scheduling a cleaning can be difficult, to put it mildly.
Millions of people experience dental anxiety, including several people who avoid dental care except in absolute emergencies — and going to the dentist under those circumstances won’t make it any easier as just trying to overcome dental anxiety by yourself can be tough.
We would much rather help you ease your way back into one of our chairs. One thing that can help is to schedule a consultation first. During this visit, you can meet our team and ask any questions you have about how we work with anxious patients.
This will give you an opportunity to be in our office without any pressure. It’s just your time to learn more about us, our comfort items, and our sedation options.
Keeping Your Comfortable
With any anxious patient, the first priority is helping you feel relaxed and comfortable.
We think you’ll find that our team members are compassionate and put your needs first. This could mean doing getting you a pillow and blanket or helping you find one of your favorite television shows to watch on our in-room televisions.
For some patients, seeing that we care about them is enough to help them remain calm. Other patients need something more, which is why we offer three types of dental sedation.
Laughing gas is great for many people. This is a simple, but effective sedation option. All you have to do is breathe in the gas, and within minutes, you’ll be feeling cool, calm, and collected.
Plus, it will prevent you from feeling any pain or gagging throughout your appointment, just like our other sedation options.
Oral sedation takes longer to take effect, but it’s also a stronger and longer-lasting option. We can prescribe you a single dose of medication to take before your appointment. By the time you are ready to sit in the chair, you’ll be quite relaxed.
If you do choose oral sedation, you must arrange for someone else to drive you to and from your appointment. The same is true for our final option.
IV sedation requires extensive training, which is why few dental offices offer it. Our own Dr. Funk has been licensed to do IV sedation dentistry for more than 10 years. We normally reserve this for more extensive procedures, which makes them much easier to handle. (In all likelihood, you won’t remember any of it.)
Here to Support You and Help You Manage Dental Anxiety
Returning to the dentist after a long layoff can be hard, but we’ve helped countless patients make that transition including helping those manage dental anxiety. At Shorewood Family Dental Care, we believe in taking things one step and one patient at a time.
To learn more about our comfort and sedation options, call 815-725-5991 or contact us online.
