Although visiting your dentist is necessary for your oral health, dental anxiety can sometimes prevent patients from visiting regularly, whether it is for a procedure or a simple examination. In order to avoid going to the dentist, those suffering from dental anxiety may put up with gum disease, early tooth loss, and broken or unsightly teeth. This also affects their overall health, as poor oral health has been linked to more severe health problems such as heart disease and lung infection.

The staff at Family Dentistry in Maple understands how scary dental visits can be for those suffering from dental anxiety and work hard to make sure your experience is as relaxing as possible. The friendly and experienced staff knows how to help overcome dental-related fear and offer a variety of solutions, including sedation dentistry.

Sedation dentistry offers patients the most comfortable visit possible. At Family Dentistry in Maple, we use Nitrous Sedation, also known as laughing gas.

It works like this: The gas is administered through a mask placed over the nose of the patient. After 30 seconds to 5 minutes of breathing, the patient begins to feel a pleasant level of sedation. In some patients the cheeks and gums will begin to feel numb. After the gas has been adjusted to the appropriate dose and the patient is relaxed and sedated we can proceed with treatment. After treatment is completed the patient is given pure oxygen to breath for about five minutes. During this time the effects of sedation are usually reversed. Unlike IV or general anesthesia the patient can almost always leave the office by themselves and show off their smiles.

Our especially trained staff will be present to monitor patients and will provide a consultation before the appointment to decide whether sedation dentistry is right for them.

Another component of dental anxiety may be the radiation that comes from the use of digital x-rays. Digital x-rays are a critical part of a dental examination and provide dentists with an insight to serious oral problems - from bone loss to tumours growing inside the mouth. It is important to note that studies show people are exposed to more radiation on a daily basis outside or in an airplane flight, than in the dental office. The radiation exposure from traditional dental X-Rays is about 1/100th of the amount of radiation received from natural sources.

At Family Dentistry in Maple, digital x-rays are used in order to expose patients to the least amount of radiation as possible, as digital dental x-rays produce 80 - 90% less radiation when compared to traditional dental X-Rays. The trained staff also uses extra equipment such as a lead aprons in order to protect the rest of the body from radiation and give patients a peace of mind.

To learn more about dental anxiety and how to overcome it, make an appointment with Family Dental at Maple by contacting us at (905) 832-5000.