What is dental phobia and how anesthesia helps

While a lot of people think that only children suffer fear of surgeons and that they will eventually “grow out of it”, the reality is that dental phobia effects right around 75% of all Americans – so much so that many of these Americans won’t even get basic, preventative dental care because of their fears. Unfortunately, this puts a lot of these individuals at a higher risk of dealing with serious dental conditions later down the line. These more serious problems can lead to more invasive treatments, and the dental phobia cycle self-perpetuates and spirals into something even worse. Here at Bay Area OSM, however, we recognize that many of our patients may feel uncomfortable, unsettled, or at least a little apprehensive about some of the dental procedures we perform. We hope you know that we take your feelings into consideration with everything that we recommend and that each one of our oral and maxillofacial surgeons are extensively trained in the areas of anesthesia and sedation to provide you with as pain and anxiety free a solution as possible.

WHAT ARE DENTAL PHOBIAS, ANYWAY?

The American Dental Association has estimated that upwards of 75% of all Americans have some fear about visiting the surgeon, many of them quite concerned about oral surgery. On top of that, upwards of 15% of these individuals have severe enough fears that it could be classified as a phobia – which means millions and millions of people may avoid dental care altogether because of their anxieties.

WHY ARE PEOPLE AFRAID OF THE surgeon?

Though modern advancements, tools, and technology has helped to eliminate almost all of the pain involved in most dental procedures there still a great fear of surgeons “drilling away” at someone’s smile and causing them a considerable amount of pain.

WILL ANESTHESIA HELP?

Here at Bay Area OSM, we provide full anesthesia and sedation solutions to our patients that are nervous, anxious, and afraid of the procedures that we recommend. Sometimes the solutions include local anesthesia (like Novocain) to numb the impacted area and other times we choose to move forward with laughing gas, IV sedation, or general anesthesia to help you enjoy only the highest quality dental solutions without any fear of pain or anxiety.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M A CANDIDATE FOR THESE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS?

If you have any fear, nervousness, or trepidation about moving forward with the services we offer here at Bay Area OSM is a good idea to bring that up with your oral surgeon ASAP.

They’ll work with you to find out which type of anesthesia or sedation solution might work best for you, the solution that can keep you comfortable and relaxed throughout your procedure. You’ll also want to disclose allergies, health conditions, and any medications or supplements you may be taking on a regular basis so that your surgeon can get a clearer picture of which solutions will work for you.

To learn more about the expert oral surgery solutions available here at Bay Area OSM, or our anesthesia and sedation solutions, please contact us today.