Help! I'm Anxious About My Dental Appointment

At Ueno Center Dental Specialists, we understand regular dental appointments are part of an effective oral hygiene routine. We also know that some people avoid these regular appointments due to dental anxiety. And avoiding these visits puts your oral health at risk.

Our providers, including our founder Jeremy K. Ueno, DMD, offer options to help manage your dental anxiety as well as a friendly, kind approach that helps you to feel comfortable during every appointment. 

Why you need to visit the dentist 

Some people are under the misconception that it’s only necessary to visit a dentist when you have a problem. Regular dental visits are part of long-term, effective oral care. 

If you visit us every six months as recommended, we may be able to catch problems before they worsen. They may also be able to help prevent long-term problems with regular or deep cleanings. 

Unfortunately, oral health problems don’t just stay contained to your mouth. If you let dental or gum health problems continue without treatment, bacteria can spread to other areas of your body. 

But I’m nervous… 

About 36% of the population suffer from dental anxiety while 12% suffer from extreme fear of visiting the dentist. If you fit into either category, we have ways to ease your anxiety. 

Sedation dentistry is the category under which most of these options fall. At our Campbell, California, office, we are ready to explain the choices, which include:

Local anesthetic

This is by far the most common option. Many of our patients who don’t experience dental anxiety still require pain relief during a dental procedure. Local anesthetic numbs the areas where we are performing a dental procedure. 

Nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide is a sedation method that you inhale. It allows you to stay awake but also to feel very relaxed. 

Twilight sedation 

This is intravenous sedation, and it allows you to go into a mild sleep. It’s called twilight sedation because it isn’t as strong as general anesthesia, but you are still mostly unconscious during the procedure. 

General anesthesia 

General anesthesia is usually only given to patients who require an intensive dental treatment (such as getting a wisdom tooth pulled) or those with very severe anxiety. 

It requires a medical doctor from outside our office to administer the anesthesia. You sleep through your dental procedure and are unaware of anything happening during a treatment under general anesthesia. 

How you can relieve dental anxiety 

There are also a number of techniques you can use to help relieve your dental anxiety. Here are several: 

• Meditation 
• Visualization 
• Deep breathing 
• Hypnosis 
• Weighted blanket or another comfort object
• Relaxation techniques 

We want to support you

When you are anxious about your dental appointment, we want you to know that we support you in any way we can. We have TVs set up in every room so we can provide relaxing distractions for you. We also are happy to talk you through any procedure before it occurs. 

If you’re anxious about your next dental appointment, let us help. Call us to schedule an appointment. We’ll make sure you feel as comfortable as possible.