A Relaxed Patient Is a Healthy Patient | Carmel, IN

We know that relaxed patients receive better dental care. We also have learned that relaxing in a dentist’s chair is easier for some patients than others.

Experts estimate that up to 20 percent of Americans experience some level of dental anxiety, and up to 8 percent of the U.S. population avoids the dentist completely because of their dental fear.

If you are part of that 20 percent or that 8 percent, then driving by a dentist office or jst thinking about calling for an appointment may be difficult. Our staff at Really Smile wants to help you, which is why we say are about “Life Changing Dentistry.”

We know that you will not just wake up tomorrow without any anxiety about coming to our dentist office in Carmel, IN. Overcoming your fears takes time, and we want to help you one step at a time.

Two ways that we can take that journey together are with sedation dentistry and NuCalm relaxation dentistry.

Easing into it

Your anxiety about coming to the dentist did not start yesterday. It likely has roots in something that happened years ago.

For that same reason, you should not expect to overcome your fear in a day or one visit to the dentist. We are hopeful that you will become a little more comfortable each time you come to our dentist office in Carmel.

The website dentalfearcentral.org was created by people with dental anxiety for people with dental anxiety. On this site, you can find information about common fears and about ways different people have found to successfully deal with those fears.

Sedation dentistry

Dentalfearcentral.org lists three main things that help people deal with their dental fear. They are psychology, technology, and sedation.

We will be happy to speak with you about our approach to dental care before you ever sit down in a dentist chair. We can explain the various ways we use technology to make your dental care less painful and less stressful.

And we can discuss the different types of sedation dentistry we offer at Really Smiles. For common dental procedures, we primarily use two types of sedation.

The first is nitrous oxide. You may have heard this referred to as laughing gas.

With nitrous oxide, you breathe the gas in, and it induces a state of calm within a matter of minutes. This will help you remain relaxed and comfortable throughout your cleaning or other procedure.

When your treatment is over, we turn off the nitrous oxide, and within minutes you are back to normal. You can go back to work or get on with your day knowing that you have received dental care.

The second type of sedation dentistry is oral conscious sedation. This type of sedation starts with you taking medication prior to your treatment. You should be aware that this is a more powerful form of sedation than nitrous oxide.

With oral conscious sedation, you may fall asleep or you may remain in a state of relaxed awareness. You likely will not remember anything about your procedure.

When it is over, you will need someone else to take you home, however.

The final type of sedation dentistry is general anesthesia. We only use this for longer and more complex procedures. This form of sedation must be administered by an anesthesiologist.

As with oral conscious sedation, you are unlikely to remember any of your procedure. You will need someone else to take you home, and you should plan to rest for the remainder of the day.

NuCalm Relaxation Dentistry

We also know many patients would prefer to avoid using medicine. That’s why our own Dr. Smith has studied NuCalm relaxation.

NuCalm is a four-part technique to induce a state of near sleep.

You start by taking a dietary supplement to counteract the adrenaline that may build in your body when you feel anxious. Then, we apply stimulation patches that induce a state of relaxation. We provide noise-canceling headphones for you and an eye mask to block out any light.

For many patients, this technique is just as effective as sedation. It helps them relax and remain comfortable throughout their dental procedure.

Working With You

Facing dental fear requires trust and patience. We welcome you to visit our dental office in Carmel. Getting to know us can help you build that trust in us.

For our part, we will remain patient and work with you as you become more comfortable receiving dental care.

To learn more about NuCalm and sedation dentistry, call Really Smiles at 317-597-8748 or use our online form to schedule a consultation at our office.