No matter how fearful you are, or how long it has been since you were at the dentist, you can get back to dental health easily and comfortably with no guilt or embarrassment.
With sedation dentistry, you can get all of your work done in the fewest number of comfortable visits. You'll hardly remember being at the office!
Patient Testimonials: Please listen to actual patients describe their experiences at Dental Care of Stamford
Call for a free consultation to see if sedation dentistry is for you ... (203) 883-4433
or click here and we will contact you.
You can even stop in for a cup of coffee or tea and we will give you a free office tour to meet our team. Ask for one of our treatment coordinators and Mimi, Sandi, Julia or Carol would love to meet you.
Members of Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation
Questions and answers about sedation dentistry.
Patient instructions for sedation dentistry.
A. Many people have strong fears associated with dental care that makes it hard for them to get their work done. Other patients need a lot of work and do not want to have to come for many visits. They want to get it done in the fewest visits possible. In either case, being sedated makes the patients unaware of what is going on and they can get through their appointments with ease and comfort.
A. Sedation dentistry works by taking a pill that relaxes you and puts you in a twilight state of consciousness. You alternate between being conscious and drifting off to sleep. And best of all, most people have very little if any memory of the entire dental visit.
A. You have nothing to eat or drink from midnight on the day prior to your visits. If you take routine medicines you MUST discuss this with the doctor at your consultation visit. Different medicines can interact with each other and it is important that we know anything you take. That includes all vitamins, mineral and herbal supplements of any kind and especially nicotine (in tobacco products) and caffeine (in tea or coffee).
You will be brought to the office by your companion who will receive their instructions as well. They do not have to stay at the office for the entire time but they will need to give us a phone number so we can call them to come and pick you up when you work is complete.
A. You will be escorted from the office directly home by your companion who must seat belt you into your car and take you into your home and get you comfortable and settled to sleep and rest for the balance of the day. You cannot be left alone because you will still be sleepy for several hours and might slip and fall if unattended. It is very important that you drink lots of water or fruit juice and when any numbness is gone, soft and easy to digest foods are suggested.
We will review the post operative instructions with your companion before you leave the office.
A. The medicines that we use for sedation are designed to make you comfortable and not aware of your environment. As such you cannot drive a car, operate machinery, stand on a ladder, ride a bicycle or any activity that requires fully conscious awareness or judgment until the next day after sedation dentistry.
That includes making important business or personal decisions. You will need to be accompanied to and from the office directly home where you will spend the remainder of the day sleeping and letting the sedation medicines pass out of your system.
A. Anyone who wants to have dental work done in a state of comfort and relaxation is a candidate for sedation dentistry. Specific examples are patients who have a hard time getting numb, have a strong gag reflex, patients who have significant fears of dental treatment, have had bad experiences in the past and patients who simply want to get a lot of work done in a long visit without being aware of the time in the dental chair.
A. The patient refrains from eating or drinking after midnight the day before other than taking any routine medication. (This will be gone over in detail at your consultation visit prior to any sedation.) When you arrive at the office you will be give some medication and escorted to the dental room where you will be seated and made comfortable with a soft blanket and placed on a medical pulse oximeter to monitor your vital signs. When you are at a comfortable state, we will take care of your dental needs. When the dental work is competed you will be aroused and dismissed from the office.
A. Most of our patients response, after their visits when they return to the office for follow up care say something like, “That was so amazing. If I knew it would be so easy, I would have done it years ago.” All of your work can be done with sedation, which is up to you. But many of our patients feel so much better after the get the longer visits completed that they feel great about having easier and shorter visits completed without sedation. That is of course entirely up to you.
Sedation dentistry is a way for patients to have the dental work they want and need, even if they are especially anxious of having dental work performed. Sedation Dentistry allows the patient to relax safely through the procedure and have very little memory after. The procedures are very safe and we monitor your heart and blood pressure throughout the procedures.
In order to get a good result, you must follow these directions completely.
You will need to be accompanied to and from the office by a responsible adult who will be able to help you walk and assist you in and out of your home, the office and your automobile. They do not have to remain in the office for the whole procedure. They can go and run some errands and call in around the time we are expected to finish so they will be back in time to pick you up. In addition, they will need to stay with you for several hours at home because even though you will leave the office awake and alert, you will still be sedated and will need assistance to move about. If you were left alone, you could fall and injure yourself. It is imperative that you do not take any additional medications or drugs, prescription or otherwise, because there could be a serious reaction between your drugs and the medicines we give you.
Additional directions to insure a good result. You will feel fine after the appointment, but for your well being we require that you follow these specific directions:
Start the night before by having nothing to eat or drink after
midnight. In the morning have nothing to eat or drink. Select clothing that is loose and comfortable for your dental visit.
After your visit, you will remember very little. Expect to go home and enjoy a good night sleep. If you have any questions
or concerns, call the office (203) 883-4433.
Additional unanticipated treatment might be needed during the procedure. Dental problems may show up that were not noticed or diagnosed before, such as a tooth that might be very decayed and need a crown or root canal. We will be very careful to try to prevent this from happening by thorough diagnosis. At the same time, we also try to be conservative and do the least that is needed. If this occurs you will be too sedated for us to ask you what you wanted us to do. We will always respect your desires, so please let us know in advance if you want us to:
1. Stick to the plan regardless of what we find.
2. Make the best decision on your behalf.
3. (Please circle and initial one of the above)
I have read these instructions and I state that all of the information I have given on my medical and personal history forms is true and complete and agree that I will follow these and any other instructions that I have been given.
Patient's x________________________
Witness x________________________
Date __________
