Anxiety Reduction

Our goal is to provide the highest standard of endodontic treatment while ensuring that your experience is as comfortable as possible. Root canal treatment has come a long way and many now describe it as similar to having a dental filling. Most patients undergoing root canal treatment for the first time are pleasantly surprised afterwards at how painless and comfortable it was. In addition to providing local anesthesia to ensure that the tooth is profoundly numb, we work hard to reduce anxiety during the procedure. For those that need additional anxiety relief we do offer additional services.

To assist our patients in having a more relaxed visit, we offer nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) and /or oral sedation for those individuals needing additional help in dealing with dental anxiety and phobia. Nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” is delivered through a mask on the nose that safely combines nitrous oxide with oxygen at varying concentrations to find the level of comfort that suits you.

Another option for those with severe dental anxiety or phobia is oral premedication (e.g., Halcion or Valium) which induces a deeper state of relaxation.  This means that you would take a pill prior to the procedure and while in a relaxed state you will still be able to communicate with the dentist while treatment is being performed. When taking oral premedication, you will need to have someone drive you to and from the office.  Please call our office if you are interested in these methods of anxiety reduction and how they might work for you.