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(931) 645-8000 |

Jennifer J. Cornell | DDS, FAGD
Caleb T. King | DMD

Sedation Dentistry

One of Back 2 Basics Dentistry’s missions is to give you a quality experience and for some that means managing their dental anxiety.

There are various options to help with dental anxiety.
We have a full array of plush animals and stress balls to help our patients through a short appointment. This may sound silly but for some that is all they need, and it is complimentary!

We also offer other options from nitrous oxide, a single dose of an anti-anxiety medication prior to your appointment all the way up to minimal sedation.

Nitrous oxide alone has been used in dentistry for ages. This gas washes in and out of the patient’s system quickly. It is not to be used on or around pregnant or nursing women and does require someone to drive you to and from the appointment.

Anti-anxiety medication as a single dose prior to your visit can also offer comfort during a dental appointment. Based on your medical history the dentist will recommend the appropriate medication and write a prescription for you to fill at your pharmacy prior to your visit. This also requires the patient have someone drive them to and from the appointment.

Minimal sedation requires more details and that one of our team members monitors you throughout your visit. This is used for those with severe dental anxiety and those who wish to get a lot of dental work done in fewer visits. Minimal sedation involves the use of oral medications along with nitrous oxide. Based on the patient’s medical history the dentist will evaluate you, take base line vital signs and determine which combination of sedation drugs would be best for you and your appointment type. Th dentist will write your prescriptions with instructions on how to take them prior to your appointment. For most this relieves the anxiety, makes the patient somewhat sleepy and provides some amnesia about the procedure the next day. The patient will be required to have someone drive them to and from the appointment and have someone to monitor them at home after the appointment.

Complete full sedation; Our office has partnered with a dental anesthesia team out of Nashville.  Nashville Office-Based Anesthesia provides deep or general anesthesia for our office on a case by case basis. They provide all the necessary equipment to fully sedate you safely and come right to our office. If your dental anxiety requires that you be fully asleep for your procedures this option is for you. You can visit their website for more information http://nashvilleoba.com/patients/ or ask us at your next appointment.

We take dental anxiety seriously and we are here to help!