Sedation Dentistry: Trying It Out

I have an ugly history with dentistry. When I was a young child, I barely brushed my teeth. My mother would ask, “Did you brush your teeth?” I would lie, “Yup.” And then I ended up with 7 cavities. During one of the fillings, I experienced excruciating nerve pain. The dentist kept giving me more shots of Novocain, but the pain persisted. And now I hate the dentist and go once every seven years. That’s why I’m trying sedation dentistry. Have you heard of it?

Sedation dentistry is where they use anesthesia to help calm any anxiety you might have about dental work. Remember that horrible filling that caused me excruciating pain? Well, now it needs a crown. And I’m not scared at all! I’m heading in for “conscious sedation,” and I don’t feel nervous at all. That’s a huge win for me!

Here’s the dentist I use now. It’s such a relief to stop avoiding the dentist! Every time I move to a new city, it takes me a while to find someone I like. For example, I tried a dentist in Austin that was horrible. The power went out, and they continued with the exam any way. Instead of being able to clean out my mouth with water and a suction cup, I had to use a paper cup on my lap.

If our Family Gap Year does pan out, I definitely don’t want to have any outstanding dental work not taken care of. I’m glad I found sedation dentistry!