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Dental Care for Patients with Autism

August 31st, 2010

Most people aren’t eager to sit in a dentist’s chair and have work done on their teeth. For those with autism, especially children, a visit to the dentist is particularly challenging. It can even be traumatic.

According to the CDC, autism affects approximately 1 in 150 children. Autism is defined as a neurological developmental disorder that impairs social interaction, cognition, and communication. Behavioral symptoms of autism include restrictive interests and repetition in behaviors or actions. Some autistic patients are also hyperactive.

Because autistic children find it difficult to understand the world around them and communicate clearly or effectively, they require special care, and that includes their dental care.

An autism dentist who is knowledgeable about the effects of autism on a person’s thinking and behavior can provide the best care and dental treatments, which are specially tailored for autistic patients.

Autism Dentist

Many people with autism rely on a strict routine. Since a trip to the dentist breaks the daily structure and because the dentist’s office is a strange environment with unfamiliar people, autistic patients are likely to find the entire experience terrifying and confusing.

Dentists who are not familiar with the effects of autism may not be able to effectively treat these patients using traditional dentistry methods. Autistic patients benefit greatly from working with a dentist who is familiar with their specific challenges and needs.

An autism dentist fully understands autism and the special challenges that autistic people face. Such a dentist will be aware of the treatments and medications that are prescribed to autistic patients and will have knowledge and experience working with the autistic behaviors.

Sedation Dentistry

Some people with autism experience extreme oral sensitivity. Others are highly hyperactive. This makes dental treatments, even basic exams, difficult. In some cases, traditional dentistry methods may not be possible for patients with autism since hyperactivity while in a dentist’s chair compromises a patient’s safety and some autistic patients may not be able to endure standard procedures due to sensitivity.

Many autistic children benefit from sedation dentistry, which is used to help patients relax or sleep through treatments. This ensures dental health and protects the safety of the patient.

The Blende Dental Group

The Blende Dental Group has been working with special needs patients, including those with autism, for over 20 years. In fact, our entire practice was built to ensure that people with unique mental and physical challenges would have access to quality dental care and optimum oral health.

To learn more about the Blende Dental Group’s work with special needs and autistic patients or to schedule an appointment with an autism dentist, please call 1.800.575.3375 or visit our contact page to send us a message.

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What to Do When You Need an Emergency Dentist

August 24th, 2010

When you stumble into a medical emergency, you know exactly who to call – most likely, the emergency services (9-1-1). But what happens when you chip or lose a tooth or suddenly experience excruciating pain in your teeth or gums? Who do you call then?

You Need an Emergency Dentist

Most dental offices are open during normal business hours – Monday through Friday from around 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some have more flexible hours, offering evening and weekend appointments. But most don’t offer 24-hour service seven days a week.

If you experience a dental emergency during regular business hours, you might be in luck. There’s a good chance that your dentist will fit you into the day’s schedule to accommodate your emergency.

On the other hand, if you experience a dental emergency at night, in the wee hours of the morning, or over the weekend (especially over a holiday weekend), then you might find it impossible to contact your dentist, let alone get a last-minute appointment.

Emergency Dental Services

Dentists who offer emergency services make themselves available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That includes nights, weekends, and holidays. These professionals are willing to assist patients who need them most urgently – and are willing to accommodate those patients on the spur of the moment, by working on-call.

When you call an emergency dentist, they will try to see you immediately. Usually, they’ll ask you to come into the office. Assuming your needs are strictly dental and you’re able to travel the distance to their office, you can simply head to the dental office where you’ll be taken care of.

But some emergency patients cannot get to the dentist’s office. They may be disabled, immobile, or unable to travel for some reason. For such patients, dental emergencies may go unresolved, which can result in suffering from pain or discomfort until they can finally make arrangements to see a dentist.

House call dentistry solves this problem by providing emergency dental services to patients at various locations. Instead of asking a patient to come into the office, the office (on wheels) goes to the patient. And modern technology has enabled house-call, emergency dentists to equip mobile dentistry units with enough instruments and tools to treat most dental emergencies.

Other emergency dental cases are treated in a hospital setting. Hospital dentistry is common in conjunction with medical treatments that require hospitalization, such as injuries sustained from a car accident, which may require both dental and medical attention. House call dentists can easily travel to a local hospital to treat patients in need of emergency dental care.

The Blende Dental Group’s Emergency Dentist

The Blende Dental Group and our sister organization, Bay Area House Call Dentists both offer emergency dental services in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area. We provide in-office, house-call, and hospital services for patients who need an emergency dentist.

To learn more about our emergency dental services or to immediately get in touch with an emergency dentist, please call 1.800.575.3375. You can also visit our contact page to send us a non-emergency message.

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Pain Free Dentist for Kids with Special Needs

August 17th, 2010

Kids with special needs already face numerous disadvantages, and maintaining good dental health can be an added challenge for families with a special needs child. There are numerous issues that these special, young patients face, which impede their ability to make regular visits to a dentist.

Some special needs patients are immobile or physically disabled and cannot easily make a trip to a dental office, even if that trip is a short one. Others find it impossible to sit still long enough to undergo an exam or receive a cleaning, let alone a full procedure or treatment. Many others face complications with medications.

In order to attain overall good health, it’s essential that we maintain healthy teeth and gums. With all the difficulties that special needs kids and their families already face, they shouldn’t have to worry about taking care of their teeth too. Visiting a pain free dentist who works closely with kids in the special needs community makes dental health maintenance easier and more accessible.

Special Needs Dentist

By working with a special needs dentist, patients who have special needs will gain better access to proper dental care and their families will have one less thing to worry about.

A special needs dentist is one who is directly involved with the special needs communities and who consistently stays up-to-date on the latest treatments, medications, and issues in a variety of medical areas.

Such a dentist will also understand the nature of a variety of special needs, including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and mental or developmental disabilities. A special needs dentist will ensure a professional office environment that is friendly, comfortable, and conductive to the needs of patients with various physical, mental, and emotional requirements.

Pain Free Dentist

A pain free dentist uses two key methods to ensure that patients do not experience pain as a result of treatment: technique and sedation.

Modern techniques in dentistry are less invasive than they were in the past. With breakthroughs in both equipment and hands-on approaches, dentists are increasingly able to guarantee a painless experience, making visits to the dentist easier for everyone, especially special needs children.

Sedation has proven to be a cornerstone both in pain free dentistry and in treating special needs patients. Sedation fulfills two important roles: helping patients relax or sleep through treatment and alleviating pain and discomfort.

Sedation Dentist

There are two types of sedation: conscious and unconscious. With conscious sedation, the patient is awake but relaxed. With unconscious sedation, the patient sleeps through the entire treatment.

Kids with special needs, including illnesses, disabilities, and other limitations often have a hard time sitting in the dentist’s chair. Conscious sedation helps patients relax so they can have an anxiety-free and pain free dentist visit.

For patients who need extensive work or who cannot relax enough with conscious sedation, unconscious sedation (or sleep dentistry) provides a way to receive treatment that is both painless and stress-free.

The Blende Dental Group

The Blende Dental Group has been working with special needs patients for over 20 years and is proud to offer pain free dentist visits to patients of all ages and circumstances. We offer several types of conscious and unconscious sedation as well as an inviting office environment and compassionate staff that are conductive to our patients’ special needs.

To learn more about our work with special needs children and our pain free dentistry or to schedule an appointment, please call 1.800.575.3375 or visit our contact page to send us a message.

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How to Overcome Fear of the Dentist

August 10th, 2010

Have you ever postponed making a dental appointment because the thought of sitting in the dentist’s chair made you feel uncomfortable, nervous, or afraid? Have you ever canceled an appointment because you were scared of receiving a treatment? While sitting in the waiting room, have you ever experienced rapid heartbeat, broke out into a sweat, or even felt physically sick?

Millions of people experience these and other symptoms because they fear dentist visits, procedures, and the possibility of experiencing pain after visiting the dentist.

Statistics show that these fears are actually common, affecting 1 in 7 Americans. It’s a serious issue, and in recent years, professionals in dentistry have been working hard to help their patients overcome such fears by providing higher quality care and more effective treatments.

Phobia, Fear, and Anxiety

“Dental phobia” and “dentist phobia” are common terms used to identify a moderate to severe fear of the dentist. While these terms have become increasingly accepted and widely used, they are not accurate.

The word “phobia” indicates an irrational fear of something. It could be a situation, activity, object, person, or animal. The fear is irrational because it’s either unlikely that the person will encounter the object of their fear or because the fear is unfounded – the person has never had an encounter with that which they fear.

But most people who struggle with “dentist phobia” are dealing with a fear that is actually completely rational.

Real and Rational

The term “phobia” is inappropriate for people who fear dentist visits because their fear is completely rational. For most patients, this fear is based on previous experiences with a dentist that resulted in some form of suffering. So their fears are quite rational and are not technically classifiable as phobias.

But that doesn’t mean those fears should be dismissed or ignored. Just as with phobia, or an irrational fear, an anxiety or valid fear must be dealt with in a manner that is healthy and beneficial.

The burden of helping patients overcome these fears falls on dentists and other oral health professionals. It is our job to ensure that patients are comfortable and confident in the care they are receiving and to make sure they feel safe and are able to relax through their treatments.

Dentist: Fear Gives Way to Relaxation

As dentists increasingly understand that negative prior experiences have led to dental anxiety, they have become more sympathetic to patients’ concerns. Many dentists have worked to adopt a better bedside manner, showing more compassion toward patients who are tense or nervous.

Modern treatments and techniques have also enabled dentistry to evolve into a medical practice that is less painful. For a long time, dentistry was afflicted with a reputation of inflicting pain upon its patients. But arcane methods have given way to more sensitive and sensible approaches that are less invasive and less likely to result in pain or soreness.

However, the best advances have been made with medicines, which can help patients relax so they can get through a procedure calmly and comfortably. Medications also alleviate pain. And more and more patients are seeking sedation (or sleep) dentistry, in which they can sleep soundly while the dentist completes all necessary work in a single visit.

What to Do If You Fear Dentist Visits

You might be wondering if you suffer from some form of dental anxiety. The Blende Dental Group’s website contains a short quiz, which will help you determine your level of anxiety: click here to take the dental anxiety test.

If you fear dentist visits, you can take your first step toward overcoming your fear simply by knowing that today there are dentists who understand your fear and will work with you more compassionately.

For over 20 years, the Blende Dental Group has worked closely with people who are dealing with dental anxiety and other special needs patients.

To learn more about our work with patients who fear dentist visits or to schedule an appointment, please call 1.800.575.3375 or visit our contact page to send us a message.

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Patients Travel from Around the World to See San Francisco Dentist

August 3rd, 2010

For most people, a trip to the dentist is a standard, though somewhat unwelcome, inconvenience. But for those with special needs or dentist phobia, a dental visit is more than a mere hassle. It’s an enormous burden or even an impossibility.

All around the world, there are patients who don’t have access to a dentist who will accommodate their special needs. Patients with disabilities and handicaps, patients who struggle with moderate to severe fear of the dentist, patients who are elderly or suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and many other special needs patients have all found that access to proper dental care is limited or nonexistent.

That started to change 20 years ago when a San Francisco dentist decided to concentrate on the people who needed special, tailored dental care designed to make dentistry more convenient for patients with special needs. Dr. David Blende has built his entire practice around those patients and their needs ever since.

San Francisco Dentist and Special Needs Dentistry

Dr. David Blende has spent over two decades making comprehensive dental care available to patients with special needs in hospital and private practice settings as well as through mobile dentistry, which provides on-location dental services to patients in their homes.

Special needs dentists do more than practice dentistry. They also have to be engaged with special needs communities. Their work includes the following:

Staying up-to-date on medications, treatments, symptoms, etc.
Maintaining relationships with organizations and with medical professionals in special needs areas
Making compassionate and courteous service the core of office practices

Helping patients with special needs is the foundation upon which the Blende Dental Group is built, and over the years, their reputation has earned them a spot among the most recommended dental practices in the world.

Today, patients travel from all over the world to seek treatment from the esteemed team of San Francisco based dentists and dental specialists at the Blende Dental Group. To date, they have provided dental care to people from over 30 U.S. states and 18 different nations around the world.

San Francisco Dentist

San Francisco is one of the most famous cities in the world. Millions of tourists come through our beautiful city by the bay every year to see world-renowned attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the original Cable Cars, and Lombard (the crooked street).

But some visitors come for more than the sights. They come to see a dedicated, world-class, San Francisco dentist who is committed to helping special needs patients achieve and maintain dental health.

To learn more about the Blende Dental Group’s work with special needs patients or to schedule an appointment with a San Francisco dentist, please call 1.800.575.3375 or visit our contact page to send us a message.

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A Dentist for Seniors

July 13th, 2010

As we age, our dental needs change. Enamel wears thin, gums recede, and we need a dentist for seniors – a dentist who knows how to treat patients who have age-specific dental health needs.

Proper Dental Care

Proper dental care is vital for older patients.

We all know that seniors need special care – regular doctor appointments are necessary to ensure the best health possible, and medical care for seniors usually focuses on the body’s vital functions. Too often, dental health is pushed to the wayside.

It’s understandable. After all, older adults and their loved ones are often dealing with fixed incomes and an array of health needs, including a host of medications and regular check-ups with doctors and specialists.

But dental health is vital to a person’s overall good health, especially for seniors. Healthy teeth and gums contribute to one’s ability to speak, enjoy food and conversation, and to facilitate digestion and the distribution of nutrients throughout the body. These functions are especially imperative for the older adult.

It is common or people over 50 to have periodontal (gum) disease and tooth decay (cavities). Studies show that 25% of Americans over the age of 65 have lost all their teeth. But tooth loss can be prevented with proper dental care and regular visits to the dentist.

Put simply, the older you get, the more important dental health becomes. That’s why it’s crucial for older adults to seek the right dentist.

Dentist for Seniors

A dentist for seniors specializes in the changing needs of an aging adult.

As we get older, we usually need to take more medications. These may help control or balance cholesterol, blood pressure, or the heart. Medicine also helps older adults manage arthritis and digestive problems.

It’s imperative that a dentist understands medications that are commonly used for health issues that affect seniors. Various medications can cause conflicts if the dentist isn’t prepared and knowledgeable about the interactive effects of medications used in dentistry combined with medications frequently used by aging adults. Many medications also cause chronic dry mouth (xerostomia) that can lead to rapidly progressing tooth decay if not treated promptly.

In addition to understanding medications, a dentist for seniors will be aware of other common challenges that seniors face. Stiff muscles make lying in the dentist’s chair uncomfortable. Many seniors have limited mobility, making it hard for them to get to the dentist’s office and into the chair. Some struggle with diseases that affect aging adults, such as Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia.

A dentist for seniors is sensitive to the wide range of challenges that aging adults are facing and works closely with patients to ensure the best dental health and the best care possible. That includes sensitivity to a patient’s age-specific needs.

Dentist for Elderly Patients

Providing dental care for elderly patients is our specialty.

As we get older, we need a dentist that specializes in the ever-changing needs of the human body, and it’s essential that we include dental health in our overall health care regimen. For seniors, proper dental care is more important than ever, since the health of our teeth and gums affects the health of our entire bodies.

Here at the Blende Dental Group, we work with a wide range of special needs patients. To speak with a patient care coordinator or to schedule an appointment with a dentist for seniors, please call 1.800.575.3375.

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Pain Free Dentist Visits are Possible

July 6th, 2010

Did you know that dental health is vital to maintaining overall good health? By getting regular check-ups and cleanings, you can avoid more serious dental problems, such as gum disease or tooth decay.

But many patients avoid seeing a dentist regularly. Some people postpone making an appointment because it’s an inconvenience. Others avoid making appointments because they fear a trip to the dentist means getting a procedure that will be painful.

Regular visits to the dentist are the best way to avoid complex procedures. The more time that lapses between visits, the greater the chances that you’ll need more than an exam and cleaning.

Sometimes it’s necessary to treat more serious dental problems. Letting cavities or gum disease go untreated only results in bigger problems down the road. And with modern dentistry methods, getting these problems treated can be far less painful that living with them.

Thanks to new medications and modern dentistry methods, pain free dentist visits are possible.

Imagine going to the dentist to have work done, but instead of sitting anxiously in the dentist’s chair, you feel completely calm, listening to soothing music and comfortably relaxing or sleeping through the entire procedure.

Sedation Dentistry

Sedation dentistry has made pain free dentist visits possible. Using medications that alleviate pain and help you relax, a dentist can perform simple to complex procedures and ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy. All this can be done painlessly.

There are two types of sedation dentistry: conscious sedation and unconscious sedation.

With conscious sedation, you are given a sedative to keep you relaxed but awake during a procedure. Conscious sedation is administered orally with a pill (usually Halcion or valium) or a gas called nitrous oxide (laughing gas). You will remain awake and aware while your dental work is being done, but you will be completely relaxed and will feel no pain.

Unconscious sedation, which is often called sleep dentistry, is a procedure in which you are asleep for your entire procedure. Using either an IV sedative or general anesthesia (administered by a licensed anesthesiologist), you will fall into a deep sleep, and when you wake up, your dental work will be completed.

One-Sleep-Visit™ Total Dentistry

The Blende Dental Group is at the forefront of sedation dentistry, where pain free dentist techniques make even the most elaborate treatments painless. We’ve made this possible through our One-Sleep-Visit Total Dentistry Method, which provides our patients with painless, full-mouth restoration in a single procedure.

No matter how serious or severe your dental problems are, we can treat you painlessly in a single visit. This is done through unconscious sedation. We bring in any specialists that need to work on your teeth and gums, from endodontists to periodontists, and work together as a team to restore your mouth to full health.

This means your procedure is painless and that you won’t need to arrange a series of appointments over a long period of time. Our One-Sleep-Visit is convenient and pain free.

Post-Procedure Treatment

Many patients worry that they will have pain after their dental procedure. We help our patients avoid post-treatment pain and soreness with over-the-counter medications, such as Ibuprofen. For more complex procedures, we can offer prescription medications to relieve pain until your mouth is completely healed.

Either way, we will make sure you remain pain-free.

Here at the Blende Dental Group, in addition to ensuring total dental health, we make sure our patients have a positive and comfortable experience.To learn more or to schedule a pain free dentist appointment, please call 1.800.575.3375.

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Modern Treatments Keep Dentist Phobia at Bay

June 29th, 2010

People who fear the dentist put off making appointments, even for simple procedures, such as basic cleanings and regular check-ups. They avoid talking to friends and family about their anxieties because they worry people won’t take their fears seriously. So, people who struggle with dentist phobia feel alone.

Dental Anxiety

But they are not alone. In fact, 1 in 7 Americans struggles with dental anxiety, which is commonly called dentist or dental phobia. It’s likely that you know several people who have mild to severe dental anxiety. If you’re one of those people, there’s more good news.

Many people who avoid the dentist do so because they had a bad experience with a dentist at some point in their life. But dentistry has been evolving. In recent years, developments in the methods and medicines used in dentistry have made procedures painless and more effective.

The best news is that dentists have become increasingly aware of their patients’ needs, including the need to work with a dentist who is sensitive to a person’s fears, discomfort, and anxiety.

The best advances are in sedation dentistry.

Sedation dentistry has made the greatest contribution to treating patients with dental anxiety. If you or someone you love is coping with dentist phobia, then sedation may be the key to getting through any procedure.

There are two types of sedation: conscious and unconscious. The best type of sedation for a patient with dental anxiety depends on the severity of anxiety and the complexity of work that needs to be done.

Conscious sedation dentistry uses a sedative to help the patient completely relax while dental work is being done. These sedatives can be administered orally with a pill such as Halcion or valium or with a gas called nitrous oxide (laughing gas). With conscious sedation, the patient is awake during the procedure, but relaxed, and their anxiety is reduced.

Unconscious sedation, also referred to as sleep sedation or sleep dentistry, is ideal for longer procedures or for patients with more severe dentist phobia. The patient is unconscious, either through an IV sedative or general anesthesia. Sedation goes into effect within a minute and makes it possible for the dentist to complete a series of procedures. The entire procedure is painless. There are fewer trips to the dentist since most of the work can be done in a single session under unconscious sedation. Best of all, when the patient wakes up, their dental treatment is already complete!

Treating Patients with Dental Anxiety

As important as medicine, including sedation, may be in treating patients with dentist phobia, nothing is more important that simply having a good bedside manner. That means dentists need to be sensitive to people’s fears and concerns.

As dentists become more aware of their patients’ worries, they are practicing dentistry in a more compassionate manner. Dentists are increasingly reaching out to people with dental phobia, something that many dentists didn’t understand until recently.

Here at the Blende Dental Group, we’ve been reaching out to people for over 20 years. Our work has always been centered around patients who need special care, from patients with illnesses and disabilities to patients who are simply frightened to make that appointment.

Our job is not just to ensure good dental health; it’s also to ensure that our patients feel secure when they come into our office. We encourage our patients to ask questions, share their concerns, and let us know whenever they need anything. We understand that we are responsible for an important aspect of our patients’ health, and we take that responsibility seriously.

The Blende Dental Group offers Sleep and Sedation Dentistry for patients with dentist phobia. To learn more about dental anxiety, take our FREE dental anxiety quiz. To speak with a patient care coordinator or to schedule an appointment, call 1-800-575-3375.

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How a Leading San Francisco Dentist Helps Special Patients

June 23rd, 2010

It’s hard to find the right dentist when you or your loved one has special needs. Children with autism or ADD find it difficult to sit still for a dental treatment. Seniors with Alzheimer’s or other dementias are not able to care for their own teeth properly. Even healthy adults with a good dentist may face dentist phobia, finding it difficult, if not impossible, to make an appointment and schedule a basic exam or cleaning.

Finding the right dentist is a challenge for anybody, but it’s especially challenging for families and individuals with special needs because not all dentists treat patients with special needs. Some do not have the training required to deal with special medical requirements. Others don’t have offices that are adequately equipped or staffed to help people with special needs. Many simply don’t understand the needs of patients with special circumstances.

Where can you find a special needs dentist?

The Blende Dental Group has worked with patients from all over the world. Patients have traveled from more than 30 states and 18 countries to come to our San Francisco dentist office and have their smiles restored by our team of specialists.

We help our patients in any way we can—and that includes making long-distance visits possible by assisting with travel coordination so that our patients get the dental care they need—no matter where they live.

We’ve helped many of our long-distance patients coordinate travel and lodging accommodations, and we may be able to plan treatments so that all dental work can be completed during a single trip.

One-Sleep-Visit™ Total Dentistry Method

Combining our dedication to helping special needs patients with our One-Sleep-Visit Total Dentistry Method has allowed us to serve people who otherwise would find it impossible to obtain proper dental health care.

Our One-Sleep-Visit treatment process starts with an exam, which helps us determine a patient’s needs and a course of treatment. Next, we perform dental work in a single visit while our patient sleeps soundly and painlessly. This allows us to do a large amount of dental work in a short amount of time.

We’ve made single-visit treatments possible by bringing together a team of specialists. Rather than send our patients to endodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons, we bring these specialists to one location and they work together to get all of our patients’ work done in a single visit. Instead of having a course of treatment completed over months, the work is done in a few days.

After the single-visit procedure, we conduct a follow-up visit and final consultation in which we finish the dental treatment and set our patients on a course for regular dental health maintenance.

Dedicated San Francisco Dentist

Are you looking for a San Francisco dentist that serves special needs patients?

Our treatments and our process are ideal for special needs patients, including adults and children with illnesses and conditions that make regular trips to the dentist difficult. However, what truly sets our team apart is our commitment to making dental care accessible to patients who have unique challenges. Our compassion and dedication to the special needs community is what drives us to make these services available.

The Blende Dental Group offers Sleep and Sedation Dentistry for fearful, phobic, and special needs patients. To speak with a patient care coordinator or to schedule an appointment in our San Francisco dentist office, call 1-800-575-3375.

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How a Sedation Dentist Can Help Patients With Dental Phobia 

May 18th, 2010

You’ve tried going to the dentist to have much-needed dental work done, but it’s just too hard. First, you have to pick up the phone and make the call, but every time you reach for the phone, your hand shakes and your nerves rattle. If you can get through scheduling that appointment, then you have to physically go to the dentist’s office, which means even more anxiety.

And then, once you’re there, there’s no time to congratulate yourself for facing your fears. You’re bombarded with the sounds and smells, and your stomach is tied up in knots. Even if you make it all the way to the examination room, trying to distract yourself with music or relaxation techniques, the dentist still interrupts with that dreaded request to “open wider, please.”

At best, you’re slightly anxious about a trip to the dentist’s office. At worst, you’re absolutely terrified. So, you put it off. You avoid making appointments. You cancel the appointments you do make. You come up with reasons and excuses to avoid going to the dentist, but the truth is that you’re scared.

Dental Phobia

The good news is that you’re not alone. One in seven Americans suffers from dental phobia, and the phobia can be so severe that these patients will go years without seeing a dentist.

Here at the Blende Dental Group, we get it. What you really want is a way to have your dental work done without having to be there at all. At the very least, you wish you could sleep through the whole thing.

Welcome to sedation dentistry, the stress-free world of sleeping through your dental procedure. Using IV sedation, the dentist puts you into a deep sleep and then works on your teeth. You’ll feel no pain, and when you wake, your dental procedures will be all done.

Sedation Dentist

There are several types of sedation dentistry methods available, and the Blende Dental Group uses all of them. Some (like nitrous oxide or oral sedatives) leave you awake but completely relaxed. These are ideal if you don’t need a lot of work done or if your fear level is closer to “nervous” than “terrified.”

However, conscious sedation is not always enough. For extensive procedures or for people who have severe phobias, IV sedation is an ideal option.

IV Sedation Dentist

With IV sedation, we administer medication directly into your blood stream, and it goes into effect almost immediately, putting you to sleep so that your total mouth restoration can happen without your having to do anything except dream of your new, healthy and beautiful smile.

IV sedation is not as common as more familiar types of sedation, like Novocaine or nitrous oxide, because sedation dentistry requires special certification. Certified and experienced dentists, like the dentists here at the Blende Dental Group, ensure that dental sedation is just as safe as oral sedatives, such as Valium. In fact, IV sedation is more effective than oral medication because dosage can be adjusted as needed and instantaneously.

Just think—you can get all your dental work done in one, easy, painless, and worry-free visit, simply by seeing a sedation dentist. There’s no extra stress and nothing to fear—because you’ll nap through the entire procedure. You will hear nothing, taste nothing, smell nothing, feel nothing. It’s like a dream come true, and you’ll wake up with perfect teeth.

The Blende Dental Group offers Sleep and Sedation Dentistry for fearful, phobic, and special needs patients. To learn more about sedation dentistry, download a free copy of the The Consumer’s Guide To Sleep & Sedation Dentistry. To speak with a patient care coordinator or to schedule an appointment with a sedation dentist, call 1-800-575-3375.

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