Gentle Dentistry for an Addict in Recovery

I’m in recovery for opioid addiction. I also have dental anxiety. Combining those two things means I can’t have any medication at this moment, like sedation dentistry. I do need dental care so I need to find a way to get through my time in the chair. I haven’t done dental work without drugs in a long time. What do people do to get through this if they can’t sleep through it with drugs?

Casey

Dear Casey,

woman giving thumbs up in dental chair

First, congratulations on taking control of your addiction. That takes a lot of courage.

Dental anxiety is difficult. It’s especially difficult when you’re used to sleeping through your appointments with the aid of oral conscious sedation. The first thing I’m going to suggest is you do an internet search for a gentle dentist. Dentists who advertise as such are passionate about helping patients with anxiety.

These are the type of dentists who will talk you through the appointment at a pace that is comfortable to you. They’ll ask if you need to know everything before it happens or if you prefer not to know. If you want them to stop for a moment, they will. They’re patient, compassionate, gentle, and care about giving you a good experience.

When a Gentle Dentist Isn’t Enough

Sometimes you need a more complicated procedure which requires a numbing medication. When people have anxiety, they often have trouble getting and staying numb. When that happens, having something to relax you will be important. I know you are not comfortable taking an oral conscious sedation medication because of your recovery.

I think nitrous oxide would be a good option for you. This is a simple gas you breathe in which relaxes you enough to put you at ease. It takes the edge off your anxiety and allows your local anesthetic to work. The best part is once your procedure is done, they’ll just switch you back to oxygen and you’ll be completely yourself and lucid in just a few moments. You’ll be able to get on with your day as normal.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.