Our Doctors Will Make Your Dental Experience Painless and Anxiety-Free

About a third of Americans don’t even see a dentist once a year, usually over their fear of what they think might be an unpleasant experience. But this delay only makes any gum disease or cavities worse, possibly leading to the loss of teeth before you feel much pain. The good news is that at Wilshire Smile Studio, our team of dentists will make any procedure painless.

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A Comfortable Experience

Our office even uses a wide variety of approaches to lessening anxiety before and during your treatment. For filling cavities, placing veneers, and many other basic needs, a local anesthetic will be administered by our highly-trained team. You could then just use ibuprofen or aspiration afterwards, no need for a prescription painkiller.

For periodontal maintenance, such as cleaning teeth or placing crowns or bridges, nitrous oxide, also known as “laughing gas” (it provides a pleasant relaxation and less sensitivity), is an option that is inhaled through a mask. This can prevent an overactive gag reflex and may be used to just de-stress. You should not eat a couple of hours prior to administration, but the effects wear off within a few minutes after you take off the mask and you do not need to be driven home.

For those who are especially sensitive or simply anxious, there is oral sedation (benzodiazepine) in two pill or liquid forms that you can take an hour before needed (you should fast from any type of food for a few hours in advance and have someone take you home afterwards):

Mild for anxiety, which will relax you and calm the fear center in the brain, but you remain fully awake.

Strong produces drowsiness or sometimes sleep.

When our oral surgeon may be required for procedures like complex tooth extractions, dental implants, bone grafting, or full mouth rehabilitation, he will administer intravenous sedation, which would combine relaxation with a painkilling analgesic.