Dental anxiety is common. In fact, about 50 million Americans are so afraid of the dentist that they skip dental visits. And that’s just for checkups and cleaning. When it comes to a significant dental procedure like a root canal or a dental implant, many people are too afraid to even consider this option.
But dental implants are a really great replacement option. They look and function like your natural teeth, and they can last you for the rest of your life. If fear is keeping you from considering this treatment option, let us calm your fears and help you get the best replacement for your lost tooth or teeth.
“I’m afraid dental implants will hurt.”
We hear this a lot. It’s the main concern people have about a lot of dental treatment, but with dental implants you don’t need to worry. You can be under anesthesia during the entire procedure and won’t feel a thing.
When anesthesia wears off, the discomfort isn’t bad, either. Most people get by with just over-the-counter pain medications. If you have anxiety about this, though, we can prescribe a stronger medication for the first week or so.
Once your implants complete healing, you won’t feel any discomfort from normal, healthy implants.
“I’ll have to get a lot of implants.”
What’s scarier than getting an implant? Getting a lot of implants. But don’t worry: you likely won’t have to get a lot of dental implants. We can use fewer dental implants than the number of natural teeth you lost. In fact, replacing all your teeth on either the top or bottom may take only four implants.
“I’ll have a gap in my smile while the implant heals.”
If you’ve started studying dental implants, you know that the dental implant process can take a while. You may worry that you’ll have a big hole in your smile at that time. But many people can get a crown put on their dental implants right away. Other people can wear a temporary denture or get a temporary bridge. The key is: you never have to have a gap in your smile.
“My implants will fail, and I’ll have to do it again.”
For many people, the fear of dental implants gets worse when they think that they might have to do the procedure multiple times in the future, but let us calm that fear, too. Dental implants have a very high success rate, often 95% in the first 10 years, and over 90% (sometimes as high as 95%, too) when measured out to 20 years, the longest studies currently available (though individual reports of dental implants lasting 40 years or more are out there). The odds are very good that one dental implant procedure is all that you’ll need in your life.
“I can’t help being afraid.”
For many people, dental phobia is completely irrational, so going through all these reasons won’t have any impact on your ability to come in and get your procedure done. But if this is you, we have an option that can help: sedation dentistry. This can calm your anxiety and help you overcome your fears to get the dentistry that you know you want and that you know is best for you.
To learn more about dental implants or sedation dentistry in Rancho Mirage, please call (760) 832-7915 for an appointment with an implant dentist at Country Club Dentistry.
