Our patient Jen from Ansonia had extractions and root canals performed with IV sedation. Watch and listen to her describe her experiences with sedation dentistry in this video testimonial.
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Transcript of Jen’s IV Sedation Dentistry Testimonial
Dr. Calcaterra: So are you afraid of spiders?
Jen: No
Dr. Calcaterra: Are you afraid of snakes?
Jen: No
Dr. Calcaterra: Are you afraid of heights?
Jen: No
Dr. Calcaterra: Are you afraid of flying on a plane?
Jen: No
Dr. Calcaterra: Are you afraid of speaking in public?
Jen: Not at all
Dr. Calcaterra: So what is your biggest fear?
Jen: Going to the dentist.
Dr. Calcaterra: So, would you rather be on a plane, speaking to all the passengers, with a snake around your neck and two spiders on your finger, than being at the dentist. Which is worse?
Jen: Going to the dentist.
Dr. Calcaterra: I’m Dr. Nick Calcaterra. We just heard from one of our patients, Jennifer. Speaking in public, flying on a plane, heights, spiders – those are all things that can some individuals nervous. But for Jennifer, it’s the sights, sounds, and smells of the dental office that make her absolutely terrified. Let’s listen to her talk more about her dental fears.
Jen: Ever since I was a kid, it’s just the whole experience of having a needle jammed into your mouth, and when you’re a kid I guess it leaves an imprint. Everything from the sound of the drill, the smell, the whole entire experience just gave me the heebie jeebies to the point where I would go to the dentist only as a very last resort. So I let my teeth deteriorate until it got the point until I had to come to the dentist – that’s how afraid I was. My firs time here with Dr. Calcaterra I needed extensive work – I was in excruciating pain which is why I held off. I asked for the sedation because I wanted to be totally knocked out. The last thing I remember was he was asking me to count backwards from ten – and I don’t remember anything.
Dr. Calcaterra: One of the obvious benefits of sedation dentistry is that it allows fearful patients like Jennifer to receive dental treatment that they might otherwise avoid due to fear. Another benefit that we see – and one that we feel is highly unique to our office – is this: we have a very fearful and phobic patient. We sedate them. The sedation visit goes very very well. Afterwards, the fears evaporate, and often times, that patient no longer feels the need to be sedated for future dental appointments. Sound impossible? Let’s listen to Jennifer again.
Dr. Calcaterra: One of the greatest accomplishments that I feel I can achieve is taking a very phobic, fearful patient – sedating them – getting them through their fear – and then reaching a point where they no longer need to be sedated. It sounds like we’ve accomplished that. Is that an accurate statement?
Jen: Oh yes, matter of fact for my second time back, I did request the sedation, but then because I thought about it and then before the procedure started I said let’s just go with the traditional way of numbing the pain which was a big step for me because I really was planning on wanting the sedation for the second time. But the experience was so smooth that I don’t think I need the sedation anymore.
Dr. Calcaterra: OK. Good. And what are we going to do today?
Jen: Today I think we’re doing fillings?
Dr. Calcaterra: Yeah, we’re doing a couple of fillings. And we’re going to go “au naturel”
Jen: Yeah, I’ll be wide awake for the entire procedure.
Dr. Calcaterra: OK. Allright. Well I consider that to be a really big accomplishment. That’s my objective – to get people to overcome their fears. If we have to do that with the sedation we do that – and then slowly wean them off – and it sounds like that’s what we’ve accomplished here.
Jen: I would recommend sedation dentistry – if you have a fear of dentists like I do – you do not remember anything. You are completely knocked out so if that’s a concern you don’t have to worry about it – you are completely zonked out.
