Oral sedation dentistry has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Good Morning America. For Donaldson & Guenther, it is another part of practicing dentistry as a fine art. And our patients really appreciate it. Some fly in from out of state to see us.

Ann Arbor is one of the areas where sedation dentistry is becoming more available without the need of referral to a hospital or specialty setting. Drs. Donaldson and Guenther have both completed comprehensive and rigorous training in oral sedation through the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation (DOCS). DOCS has trained over 10,000 dental professionals in North America and has developed the sedation protocols that are becoming the broadly accepted guidelines in dentistry.

The process for patients is simple. We listen to your concerns, do a medical and medication evaluation, and choose sedation levels to meet your needs. Patients generally take something to help them get a good night’s sleep before their appointment date. They don’t eat the morning of the appointment to help with absorption of the medication. They need a driver to and from their appointment. The sedation medication is allowed to dissolve under the tongue. Patients are very relaxed before any procedures start. The patient’s companion drives them home and stays with them while recovering (4-10 hr). Most patients have little sense of time during the appointment and experience little to no memory of their time in the dental chair.

Sedation dentistry not only creates a relaxing and anxiety-free experience for you, it also allows us to accomplish more dentistry in a single visit, meaning fewer appointments to complete care.

I have heard many sedation patients say after receiving extensive dentistry, ”Wow! That was the fastest and easiest appointment I have ever had!” They are thrilled. Sedation dentistry makes fine dentistry possible for them.

To find out more, give Donaldson & Guenther a call at 734-971-3450. Ann or Kara will be happy to discuss your fears and dreams and questions. You will enjoy talking to them. You can also go to the consumer website SedationCare.com to learn more.

Both Dr. Guenther and Donaldson (and our hygienists) get very positive feedback about how we make people comfortable and reduce pain with good gentle anesthesia technique as well as many other factors. To make dentistry even more anxiety free, more comfortable, less stressful, safer and even possible for more people, Dr. Donaldson & Guenther are advancing their training in oral sedation techniques from DOCS (the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation).

The medical word is “anxiolysis” which means “anxiety free.” With the help of light oral sedation (as directed in Michigan, where we are located) many many people can overcome their fear, gagging problems, problems with not getting numb enough and post treatment discomfort. If you are one of those people, you should contact us to find out more. You may well be able to have the smile and dental health you only dreamed of until now.

When I hear patients express their anxiety about “the Shot,” I am reminded of a patient, Carol, who was very nervous. I explained to Carol that our practice is well trained and committed to our patients’ comfort and quality of experience with our practice. I was able to relax her with explaining my technique and helped her through the numbing part. She couldn’t believe afterwards that she didn’t feel a thing. She has had several visits since and now tells me she enjoys coming to see us and is no longer afraid.

I really enjoy being able to provide this service for our patients and help them overcome their fear of a shot. If you or anyone you know is afraid of having dental treatment done because of the shot you should come and see us.

Kelly

Dr. Donaldson follow-up comment:
The State of Michigan certifies dental hygienists for administration of dental anesthetic. In the several years since my hygienists have been providing anesthesia, I have only heard very positive feedback from patients. Dr. Guenther and I work with our hygienists to ensure they use the same subtle techniques we use to make “the shot” very comfortable. It is a satisfying part of helping people overcome their past experiences and fear and build trust.

There are several approaches. My most common way is to have my patient lightly sedated, so they are relaxed. After thorough numbing, I open the gumline so I can see the bone clearly. This helps me choose the precise orientation and height of my implant. A pilot hole is gently drilled in the bone, double checked and enlarged. The implant is then carefully rotated into place. In complex cases, I will use a CT scan and a digitally designed guide system to aid in precise implant placement.

I have seen too many poor results because implants were not carefully planned and placed. I generally prefer to close the gums completely while the patient’s bone fuses (integrates) to the implant over a period of 2 to 6 months. In the mean time, patients have a temporary tooth or teeth so they always have teeth in aesthetic areas. Back teeth are often left as just the natural gums during the integration period. The advantage to this approach is highest success rates ( high 90’s) and the best gums later.

I do some clever things to make the gums look very natural on most front teeth. This happens when we uncover the implant and make a beautiful temporary that promotes a natural looking gumline. It is one of the “art parts.”

In special carefully selected situations, we may remove a tooth, place the implant and build the temporary tooth all in one step. Placing implants and teeth all at the same time is becoming more common, but some of the precision and success rates can drop. It is a decision that is important to make with plenty of information.

Once the implants have integrated, the patient is ready to have their new teeth made. We are able to replace a single tooth or several; all the way to an entire arch. Many people do single individually flossable teeth. With two implants, we make lower dentures much more secure. With 4 – 8 implants we can make a whole arch of secure teeth that stay in place and are not removable.

Kirk Donaldson DDS MS

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Enjoy your smile again. Schedule an appointment today. Call us at (734) 971-3450.